Nov. 30, 2001

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The Team: Johns Hopkins completed its 2001 season with a stunning 21-14 win over ninth-ranked Western Maryland on November 10. Under the guidance of 12th-year coach Jim Margraff, the Blue Jays posted a 6-3 overall record, including a 4-2 mark in the Centennial Conference.

In the Centennial Conference: Officially, JHU finished third in the Centennial Conference behind co-champions Western Maryland and Muhlenberg. With the 21-14 season-ending win over the Green Terror, JHU became the first CC school to knock off Western Maryland since the Blue Jays posted a 13-3 win over WMC in the last game of the 1996 season.

The Coach: Johns Hopkins is coached by Jim Margraff (JHU `82), who recently completed his 12th season as the head coach at Homewood. With the season-opening win over Washington & Lee, Margraff became the all-time winningest coach in school history and he now sports an overall record of 66-50-3 (.567). He had been tied with Dr. Ray Van Orman (60-64-7) as the winningest football coaches in JHU history.

Margraff guided the Blue Jays to a school-record-tying seven wins in 1996, 1997, and 1998 to record the winningest three-year period in school history. Margraff's .567 winning percentage ranks third among JHU coaches who have coached 20 or more games.

In addition to ranking as the all-time winningest coach in school history, Margraff also ranks third on the all-time Centennial Conference (CC games only) victory list (48-33-2) and seventh on the all-time winning percentage list among Centennial coaches (CC games only) (.590).

Margraff's Resurrection: Putting head coach Jim Margraff's resurrection of the Johns Hopkins football program in perspective takes only a quick look at the Hopkins record book. Since taking over as the head coach prior to the 1990 season, Margraff has guided JHU to eight winning seasons (including this year) and 66 wins. The 66 wins are exactly as many as Hopkins accumulated in the previous 18 years combined (1972-89). During that time, Hopkins posted six winning seasons and won 66 games.

The Big Picture: Jim Margraff has been associated with Johns Hopkins football as a player (1978-81), assistant coach (1982), and head coach (1990-present). During his 17 plus years at Hopkins, the Blue Jays have won a total of 85 games. This represents over 21 percent of the all-time wins in program history (395).

JHU Defense Among Nation's Best: Under the watchful eye of first-year defensive coordinator Keith Emery, the Johns Hopkins defense ranked among the national leaders throughout the 2001 season. The Blue Jays concluded the 2001 season ranked first nationally in pass efficiency defense (64.2 rating), tied for 15th in total defense (247.7 yards per game), and 21st in scoring defense (14.0).

Among the more impressive accomplishments this season for the Johns Hopkins defense were the following:

The Road Most Traveled: With Swarthmore dropping football prior to the 2001 season, the Blue Jays were left with a nine-game schedule that included five road games, including four of the last six. Hopkins won three of its five games away from home and allowed an average of just 13.2 points per game away from Homewood Field.

Giving The Fans Their Money's Worth: Five of Johns Hopkins' six Centennial Conference games this season were decided by eight points or less. The Blue Jays won three of the five.

More Money: Four of Johns Hopkins' five road games this season were decided by eight points or less with the Blue Jays winning two and losing two.

A Final Money: Not to dwell on the obvious, but in the five Johns Hopkins games decided by eight points or less, the trailing team had a chance to tie or win in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. Consider:

Lucky Number Seven: The Blue Jays held five opponents this season to seven points or less. The last time JHU held that many opponents to seven points or less was in 1996, when they also held five teams to seven points or less.

And the Winner Is: After taking the battle to lead the team in tackles down to the final game of the season, the battle ended in...a tie. Senior linebacker Marc Della Pia (West Caldwell, NJ/James Caldwell) and junior linebacker Mike Little (Red Bank, NJ/Middletown South) jockeyed for the top spot all season, but eventually finished in a tie as both registered 59 tackles on the season.

