2009 Varsity Football Team
[ Youth Program,
Grade levels 4
through 8 ]
Grade levels 4
through 8 ]
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Varsity
Royal History
Other Levels
| 2009 SCHEDULE & RESULTS Scrimmage, vs. Cretin Derham Hall (CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS!) Week 1, @ Rochester Mayo: W, 40-14 Week 2, vs. Edina: W, 36-13 (FoxPreps story) Week 3, @ #6 Minnetonka: W, 31-30 (Star Tribune article) Week 4, vs. Duluth East: W, 47-28 Week 5, @ #1 Wayzata: L, 14-35 Week 6, vs. Armstrong: W, 54-27 Week 7, vs. #2 Eden Prairie: L, 7-41 Week 8, @ Irondale: W, 41-20 PLAYOFFS, Section 6AAAAA Quarterfinal vs. Mpls SW: W, 41-28 PLAYOFFS, Section 6AAAAA Semifinal vs. Minnetonka: L, 21-31 VARSITY ENDS SEASON WITH RECORD OF 7-3 |
First Row, Left to Right: Shailee Zatz, Austin Haecherl, Worku Kebede, Tom Guthrie, Aaron Ackerman, Markus Smith, Dan George, LaShaun Graves, Robert
Skalsky, Jamie Jeffries, Johnny Buss, Kprecia Ambers-Moore. Second Row: Tyler Putmon, Zach Brengman, Tyler Perry, Ulisyie Powell, Ahmad Daniel, Gideon
Kendrick, Josh Stewart, DeAndre Adams, Abraham Johnson, Michael White, Marcus Chisholm, Andrew Weiberdink, Elijah Carter, Armani Cartlidge. Third Row:
Courtney Wilson, Sevion Dalton, Brandon Hunter, Brett Walther, Coach Sean Smith, Coach Jared Nuness, Coach Kirby Dorothy, Coach John DenHartog, Coach
Patrick Cantwell, Coach Nick Abel, Coach Edwards Burns, Richmond Russ, Andrew Cornelius, Drakarrey Fountain, Stephanie Breth, Majestic Jones. Fourth Row:
Ataya Manuel-Moore, Treyvon Smith, Tavaughn Blair, Michael Moore, Zachary Heil, Evan Yuhala, Ethan Swaiman, Brent Seaberg, Stetson Smith, Shane
Mogan, Alex Miller, Dami Mafe, Tre Ware, Marcus Okpalaeke, Addie Davis. Fifth Row: Tracy Kistner, Jack Miller, Michael Link, Tyler Lord, Jacob Frahm, Ben
Christopher, Bill Gregg, Marty Broberg, Jack Powers, Ali Mohamed, Spencer Jones, Jonny Mydra, Nick Logeais, Logan Hanson, Brody Thomas, Adam Gilliam,
Larisa Arnold. Sixth Row: Jackie Bissonette. Last Row: Caity Drechuel, Dan Wheelock, Kyle Russell, Dan Barney, Kevin Russell, Scott Gannis, Kendrick Paulson,
Lance Skellenger, AJ Page, Leon Perry, David Powell, Gavin Grady, Adam Bevis, Kevin Swanson, Chris McGregor, Andre McDonald, Mariah Pargo.
Skalsky, Jamie Jeffries, Johnny Buss, Kprecia Ambers-Moore. Second Row: Tyler Putmon, Zach Brengman, Tyler Perry, Ulisyie Powell, Ahmad Daniel, Gideon
Kendrick, Josh Stewart, DeAndre Adams, Abraham Johnson, Michael White, Marcus Chisholm, Andrew Weiberdink, Elijah Carter, Armani Cartlidge. Third Row:
Courtney Wilson, Sevion Dalton, Brandon Hunter, Brett Walther, Coach Sean Smith, Coach Jared Nuness, Coach Kirby Dorothy, Coach John DenHartog, Coach
Patrick Cantwell, Coach Nick Abel, Coach Edwards Burns, Richmond Russ, Andrew Cornelius, Drakarrey Fountain, Stephanie Breth, Majestic Jones. Fourth Row:
Ataya Manuel-Moore, Treyvon Smith, Tavaughn Blair, Michael Moore, Zachary Heil, Evan Yuhala, Ethan Swaiman, Brent Seaberg, Stetson Smith, Shane
Mogan, Alex Miller, Dami Mafe, Tre Ware, Marcus Okpalaeke, Addie Davis. Fifth Row: Tracy Kistner, Jack Miller, Michael Link, Tyler Lord, Jacob Frahm, Ben
Christopher, Bill Gregg, Marty Broberg, Jack Powers, Ali Mohamed, Spencer Jones, Jonny Mydra, Nick Logeais, Logan Hanson, Brody Thomas, Adam Gilliam,
Larisa Arnold. Sixth Row: Jackie Bissonette. Last Row: Caity Drechuel, Dan Wheelock, Kyle Russell, Dan Barney, Kevin Russell, Scott Gannis, Kendrick Paulson,
Lance Skellenger, AJ Page, Leon Perry, David Powell, Gavin Grady, Adam Bevis, Kevin Swanson, Chris McGregor, Andre McDonald, Mariah Pargo.
