Georgetown men’s club rugby advanced to the Potomac Rugby Union Championship on Saturday by crushing Johns Hopkins, 40-17, at Gravelly Point, Va.

Sophomore fullback Ben Purcell (two tries) and sophomore flyhalf Jake Ludwigson (five conversions) led the Hoyas with 10 points each, as the duo accounted for half of Georgetown’s scoring.

The Hoyas started strong, scoring the first 26 points of the game. Junior flanker Dan Hartman, junior lock Matt Knox, sophomore center Greg Suellentrop and Purcell each scored a try in the opening half. Ludwigson kicked three conversions for six more points, before Johns Hopkins closed out the first half with a try.

With a halftime score of 26-5, the Blue Jays had little hope of coming back against the Hoyas. Johns Hopkins did manage 12 more points by scoring two tries and kicking a conversion, yet Georgetown’s offensive onslaught continued. Senior hooker Dan Williams scored a try in the second half, as did Purcell. Ludwigson added two more conversions to close Georgetown’s scoring for the game.

The fact that Georgetown was so dominant in a semifinal game has not been lost on the team. Williams, the team captain, noted how far the team had come over the course of the season. “We really stepped it up from earlier,” he said. “We stepped up our tackling, and we were really playing as a team.”

Next up for the Hoyas is Salisbury State, which defeated Navy in its semifinal game. Georgetown will need more strong play to win the championship.

“We have to try and bring the level of intensity up and make all of our hits,” Williams explained. “It is important that we make sure we hold onto the ball.”

Georgetown will play for the Potomac Rugby Union Championship on Saturday, Nov. 2.