Trinity Football Hosts Hamilton Saturday
Bantams Galligan and Melendez Garner League Awards
Hartford, Conn., Oct. 8, 2009 -- The Trinity College football team, which stunned Williams College, 26-21, with a pair of touchdowns in the final two minutes of its home opener to improve to 2-0 last weekend, will host the Hamilton College Continentals on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. The Bantams, coached by Jeff Devanney (4th Season, 23-3), lead the all-time series against Hamilton, 29-11-1, and have won the last 15 meetings including a thrilling 20-15 triumph last fall in New York that featured three Bantam touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Trinity is looking to extend its 12-game winning streak, the second-longest in NCAA Division III football, and a 32-game winning streak at home this weekend.
Trinity is currently tied with Amherst for first place in the NESCAC at 2-0, while Hamilton is knotted up with five other teams in second place at 1-1. Trinity is also ranked No. 1 in the New England Division III Poll. This week's New England Division III Poll: 1. Trinity, Conn. (2-0), 2. Springfield (3-1), 3. Plymouth State (4-1), 4. Amherst (2-0), 5. WPI (3-2), 6. Curry (3-2), 7. Framingham State (4-1), 8. Williams (1-1), 9. Bowdoin (1-1), 10. Maine Maritime (3-1).
Another chapter was written in the historic rivalry between Trinity and Williams last weekend, as junior QB Craig Drusbosky (Orange, Conn.) found junior WR Michael Galligan (Shoreham, N.Y.) on scoring strikes from 16 and 11 yards away in the final 1:43 of the game to give Trinity a third straight win over the Ephs. Sophomore LB Walter Fallas (Everett, Mass.) recovered a perfect onsides kick by sophomore PK Tim Costello (Solana Beach, Calif.) to set up the game-winning touchdown. Drusbosky finished with 259 passing yards with 192 of them coming in the fourth quarter on 22 completions and 44 attempts, while Galligan totaled 97 yards on nine catches and senior WR Winston Tuggle (Canton, Mass.) caught four passes for 62 yards. Senior tri-captain RB Oliver Starnes (Ledgewood, N.J.) led the Trinity ball carriers with 57 yards on 16 carries and added four receptions for 33 yards. Galligan was honored as both the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Week and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Offensive Player of the Week for his fine performance.
Fallas and junior ILB Francois Auzerais (Westport, Conn.) had 12 tackles each for the Bantam defense, while junior CB Harry Melendez (Holyoke, Mass.) had a first-half interception and 47-yard return for Trinity's first touchdown and ended the game with his second pick. Senior P Grant Kunkel (New Canaan, Conn.) averaged 41 yards on eight punts, including three dropped inside the Williams 20-yard line, and Costello made his first career field goal from 23 yards out in the first half and booted a 32-yarder in the third quarter. Melendez was selected as the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Trinity leads the NESCAC in rushing offense (140.5 ypg) and Starnes ranked third among individual rushers with 65 ypg, while Drusbosky ranks third in the conference in passing yards (467) and pass efficiency (122.4), and Galligan is tied for second in receptions with 16 and third in receiving yards with 190. Melendez has three interceptions this fall, while no one else in the league has more than one, and Fallas tops the league rankings in tackles with 31, followed by Auzerais in second with 25, and sophomore DL Herman Brito (Wayland, Mass.) and senior OLB Kyle Williams (Bethesda, Md.) are tied for second and fourth in the NESCAC in sacks with 2.5 and 2.0, respectively. Kunkel is the league's top punter with a 42.3 average per attempt.
The Hamilton College football squad, under the direction of Head Coach Steve Stetson (7th season), rallied back from a 14-point deficit to win last week thanks to three touchdown passes by junior QB Lance Wilson (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.). Wilson and Dan Peters (Niskayuna, N.Y.) have combined to average 226 passing yards per game, while Max Foster (Sherborn, Mass.) is seventh in the NESCAC in receiving with 13 catches for 149 yards. John Lawrence (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) is tied for seventh in the league with 19 tackles, and Landrey Mack (Weedsport, N.Y.) is tied for fourth in sacks with two.
Trinity will also be participating in NCAA Football's 15th annual "Take A Kid to the Game" (TAKG) program presented by Coca-Cola and sponsored by other Corporate Champions, AT&T and Pontiac on Saturday. Kids, ages fourteen and younger, will receive a free ticket to the game. The Take A Kid to the Game program is one of the national promotions of NCAA Football, the marketing arm of college football. NCAA Football represents a coalition of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics and the Conference Commissioners Association. Please visit the official website, www.ncaafootball.com, for further information on current initiatives and to explore the newly updated interactive website that is the premier location to get all inclusive college football information with up-to-date scores, stats, audio and video streaming and unique content form every division.
NESCAC Player of the Week information