Varsity Captains, left to right: Senior DL Scott Gannis,
Senior LB Logan Hanson, Junior WR/DB Ben
Christopher, Senior LB Gavin Grady.
Senior LB Logan Hanson, Junior WR/DB Ben
Christopher, Senior LB Gavin Grady.
| Front Row, Left to Right: Nick Abel, Sean Smith, Jared Nuness. Back Row: Kirby Dorothy, Patrick Cantwell, John DenHartog, Edwards Burns. |
2009 CAPTAINS
2009 COACHES
(Click Photo to Meet the Staff)
| 2009 Classic Lake Conference Champions |
| Royals 3-0 After 31-30 Win Over Skippers Everybody can breathe now. For the second time in less than eleven months, the Royals traveled to Minnetonka and came away with a heart-stopping victory over the Skippers on their own turf, this time by a final count of 31-30. The win pushed Hopkins' record to 3-0 (2-0 in Classic Lake Conference) heading into their homecoming week tilt with Duluth East. Things started well for the Royals on Thursday night, as RB Dami Mafe exploded through the Skippers' defense for a 48 yard TD run less than a minute into the first quarter, giving the Royals an early 7-0 lead. The defense set the tone for the rest of the first half, as they stymied Minnetonka at every turn, forcing a turnover on downs after consecutive short yardage stops on Minnetonka's first possession (SR DE Leon Perry and SR LB AJ Page made the key tackles), and a short field goal after stuffing Minnetonka on three consecutive plays inside the 5 yard line after a botched snap from center on a Royals punt attempt. Thanks to those huge stops, the offense was able to stretch the lead to 14-3 after marching into Minnetonka territory and scoring on a 5 yard TD pass from Bill Gregg to Andre McDonald (the SO WR's first career TD). After surrendering a TD on the ensuing kickoff, the Royals were up 14-10, which was the halftime margin. The second half brought more excitement, as Hopkins scored twice in the third quarter (5 yard TD run by Treyvon Smith and 76 yard punt return for TD by Gideon Kendrick) and the defense held Minnetonka to just one score, carrying the Royals to a 28-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Royals scored just once in the fourth quarter on a 31 yard field goal by SO kicker Zach Brengmann (his first career FG) sandwiched between two Minnetonka TD's, the last of which put the game at 31-30 (after a missed PAT attempt) with just under two minutes left. After being forced to punt back to the Skippers with under a minute remaining, the defense held strong and ended the game on an interception by Ben Christopher with only a few ticks left on the clock. Many individuals came up with huge performances in the win, including QB Bill Gregg (289 yards, TD), RB Dami Mafe (103 yards, TD), WR Ben Christopher (6 catches, 1 int), WR Andre McDonald (6 catches), DB Gideon Kendrick (punt return TD, 7 tackles), DE Scott Gannis (8 tackles), CB Trayvaughn Blair (7 tackles, 3 passes defended), LB Gavin Grady (7 tackles, 1 int), LB AJ Page (6 tackles), and LB Logan Hanson (5 tackles). Click her for a Star Tribune recap of the game. The Royals return to action this Friday night in their homecoming game vs. the Duluth East Greyhounds. |
| Royals Move to 4-0 with 47-28 Homecoming Win! Led by dominant first half performances on both sides of the ball, the Royals jumped to a 33-0 halftime lead en route to a 47-28 win over the Duluth East Greyhounds last Friday night. The win moved Hopkins' record to 4-0 this season and marked the third straight year they have won their Homecoming football game. Hopkins moved the ball with ease in the opening two quarters against the Greyhounds, amassing over 300 yards of offense and 5 touchdowns in the first 24 minutes. In that big first half, The Royals got great performances from QB Bill Gregg (258 yards, 4 TD's), RB Dami Mafe (12 carries/101 yards), and Andre McDonald (3 catches, 94 yards, 2 TD's). Defensively, the Hopkins starters held Duluth East to under 100 yards of offense on the night, and for the third time this season they also kept the opposition's offense out of the endzone for the entire first half. Many defensive players had big nights, including Senior DB Andrew Wieberdink who snagged 2 interceptions. In the second half, the Royals got nice performances from Junior QB Micheal White, Senior RB Deandre Adams, and a bevy of WR's, including Adam Bevis (4 catches, 85 yards), Jonny Mydra (5 catches, 72 yards, 1 TD), Kendrick Paulson (1 TD), and Stetson Smith (1 TD). The Royals will look to keep the momentum going when they face-off against 4-0, #1-ranked Wayzata this Friday. |
