Football is back! While most of the nation has been focusing on the return of NFL games to their Sundays, this September also marks the return of the Hamilton College Continentals to the gridiron. The squad looks to improve from a 2–7 season last year, and there are reasons to think this season will be more successful. Though the team struggled at times last season, some of their losses were quite close. With the season opener against Bowdoin College coming up, a team the Continentals beat 16–7 during last year’s season, the squad seems primed for a strong start to their fall campaign.

The Continentals’ season begins with an away game at Bowdoin, followed by clashes at home on Steuben Field against Amherst and Wesleyan. The season is nine games in all, with a week between each game. Football is a grueling, physically demanding sport in more ways than one. Not only is the athletic demand high, but helmet-to-helmet clashes can frequently result in head injuries. In 2009, Jean Marie Laskas wrote an article for

GQ Magazine

called “Game Brain,” which was the impetus for the 2015 film

Concussion

. Both pieces went into the danger in football, highlighting former professional players whose lives had been derailed by brain damage.

Of six all-NESCAC players from last year’s roster, four are returning this year, who will act as a beacon of experience for the rest of the team. At the same time, there are 19 freshmen on the 99-man roster, adding a rich vein of new blood to this year’s squad. Football requires a massive reserve of players. Teams have 22 starters on just offense and defense alone, not to mention the special teams — players on the field during kicking and punting play — which often requires fresh legs. Considering the physical nature of the game, it behooves teams to have backups.

Despite the losing record last year, the team hit some impressive highs. Quarterback Joe Cairns ’25 passed for 293 yards and three touchdown passes in a win over Colby on Oct. 2, 2021, and as a sophomore, there is much time for improvement. Matt Banbury ’23 is also up for the role of starting quarterback. He played in six of the nine games last season, throwing a stunning 60-yard touchdown pass against Middlebury. George Johnson ’23 will be a force on defense, having racked up 13 tackles against Williams last season.

Still, the team will be aiming to improve on last season’s showing. Hamilton’s offense struggled last year, scoring 14.2 points per contest. They were plagued with low yardage output, averaging 4.9 yards per play and only 2.7 yards per rush. Due to the lack of consistent production the team was forced to punt 43 times throughout the year. Hamilton scored 16 offensive touchdowns throughout the season, 10 rushing and six passing. The offense also struggled to convert in the red zone, scoring 11 touchdowns on 23 tries. One of the bright spots of the team was good ball security among running backs and receivers. The Continentals fumbled the ball only seven times last year, losing four, while their defense forced eight fumbles, recovering six. That said, with quarterbacks Banbury ’23 and Cairns ‘25getting another year of experience under their belt the team looks to improve their offensive attack. Banbury was particularly efficient last year, completing 57% of his passes and averaging 7.6 yards per attempt. The offensive line will also be buoyed by the senior Center Ethan DiRienzo ’23, who was on the all-NESCAC second team offense last season. DiRienzo and the rest of the offensive line should pave the way for the offense to improve production this year.

The defense also struggled a bit last year, allowing an average of 25.1 points per game. They allowed 404.8 yards per game, an average of 6.1 yards per play and 29 touchdowns to opposing offenses. They were particularly vulnerable to the passing game, allowing 246 yards per game through the air on 8.4 yards per attempt. They also allowed 19 passing touchdowns while notching seven interceptions. The Continental’s defense fared slightly better against the run allowing 158.8 yards per game on 4.3 yards per carry while allowing 10 touchdowns to be scored on the ground. A bright spot for the defense was solid red zone defense, stopping opponents from scoring touchdowns on 18 of their 39 trips inside the 20. To bolster the defense for next season, Christian Snell ’23 returns after a second team all-NESCAC campaign last year at the cornerback spot. The team also enjoyed stellar special teams play, especially from second team all-NESCAC selections Tighe Hoey ’25 and Salah Eltayeb ’24. Hoey consistently bombed the ball from his punter spot, notching two punts of over 50 yards. Eltayeb showed off his speed and elusiveness on a 95 yard kick return against Bates, Hamilton’s longest scoring play of the season. Both players, along with the rest of the Continentals squad look to improve off last season and make this year’s squad a contender.