Hartford, Conn. – Junior K/P Tim Costello (Solano Beach, Calif.) set a new Trinity record for field goals in a game with boots of 34, 22, 32, and 21 yards and freshman RB Evan Bunker (Topsfield, Mass.) rushed for 159 yards on a College-record 44 carries and added two receptions for 38 yards to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 25-10 victory 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. 6 in New England, wins its fourth straight game, earns its 38th consecutive triumph at home, and remains just a single game behind Amherst and Williams in the NESCAC standings at 5-1 with two weeks remaining in the season. The Bantams, which host Amherst next Saturday in their last home contest, remain flawless in their 38 games played on the artificial turf at Jessee/Miller Field.
Trinity rushed for 200 yards - the fourth straight game and the fifth time this season that the Bantams have rushed for 200 or more yards, bringing their team season rushing average to a league-best 233.7/game. The Bantams offense held the ball for 42:20 of the game, while the defense held Middlebury to 226 total yards, 23 rushing yards, and 16 pass completions in 39 attempts. Trinity senior cornerback Harry Melendez (Holyoke, Mass.) picked off two passes for the fourth time this fall and tied the Bantam record held by Steve Cella'01 for interceptions in a season with nine. Trinity sophomore QB Ryan Burgess (Dracut, Mass.) completed 12 passes in 20 attempts for 169 yards in his first career start, while Middlebury senior QB Donald McKillop (Poway, Calif.) was 16-for-38 for 203 yards and one score, but threw two picks and was sacked three times. Junior Matt Rayner (Andover, Mass.) paced the Middlebury receiving corps with five catches for 84 yards. Costello broke the previous record of three field goals held by several players, while Bunker's 44 carries broke a record set by Gennaro Leo'06.
Costello broke a scoreless tie with 9:59 left in the first quarter with a 34-yard field goal, but Panther senior Anthony Kuchan (Wauwatosa, Wisc.) answered with a 26-yarder 5:01 later. Trinity senior captain S Ben Sherry (Wayland, Mass.) scored the first of his two touchdown runs as a short-yardage specialist in the opening minute of the second stanza, capping off a 10-play, 91-yard drive from the three-yard line, but a missed PAT made the score, 9-3. The Panthers answered again with an eight-play, 63-yard drive, completed by a 12-yard pass from McKillop to junior Nick Resor (Westwood, Mass.) with 11:57 remaining before the break. Trinity continued to grind out the clock, going 80 yards in 6:10 on 14 plays on its next drive that ended with another three-yard scoring scamper by Sherry with 5:47 on the clock. Melendez picked off McKillop in the middle of the field to set up Costello for a 22-yard field goal with 22 seconds left in the second quarter. Neither defense yielded a touchdown in the second half, which featured two more Costello field goals and 22:02 minutes of possession by the Bantams.
Sherry paced the Bantam defense with six tackles, while junior LB Walter Fallas (Everett, Mass.) added five hits and two tackles for loss. Costello added a pair of punts that dropped inside the Middlebury three-yard line, and made his lone extra-point try of the game. Middlebury senior LB Andrew Poulin (Irvington, N.Y.) paced all tacklers with 19, including eight solo hits, while sophomore LB Paul Carroll (New Providence, N.J.) had 14 tackles, and freshman DB Michael Bilodeau (Hull, Mass.) added 13 tackles. Poulin also notched three tackles for loss.
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Hartford Courant article
