Hartford, Conn. – First-year RB Max Chipouras (Longmeadow, Mass.) rushed for 123 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 29-4 victory over the visiting Hamilton College Continentals in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) football action this afternoon on Jessee/Miller Field. Trinity, ranked No. 4 in New England, improves to 3-0 to stay at the top of the NESCAC Standings at 3-0 with Amherst and and Tufts, while the Continentals drop to 0-3 with their 23rd loss in a row and their 21st straight setback against the Bantams.
Trinity marched down the field on its opening drive, going 79 yards on 15 plays before Chipouras barreled into the end zone from a yard away for his first score of the day with 6:02 left in the opening stanza. Trinity forced a punt and threatened to score again later in the first quarter, but sophomore LB Matt Story (Grand Junction, Colo.) forced a Chipouras fumble and junior Brent Lobien (Chappaqqua, N.Y.) recovered at the Continentals 25-yard line. The Bantam defense, which did not yield a touchdown for the third game in a row, forced another of nine Hamilton punts but the Continentals scored the first points against the Bantams this fall when Trinity senior captain P Kyle Pulek (Cheshire, Conn.) was forced to run out of the back of the Bantam end zone after an errant snap in the opening seconds of the second quarter. Hamilton freshman S Colby Jones (Hazlet, N.J.) stopped two Trinity drives in the second frame with interceptions at the Continental 12- and four-yard lines, respectively, to keep the score at 7-2 into the break.
Trinity opened the second half with a 65-yard kickoff return by junior Darrien Myers (North Andover, Mass.) and capitalized when Chipouras rambled into the end zone from two yards out. Continental rookie A.J. Cantarella (Old Forge, Pa.) blocked the PAT, however, and Jones returned the ball almost 100 yards to the Trinity end zone for two more Continental points to make the score, 13-4, with 13:05 left in the third quarter. Trinity went 80 yards on 12 plays, and Chipouras finished the job with a one-yard scoring plunge to put Trinity ahead, 19-4, with 5:32 left in the third quarter, and a 29-yard field goal by Trinity first-year Eric Sachse (Jefferson, Mass.) increased the Bantam advantage to 22-4 early in the final frame.
Pulek dropped a 41-yard punt on the Hamilton one-yard line that bounced out of bounds to set up the game's final touchdown. Bantam senior DE Lyle Baker (Andover, Mass.) hit Hamilton sophomore QB Cole Freeman (Redondo Beach, Calif.) in the Continental end zone and junior NT Matt D'Andrea (Darien, Conn.) recovered the ball at the one-yard line for the home team. Bantam sophomore RB Ethan Suraci (North Haven, Conn.) scored on a one-yard run and a 13-yard sack by Trinity sophomore DL Brandon Blaise (Morristown, N.J.) with Hamilton threatening helped preserve a 29-4 final score.
Trinity outgained the Continentals, 410-254, as sophomore QB Sonny Puzzo (West Calswell, N.J.) threw for 272 yards on 16 completions and 30 attempts and the Bantams rushed for 138 more to offset two interceptions, a lost fumble, a blocked PAT, a safety, and 80 yards in penalties. Senior captain WR Ian Dugger (West Hartford, Conn.) and Myers caught five passes each, for 80 and 79 yards, respectively, while sophomore Bryan Vieira (Hull, Mass.) added two grabs for 69 yards. Hamilton junior QB Chase Rosenberg (Roswell, Ga.) was 8-for-19 passing for 128 yards and Freeman was 4-for-16 for 65 yards. Sophomore LaShawn Ware (Spring Valley, Calif.) rushed 16 times for 68 yards and senior captain WR Pat Donahoe (Mahopac, N.Y.) caught three passes for 63 yards to pace the Continental offense.
Defensively, sophomore LB Liam Kenneally (Reading, Mass.) made a team-high six tackles, while D'Andrea had four tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery, first-year LB Shane Libby (Scituate, Mass.) contributed four tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, and a pass breakup, and senior DB Paul McCarthy (North Attleboro, Mass.) picked off his fourth pass in three games for the Bantams. Hamilton junior DB James Taylor (Belmar, N.J.) made a game-high 12 tackles (11 solo), while Alex Mitko (Cranbury, N.J.) and Tyler Hudson (Whitesboro, N.Y.) added seven tackles apiece to go with two pass breakups for Mitko and two tackles for loss by Hudson.