A Second Team Centennial All-Star, Della Pia led the Blue Jays in tackles as a sophomore and a junior before tying Little for top honors this season. He posted a team-high nine tackles, including four solos, and came up with his first interception of the season in the final two minutes of the game to lead Johns Hopkins to a 21-14 season-ending upset of ninth-ranked Western Maryland. He finished the season with 59 tackles, including a team-high 31 solos, and added four tackles for losses, three pass breakups, one sack and the one interception. He ends his career with 215 tackles to his credit.

Little finished second on the team in tackles last season with 65 before tying Della Pia this year. Among his 59 stops this year were 28 solos and eight for losses, while he had four pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and one interception. His interception at the five-yard line with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter helped seal the 21-14 win over Western Maryland.

Defensive End Trio Excels: Seniors Erich Hellmold (Sayville, NY/Sayville) and Adam Seidman (Ramsey, NJ/Ramsey) and junior Nick Loiacono (Tappan, NY/Tappan Zee) formed a solid rotation at defensive end throughout the season as the trio combined for 82 tackles, including 48 solos, 20 tackles for losses, and 6.5 sacks.

Hellmold, who earned First Team All-Centennial honors this season after garnering Second Team Centennial All-Star status as a sophomore and junior, was slowed early in the season with an injury, but finished the season with 27 tackles, including nine for losses and 2.5 sacks. His nine tackles for losses ranked second on the team, while he also had one fumble recovery on the year as well. Hellmold finishes his career with 147 tackles to his credit, including 76 solos and 14 sacks.

Seidman made the switch from linebacker to defensive end this season and registered 26 tackles, including six for losses and two sacks. Against F&M, two of Seidman's three tackles resulted in losses. He was named the Centennial Defensive Player of the Week after JHU's season-opening 34-3 win over Washington & Lee in which he posted six tackles and one sack. A three-year regular at linebacker before making the position switch this season, Seidman finished his career with 119 tackles to his credit.

Loiacono, who transferred to JHU this season after playing his first two years at Swarthmore, finished with 29 tackles, including 19 solos, five for losses, and two sacks.

Smith Paces Squad in Sacks: Sophomore nose guard Paul Smith (Lafayette, NJ/Sparta) led all Johns Hopkins defensive lineman in tackles and finished fourth overall with 40 stops to his credit. Among his 40 tackles were 27 solos and team-highs of 14 for losses and 5.5 sacks. His 14 tackles for losses accounted for 55 yards in losses, while his 5.5 sacks resulted in 28 yards lost.

Smith was one of just two sophomores named to the Verizon District II Academic All-America Team and was previously named to the Centennial Academic Honor Roll. In two seasons at Johns Hopkins, Smith has 62 tackles, including 45 solos, 19.5 for losses, and 8.5 sacks.

Doyle Excels: Junior defensive tackle Pat Doyle (Wilkes-Barre, PA/Bishop Hoban) asserted himself as a force this season and was rewarded by being named a Second Team Centennial All-Star. Doyle finished sixth on the team with 32 tackles and counted 17 solos, eight tackles for losses, and two sacks among his 32 stops. Doyle has 73 tackles and three sacks in three seasons. He has increased his tackle totals in each of the last two years.

Young Gun: Freshman safety Matt Campbell (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) quietly put together a solid season at safety for the Blue Jays. Campbell was the only freshman to start a game for Johns Hopkins' nationally-ranked defense as he played in all nine games and started the final seven.

On the season, Campbell finished third on the team in tackles with 48 (including two for losses), tied for the team-lead in interceptions with three, forced two fumbles and had one fumble recovery to his credit. His forced fumble early in the fourth quarter was one of three straight turnovers the Blue Jays forced in the season-ending 21-14 upset of ninth-ranked Western Maryland.

In Hopkins' revamped 4-4-3 unit this season, Campbell started in the secondary with a pair of seniors. With their departure, Campbell will inherit the role of leader in the Hopkins' secondary next season.

Angelosante, Halas Hold Down the Corners: The Blue Jays' sparkling pass defense was been due in large part to the play of senior cornerbacks Joe Angelosante (Ridgefield Park, NJ/Ridgefield Park) and Mike Halas (White Plains, NY/Hackley), who both enjoyed standout campaigns. With Angelosante and Halas leading the way, the Blue Jays allowed an average of just 90.9 yards per game through the air and didn't allow a touchdown pass throughout the season.

