Hilltoppers Dominate King School 42–14 to Advance in MIFL Playoffs

On October 24, the Hopkins Hilltoppers hosted the King School Vikings to open MIFL postseason play. It was the second meeting between the two teams this season—Hopkins edged King 19–18 in their first matchup—but this time, the Hilltoppers left no doubt, seizing control early and cruising to a 42–14 victory.

Hopkins wasted no time setting the tone. A booming 57-yard punt by David M. ’28 pinned King deep in its own territory, and after a quick three-and-out, Cole B. ’27 fielded the punt and sprinted untouched into the end zone for the opening score. Daniel H. ’28 added the extra point to make it 7–0. King responded with a rushing touchdown on its next drive to pull within 7–6, but from there, it was all Hilltoppers.

Quarterback Tommy C. ’27 punched in a two-yard sneak to extend the lead to 14–6, and Maurice E. ’27 took over from there, breaking free for touchdown runs of 43 and 65 yards to give Hopkins a commanding 28–6 advantage at halftime. In the third quarter, Maurice added a third score—a 15-yard run—to make it 35–6. Later in the quarter, John O. ’28 exploded down the left sideline for an 81-yard touchdown to cap Hopkins’ offensive outburst at 42 points. King managed one more score late, but the Hilltoppers held firm to close out the 42–14 win and advance to the next round.

Hopkins was balanced and dominant on both sides of the ball. Maurice E. led the offense with 148 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while John O. added 88 yards and one score. Defensively, Aidan F. ’26, Tommy O. ’26, and Chris L. ’26 each recorded sacks, and Cole B. ’27 delivered back-to-back tackles for loss in a strong second-quarter stand.

The Hilltoppers will travel next Saturday to the Bronx to face the Horace Mann Lions for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff in the MIFL semifinals. A win would send Hopkins to the Class B Championship at SUNY Purchase, where they would face the winner of the Fieldston–Montclair Kimberley matchup.

Go Hop!