Clinton, N.Y. – Senior co-captain DB Spencer Donahue (Naperville, Ill.) recovered two fumbles, including one for a 62-yard touchdown return, as the defense paced the Trinity College football team in a 37-6 win against the Hamilton College Continentals in the 50th meeting between the two teams on Saturday afternoon at Steuben Field in Clinton, N.Y. Trinity, which is ranked No. 4 in the New England Division III Football Poll, improves to 3-0 with a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) matchup against Tufts looming next weekend.
Trinity won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff to begin the game. The Bantams found themselves just inside Hamilton territory before the Continentals came up with a stop on third down which brought on Trinity's punt team. Bantam freshman punter Ian McDonald (Avon, Conn.) took the snap, but instead of punting, ripped off a 17-yard run on the fake to put the Bantams inside the red zone for the first time of the afternoon. Two plays later, QB Sonny Puzzo (West Caldwell, N.J.) threw a pass to WR Darrien Myers (North Andover, Mass.) in the corner of the end zone to put the guests up, 7-0, to start the day.
Hamilton threatened Trinity's lead at the end of the first quarter, with the ball at the Bantams 13 yard line. After the break in between quarters, Trinity's stingy defense stopped Hamilton on a third down which brought out the Continental field goal team to attempt a 24-yard field goal. The field goal attempt by Hamilton K Zach Altneau (Orleans, Mass.) was blocked by Donahue and recovered by fellow co-captain DB Paul McCarthy (North Attleboro, Mass.) to keep Hamilton off the board as the Bantams took over.
Trinity sophomore K Eric Sachse (Jefferson, Mass.) booted a 31-yard field goal with 2:10 to play in the second quarter to open up a ten-point lead for the Bantams. Hamilton went three-and-out on the ensuing possession which gave the Trinity offense one last chance at points, starting at their own 43 with 1:16 left on the clock. Puzzo led a 57-yard drive which ended via a 30-yard touchdown pass to Myers who slipped behind the Hamilton defense and caught a beautifully thrown ball which put the Bantams up 17-0 as the teams entered the half.
Hamilton got the ball to start the half but fumbled the ball on a screen pass at the Trinity 38-yard line thanks to a hard hit from Bantam sophomore LB Shane Libby (Scituate, Mass.) which was scooped up by Donahue and taken to the house to give the Bantams a 24-0 lead early in the third quarter. Donahue picked up a second Continental fumble just a few drives later which led to a 29-yard field goal by Sachse to put Trinity up 27-0 with six minutes left to play in the third quarter. Hamilton gave the ball away once again after McCarthy drilled RB Trevor Pinkham (Pine Island, N.Y.) to jar the ball loose on a screen pass before Bantam junior LB Henderson Watkins (Montgomery, Texas) jumped on top of it. Trinity's offense looked poised to score another touchdown after a 38-yard pass from Puzzo to junior WR Bryan Vieira (Hull, Mass.) put Trinity inside the red zone, however Hamilton came up with a stop on third down which led to Sachse's third field goal of the day.
Hamilton ended the shutout with 34 seconds left in the third quarter on a five-yard touchdown pass from QB Cole Freeman (Redondo Beach, Calif.) to WR Alex Waugh (Charlotte, N.C.). The lone score by either team in the fourth quarter came on a William Millett (Marblehead, Mass.) touchdown reception on a pass by Trinity sophomore QB David Ryan (Woodbridge, Conn.) which resulted in the 37-6 final score in favor of the Bantams.
Puzzo finished the day with two touchdowns and 220 yards through the air on 16-31 passing. Myers had his third-straight multiple-touchdown game as he hauled in two receiving scores and racked up 135 yards on eight receptions to lead the offense. Defensively for Trinity, senior CB Yosa Nosamiefan (Boston, Mass.) led the team with seven tackles, followed by Watkins and sophomore LB Niles Easley (Norristown, Pa.) who each tallied five. Easley, Watkins, and sophomore DE Corey Jean-Jacques (Haverhill, Mass.) all recorded sacks on the day for the Bantams as well.