| Royals Fall to Wazyata, Drop to 4-1 Led by a dominant defense and a sharp, balanced offensive attack, Wayzata handed Hopkins its first loss of the season, 35-14, on a cold, rainy night last Friday. Showing why they are the #1 ranked team in the state, the Trojans controlled the game from the beginning, clamping down on the vaunted Hopkins offense (who was without leading receiver Andre McDonald), and moving the ball effectively against the previously stout Hopkins D (who surrendered only their 2nd first half TD of the year when Wayzata scored on their opening possession). Wayzata rolled to a 21-0 halftime lead, using two long passes and an interception return for TD. They later opened the lead up to 35-0 before the Royals were able to get on the board with two late TD's. Hopkins, who slipped to #7 in the state polls after the defeat, will be looking to rebound with a win over Classic Lake Conference for Robbinsdale Armstrong next Friday night. |
| Royals 5-1 After Win vs. Armstrong With memories of their first loss of the season still fresh in their minds, the Hopkins Royals got back in the win column with a 54-27 win over Robbinsdale Armstrong last Friday night. Hopkins dominated from the opening kick-off, as they marched down the field on their first possession, eventually scoring on a 1-yard QB sneak by Bill Gregg (the first of four TD's in which he would have a hand). After the defense forced Armstrong to punt, the offense once again scored, this time on a 61-yard TD run by Dami Mafe. The next Armstrong drive ended on an interception by JR DB Ausin Haecherl, after which the offense again marched with ease, this time finishing their TD drive on a 1-yard pass from Gregg to Gavin Grady. Andrew Wieberdink wrapped up the first half scoring for Hopkins with an incredible 97-yard interception return for a TD, and Hopkins found itself in the driver's seat with a 28-7 halftime lead. The Royals built that lead to 35-7 on a quick 40-yard pass from Gregg to Adam Bevis early in the 3rd quarter, and the Royals eventually cruised to the 54-27 final. Outstanding performers on the night include Gregg (274 yards, 3 passing TD's, 1 rushing TD), Dami Mafe (129 yards, 1 TD), and Ben Christopher (6 catches, 162 yards, 1 TD). Other Royals who scored or contributed in major ways included Adam Bevis, JR QB Mike White, JR WR Tyler Perry, and Gavin Grady. Hopkins is back in action on Wednesday night for a mid-week showdown at home with #2 ranked Eden Prairie. |
| Royals Fall to 5-2 with Loss to Eden Prairie Hopkins suffered their second loss of the season last Wednesday night when the #2 ranked Eagles of Eden Prairie visited Hopkins Stadium and left with a 41-7 victory over the #7 Royals. Eden Prairie, who has not lost a regular season game since 2005, used a dominating defensive effort to consistently frustrate the Hopkins offense and put itself in great field position all night. Despite a spirited effort by the Royals defense, who forced two first half turnovers, EP was able to use field position to sprint to a 21-0 halftime lead from which they never looked back. The Hopkins offense, who was already without leading receiver Andre McDonald and lost RB Dami Mafe on his second carry of the game, struggled all night and was unable to get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, at which point EP already held a 41-0 lead. Hopkins will try to finish the regular season on a high note when they visit 5-2 Irondale this Wednesday night. |
