Clinton, N.Y. - The visiting Trinity College Bantams toughed out a 19-7 victory against the Hamilton College Continentals in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) football action this afternoon at Steuben Field. Trinity, ranked No. 4 in New England, improves to 3-0 with its fourth victory in a row and its 20th straight against the Continentals. Hamilton falls to 0-4 with its consecutive setback.
Both offenses struggled in the first half, as each team punted five times. The Trinity run defense was particularly stalwart, holding Hamilton ball carriers to 45 yards on 22 carries, while the Continental pass defense allowed just 33 Bantam yards through the air before the break. Both teams were also hurt by penalties in both halves, but Trinity made the final flag of the first half hurt when senior RB Chuid Iregbulem's (Torrance, Calif.) 15-yard run plus a Continental personal foul put the Bantams in the red zone inside the final minute. Hamilton stopped Iregbulem on 3rd-and-1 from its own six-yard line, but Trinity sophomore Ben Rosenblatt (Newton Center, Mass.) made a 23-yard field goal to account for the only points of the first half. Junior ILB Frank Leyva (Pinecrest, Fla.) had nine tackles, while Iregbulem totaled 72 rushing yards, and junior P Kyle Pulek (Cheshire, Conn.) averaged a whopping 45.2 yards on five punts before intermission.
In the second half, Trinity junior QB Henry Foye (Madison, Conn.) connected on back-to-back passes of over 20 yards to rookie WR Bryan Vieira (Hull, Mass.) and junior WR Ian Dugger (West Hartford, Conn.) early, but Hamilton sophomore DB Jim Giattino (Sayville, N.Y.) intercepted a Foye pass over the middle at his own four-yard line to end the Trinity threat. The Trinity defense forced a three-and-out, however, and Bantam sophomore Gus Ackley (Columbus, Ohio) broke free on a run down the left sideline for a 54-yard touchdown and a 10-0 Bantam lead with 6:11 left in the third quarter.
A bad snap by Hamilton in its own end zone gave Trinity a safety less than two minutes later, and a shanked Continental punt from its owne end zone gave Trinity the ball at the Continental 26-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Foye hit sophomore WR Nick Gaynor (West Hartford, Conn.) on the first Trinity play for a 26-yard scoring pass to give Trinity a 19-0 lead with 11:45 left to play. Trinity lost fumbles twice in the fourth quarter, and one resulted in a one-yard touchdown dive by Hamilton sophomore QB Chase Rosenberg (Roswell, Ga.) that spoiled the Bantam bid for a secodn shutout in a row. Hamilton attempted an onsides kick after scoring with 6:54 on the clock, but Trinity junior Paul McCarth (North Attleboro, Mass.) caught the hard and low line drive in the air.
Trinity finished with a 323-to-175 edge in total offense despite holding the ball for just 23:33 of the game. Irgebulem rushed for a game-high 85 yards on 20 carries, while Ackley added 60 yards on five rushes. Foye finished 12-for-25 for 148 yards with one touchdown and one pick, and Gaynor led the Trinity receiving corps with four grabs for 61 yards. Rosenberg was 13-for-30 for 128 yards, including five tosses to senior WR Pat Donadio (Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.) for a game-high 64 yards. Trinity senior OLB Tom Szymanski (Dracut, Mass.) led all tacklers with 12 and added a sack, while Leyva finished with 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble, and senior S Mike Mancini (Rocky Hill, Conn.) contributed seven hits, one tackle for loss, and two pass breakups. Mitko, Johj Phelan (River Forest, Ill.), and Matt Glebus (Wrentham, Mass.) made nine tackles apiece for Hamilton. Pulek made a huge difference in the game with eight punts for a 43.8-yard average.