LANCASTER, PA – The Johns Hopkins football team earned 17 of 20 first-place votes and grabbed 161 points to earn the top spot in the 2015 Centennial Conference Preseason Poll of head coaches and sports information directors. The poll was announced at Kickoff 15, the Centennial Conference's annual media day on the campus of Franklin & Marshall College.

Johns Hopkins earned the top spot in the poll for the seventh straight year and the 10th time since 2004. The Blue Jays went on to win the Centennial title in eight of the previous nine years in which it topped the preseason poll, including each of the last six years.

Muhlenberg picked up the remaining three first-place votes and totaled 144 points to easily finish second in the poll, while Ursinus (122 points), Moravian (97) and Gettysburg (96) round out the top five. Franklin & Marshall (93), Juniata (65), Dickinson (62), Susquehanna (41) and McDaniel (19) ranked sixth through 10th.

The Blue Jays have won six straight Centennial Conference titles, including outright championships in 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 and a shared title in 2010. In all, Johns Hopkins has won a league-record 10 CC championships since claiming its first title in 2002.

Head coach Jim Margraff welcomes back 17 starters from last season's team, which spent the entire season ranked in the top 15 in the nation. The Blue Jays have been ranked for 40 consecutive weeks dating back to the first poll of the 2011 season.

Headlining Margraff's returning starters are seven who earned First Team All-Centennial Conference honors last season, including four on offense and three on defense.

Senior offensive linemen Colin Egan and Rowan Cade are the headliners among the eight overall returning starters on offense. Egan and Cade, who line up at guard and tackle, respectively, form the nucleus of a line that is adept at both run and pass blocking. They will have the luxury of leading the way for senior Brandon Cherry and junior Stuart Walters, who count more than 3,000 career rushing yards and 30 touchdowns to their credit; both have earned First Team All-Centennial honors during their careers.

While teams may focus on stopping the run, the Blue Jays are equally loaded on the outside with the return of juniors Bradley Munday and Quinn Donaldson and senior Ryan Finkel, who combined for 136 receptions for nearly 1,900 yards and 18 touchdowns a year ago. Munday (62-820-6) earned First Team All-Centennial honors in 2014, while Donaldson (51-825-10) led the team with 10 receiving TDs. In all, players who combined for 228 of JHU's 231 receptions a year ago back this season.

Defensively, three-quarters of the defensive line must be replaced, but the back seven are among the best in the Centennial. Seniors Keith Corliss (81 tackles) and Brady Watts (45) lead the way from their linebacker spots and are joined there by junior Jack Campbell (51) to form a strong, athletic trio.

Junior Jack Toner (S) and seniors Curtis Antrum (CB) and Charlie Kassis (CB) return in the secondary. Toner emerged as one of the top young defensive players in the Centennial last season as he posted 69 tackles, eight pass breakups and three interceptions, while Antrum and Kassis combined for 65 tackles and nine pass breakups on the outside.

Junior punter Matt Auran and sophomore place-kicker Jamie Sullivan also return for Johns Hopkins and enter their second year as starters. Junior Nick Campbell is also back; he handled the place-kicking chores as a freshman, when he hit 10-of-11 field goals.

Johns Hopkins opens the 2015 season on Saturday, September 5 when the Blue Jays travel to Randolph-Macon.

2015 Centennial Conference Preseason Football Poll
Rk. School (1st place votes) – Points (2014 record)
1. Johns Hopkins (17) – 161 (11-1 overall, 9-0 CC)
2. Muhlenberg (3) – 144 (9-2, 8-1)
3. Ursinus – 122 (7-3, 6-3)
4. Moravian – 97 (5-5, 4-5)
5. Gettysburg – 96 (5-5, 5-4)
6. Franklin & Marshall – 93 (5-5, 4-5)
7. Juniata – 65 (5-5, 4-5)
8. Dickinson – 62 (3-7, 3-6)
9. Susquehanna – 41 (2-8, 2-7)
10. McDaniel – 19 (1-9, 0-9)

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