BRUNSWICK, Maine – For the 11th time in program history, the Trinity College Football team claimed a share of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Championship with a 58-21 victory over Bowdoin College Saturday afternoon at Whittier Field.
The Polar Bears grabbed an early 7-0 lead as Brendan King hauled in a 44-yard touchdown pass from Robbie Long with 12:44 remaining in the first quarter. The Bantams responded with four touchdowns over the next 15 minutes of play.
Trinity graduate quarterback Spencer Fetter connected with classmate Nicholas Zalanskas on a 25-yard touchdown pass to cap a seven-play, 96-yard drive, evening the score at 7-7. After a three-and-out on the following Bowdoin possession, junior Sean Clapp pulled down a 29-yard strike from Fetter to put Trinity ahead 14-7 with 6:51 on the clock.
With 5:37 left in the first quarter, Fetter marched the Bantams down the field, completing four straight passes for 65 yards, punctuated by a nine-yard touchdown pass to Zalanskas to build a 21-7 lead.
After helping the Bantams defense force another Bowdoin three-and-out, graduate linebacker Michael Masse got into the mix on offense, snatching a goal line touchdown pass from Fetter to make it 28-7 with 12:46 on the clock.
The Bowdoin offense started to move the ball again, reaching the Bantams red zone until Trinity graduate Cade Klarides-Ditria picked off a pass from Long, stalling the Polar Bears scoring chance. Bowdoin found the endzone with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Long to make it 28-14, but Trinity answered with three scores before the end of the second quarter.
With the ball at the Trinity 33-yard line, sophomore Tyler DiNapoli ripped off a 61-yard run to move the Bantams to the Bowdoin six-yard line. Two plays later, Fetter connected with Clapp on a five-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 34-14.
Following an interception from sophomore Tyler Jameson at the Bowdoin 25-yard line, senior Will Kirby split the Polar Bear defense for a 31-yard touchdown run to set the score at 41-14. Junior Ma-Lyke Davis stepped up with the Bantams third interception of the day to give Trinity the ball at the Bowdoin 48-yard line with less than two minutes left in the first half. Trinity executed their two-minute drill with a couple big throws to Roche and Clapp, capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass to DiNapoli to give Trinity a 48-14 lead heading into halftime.
With 11:12 remaining in the third quarter, Fetter set a new program record with his seventh touchdown pass of the day, completing a 40-yard deep strike to Clapp en route to the 58-21 victory.
The Bantams piled a season-high 603 yards on offense, including 382 yards passing and 221 yards on the ground. Fetter completed 26-of-42 passes for 378 yards and seven touchdowns. On the season, Fetter set new program highs in passing yards (2567), touchdowns (32), and yards per game (285.2). Clapp registered a career-high 14 receptions for a career-high 241 yards and three touchdowns. Clapp now owns the single-season records for receptions (74), receiving yards (1169), and touchdowns (14).
The Bantams have won or claimed a share of the NESCAC Championship 11 times. Trinity has won the conference in four of the last six season, and this is the Bantams first shared title since 2002.
TRINITY ATHLETICS