A Second Team Centennial All-Star, Angelosante finished fifth on the team in tackles with 36 and tied for first on the team in pass breakups (7) and interceptions (3). In the final game of his career, a 21-14 upset of ninth-ranked Western Maryland, he posted seven solo tackles. He concludes his career with 143 tackles and six interceptions to his credit.

Halas tied Angelosante for the team lead in pass breakups (7), added a pair of interceptions, and posted 17 tackles on the year as well.

Reinert Garners All-CC Honors for Second Time: Senior outside linebacker Craig Reinert (Manalapan, PA/Manalapan) closed his career this season by earning Honorable Mention All-Centennial honors. A Second Team All-CC selection as a junior, Reinert missed a pair of games this season with an injury, but still posted 23 tackles on the year to run his career total to 92 tackles. Among his 92 career tackles with 4.5 sacks.

Longo, Slemenda, Quercetti Round Out Linebacker Rotation: Sophomores Paul Longo (Kensington, MD/Bethesda Chevy-Chase) and Colin Slemenda (Beaver, PA/Beaver Area) and senior Nick Quercetti (Glen Mills, PA/Archmere Academy (DE)) teamed with seniors Marc Della Pia and Craig Reinert and junior Mike Little to give Hopkins a deep and talented rotation at linebacker.

Longo held down a starting spot for most of the season and finished with a career-high 30 tackles, including three for losses. Slemenda missed one game, but still posted 16 tackles, including five for losses and one sack. His five tackles for losses tied for sixth on the team. Quercetti played in all nine games and registered 13 tackles, including one for a loss, and two fumble recoveries on the year.

Baylin Hits the Trifecta: The classic possession receiver, senior wide receiver Zach Baylin (Wilmington, DE/Tatnall) did one thing exceptionally well throughout his career, catch the football. When his career closed with a school-record 15-receptions, which accounted for 128 yards and three touchdowns, in the 21-14 upset of ninth-ranked Western Maryland in the season-finale, Baylin's career totals stood at 192 receptions for 2,049 yards and 19 touchdowns. Despite facing double teams at times, Baylin firmly established himself as one of the top receivers in Johns Hopkins and Centennial Conference history.

On the year, Baylin led the Blue Jays with 59 receptions for 656 yards and five touchdowns. In the process, he became just the second player in the history of the Centennial Conference to lead the league in receptions three times, while his 59 receptions rank as the fifth-highest single-season total in school history (he also owns the second and sixth-highest single-season totals in JHU history).

In the JHU record book, Baylin concludes his career ranked second in career receptions, tied for third in TD receptions, and fourth in receiving yards. He is also JHU's all-time leading punt returner (533 yards) and ranks fifth in career kickoff return yards (807).

Baylin also left his mark in the Centennial record book as he ranks second in receptions, tied for eighth in TD receptions, and 12th in receiving yards.

A two-time First Team All-Centennial pick and a two-time Verizon District II Academic All-American, Baylin also holds the school record for most consecutive games with a touchdown reception (7 - set during the 2000 season) and ended his career with at least one reception in each of his last 29 games (every game during the last three years).

A Nose For The End Zone: Senior running back Scott Martorana (Long Valley, NJ/W. Morris Central) missed three full games plus half of another this season, but still managed to further etch his name in the Johns Hopkins record book.

On the year, Martorana led the team in rushing with 107 carries for 548 yards and a team-best six rushing touchdowns. He added 17 receptions for 105 yards to finish second on the team in all-purpose yards (653). His 91.3 rushing yards per game and 108.8 all-purpose yards per game both led the team. Despite the missed time, Martorana was selected as an Honorable Mention Centennial All-Star.

Martorana's last rushing touchdown of the season came in the 41-0 win over F&M in the next-to-last game of the season and was the 25th rushing touchdown of his career. His 25 career rushing touchdowns ties him with Harry Leet (1958-60) for the most in school history. In addition, he ranks eighth all-time at JHU with 1,710 rushing yards and his 5.25 career rushing average is by far the highest among the top 10 rushers in school history (next highest is 5.10).

