HARTFORD, Conn. – The Trinity College football team, which finished just a game shy of another New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title with an 8-1 record in 2021, returns no less than 18 offensive and defensive starters and boasts one of its deepest rosters at all positions for its 145h season of competition this fall.  The Bantams, who will kick off the new season on Saturday, Sept. 17 at Tufts, have loads of experience, including five graduate students and 21 seniors so leadership will be a team strength this fall. Coached by Jeff Devanney (17th Season), Trinity seeks nothing short of its 10th conference crown in 2022. Captains Brian Casagrande (Madison, Conn.), Aidan Kennedy (East Longmeadow, Mass.), and DeVante Reid (London, England), all graduate students, and seniors Cade Klarides-Ditria (Seymour, Conn.) and Kyle Woodring (Norwalk, Conn.) will lead the way.

Reid, one of the most dynamic wide receivers in New England, is nearing 100 catches and 1,500 receiving yards in his career. He became just the third Bantam to have 61 receptions in a season, totaling 890 yards and six touchdowns to earn All-NESCAC recognition in 2021.  Trinity must replace wide out Jonathan Girard, who graduated as the college's all-time leading pass catcher, but sophomore Matt Laughlin (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) should build on a solid rookie season that saw him catch six balls for over 100 yards.  Juniors Enzi Dabner-Teacher (Tarrytown, N.Y.) and Jack Schneider (Braintree, Mass.) and sophomore Sean Clapp (Wyckoff, N.J.) are also ready to make their mark at wide out.  The tight end position is in capable hands with graduate student Thomas Walsh (Pelham, N.Y.), who caught three of his eight receptions for touchdowns last season, senior Nicholas Zalanskas (Andover, Mass.) and junior Max Roche (Scituate, Mass.) in the fold. 

Senior QB Spencer Fetter (Winter Park, Fla.) earned All-NESCAC and D3Football.com All-Region honors in his first season of college action.  Fetter led the nation in completion percentage at 72.5 percent, going 195 for 269 for 2,518 yards and 26 touchdowns against just six interceptions with an efficiency rating just under 180.  Junior Zander Zebrowski (Verona, N.J.) performed well in 2021 as the backup signal caller.  Junior RB Will Kirby (Darien, Conn.) also burst on the scene in his first year of competition, finishing second in the NESCAC in rushing with 839 yards and averaging 4.5 yards per carry with 13 scores.  Kirby was also a major threat catching the ball with 32 grabs for over 200 more yards.  Pre-season competition will be spirited for the additional carries among juniors Cal Messina (Pittsfield, Mass.) and Colin McCabe (Madison, Conn.) and first-year Tyler DiNapoli (West Haven, Conn.).  On the offensive line, all five starters are back, led by Woodring, an All-NESCAC center.  At tackle, senior Robert Mihaly (Trumbull, Conn.) was also an all-conference honoree and junior Patrick Donovan-Jenkins (Bethesda, Md.) was excellent in his first collegiate fall.  At guard, seniors Matt Almansi (Westport, Conn.) and Ryan Wiley (Hagerstown, Md.) and sophomores Anthony Casillo (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Jaheim Scott (Bronx, N.Y.) are top candidates for starting roles.  Senior Crawford Sargent (Greenwich, Conn.) is a top-notch long snapper.

Depth and talent are abundant on the defensive side of the ball, starting with Casagrande and Klarides-Ditria who are both outstanding at ILB.  Casagrande, a two-time All-NESCAC First Teamer, led the Bantams in tackles in both 2019 and 2021 with 115 between the two years, while Klarides-Ditria notched 35 hits, four tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks last fall.  Senior ILB Michael Masse (Dedham, Mass.) added 28 tackles, three tackles for losses, and three pass breakups in 2021, and junior Sean Ryan (Hingham, Mass.) is another viable option on the inside.  Senior William Crowley (Milton, Mass.) and junior Luca de Lancellotti (Santa Ana, Calif.) return as starters on the outside with seniors Kevin Clark (Hebron, Conn.), who totaled three sacks last autumn, and Juanell Walker (Baltimore, Md.) and junior Dan Calderon (Levittown, N.Y.) rotating in.  Crowley is a dynamic defensive player with 32 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two picks, and four pass breakups a year ago. 

Trinity's fifth graduate student, Noah Glantz (Scarsdale, N.Y.), enjoyed a banner year in 2021, registering 35 tackles and team-highs of 10.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and two forced fumbles on the defensive line.  This Bantam unit also returns virtually everybody, with seniors Christian Anzeveno (North Providence, R.I.), Hassan Azeem (South Windsor, Conn.), and  Joe Lepore (Winchester, Mass.) on the inside and senior Lucas Folan (Weymouth, Mass.) and junior Cooper Mandel (Ramsey, N.J.) joining Glantz on the ends.  Anzeveno had 15 tackles and three tackles for loss, while Azeem returns from an injury-plagued 2021 after notching 24 tackles and three sacks as a rookie in 2019.  Lepore and Folan combined for 31 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss last fall, and Mandel enjoyed a fantastic first college season with a team-high five sacks.

Kennedy anchors the secondary, which also features senior starters Justin O'Neil-Riley (Dorchester, Mass.) and Darren Warren (West Haven, Conn.) on the corners.  An All-NESCAC First Team selection in 2021, Kennedy totaled 25 tackles with four for losses, intercepted two passes, and tied both O'Neil-Riley and Warren with a team-high five pass breakups last season.  O'Neil-Riley added 24 tackles and one interception, while Warren had 16 tackles in 2021.  Seniors Weston Terzi (Wallingford, Conn.), who moves to defense from wide receiver, and Hunter Tully (Taunton, Mass.) and R.J. Martini (Morristown, N.J.) further bolster the Bantam back end.  Special teams will also be solid.  Sophomore K Matt Jumes (Franklin, Mass.) should build on a productive rookie year when he booted three field goals and made 39 of 40 PAT's.  Junior Hampton Trout (Belmont, Mass.) handled the kickoff duties and first-year Jake Sokol (Medfield, Mass.) will be the punter.  Several Bantams are kick return threats, including Laughlin, Reid, and Schneider.  Trinity annually blocks several opposing kicks of all kinds and its coverage teams are top of the line.