The Hamilton football team (1- 2) stunned Wesleyan College (1–2) on Saturday, Sept. 29 with a blocked punt and recovery resulting in a touchdown with less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter. The first-year who blocked the punt, defensive back Christian Snell ’22, was selected as a NESCAC Player of the Week for his block and recovery. The team snagged their first win of the season with an exciting 33–29 win over the Cardinals in a game characterized by back-and-forth offensive production.
The game, played at Wesleyan’s Corwin Stadium, opened with the ball in the Cardinals’ possession. A forced three-and-out gave Hamilton the ball, and quarterback Kenny Gray ’20 led a 63-yard drive that resulted in a 26-yard touchdown catch by wide receiver Christian Donahoe ’20 to put the Continentals on the board first. The extra point was good, and Hamilton kept a 7–0 lead for the rest of the first quarter after both teams exchanged punts.
Wesleyan came out swinging at the start of the second quarter with a 37-yard touchdown pass to tie the game just 50 seconds into the action. Both teams punted again as the first half wound down. Hamilton tried to convert the fourth down with one yard to go but was stopped by the Cardinals’ strong defensive front seven. Wesleyan gained possession at their own 26-yard line but eventually punted again. Gray threw another touchdown pass, this time to wide receiver Will Budington ’21, who leapt and outreached his defender for the touchdown after an 80-yard drive. The extra point was good again, courtesy of kicker Sam Thoreen ’22, and Hamilton regained a 7-point lead.
Wesleyan responded quickly with yet another passing touchdown, this time from the red zone. The extra point tied the game 14–14 with 30 seconds left in the half. Hamilton was forced to punt, and the half ended in a tie. Hamilton came out of the locker room eager to regain their lead in the second half and took their first possession 75 yards in 7 plays in just over two minutes. Gray found Budington again, who was wide open and undefended in the end-zone, for another touchdown pass.
Thoreen’s extra point went wide, but Hamilton had regained their lead, 20–14. The teams had back-to-back punts yet again, but Wesleyan’s next possession resulted in a touchdown off of a QB sneak from the one yard line. The extra point was good, and the Cardinals pulled slightly ahead at 21–20 to continue the exciting back-and-forth duel.
The Continentals started the fourth quarter with Gray’s fourth touchdown throw of the game, this time to fullback David Kagan ’20. The two-point conversion, which would have given Hamilton a 1-point lead, failed, so the score stood at 26–21 with Hamilton in the lead with just over 14 minutes left in the game.
Wesleyan responded with an incredible 44-yard throw-and-catch to get Cardinals to first-and-goal. A quick 5-yard toss gave them the touchdown, and they successfully converted the two-point conversion to take the lead 29–26.
Hamilton struggled with its next two drives, facing stingy defense from Wesleyan that resulted in one three-and-out and one failed fourth down attempt. Just over two minutes remained when Wesleyan gained possession. Hamilton’s best hope was to force a punt as quickly as possible to maximize the amount of time for their final drive. They did so, forcing a three-and-out at around the two-minute mark. Wesleyan prepared to punt, and Hamilton’s special teams filed onto the field for the nail-biting last two minutes of the game, the offense standing ready to swap in.
In an unbelievable turn of events, Snell broke free of defenders and blocked the punt. The ball flew backwards 26 yards, and Snell managed to recover the ball in the end zone for a remarkable touchdown that put Hamilton up 33–29 with 1:34 left to play in the game.
With enough time for a quick drive, Wesleyan’s offense took the field at their own 25-yard line. The team drove all the way to Hamilton’s 40-yard line as the clock ticked down. Feeling the pressure as the play clock ran under 10 seconds, Wesleyan’s quarterback threw a hail mary down the field which was picked off in the end zone by defensive back Ian Esliker ’21, the perfect conclusion to one of the most exciting games in recent Hamilton football history.
Snell was named the NESCAC Special Teams Player of the Week for his punt block and recovery, a major breakthrough for the first-year from Alden, N.Y. Budington also had a career game with his first two collegiate touchdown receptions. Quarterback Kenny Gray threw for 193 yards and 4 touchdowns. Running back Joe Park ’22 finally exploded after posted 13 rushing yards in the first two games of the season combined. On Saturday, he amassed 104 yards on the ground.
A strong senior core of defense was a key deciding factor in Hamilton’s victory; Cole Burchill ’19 led both teams with 11 tackles. Colby Jones ’19 and Sean Tolton ’19 had 10 and 8 stops respectively, and Tolton posted his third career sack.
Football will play their next home game this weekend on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1:00 PM on Steuben Field against Trinity College (2–1).
