Football defeats Hamilton College after tough first half

SAMANTHA BEATI ’17
STAFF WRITER
Trinity hosted the Hamilton College Continentals on Saturday at Jessee Miller Field. The Bantams came into the game 2-0 after two consecutive shutout wins while the Continentals were 0-2 after two tough losses to start the season.
The first quarter started off with a one yard touchdown by Max Chipouras ’19, capping a 7 minute drive in which the Bantams offense gained 79 yards in 15 plays. This touchdown excited the crowd and the Trinity sideline as well. This was the only score of the game until the ball went over punter Kyle Pulek’s ’16 head on an intended punt in the second quarter, which would result in a Continentals safety. Although the Bantams were leading with a score of 7-2 going into halftime, the first half was tough for Trinity’s offense. Quarterback Sonny Puzzo ’18 threw two interceptions and Hamilton also recovered a fumble. The Continentals, however, were not able to score off of the turnovers.
The third quarter opened up with a Chipouras two-yard touchdown run after Darrien Myers’17 returned the second half kickoff 65 yards. The extra point kick by Eric Sachse’19 was blocked by Hamilton’s A.J. Cantarella and returned by Colby Jones for 98 yards to give the Continentals an extra two points on the scoreboard. This however would be the last score of the game for Hamilton. Chipouras scored his third touchdown of the game, and fifth of the season, after another one yard touchdown. The Bantams failed on a two point-conversion attempt ending the 3rd quarter with a score of 19-4.
The fourth quarter saw the Bantams put two more scores on the board, including a 29-yard field goal by Eric Sachse ’19 and a 1-yard touchdown run by Ethan Suraci ’18. The game ended in a 29-4 victory for the Bantams and brought their record to 3-0. The contest marked the first time in NESCAC history that a team scored 4 points in a game.
The Bantams defense was stellar, shutting out the opponent’s offense for the 3rd game in a row. Linebacker Liam Kenneally ’18 had a team-high six tackles and defensive tackle Matt D’Andrea ’17 had four tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery. Shane Libby’19 had three tackles for loss, as well as a sack and a pass breakup. Safety Patrick Dorsey ’17 was stout on the back end of the defense with 5 tackles, and cornerback Paul McCarthy ’16 added another interception stretching his NESCAC lead to 4 interceptions on the year.
The Bantams will look to build on their early season momentum as they play the Jumbos of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts this Saturday, Oct. 17.