The annual meeting between Johns Hopkins and McDaniel has been a tradition since 1947. But before today?s game, the 86th in the series, the teams? coaches continued their own tradition ? Sunday breakfast.
McDaniel coach Tim Keating and Hopkins coach Jim Margraff have been friends for years ? as far back as either can remember ? and continued their tradition when the met to exchange game film this past Sunday.
After standing in a parking lot for over an hour one year, the two decided to make breakfast part of the routine, and breakfast at Baugher?s Family Restaurant in Westminster was born.
“I don?t mind the ride up there,” Margraff said. “And it gives us a chance to catch up a little bit. It?s certainly competitive during the season, and it gives us an hour respite there to be friends and chat about the games.”
This year, Keating picked up the tab.
The two have never coached together, just missing one another at Penn when Margraff joined the Quakers as the tight ends coach in 1987 after Keating was hired as the head coach at Wesley College in 1988.
Hopkins leads the all-time series with McDaniel, 45-35-5, and enters today?s game with six straight wins in the series, including a 48-7 win at Homewood Field last year.
But this year, the two coaches ? each with more than 100 wins at their respective schools ? have their teams in the bottom-third of the Centennial Conference standings after combining to win at least a share of 11 conference titles in the past 10 years.
However, today?s game is still important to the players, as it represents one the last football game for seniors, one final time to score a touchdown or make a tackle before calling it a career.
“I think it means a lot. Whether both teams were 8-0 or whether we have the same records we have no, the rivalry means a lot,” Johns Hopkins senior safety Zach Rosswog said. “And being our last game, it means that much more, too.”
Traditionally, the game has always been played at the end of the season, and recently been dominated by the Blue Jays (3-6, 2-5), who are seeking their seventh straight victory over the Green Terror (1-8, 1-6). McDaniel is looking to avoid its first one-win season since 1988.
“It?s going to help us,” Keating said. “Those guys are good young men that will want this really bad.”
Margraff has guided the Blue Jays to four conference titles from 2002-05, and Keating?s Green Terror won a record 33-straight conference games from 1997-2001. With sub-.500 records this year, Margraff feels the rivalry keeps players focused until the very end.
“Our guys have had a good week of practice and it?s almost like, ?Thank goodness this is a rivalry,?” Margraff said. “We only play 10 [games] and they?re all important.”
