Photo By Michael Lipscomb
By Abrielle Tutino
A familiar friend rolled into town for a highly anticipated football game on Saturday at Doug Arthur Stadium.
Johns Hopkins, the nationally third-ranked team in the nation, defeated the football team 40-22 on Saturday in a matchup between former Centennial Conference foes and national semifinalists from last season.
Susquehanna and JHU football shared a home in the Centennial from 2010 to 2022, facing off every year. The Blue Jays often got the better of the River Hawks, winning 13 of 19 matchups.
By far SU’s biggest win was the last one – a 26-24 win for the River Hawks that all but secured the Centennial title and a birth to the NCAA playoffs. The Blue Jays got their lick back on Saturday.
On the first play of the game, SU (2-1) quarterback Josh Ehrlich did not hesitate to pass to preseason All-American running back Rahshan La Mons, who missed the opening two games of the season with a hamstring injury.
La Mons led the River Hawks with 110 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns.
On the game’s opening drive, Ehrlich made a right pass to Hunter Morgenroth for a 21-yard touchdown.
It was pretty much all Hopkins (3-0) from there.
After a short field goal by the Blue Jays, Hopkins tailback Geoff Schroeder ran for his first of three touchdowns on the day in the second quarter.
With nine minutes left in the first half, the Blue Jays went on to score yet another touchdown, extending their lead to 17-7 on an 83-yard bomb from Bay Harvey to Cole Crotty.
Hopkins really built its advantage in the third quarter, as another pair of touchdowns from Harvey and Schroeder combined with a safety spelled trouble for the River Hawks.
La Mons sparked hope for the team and fans in the fourth quarter, running for 37 and 2-yard touchdowns.
“Having Rahshan back is only going to make us better,” SU running backs coach Todd Tilford said.
“When I was in, I was doing my productivity, but when they needed me, I wasn’t there,” said La Mons.
Susquehanna’s defense kept things going with Ben Fleming and Jesse Ruisch each having eight tackles.
“Our defense kept us going when we couldn’t convert on some third and shorts, and things like that,” SU head coach Tom Perkovich said.
Schroder ran for his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter, killing any chance at an SU comeback.
La Mons stated, “We need to bond and trust each other. We’ve got a young team, but we will come together in the end.”
The Riverhawks will face Christopher Newport University on Saturday in Virginia before returning home for Landmark Conference play.
“We’ve got to be opportunistic, and we have to execute better,” Perkovich said. “One of the common themes over the last three weeks is the guys letting things hang over their heads.”