Hartford, Conn. - Sophomore Sam Viering (Ponte Verde
Beach, Fla.) returned a kickoff 85 yards for the
game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter to lead the Trinity
College Bantams to a 34-31 win over the visiting Middlebury College
Panthers in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC)
football action this afternoon at Jessee/Miller Field.
Trinity, ranked No. 2 in New England, keeps its record perfect at
6-0 with its eighth victory in a row and maintains a one-game lead
over the Amherst College Lord Jeffs in the NESCAC. The
Bantams host Amherst (5-1) next Saturday. The Bantams, which
suffered their last loss at Middlebury last fall, also win their
30th consecutive home game and remain flawless in 30 games played
on artificial turf. The Panthers drops to 3-3.
Viering broke free down the right sideline to give Trinity the
lead for good, after Middlebury had taken a 31-27 lead on a 26-yard
interception return by junior DB Dan Haluska (Wellesley,
Mass.) seconds earlier. The pick was the third for
Haluska in the game and tied a Middlebury record. The Bantam
defense forced a punt on Middlebury's next possession and Bantam
sophomore OLB Ben Sherry (Wayland, Mass.) recorded
the game's eighth interception to stop the Panthers on the first
play of their final possession. Trinity senior tri-captain
ILB Tyler Berry (East Lyme, Conn.) got his hand on
a pass over the middle by Panther sophomore QB Donald
McKillop (Poway, Calif.), and Sherry grabbed the ball out
of the air. The Middlebury defense forced Trinity into a
4th-and-10 from the Panther 28-yard line, but a defensive pass
interference call on the fourth-down play put the game away.
Both teams moved the ball up the field easily throughout the
game, particularly when the wind was in their favor, but Bantam
senior tri-captain Eric McGrath (Lynn, Mass.) was
picked off five times and McKillop was intercepted three
times. The teams combined for 892 yards in total offense,
including 342 yards through the air for McGrath and 325 passing
yards for McKillop. Bantam senior WR Connor Wells
(Haddam, Conn.) caught six passes for a game-high 132
yards, while sophomore WR Michael Galligan (Shoreham,
N.Y.) added 99 yards on six receptions. Junior RB
Ollie Starnes (Ledgewood, N.J) paced the Trinity
running game with 86 yards on 21 carries. Senior captain
Andrew Matson (Coventry, R.I.) and Tim
Dillon (Dracut, Mass.) caught eight passes apiece for a
total of 174 yards, while Ryan Bohling (Westport,
Conn.) added 103 rushing yards on 26 carries for the
Panthers.
Trinity linebackers Matt Allen (Agoura Hills,
Calif.) and Walter Fallas (Everett,
Mass.) each made 11 tackles, while sophomore LB
Francois Auzerais (Westport, Conn.) added 10
stops. Two of Fallas' tackles resulted in Panther losses and
Auzerais added an interception. Haluska led Middlebury with
11 tackles, while Eric Kamback (Mahwah, N.J.)
added 10 hits, and Connor Green (Wellesley, Mass.)
totaled five tackles, an interception, and two breakups.
The Panthers had taken a 10-0 lead after one quarter on a
12-yard scoring pass from McKillop to Matson and a 36-yard field
goal by Anthony Kuchan (Wauwatosa, Wisc.).
Trinity answered with a 43-yard touchdown pass from McGrath to
Wells and a 42-yard field goal by senior PK Adam Cox
(Garden City, N.Y.), but the Panthers took momentum into
the break with a nine-yard touchdown strike from McKillop to junior
WR James Millard (Greenwich, Conn.). Trinity
scored twice in the third quarter on a 36-yard interception return
to paydirt by senior S John Marinelli (New Canaan,
Conn.) and a College-record tying, 48-yard field goal by
Cox. McGrath and McKillop both also threw touchdown passes in
the fourth quarter.
box score
Hartford
Courant story