Martorana also proved to be one of the top pass-catching running backs in the Centennial Conference during his career. In addition to his rushing totals, he had 61 receptions for 757 yards and four touchdowns. Martorana's 29 career touchdowns rank second all-time at JHU, while his 174 career points rank third all-time.

Heleniak Among All-Time Leaders: Senior QB Rob Heleniak (Philadelphia, PA/Germantown Academy) closed out his career ranked among the top five passers in school history in every statistical category. He earned Honorable Mention All-Centennial honors in each of his last two seasons.

This season, Heleniak was 159-of-296 (.537) for 1,659 yards and 12 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. His 184.3 passing yards per game led the Centennial Conference, while he finished third in total offense (183.6) and fourth in pass efficiency (103.4). In the JHU single-season record book, Heleniak's 159 completions rank third, his 296 attempts rank fourth, his 1,659 passing yards rank eighth, and his 12 touchdown passes are tied for eighth.

On JHU's career charts, Heleniak concludes his career ranked fourth in attempts (616), completions (340), and passing yards (3,949) and tied for fifth in TD passes (33). His .551 career completion percentage is the second-highest in school history among quarterbacks who have 200 or more career completions, while his 29 touchdown passes in the last two years is the second-highest two-year total in school history.

Cook Impressive In Rookie Campaign: Freshman running back Adam Cook (New Freedom PA/Susquehannock) was thrust into the starting lineup when Hopkins' top two running backs went down with injuries and, although he came off the bench late in the season, he still established himself as one of the top young running backs in the Centennial Conference.

Cook finished second on the team and seventh in the Centennial Conference in rushing with an average of 51.1 yards per game. His 460 rushing yards this year were the most by a JHU freshman since Chuck Wotkowicz led the Blue Jays in rushing in 1993 with 543 yards. Cook also finished third on the team in all-purpose yards (652 / 72.4 per game) and second in receptions (18).

Cook twice rushed for over 100 yards in a game this season. Against Franklin & Marshall late in the season, Cook rushed just 10 times, but accounted for a game-high 107 yards and one touchdown in the 41-0 victory. His 51-yard run in the win over Franklin & Marshall was the longest by a Johns Hopkins running back this season. Previously, he had rushed for a career-high 120 yards on 18 carries against third-ranked Bridgewater.

Johnson Surpasses 1,000: Despite injuries which limited his playing time over the last two years, junior running back Kevin Johnson (Baltimore, MD/City) still managed to eclipse the 1,000 career rushing yardage mark. In the season-finale against Western Maryland, Johnson came off the bench to rush seven times for 37 yards, pushing his career total to 1,007 yards on just 191 attempts (5.3 yards per carry). On the year, Johnson rushed 26 times for 164 yards (6.3 yards per carry) and one touchdown.

All He Does is Score Touchdowns: Sophomore Kyle Miller (Hanover, PA/South Western) entered this season listed as the backup at the fullback position. As a freshman, he rushed just six times for 27 yards and had one reception for one yard. What a difference a year can make. Miller, who shared the job with junior Steve Stache this year, is a solid run-blocking fullback who had 15 carries for 44 yards and one touchdown on the season. However, where he really excelled is in the passing game, where he posted 15 receptions (fifth on the team) for 153 yards and three touchdown receptions. His seven-yard touchdown reception late in the second quarter proved to be the game-winning touchdown in a 13-7 win over Ursinus on October 6, while his 37-yard touchdown reception against Muhlenberg drew the Blue Jays within 22-14 with just under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. He added the first rushing touchdown of his career with a one-yard run late in the second quarter of the 41-0 win over F&M. His four overall touchdowns ranked third on the team.

Is There Anything He Can't Do: Sophomore running back Ben Stopper (Reinholds, PA/Conrad Weiser) does a little of this...and a little of that...and quietly amassed over 400 all-purpose yards doing this and that. The game against F&M was a perfect example of Stopper's versatility. He rushed four times for 18 yards, returned one punt 21 yards, and had one kickoff return for 34 yards. He finished fourth on the team in overall all-purpose yards (432) and all-purpose yards per game (48.0). He also had 62 yards rushing on 18 attempts and six receptions for 38 yards. He finished fourth in the Centennial Conference in kickoff returns with his 21.8 yards per return.

