It was hot and muggy last Friday night at the 68th annual Blue-Gold All-Star football game, but that didn’t stop the players from making big plays, setting records along the way, and in two local players’ cases, winning the game’s two biggest awards as Blue defeated Gold, 32-2.
RJ Jenkins played on both sides of the ball in the game, as he did for his entire career at Hodgson Vo-Tech, and caught one of two passes thrown to him while playing tight end. But it was on the defensive side of the ball where Jenkins played the most snaps and shined the brightest. The 6’1” 225-pound defensive end recorded one sack, three tackles for loss and was in on more than 10 tackles.
“It really felt good to be back in game action because I’ve been training all offseason,” Jenkins said. “I like the live game action and speed, and it will be a lasting memory since it was my last high school football game.”
Jenkins capped off the night winning the Outstanding Lineman award, something he didn’t even realize was “a thing” until he heard his name called.
“I thought they only gave out an MVP award,” he said with a chuckle. “So, I was just excited when I heard my name, and I heard all of my family and friends up in the stands cheering and it was just a great feeling.”
Jenkins will attend Millersville University, where he plans to play tight end, an opportunity that his former head coach feels is a perfect fit for him.
“For four years, RJ shined the brightest when the lights came on, and the Blue-Gold game was no different,” Hodgson head coach Dave Collins said. “RJ is a great leader, focused, and will not be outworked. He displayed these traits from the first day he stepped foot on campus at Hodgson, which led to him being a three-year captain for us. I have no doubt those same traits he displayed at Hodgson will lead to a very successful college career at Millersville.”
As it is for all the players, the game itself was a culmination of an experience that included the opportunity to be teamed up with a buddy (a student with an intellectual disability) as part of the Hand-in-Hand program that has been an essential element of the game for 50 years.
“I had a great experience with my buddy,” Jenkins said. “I went to one of his baseball games and I liked feeling like I had an impact on him. It just really felt good when I heard him tell his mom what a great time he had when we were together. And then I was so glad to see him on the field right before the game, especially since they didn’t think he would be able to make it, so that made it even better when he did.”
Blue head coach John Reed, of Caravel Academy, mentioned Jenkins when asked who stood out off the field during the activities leading up to the game and then on the gridiron during the week-long camp.
“I was really impressed how engaged he was with the hand-in-hand program,” Reed remarked. “He attended all the events and was side-by-side with his buddy. His football ability has an endless ceiling. He has great hands as a tight end and is aggressive and fast off the edge on defense. He has good feet for a big guy. Overall, he was a pleasure to be around, and it was fun getting to know him. He is a great young man that was a great fit for the Blue-Gold experience.”
Another future college player, Caravel’s Trey Hamlin, was named the Most Valuable Player after setting a record with 231 receiving yards on just four catches, two of them for touchdowns (92 and 78 yards). The speedy wide receiver broke the record of 202 yards, set by Newark High’s Gary Hayman in 1969.
“Trey Hamlin is a very special athlete and just a great young man,” Reed said of the Kutztown University commit. “He was a pleasure to have in our program. Watching him last night breaking records and providing the fans with great memories was fun. You don’t replace a Trey Hamlin in your program.”
Hamlin’s totals helped Blue quarterback R.J. Matthews — a Howard Vo-Tech graduate heading to play at Virginia State — set a new record for passing yards with 254, breaking the record of 209 set by Christiana High’s Jon Boney in 1995.
Newark High graduate Makeevis Rogers scored the Blue team’s final touchdown late in the game when he intercepted a pass and scampered untouched 29 yards into the end zone. It was a fitting end to the two-way player’s career — he played quarterback all four years in high school — before he heads to Alvernia University, where he plans to play in the defensive secondary for the Golden Wolves.
What’s a Bonspiel?
You very well might have never heard of a Bonspiel. It’s basically a curling tournament — that sport played on ice that is very popular for two weeks every four years as part of the Winter Olympics — that features not only the competitive games themselves, but the coming together of the curling community for fun activities and camaraderie. Sixteen curling clubs from Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Virginia will come together June 29 at the Patriot Ice Center in Newark with games starting at 8:30 a.m. and continuing throughout the day. The event is free and open to the public.
I had never heard of a Bonspiel either, but I look forward to attending, taking some photos and talking to some of the participants for next week’s Sports Buzz.
In my opinion only …
The DIAA Board of Directors is expected to form a committee and officially look into whether or not it’s time to separate private schools into their own division. State Sen. Eric Buckson, of Dover, also has taken the step of sponsoring a bill that would separate the state tournament divisions in all sports. Last year, private schools captured 25 of the 34 state team titles, which does not count Unified titles since private schools do not participate in those sports. Do I think it’s time to make this change? I’m not sure. But I am sure it’s time to start looking into the pros and cons of it.
Wrapping it up
The University of Delaware football team will make the trip to Music City in 2026 for the program’s first-ever game against an SEC opponent. The Blue Hens will take on Vanderbilt in Nashville on Sept. 12 at the Commodore’s FirstBank Stadium. Now that’s an away game I might be willing to attend. … Canal Little League won the District 2 Majors softball championship with a 7-3 win over New Castle/Suburban. With the win, Canal advances to the state tournament, which begins July 10.
Until next time … have a great sports week!
Have a sports tidbit to share? Email JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow on “X” @JonBuzby.
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