Evan Bunker and Ben Crick combined for 189 rushing yards and three touchdowns to lead Trinity College to a 35-0 victory over visiting Hamilton College in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) action at Trinity's Jessee/Miller Field on Oct. 8.
Trinity, ranked No. 3 in New England, won its ninth straight game to improve to 3-0, and its 41st consecutive triumph at home to remain tied with Mount Union for the longest home winning streak in the nation. Hamilton, ranked No. 9 in New England, dropped to 2-1 with its 16th straight loss against the Bantams. Trinity last lost at home in 2001 to Williams, 31-10, and has never lost a home game on turf.
Crick returned the opening kickoff 54 yards to the Hamilton 36-yard line. Bunker took the handoff on second down and scampered 32 yards to paydirt for a 7-0 lead less than a minute into the first quarter. Midway through the first quarter, Crick ran for a 43-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead for the home team.
Continental linebacker Austin Durham '15 intercepted QB Hedley Jennings at midfield, and Hamilton advanced as far as the Bantam 28-yard line. But Trinity safety Julian Brown broke up a pass with a hard hit just as the ball arrived to James Stanell '14 inside the 10-yard line on fourth-and-7 to end the drive on downs.
Trinity answered quickly with a 51-yard scoring strike from Jennings to wide-open A.J. Jones down the left sideline less than a minute into the second quarter. The Bantams added one score each in the third and fourth quarters while holding the Continentals to four first downs, 11 rushing yards on 32 carries and 87 yards in total offense.
Bunker finished with 108 rushing yards on 16 carries, and Crick ran 10 times for 81 yards, while Jennings found Jones on all three of his pass completions for a total of 68 yards. In the fourth quarter, Trinity QB Ryan Burgess threw a 48-yard touchdown on the first pass reception in the career of Will Herbert. Defensively, Rae Haynes made a team-high seven tackles (five solo), while Gary Williams added four tackles, including 2.5 for loss.
Hamilton QB Dillon Mitchell '15 was 11-for-25 for 76 yards, and tight end Kevin Petrick '13 had three catches for 22 yards. Jordan Eck '13, who started the first two games under center, did not play due to injury. Safety Dan Peters '13 led all tacklers with 13 (five solo), and cornerback Ted Finan '12 totaled five tackles and three pass breakups.
The Continentals travel to Bowdoin College on Saturday, Oct. 15.
