Nov 14, 2017 3 min read

Coming into their respective football camps in August, Washington & Jefferson and Johns Hopkins each had the same dilemma.

Who was going to be the starting quarterback?

The Presidents settled on 6-2 senior Alex Rowse and Johns Hopkins picked 6-3 sophomore David Tammaro.

Both were excellent choices.

Tammaro led the Centennial Conference title and a spot in the NCAA Division III playoffs. Rowse led the Presidents to seven straight victories before injuring his shoulder. He will be a gametime decision Saturday when W&J hosts Johns Hopkins at Cameron Stadium for a noon kickoff.

Tammaro has completed 66 percent of his passes for 2,774 yard and 24 touchdowns. He has been intercepted only twice in 331 attempts.

“Our quarterback really developed in his first year starting,” said Johns Hopkins head coach Jim Margraff. “He’s certainly grown into the position. Even though we won some games early, we were choppy and inconsistent. The second half of the season we jelled a little more. We still a developing team.”

The only hiccup of the season came in Week 5, when Ursinus scored with 20 seconds remaining for a 21-17 victory over the Blue Jays.

Tammaro completed 20 of 41 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown.

“He has good touch on the ball,” Margraff said. “He can do everything. He is strong enough to make most throws and he runs well. He has a growing command of the offense and is pretty cool under pressure. Those things have been a pleasant surprise.”

Luke McFadden was named Offensive Player of the Year on the All-Centennial Conference Football Team.

The 6-3 junior averages more than 20 yards per catch and has 1,129 yards and nine touchdowns.

“He’s got great hands, great body control and runs pretty well,” Margraff said. “He’s the one guy who, if he is open, we’re going to try to get him the ball. He’s been terrific for us all year.”

Safety Addison Quinones anchors a strong and deep defense. He leads the team with 60 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

“He’s a difference-maker,” Margraff said.

Mike Kalanik, a 6-1, 215-pound defensive end, leads the team with nine quarterback sacks and 20 1/2 tackles for loss.

The Blue Jays have 10 players with 30 tackles or more.

“We play a lot of people and that’s just my philosophy,” Margraff said. “It keeps up team morale. If you’ve been some place for 28 years, like I have, you shouldn’t say you’re a young team. We play a ton of people. I’m not sure we have All-America players running all over the place. We have a lot of players who have confidence in each other.”