Hartford, Conn. - The Trinity College football team, which blanked Hamilton, 28-0, last weekend to remain flawless this fall at 3-0, will visit the Hamilton College Continentals on Saturday, October 9 at 1 p.m. The Bantams, coached by Jeff Devanney (16th season, 99-19) lead the all-time series against Hamilton , 40-11-1, and have won the last 25 meetings dating back to 1994. The Bantams outlasted the Continentals, 31-24, in Hartford in 2019. Trinity, ranked No. 1 in New England, is tied with Wesleyan and Williams for first place in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Hamilton, in its fifth year under Head Coach Dave Murray, is 2-1 after a 27-14 road victory at Colby on October 2.
Junior QB Spencer Fetter (Winter Haven, Fla.) threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns and the Bantam defense picked off three passes in the Middlebury win. Trinity got on the board on a 10-yard pass from Fetter to senior TE Jack Barrett (Holliston, Mass.) in the second quarter and Fetter found his other senior TE, Thomas Walsh (Pelham, N.Y.), for a 57-yard score on Walsh's first career reception in the third frame. The Bantams scored again early in the fourth stanza on an 86-yard interception return by senior captain LB Brian Casagrande (Madison, Conn.) and closed out the scoring with an 18-yard scamper to paydirt by sophomore RB William Kirby (Darien, Conn.). Bantam senior captain WRs DeVante Reid (London, England) and Jonathan Girard (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) combined for 17 grabs for 225 yards, while Girard became Trinity's all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,423 to pass Tom McDavitt's 2,364. Kirby ran 18 times for 56 yards and caught three passes for 26 more. Defensively, Trinity senior captain DB Matt McCarthy (North Reading, Mass.) made a game-high 10 tackles (seven solo) and broke up a pass, while Casagrande had six tackles, and junior LB Cade Klarides-Ditria (Seymour, Conn.) added five tackles and 1.5 sacks. Bantam senior DE Noah Glantz (Scarsdale, N.Y.) notched two sacks and junior DB Justin O'Neil-Riley (Dorchester, Mass.) collected two tackles, three pass breakups, and an interception.
The Trinity offense tops the NESCAC in six different categories, including scoring offense (36.0 ppg), total offense (425.3 ypg), pass offense (329.7 ypg), pass efficiency (179.7 QB rating), red zone offense (13 for 15 with 12TDs), and time of possession (35:05 per game). Fetter tops the league in passing (3187.3 ypg), and total offense (327 ypg), and Kirby is third in the conference with 226 rushing yards and a NESCAC-best six rushing scores. Reid and Girard are 1-2, in receptions and receiving yards with 22 for 401 and 21 for 288, respectively, while Girard adds a league-best four touchdown catches. Reid also ranks first all-purpose yards with 404, followed by Girard in sixth with 288, and Kirby in seventh with 276. On defense, Glantz leads the NESCAC in sacks (3) and forced fumbles (3) and ranks second in tackles for loss (5). Crowley is one of just five NESCAC players with two interceptions thus far, and O'Neil-Riley leads the league with five passes defensed. Also notable is rookie K Matt Jumes (Franklin, Mass.) who is tied for sixth in the conference in scoring with a field goal and 15 PATs on as many tries.
A 27-point second quarter lifted Hamilton to its first win at over Colby since 2006. Joe Cairns was 16 of 22 passing for 293 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in his second start at Hamilton. Mike Cairns led the Hamilton defense with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops, and returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown to earn himself NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades. Hamilton has the top red zone defense in the league with opposing schools scoring just eight times in 14 chances inside the Continental 20-yard line. Cairns is the most efficient passer in the league, but Hamilton does not have a rusher or a receiver among the top then in the league.
