Clinton, N.Y. - Senior WR Connor Wells (Haddam, Conn.) caught
seven passes for 156 yards in the final 17 minutes of the game,
including a 39-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown reception and a
40-yard, game-winning touchdown catch with 23 seconds left in the
game, to lead the visiting Trinity College Bantams to a 20-15 win
over the Hamilton College Continentals in New England Small College
Athletic Conference (NESCAC) football action this afternoon at
Steuben Field. Trinity, ranked No. 2 in New England, improves
to 3-0 with its 14th straight victory over the
Continentals, while Hamilton falls to 1-2. Losses today by
Amherst and Tufts leave the Bantams alone in first place in the
league as the only NESCAC team remaining without a loss.
Trinity scored all of its points in the fourth quarter on three
touchdown passes by senior tri-captain QB Eric McGrath (Lynn,
Mass.), finishing with the clincher that Wells caught at the
15-yard line before sprinting into the end zone thanks to a timely
downfield block by junior WR Winston Tuggle (Canton, Mass.).
The scoring drive was kept alive on first-down pass from McGrath to
senior WR Joe Lennon (Montclair, N.J.) on third-and-nine.
McGrath racked up 215 of his 268 passing yards after the 1:57 mark
of the third quarter.
The teams battled to a 7-0 score through three quarters, as the
Continentals put the lone points on the board of the first 45
minutes on a 16-yard pass from freshman QB Jordan Eck (Rye, N.Y.)
to sophomore WR Scott Kleinklaus (Fayatteville, N.Y.) with 2:01
remaining in the second quarter. The Continental score was
set up by an interception by sophomore DB Jon Higginbotham
(Winthrop, Mass.). Hamilton controlled the ball for 17:26 of
the first half and outgained the Bantams, 191 to 75, but managed
just the single touchdown thanks to the first of two interceptions
by senior CB Harryl Smith (Ridgewood, N.J.) and the first of three
Bantam stops on fourth-and-short opportunities for Hamilton.
Both offenses stalled or turned the ball over throughout the
third quarter, before McGrath completed six passes for 80 yards,
including four throws to Wells for 58 yards, ending with a
five-yard touchdown toss on the run to Lennon. The PAT by
senior PK Adam Cox (Garden City, N.Y.) tied the game at 7-7 with
14:38 left, and Trinity took its first lead on its next drive after
a Hamilton punt when McGrath found Wells once for 19 yards on a
third-and-10 play and on the next play for a 39-yard scoring pass
that included a couple of missed tackles and a nifty spin move by
Wells on his way to paydirt.
Hamilton took advantage of solid field position after the Bantam
kickoff went out of bounds to take back the lead. Sophomore
QB Steve Mello (Bedford, N.H.), who had entered the game after Eck
left with an injury, completed a 20-yard pass to freshman WR Ryan
Cray (Amherst, N.H.) into Trinity territory and scrambled and
passed over the Trinity secondary to Cray down the middle of the
field on third-and-10 to pull the Continentals within a point at
14-13. Hamilton successfully gambled on the extra-point try,
scoring two points on a halfback option pass from sophomore RB Mark
Snickenberger (Wellesley, Mass.) to junior WR Max Foster (Sherborn,
Mass.) to give Hamilton a 15-14 lead with 7:57 left to play.
Both defenses held late, forcing each offense to punt the ball
away on the next two possessions. Trinity drove to the
Hamilton 24-yard line, but Cox missed a 42-yard field goal attempt
at the 2:01 mark and the Bantam defense held the home team to
minus-three yards and a punt to give Trinity the ball on its
45-yard line with 1:34 on the clock to set up the game-winning
drive. Bantam sophomore LB Ben Sherry (Wayland, Mass.)
solidified the triumph with an interception in the final minute.
Bantam senior tri-captain ILB Tyler Berry (East Lyme, Conn.) led
all tacklers with 12 hits, while sophomore OLB Matt Allen (Agoura
Hills, Calif.) added 10 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, and
junior DE Kyle Williams (Bethesda, Md.) had nine tackles and 2.5
tackles for loss. Smith had three tackles and pair of
breakups to go with his two interceptions, while junior P Grant
Kunkel (New Canaan, Conn.) with a 39.1 average on eight boots for
Trinity. Junior Robert Jackson (Atlanta, Ga.) and Oliver
Starnes (Ledgewood, N.J.) combined for 70 rushing yards out of the
Trinity backfield. Snickenberger had a game-high 106 rushing
yards while Eck and Mello totaled 176 passing yards between them,
and Kleinklaus finished with five catches for 74 yards for the
Continentals. Senior LB Trevor Pedrick (Wallkill, N.Y.) paced the
Hamilton defense with nine tackles.
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