On November 11, the Hamilton football team won the final game on their schedule against Bates, 21–7, to secure their third win of the season. Although their final record was not all that could be hoped for, as they won just one more game than the previous year, the Continentals managed to finish the year strong by winning three of their last four games. Hopefully, this momentum which was on full display during this past game against Bates will continue into next season and provide something to build on going forward. The game was held at Bates’ Garcelon Field with an attendance of around 2,500 people. The Bates Bobcats were winless with a record of 0–7 entering the game, looking for their first victory of the season.
The game started with a 19-play opening drive from the Bobcats which ended on a missed 21-yard field goal. The Continentals responded with a long drive of their own, going 80 yards down the field for a touchdown. A 21-yard completion to Ezra Lombardi ’24 from first-year Luke Kurzum ’27 created great field position for a 5-yard touchdown run capped off by running back (and former quarterback) Matt Banbury ’24. On the touchdown run, the offensive line pushed right, opening up space for Banbury to cut back to the left, who broke two tackles before powering into the endzone. The Continentals’ defense made a strong stand to cause a three-and-out, which ended with the Bobcats shanking a punt out of bounds, allowing Hamilton to start on Bates’ 32-yard-line. Six plays later, Kurzum ran in for a touchdown on a quarterback draw starting on the 13, giving the Continentals a solid 14-point lead with just over thirteen and a half minutes left in the second quarter.
After another strong defensive effort by the Continentals caused a short punt from Bates, Banbury ended a 39-yard drive by forcing his way into the endzone from the 2-yard line, breaking a tackle in the backfield in the process. First-year kicker Ben Waterman ’27 put through his third extra point of the game, giving Hamilton a commanding 21–0 lead over Bates with just over seven minutes left in the first half. Bates responded with a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Colton Bosselait ’25 to wide receiver Sergio Beltran ’26, cutting Hamilton’s lead to 14 just before the end of the half.
The second half saw both teams go scoreless, as the offenses stagnated and the defenses took over. Hamilton had two especially good opportunities to score, but both times they did not execute well enough. Early in the fourth quarter, an offensive holding penalty by the Continentals wiped away what would have been Banbury’s third touchdown run of the day. The following 27-yard field goal try was missed wide to the left. Later in the game, the Continentals missed another field goal, this time a 24-yard attempt. Despite these missed opportunities, as well as a fumble by Kurzum at the end of the third quarter, the Continentals’ defense made enough plays to maintain their lead, including a forced fumble and an interception both made by Kyle Bratcher ’26 as well as a stellar performance by Aiden Held ’25.
Their defense was bolstered by the lead the offense provided from the first half, which made Bates play more aggressively as they were behind by multiple scores. Hamilton stopped Bates at the Hamilton 5-yard line with just under five minutes left in the third quarter with a turnover on downs, as Bates aimed to cut it to a one-score game instead of going for the field goal. The game was ultimately sealed with the Hamilton defense forcing a turnover on downs with 2:25 left in the game, which the Hamilton offense capped off with three plays to run out the clock.
Though the game was messy in the second half, the Continentals were able to finish the season with a convincing win, featuring an efficient offense in the first half and a defense that made big plays in the second.
Kurzum ended the game with 143 passing yards, 50 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Banbury led the Continentals with 59 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, and tight end Mark Howrigan ’24 led the team with season-highs of 67 receiving yards and five receptions.
The Hamilton defense held the Bobcats to only two of 17 third-down conversions and allowed no points on their three trips to the red zone. Shutting down the Bobcats’ offense by allowing just 204 total yards and recording six sacks, the most sacks in a game by the Continentals since 2008, the Hamilton defense had a thoroughly dominant performance in the final game of the season. Their performance was complemented by a ground attack which was very effective throughout the first half. Even with a record of 3–6 overall, the Continentals will have much to build off of considering the strong finish to the end of the season.