| Royals Down Irondale, Finish at 6-2 Sometimes, history does repeat itself. For the second consecutive year, Hopkins finished the regular season with a record of 6-2 after winning in dominating fashion over Irondale. This year's final regular season game certainly started with a bang, as Royals QB Bill Gregg hooked up with Adam Bevis for a 65-yard TD toss on the very first play, giving the Royals a 7-0 lead from which they would never look back. After the defense forced and recovered a fumble on Irondale's opening drive (the first of four turnovers the defense would come up with on the night), Hopkins again marched easily to a score, this time finishing the drive on a 10-yard TD pass from Gregg to RB Treyvon Smith. After Irondale got on the board following a botched punt attempt, Hopkins added another score in the second quarter when Gregg found SR Logan Hanson for a 3-yard TD strike. After Irondale added another score to make the halftime margin 19-14 Royals, Hopkins marched for three consecutive second-half TD's (Bevis 10-yard pass from Gregg; Smith 6-yard run; and SO Romar Daniel 3-yard run) to take a 40-14 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Many individuals had outstanding performances on the night, including Gregg (370 yards passing, 4 TD's), Bevis (5 recep, 121 yards, 1 TD), Ben Christopher (7 recep, 96 yards), Smith (52 yards rushing, 53 yards receiving, 2 TD's), Jonny Mydra (4 recep, 81 yards), Hanson (TD, interception), and Daniel (1st varsity TD). The Royals, who are seeded #2 in section 6AAAAA, will look to extend their season when they face the #7 seed, Minneapolis SW, in the section quarterfinals next Tuesday. |
| Royals Win Share of Classic Lake Conference Title! A year after losing 17 seniors who went on to play in college, the Hopkins Royals are Classic Lake Conference champions! Hopkins, Wayzata, and Minnetonka all finished the season with 3-1 records in the Classic Lake Conference, and since no team beat both of the other two (Hopkins beat Minnetonka; Wayzata beat Hopkins; Minnetonka beat Wayzata), all three will share the last ever Classic Lake Conference title. Hopkins had not won the conference since the 1999 season, when they also finished in a 3-way tie with the same teams. Please join the Hopkins football family in congratulating the coaches and players on a great accomplishment! |
| Royals Dominate Southwest, Advance in Playoffs The Royals started what they hope will be a long 2009 post-season with a dominant 41-28 win over Minneapolis SW in Section 6AAAAA quarterfinal action Wednesday night. The Hopkins offense scored the first five times they had the ball en route to a 34-6 halftime lead. Bill Gregg accounted for three of those scores on TD passes to Jonny Mydra, Ben Christopher, and Adam Bevis, with Treyvon Smith and Romar Daniel also adding rushing TD's in the half. After surrendering a TD on SW's first drive, the Royals defense shut the Lakers out before retiring for the evening midway through the second quarter. Overall, it was a great team win with many JV, Sophomore, and even Freshmen players getting a chance to play. The Royals return to action Saturday afternoon for a 1pm showdown with rival Minnetonka in the Section Semifinals. |
| Royals Fall to Skippers, Finish Year at 7-3 The 2009 season came to an end this weekend when the Royals dropped a devastating 31-21 decision to rival Minnetonka in Section 6AAAAA semifinal action on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Hopkins Stadium. The #2 seeded Royals gave a strong effort on both sides of the ball, but ended up making too many costly mistakes to overcome the #3 seeded Skippers. While the offense did play well in stretches, they turned the ball over five times (4 interceptions--one returned for TD--and a blocked punt) and too often gave the Skippers solid field position with which to work. Still, the 21 points scored by the offense is the third most surrendered by Minnetonka this year (including the 31 points Hopkins scored in their Week 3 win over the Skippers). Despite surrendering 24 points, the defense was solid and forced two turnovers (1 int, 1 fumble). |
