They may not be as big or as fast as the 2006 or 2007 Class M championship teams, but they’re in a familiar place nonetheless.

The Hawks, 4-1 winners at Raymond on Friday, Oct. 10, celebrated Columbus Day with a 4-0 triumph against Mascenic on Monday, Oct. 13. Hopkinton currently sits atop Class M boys soccer with a 10-0-2 record.

“They’re a different team from last year, and last year was a different team from the year before,” said head coach Scott Zipke. “This year we don’t have the size or speed we’ve had the last couple years, but we possess the ball better and are able to rely on our skill.”

Indeed, most teams key on Travis Fuglestad, one of the state’s most prolific scorers, but the rest of the Hawks have managed to spread the field and open space up the middle.

While HHS has succeeded so far, Zipke said the next week should clarify how his squad stacks up against the rest of Class M’s best.

The Hawks won’t see 9-2-0 Prospect Mountain, 9-2-1 White Mountains or 10-3-0 Gilford during the regular season, and they don’t play 9-3-0 Sanborn until Oct. 24, the last game before the playoffs.

Yet they’ve already beaten and tied 7-2-2 Campbell, and this week they were scheduled to host a Belmont team who Zipke said is much better than its 4-8 record indicates and will be looking to make a statement against the top team in Class M on Wednesday, Oct 15. After that, the locals travel to 9-3-0 Epping on Friday, Oct. 17.

Most recently, however, Hopkinton took care of business against Mascenic, putting 15 shots on net and converting almost a third of those opportunities. Will Rendell put HHS on the board early when he knocked a rebound into the top-left corner of the net in the 10th minute. In the second half, Fuglestad, who averages 1.7 goals per game, notched his 20th tally of the season, courtesy of a fine Nick Windhurst touch pass in the 44th minute.

Two minutes later, Kris Abildgaard sent a low laser toward the net off a corner kick and connected with Joe Merrow, who redirected the ball past Mascenic’s goalie.

Abildgaard completed the Hawks’ scoring in the 56th minute on a 45-yard free kick that missed his teammates’ header attempts, and instead found the back of the net on its own.

Bret Minnehan made two saves for the victors, and helped earn them their fifth shutout of the season. Their goals-against average is less than one per contest.

“For the second straight game we were able to possess the ball and open up the field in a big way,” said Zipke.

Three days earlier, Hopkinton quickly showcased its road prowess in Raymond.

Fuglestad knocked in a rebound off an Abildgaard corner kick in the third minute, and then tallied two more goals in the 36th and 45th minutes on assists from Travis Kuster and Merrow, respectively.

While his teammates peppered the opposing goalkeeper with 28 shots, including 18 on goal, Jay Leblanc made good on two of three save opportunities. Abildgaard continued his fine season with the final goal, in the 65th minute, when he danced around four defenders and slipped the ball past the keeper.