Hartford, Conn. – Senior RB Chudi Iregbulem (Torrance, Calif.) rushed 25 timed for career-highs of 134 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 32-7 victory over the visiting Trinity College Bantams in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) football opener for both teams this afternoon on Jessee/Miller Field. Trinity, ranked No. 9 in New England, wins its 52nd consecutive home game, a streak that goes back 13 years, and defeats the Mules for the ninth time in a row.
Trailing at the end of the first quarter, 7-2, Trinity took the lead for good with the lone touchdown of the second quarter on a five-yard run by Iregbulem to cap off an eight-play, 77-yard Bantam drive. Trinity junior QB Henry Foye (Madison, Conn.) connected with senior WRChris Ragone (Sarasota, Fla.) for a 50-yard pass to set up the score. Both teams squandered opportunities in the second stanza, as Colby failed to recover a fumbled Trinity punt return and the Bantams missed a 39-yard field goal, and Trinity held a 9-7, lead at the break.
Trinity pinned Colby deep in its own end to start the second half on a long kickoff by sophomore Ben Rosenblatt (Newton Center, Mass.), and a tackle at the Mule 13-yard line by sophomore Jameson Law (Brewster, Mass.), and the Bantams took advantage when junior LB Frank Leyva (Pinecrest, Fla.) sacked Colby QB Gabe Harrington (Chula Vista, Calif.) and forced the ball out which classmatePreston Kelly (Orange, Calif.) picked up before rambling 12 yards into the end zone. After a Colby punt, Trinity went 70 yards on 12 plays, including 11 runs for 58 yards, and finished with its third score on a one-yard plunge by Iregbulem. The extra-point sailed wide, and Trinity led, 22-7, with 7:05 left in the third quarter.
Trinity added to its lead late in the third frame, as senior CB Brian Dones (Philadelphia, Pa.) picked off a Harrington pass and returned it 34 yards to the Mule 24-yard line to set up a 41-yard field goal by Rosenblatt. Sacks by Trinity sophomore Peter Hoets (Westport, Conn.) and freshman Brandon Blaise (Morristown, N.J.) ended the ensuing Colby drive after three plays, and the Bantams put the game away with Iregbulem's third touchdown of the day. The fourth quarter consisted of five punts and one final Trinity drive that saw the Bantams run out the clock.
The Bantams had went ahead, 2-0, early when a Colby punt snap went sailing out of the end zone, but Colby answered with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Harrington to senior WR Nick Joseph (Mattapan, Mass.) with 3:52 left in the first quarter after stopping Trinity on a 4th-and-2 at their own 27-yard line thanks to a drive-stopping tackle by junior DL Ryan Ruiz (Hye Park, Mass.). Colby missed a chance for a 10-2 lead when a 40-yard field goal try by senior Louw Scheepers (San Diego, Calif.) sailed right of the goalpost.
Trinity rushed for 289 yards on 64 carries, gained 16 of 24 first downs on the ground, and possessed the ball for 37:51 of the contest. Sophomore RB Gus Ackley (Columbus, Ohio) added 53 rushing yards on seven carries, while Foye finished 11-for-21 for 160 yards with one interception, and Ragone caught two passes for a game-high 72 yards. Leyva had five tackles and two tackles for loss, while junior DB Ethan Johnson (Skowhegan, Maine) paced the Mules with a game-high nine tackles, and Colby senior DB Jason Buco (Methuen, Mass.) notched six hits, one tackle for loss and an interception. Trinity junior P Kyle Pulek (Cheshire, Conn.) dropped three of four punts inside the Colby 20-yard line.