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Hopkins Football grinds out win over Brunswick

By David Fiero 
Greenwichtime.com

Hopkins School sent a clear message to Brunswick School with its methodical 12-play, 68-yard scoring drive to start Saturday night's showdown - they weren't the same team that was run over by King last week.

The Hilltoppers' impressive 5 minute, 25 second march down the field on the game's opening possession signaled the beginning of a satisfying night for the visitors from New Haven. As for Brunswick? They have experienced much better evenings at Robert L. Cosby Memorial Field.

Pounding Brunswick's defense throughout, senior running back Earl Geyer ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries to power Hopkins to a convincing 27-12 victory over the Bruins in a key Fairchester Athletic Association matchup.

Senior quarterback John Powers added 73 yards on the ground on 14 rushes and had 77 yards passing for the Hilltoppers, who were upended by King, 32-12, in their season opener.

Brunswick coach Sean Brennan, whose Bruins suffered a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Hopkins last season, believed his squad may have underestimated the Hilltoppers a bit.

"We did not play well tonight, we let them push us around," Brennan said. "They watched the game against King and saw King run all over them and figured because we may be on the same level as King we may have done the same. They underestimated them, which is the worst thing you can do in sports and life."

Meanwhile, Hopkins coach Tom Parr couldn't be happier with what he saw from his team following last week's

disappointing performance.

"I didn't know if we were a very good team after last week," said Parr, who pointed out that he had never beaten Brunswick at Cosby Field before. "I was more concerned in just going out and playing well this week. We ran at them and played a little smash mouth football."

Indeed, the Hilltoppers (1-1) set the tone on its opening drive. Geyer capped the 68-yard drive with a 5-yard run off right tackle and Matt Zikaras converted the point after attempt, putting the visitors ahead 7-0 with 6:35 left in the first quarter.

The Bruins responded by moving the ball right down the field. However, the Bruins drive was halted when defensive back Tom Driscoll intercepted Brunswick quarterback Jimmy Craft's pass in the end zone, keeping it a 7-0 game.

Brunswick (1-1) needed only three plays to score on its next drive. Craft rolled right and threw a perfect 45-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver Kevin Royal, who streaked past the Hopkins cornerback. The Bruins failed to convert the extra point and Hopkins kept a 7-6 advantage with 9:48 to go in the second quarter.

Powers, who completed 5-of-9 passes, gave the Hilltoppers a 14-6 lead with a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Henry Schaffer with 6:17 left before halftime. The Hilltoppers could have entered intermission with a bigger lead, but Brunswick sophomore linebacker Sam Macfarlane recorded a big interception in the end zone with just over one minute left in the first half.

Trying to get their offense on track in the third quarter, Brunswick stopped itself with untimely false start penalties.

"We have to know the plays and improve our discipline," said Bruins senior tailback and quad-captain Will Holmes. "Penalties really hurt us tonight."

Geyer's 1-yard scoring run through the right side capped a 13-play, 56 yard drive in the third quarter, that put the Bruins in a 21-6 hole with 2:24 left in the third quarter. The visitors' bruising back added another 1-yard scoring run with 7:12 left in the fourth quarter, giving his team a 27-6 advantage.

Sophomore receiver Brett Moscati reached the end zone on a dazzling 35-yard catch and run from Craft with 6:28 to go in the contest. But it was too little too late for the home team, which left the game upset with their overall performance.

"The intensity wasn't there for us, that's what we need to improve on," said Royal, a quad-captain. "They just wanted it more than we did tonight. A bunch of us went to the King game and I guess we thought we could do that to them also."

Added senior quad captain and defensive end/tight end Billy Chapman: "This will definitely be a learning experience for our team. You can't take any opponent for granted. You can't fear anybody, but it's important to respect each opponent."

NOTES: Craft completed 10-of-20 passes for 209 yards. ... The Hilltoppers rushed for more than 200 yards.

By David Fiero 
Greenwichtime.com

Hopkins School sent a clear message to Brunswick School with its methodical 12-play, 68-yard scoring drive to start Saturday night's showdown - they weren't the same team that was run over by King last week.

