Photo Courtesy of Susquehanna Athletics
By Marquis Frias, Sports Editor
The No. 24 ranked Susquehanna River Hawks pulled off a 49-23 road win over No.13 ranked Johns Hopkins on Saturday in Baltimore, M.D.
The win marked the first time since 2022 that the River Hawks beat the Blue Jays. The two familiar foes met for the third time in 12 months after Johns Hopkins eliminated Susquehanna from the NCAA DIII Playoffs just a year ago.
“You heard [the players] talking during preseason camp that this is the number one team that they wanted to beat,” Susquehanna Head Coach Chris Pincince said. “It was extremely important to them that they handle their business today.
The game began with Johns Hopkins forcing a stop on Susquehanna’s opening drive of the game which led to a Blue Jays field goal from Kaleb Wayt to give Johns Hopkins an early 3-0 lead in the first.
Susquehanna answered back with a 10 play drive that was capped off by a Noah Confer 23-yard touchdown reception. Johns Hopkins wasted no time to respond back as on the ensuing drive, Luke Baker found Alex Orecchio for a 58-yard touchdown.
The quick strike touchdown gave Johns Hopkins a 10-7 lead going into the second quarter, but that is where the contest would flip on its head in favor of the River Hawks.
Senior running back Drew Hutchins found the endzone a minute into the second quarter to give his team back the lead. After Susquehanna forced a punt defensively, the River Hawks were able to use the ground game to score again, this time with Matt Surtz rushing for a 4 yard touchdown.
But Susquehanna wasn’t done there, as the defense was able to force another three and out to give the ball back to the offense. Just five plays into the River Hawks’ ensuing drive, quarterback Tommy Wright found wide receiver Frankie Mroz for a 39 yard score, to give his teams 28-10 advantage.
The River Hawks finished the quarter off with the offense taking advantage of more great play by the defense after Jaydon Handy recovered a Johns Hopkins fumble. Surtz would then record a 48-yard rush that would set up a Carter McCauley 17 yard touchdown reception.
In a quarter that started 10-7 in favor of the Blue Jays, Susquehanna took a 35-10 lead in the blink of an eye heading into the locker rooms. Susquehanna outscored Johns Hopkins 28-0, while also recording 224 yards and seven first downs to the Blue Jays’ 17 yards and one first down in the second quarter.
“I told my guys that we basically do this everyday [going into the second quarter],” Wright said. “Don’t take it too seriously, let all the nerves out and have fun, and I’m glad we were able to have some fun today.”
“I don’t say anything. Game day is their day,” Pincince said. “The leaders of this team take charge and they understand what needs to be done.”
The third quarter saw the River Hawks dominate the quarter again, as they went on to outscore Johns Hopkins two touchdowns to none. Wright connected with sophomore wide receiver Jimmy Fusaro for a 30-yard touchdown on Susquehanna’s opening drive of the second half, and sophomore Frankie Williams found the endzone for his first career Susquehanna touchdown.
With the River Hawks up 49-10 over Johns Hopkins heading into the fourth quarter, the game was all but over. Johns Hopkins managed to put up 13 points in the final quarter with Robby Enright and Cooper Powell both finding the endzone for the Blue Jays, but it seemed to be too little too late.
Wright ended the day going 15-19 passing while throwing for 224 yards and five touchdowns. Surtz also ended with another 100 yard rushing performance, finishing with 16 rushes for 156 yards and a touchdown.
In the receiving department, Mroz recorded two receptions for 55 yards and touchdown, while Fusaro finished with three receptions for 43 yards and also a touchdown.
Meanwhile for Johns Hopkins, Baker went 14-28 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns. The Blue Jays earned heavy contributions from Powell who ended with 19 rushes for 123 yards and a touchdown.
The River Hawks will return to Selinsgrove for their first home game of the season when they take on Christopher Newport University on Saturday, Sept 26 at 12 p.m.