LEWISTON – It’s astonishing, in this league where players are expected to know as much about macroeconomics as nickel defenses, what Trinity College has accomplished over the last four football seasons.
The Bantams haven’t lost a New England Small College Athletic Conference game since 2002, and they weren’t about to start Saturday afternoon at Garcelon Field. Trinity dominated every facet of a 47-0 blanking of Bates, matching an NCAA Division III record for most consecutive victories in the process.
Trinity’s second and third columns on the depth chart would give the starters at most NESCAC schools fits.
“Bates played great in the first half,” said Trinity senior quarterback Bill Schweitzer. “I just think our talent wore them out.”
Five different players scored a touchdown, and Trinity never reached the end zone on a play covering fewer than 23 yards.
That was a magic number on two fronts. The win was Trinity’s 23rd straight, tying the national record of NESCAC rival Williams. The only school at any level with a longer current winning streak is the University of Southern California.
The three-time defending conference champion Bantams also won their season opener for the 10th consecutive year.
How else did Trinity dominate? Let us count the ways.
Trinity rolled up 518 yards, almost evenly divided through the air and on the ground, to Bates’ 164.
Bates QB Brandon Colon was sacked five times, while Trinity corraled junior running back Jamie Walker to only 31 yards on 18 carries.
In one stretch, Trinity scored on six consecutive possessions. That streak ended late in the fourth quarter when Bates stopped Trinity on downs. On the Bobcats’ next series, Tyler Sparrow plucked a one-handed interception and ran it back 38 yards for a score.
Twelve different receivers caught a pass for Trinity, which tallied 27 first downs.
“They’re obviously an outstanding football team,” said Bates coach Mark Harriman. “You never go into a game expecting to lose, but by the same token, the way our guys prepared for this game will serve them well over the remainder of our season.”
Trinity didn’t score until the final play of the first quarter and led only 13-0 at the half.
Jordan Quinones rambled 29 yards to put the Bantams on the board.
Schweitzer (13-for-19, 182 yards) fired the first of his two TDs with 1:16 remaining in the first half, hitting Chandler Barnard on a slant-and-go for a 31-yard score.
Bates had three possessions inside the Trinity 25 before intermission. One ended when Michael Blair stuffed Walker on a fourth-and-1 dive. Blair sacked Colon to stop the second march, and the third ended in a punt after Ryan Albrycht knocked Colon for a 13-yard loss.
“We just keep playing no matter who it is,” said junior running back Gennaro Leo. “We prepare like nobody else.”
Leo is hailed as an All-America candidate in some circles, and he only carried the ball seven times.
His last rush went for a 75-yard TD in the third quarter when Leo followed left tackle, stopped on a dime and hit the accelerator down the right sideline.
“I was just waiting for an alley,” Leo said. “I knew I would get one. My offensive line always gives me one.”
That made it 30-0. Earlier, Schweitzer found Jeff Pratt for a 44-yard TD and Kevin Swiniarski booted a 35-yard field goal.
Pratt later caught a 23-yard pass from Ogunquit’s Josh Pitcher. Brett Sheridan also kicked a 22-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Dave Bodger of Lewiston led the Bates defense with 11 tackles.
“They can beat you lot of different ways,” Harriman said. “If you don’t do something absolutely perfect, they make you pay for it.”
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