The Hilltoppers' impressive 5 minute, 25 second march down the field on the game's opening possession signaled the beginning of a satisfying night for the visitors from New Haven. As for Brunswick? They have experienced much better evenings at Robert L. Cosby Memorial Field.

Pounding Brunswick's defense throughout, senior running back Earl Geyer ran for 144 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries to power Hopkins to a convincing 27-12 victory over the Bruins in a key Fairchester Athletic Association matchup.

Senior quarterback John Powers added 73 yards on the ground on 14 rushes and had 77 yards passing for the Hilltoppers, who were upended by King, 32-12, in their season opener.

Brunswick coach Sean Brennan, whose Bruins suffered a heartbreaking 27-24 loss to Hopkins last season, believed his squad may have underestimated the Hilltoppers a bit.

"We did not play well tonight, we let them push us around," Brennan said. "They watched the game against King and saw King run all over them and figured because we may be on the same level as King we may have done the same. They underestimated them, which is the worst thing you can do in sports and life."

Meanwhile, Hopkins coach Tom Parr couldn't be happier with what he saw from his team following last week's

disappointing performance.

"I didn't know if we were a very good team after last week," said Parr, who pointed out that he had never beaten Brunswick at Cosby Field before. "I was more concerned in just going out and playing well this week. We ran at them and played a little smash mouth football."

Indeed, the Hilltoppers (1-1) set the tone on its opening drive. Geyer capped the 68-yard drive with a 5-yard run off right tackle and Matt Zikaras converted the point after attempt, putting the visitors ahead 7-0 with 6:35 left in the first quarter.

The Bruins responded by moving the ball right down the field. However, the Bruins drive was halted when defensive back Tom Driscoll intercepted Brunswick quarterback Jimmy Craft's pass in the end zone, keeping it a 7-0 game.

Brunswick (1-1) needed only three plays to score on its next drive. Craft rolled right and threw a perfect 45-yard scoring strike to senior wide receiver Kevin Royal, who streaked past the Hopkins cornerback. The Bruins failed to convert the extra point and Hopkins kept a 7-6 advantage with 9:48 to go in the second quarter.

Powers, who completed 5-of-9 passes, gave the Hilltoppers a 14-6 lead with a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Henry Schaffer with 6:17 left before halftime. The Hilltoppers could have entered intermission with a bigger lead, but Brunswick sophomore linebacker Sam Macfarlane recorded a big interception in the end zone with just over one minute left in the first half.

Trying to get their offense on track in the third quarter, Brunswick stopped itself with untimely false start penalties.

"We have to know the plays and improve our discipline," said Bruins senior tailback and quad-captain Will Holmes. "Penalties really hurt us tonight."

Geyer's 1-yard scoring run through the right side capped a 13-play, 56 yard drive in the third quarter, that put the Bruins in a 21-6 hole with 2:24 left in the third quarter. The visitors' bruising back added another 1-yard scoring run with 7:12 left in the fourth quarter, giving his team a 27-6 advantage.

Sophomore receiver Brett Moscati reached the end zone on a dazzling 35-yard catch and run from Craft with 6:28 to go in the contest. But it was too little too late for the home team, which left the game upset with their overall performance.

"The intensity wasn't there for us, that's what we need to improve on," said Royal, a quad-captain. "They just wanted it more than we did tonight. A bunch of us went to the King game and I guess we thought we could do that to them also."

Added senior quad captain and defensive end/tight end Billy Chapman: "This will definitely be a learning experience for our team. You can't take any opponent for granted. You can't fear anybody, but it's important to respect each opponent."

NOTES: Craft completed 10-of-20 passes for 209 yards. ... The Hilltoppers rushed for more than 200 yards.

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986 Forest Road
New Haven, Connecticut 06515
(203) 397-1001
2026 Niche Best Schools
Ranked #1 College Prep Day School
in Connecticut
Hopkins is a private middle school and high school for grades 7-12. Located on a campus overlooking New Haven, CT, the School takes pride in its intellectually curious students as well as its dedicated faculty and staff.
Hopkins School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.