Brandon Holtslag '06 (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) threw for a season-high 206 yards and two second-half touchdowns to lead Hamilton College to a 16-7 win against Bates College in a New England Small College Athletic Conference football game on Nov. 8.
Hamilton had lost seven straight games at Steuben Field since beating Bates 22-13 on Nov. 10, 2001. Both teams finish the season with a 2-6 record overall and in the conference.
The first half was a defensive struggle as both teams fought a stiff breeze that blew from one end of the field to the other. Finally, the Continentals received the ball with good field position and the wins at their backs late in the second quarter.
After a Bates punt, Hamilton started its last drive of the first half at the Bobcats' 48-yard line and 2 minutes, 10 seconds remaining. Holtslag ran 15 yards to the Bates' 20 on first down with 1:10 left to put Peter Simon '05 (Miami, FL/Gulliver Prep) in position to make his first field goal of the season. Simon's 37-yard kick gave the Continentals a 3-0 lead with 50 seconds left.
The score remained 3-0 until early in the fourth quarter when Hamilton's special teams made its second big play. Bates' punter fumbled the snap from the center and was tackled at his own 46 by Ian Chambers '07 (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan) on the first play of the quarter. On the next play, Holtslag completed a pass to Tom Tidgwell '07 (Southbury, CT/Pomperaug) on the right sideline. Tidgwell broke a tackle and scampered 46 yards for a 9-0 lead. Simon added the extra point.
Bates pulled to within 10-7 with 6:11 remaining. Chambers came up with his second straight big play on special teams by returning the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to the Bobcats' 31. Holtslag found Kevin Conole '04 (Syracuse, NY/Westhill) in the end zone on the next play for the final score. It was Conole's first touchdown of his four-year career. The Bobcats' final drive ended on downs at their own 49 with 3:40 left.
The defense didn't force a turnover, but came up with the play of the game late in the third quarter when it blocked what would have been a game-tying 22-yard field goal after Bates had taken nearly nine minutes off the clock with a 19-play, 88-yard drive.
Michael Murphy '05 (Baldwinsville/CBA) recorded a team-high 14 tackles, including two for a loss. Jesse Koch '07 (Kent, CT/The Kent School) added 13 tackles, including one of four Hamilton sacks. Jay Rishel '06 (Clinton, NY/Clinton) registered a season-high 12 tackles, seven of which were solos, two sacks and a total of three tackles for losses of 19 yards. Sam Bowlby '04 (Hamden, CT/The Kent School) and Chris Smith '04 (Foxborough, MA/Foxborough) ended their college careers with 12 and 11 tackles, respectively. Smith added a sack and another tackle for a loss.
Posted November 8, 2003
