The Hopkins varsity football team pulled out a 22-20 squeaker over host Ravenna in its season opener Thursday evening.
The Vikings converted on two of their there two-point conversion attempts and Ravenna was only one for three to account for the difference in the game.
Hunter Braford broke loose for a 77-yard touchdown sprint in the first quarter and Colin Weber scored the two-point conversion to start the scoring for the evening. The Bulldogs countered with a 35-yard TD pass by quarterback Connor Kilbourne, but missed the PAT.
Matt Reynolds wedged into the end zone from two yards out in the second period and Hopkins was holding a 14-6 advantage at intermission.
The home team managed to knot the count at 14-all in the third quarter Kilbourne tossed a 10-yard scoring strike and made the two-point conversion.
Reynolds scored his second TD of the night later in the third period on a four-yard run and he found the end zone for the extra two points.
Ravenna roared back with a 76-yard TD romp, but missed the conversion. After that, neither team was able to add to the scoreboard count.
The Vikings churned out 205 yards on the ground offensively, but was out performed in total yards. Ravenna accumulated 370, with 197 of those coming through the air against a bend-but-do-not-break Hopkins defensive unit.
Braford led the rushing attack with 106 ya5 yards in six carries and Reynolds did most of the bruising inside rushing with 59 yards in 18 attempts. Braford also caught a couple of passes, good for 29 yards.
Trey Collins led the Vikings defensively with seven total tackles. Reynolds and Ethan Gilder both added six. Collins, Gilder, Colin Weber and Drew Weber each had one tackle for a loss.
The Bulldogs were 5-4 for the season last year, with a 42-30 season opening loss to Hopkins.