| Royals Move to 2-0 with 36-13 Win Over Edina The varsity kept up their winning ways with a 36-13 win over Classic Lake Conference foe Edina in Week 2 of the young season. The Royals have now won 3 out of their past 4 meetings with Edina. This win started off a bit slower than the others though, with the Royals failing to score on their first two possessions despite moving the ball deep into Edina territory both times. With the defense giving up a long scoring strike early, the Royals found themselves down 7-0 in the first quarter. The deficit wouldn't last long, however, as QB Bill Gregg hooked up with SR Wide Receiver Adam Bevis on the ensuing Hopkins possession for a 74 yard TD which knotted the score at 7-7. Shortly thereafter, Hopkins took a 9-7 lead when a botched Hornets punt snap traveled through the back of the end zone, giving the Royals a safety. With great field position after the free kick, the offense marched deep into Edina territory and punched in another score, this time on a 7 yard strike from Gregg to Ben Christopher. The defense made the halftime score 22-7 when SR Linebacker Gavin Grady returned an interception for a TD on the ensuing Edina possession. The second half was more of the same, as the Royals D frustrated and shut down the Hornets, both on the ground and in the air, and the Royals offense marched for two more scores (RB Mafe, 83 yard TD run; QB Gregg, 19 yard TD run) to make the final score Hopkins 36, Edina 13. Outstanding individual performances abounded in this week's win, including the following offensive stars: QB Gregg (368 yards passing, 2 TD's [1 passing/1 rushing]); RB Mafe (146 yards, 1 TD); WR McDonald (5 catches, 97 yards); WR Christopher (8 catches, 77 yards, 1 TD); WR Bevis (2 catches, 75 yards, 1 TD). The Royals will try to start the year 3-0 when they travel to Minnetonka to take on the Skippers this Thursday night at 7pm. Varsity Kicks Off Season with 40-14 Win! The Royals varsity started the season with a bang, traveling to Rochester and rolling over Mayo for a 40-14 win. The Royals dominated on both sides of the ball, racing to a 19-0 halftime lead, which eventually grew to 33-0 before Hopkins removed many starters midway through the 3rd quarter. The Royals D got things going with a 4th down stop on Mayo's first possession, which gave the offense the ball backed-up in their own territory. Junior QB Bill Gregg, making his first varsity start, engineered a drive that got the Royals deep into Spartan territory, although Hopkins was unable to cash in with points. The key play of the drive was a 3rd down strike from Gregg to Sophomore WR Andre McDonald, which went for 30+ yards and a first down. After another defensive stop, Hopkins was able to start the scoring when Gregg hooked up with Junior WR Ben Christopher from 9 yards out for the first Royals TD of the season. As the defense continued smothering Mayo, the offense started warming up and added two TD runs by Dami Mafe to make the halftime margin 19-0. The second half held more of the same, as the offense ran wild and the defense suffocated the Spartans, holding them without a score until the second unit took over in the 4th quarter. There were plenty of big performers in the season's first game, including many first time varsity starters. QB Gregg (16-24, 206 yards, 1 TD), RB Mafe (10 rushes, 156 yards, 4 TD's), WR McDonald (5 catches, 127 yards), and WR Treyvon Smith (2 catches, 52 yards; 80 yard KO return for TD) starred for the Royals offensively. Defensively, Hopkins was led by Senior DB Gideon Kendrick (10 tackles), Sophomore DB Travaughn Blair (7 tackles), Senior LB Gavin Grady (5 tackles), and senior LB Logan Hanson (3 tackles, 5 QB hurries). Hopkins will try to continue its winning ways when they face off against Edina at Hopkins Stadium next Friday. |
| Post-Season Awards Banquet The Hopkins Football family wrapped up the 2009 season with their celebration and awards banquet on Tuesday, November 17th at HHS cafeteria. Players who had participated for the varsity team received their letters, and many individuals were honored for their outstanding performances this season--both on the field and in the classroom. The following players won special honors, as voted on by their teammates and coaches: MVP Offense................................Bill Gregg MVP Defense...........................Gavin Grady Most Outstanding Lineman............... Brody Thomas Most Outstanding Lineman...................David Powell Most Promising Underclassman..............Travaughn Blair Big Hitter Award....................Gideon Kendrick Most Inspirational Player.....................Logan Hanson Special Teams Player of the Year................Zach Brengman Best Leader...............................Scott Gannis Practice Player of the Year................. Kendrick Paulson |
2009 Season in Review