Offensive Line Excels in Anonymity: While the Blue Jays averaged nearly 23 points and 370 yards of total offense per game, the play of the offensive line went largely unnoticed. Despite starting just one senior and playing the first six games without perhaps the best lineman on the team, the unit came together nicely and will welcome back four starters next season.

Junior Kevin Kostibos (Florham Park, NJ/Hanover Park), a First Team All-Centennial pick this season and a Second Team All-Centennial selection last season, anchored the unit from his center position and has been a starter in each of his first three seasons. Senior Wayne Bugel (Pittsburgh, PA/North Allegheny) made the move to the offensive line this season and started at one guard spot until being lost for the season to a knee injury in the loss at Dickinson. Junior Brian Williams (Katy, TX/Strake Jesuit), who earned Verizon District II Academic All-America honors this year, was in his second season as a starter at the other guard spot. Junior Ben Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) started the game against Gettysburg in place of Williams, who missed the game with an illness, and assumed Bugel's starting spot in light of his injury.

At tackle, junior Leif Glynn (Croton, NJ/Croton-Harmon) earned Honorable Mention All-Centennial honors in his first season as a full-time player, while junior John Tiberi (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA/Chadwick) stepped in when sophomore Zach Kail (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) went down with an injury in preseason camp and did an admirable job at the other tackle spot. Kail played in each of the last three games, working his way back to his form of a year ago, when he established himself as one of the top young tackles in the Centennial Conference.

Andrade Closes Strong, Garners All-Centennial Honors: Senior Matt Andrade (Wyoming, DE/Caesar Rodney) became just the second Johns Hopkins place kicker to earn First Team All-Centennial honors as he provided the Blue Jays with an advantage at the position throughout the year. Andrade nailed all 26 of his extra points on the year and converted on 8-of-16 field goal attempts as well. His 50 points scored are the third-highest single-season total by a Johns Hopkins place kicker. He now holds the third and fourth-highest single-season totals in school history.

In the Centennial Conference, Andrade led the league in kick scoring (5.6 points per game), field goals per game (0.89), and extra point percentage (100%). He ranked second among CC kickers in field goal percentage (.500), although the one player ahead of him was just 3-for-4 (.750). Andrade made twice as many field goals on the year as any other kicker in the CC and his 16 attempts were five more than any other kicker attempted.

Andrade finishes his career as Hopkins' second all-time leading scorer among kickers with 131 career points. In his career, he was 74-of-80 (.925) on extra points and his two field goals against Franklin & Marshall in the next-to-last game of the season moved him into sole possession of second place on the career field goals list at Johns Hopkins with 19. Andrade also converted the last 27 extra points he attempted in his career, which ties the Centennial Conference record of 27 set by Western Maryland's Brent Sandrock (1997-98).

Hard to Believe: Johns Hopkins ran 702 offensive plays this season, including a school-record 91 against then third-ranked Bridgewater. By contrast, the opposition ran 151 fewer offensive plays against the Blue Jays this season (551). The 702 offensive plays were the most ever run by a Johns Hopkins team in a nine-game season. The overall school record for plays in a season is 731 in 1993.

It's the Little Things: The Blue Jays led the Centennial Conference in time of possession (34:11) and ranked second in third-down conversions (59-of-140/.421).

Spreading It Out: Last season, Johns Hopkins had four different players with 10 or more receptions...this season, the Blue Jays had seven different players with 10 or more receptions.

Home Sweet Home: Since the beginning of the 1996 season, Hopkins is 21-8 (.724) at home and won 10 straight at Homewood from 1996-97.

Road Warriors: After winning a total of just three road games in 1999 and 2000 combined, JHU won three of five on the road this season. Of their two road losses, one was by eight points and the other was in overtime.

Cradle of Coaches: When Johns Hopkins defeated Washington & Lee (34-3) in the season-opener, Jim Margraff joined a rather large fraternity at JHU.