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SYRACUSE — Senior quarterback Jake Hopkins knows a thing or two about hot starts.
As a sophomore in his first high school game in 2021, Hopkins connected on a 59-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter that ended up being the game-winner. Not a bad way to start off what has become a stellar prep career at Syracuse.
He won his first four games that season, and led Syracuse to an eight-game winning streak as a junior. With Hopkins under center, the Titans have done a lot of winning, including going undefeated in region play last season.
And if last Friday was any indication, Hopkins and Co. could be in store for an even bigger season.
In Syracuse's 38-0 season-opening win over Riverton, Hopkins threw for 341 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. He had three touchdowns at halftime, and blew open a contest that, in years past, has proved to be quite competitive. Not this year.
Is that a sign of things to come?
"I want to enjoy this year with him, because he's been such a big part of our program, and the success that we've had over the last couple of years and hopefully this year as well," Syracuse coach Mike Knight said. "I look forward to seeing him continue to make plays and be the guy for our team. He's our guy. Everybody knows that's Jake Hopkins, he's the captain of Syracuse High School."
Maybe no one knows that more than Syracuse's Region 1 rivals. Last season, the Hopkins-led offense went nuclear on the rest of the region. The Titans outscored region opponents by 36.5 points, and the 2023 team appears more than ready for an encore.
Hopkins won the job as a sophomore mainly due to his mind. He quickly picked up the offense and limited mistakes, which immediately made him stand out on the field.
"High school quarterback is a tough position," Knight said. "It's a tough position at any level, but in high school, it's really tough and kids don't make great decisions back there."
They take sacks, they throw head-scratching interceptions, they fumble the ball, they hold onto the ball too long — the list goes on and on. Hopkins, even as a young player, didn't do those things.
Maybe it was due to his baseball background — he's been one of Syracuse's top pitchers the last two seasons — or maybe just his knack for knowing where a play was going, but Hopkins gets rid of the ball quickly. That, alone, eliminated a lot of the unnecessary mistakes of a quarterback and led to many wins.
"I just think he knew exactly what it was that his reads were and he just picked it up quicker," Knight said.
With that as his foundation, Hopkins has emerged as one of the more consistent quarterbacks in the state. Knight said he's bulked up about 25 pounds and has matured physically as he enters his final season; add that to his already elite football mind, and he may have saved his best performance for last.
"Since his sophomore year, he's just never wavered," Knight said. "He's always here, he never misses. He's consistent, he works hard, he's a great kid, he's a 4.0 student. He'll probably be an academic All-State kid. He's a captain this year — he probably could have been a captain last year if we let juniors do that. … He's just a consistent, high-character kid. More so than like the football aspect of it, but I think, obviously, that transitions into football."
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