Hamilton College’s football team has had a momentous two weeks, taking on Bowdoin College and Colby College the last two Saturdays. They took both games and rose to 2–4 in the NESCAC. This marks the first time in six years that the Continentals have had a two-game win streak, and they look to continue their success.
Hamilton’s game in Brunswick, Maine against Bowdoin College (0–5 NESCAC) on Oct. 14 was a rousing success for the Continentals, with multiple players standing out in the 28–7 win. The first quarter passed with no score, despite a field goal attempt from the 25 yard line by the Continentals. Bowdoin scored first on a 13-play, 80-yard drive to make it 0–7 in the second quarter, but their scoring ended there. Hamilton seemed to take control of the rest of the half, responding with two touchdowns and extra points to double Bowdoin’s contribution. Wide receiver Sam Robinson ’20 returned the ensuing kickoff 52 yards. Ten plays and 40 yards later, quarterback Kenny Gray ’20 dove over the pile for the remaining yard to gain the Continentals’ first touchdown of the game. Zach Altneu ’18 got the extra point, his first of four for the afternoon. Bowdoin’s possession was short-lived, as Tyler Hudson ’19 stripped the ball and Sean Tolton ’19 was able to recover the fumble and run it 13 yards. On a risky fourth and 13 attempt, Gray threw a 33-yard pass into the fingertips of Christian Donahoe ’20 for their second touchdown. The extra point was good, and the Continentals ended the half 14–7.
Bowdoin College opened up the second half with some unusual and surprisingly successful plays, but Alex Ganter ’20 forced the fumble on Hamilton’s 2-yard line to break up the Polar Bears’ success. The rest of the quarter passed with four back-to-back punts until late in the third, when Gray had two more excellent passes to tight end Trevor Pinkham ’19 and wide receiver Joe Schmidt ’20 for another touchdown. Altneu gave the Continentals the extra point to make the game 21–7. Running back Mitch Bierman ’21 carried for 41 yards on the Continentals’ next drive in the fourth quarter, and the second touchdown pass from Gray to Donahoe of the game cemented their victory with a final score of 28–7. Hamilton’s defense held down the Polar Bears, who did not get within Hamilton’s 35 for the rest of the game.
The game was dominated by the Continentals, and many individual players stood out. Bierman ran for 158 yards and 7.2 yards per carry, exciting numbers for the first-year running back. The talented tail-back had the most yards run by a single Hamilton player since the 2012 season.
Donahoe and Schmidt received for a combined 177 yards, and Gray threw 240 yards with no interceptions. Hudson, Colby Jones ’19, and Tim Russell ’21 led Hamilton’s defense, and senior Bill Gordon ’18 recorded his first sack — one of five for the defense.
The Oct. 21 game against Colby College (0–6) was Hamilton’s homecoming game. The contest was much closer than expected, and was marred by poor discipline and multiple penalties from the Colby team. The Mules committed 14 penalties for 170 yards lost. Hamilton managed to rally in the fourth quarter for a 27–24 win, and the game was close up until the final seconds. During the game, Colby scored almost as many points as they had for the entire season so far. The team mentality going into the game after last year’s loss to Colby was described by fullback Mike Nole ’19, who said “we knew that we were overconfident last year, so we went in this year with the mentality that [Colby] was the best team in the NESCAC. We knew we had to play our best football to beat them, and we went out with a lot of heart and came out with the win.”
Colby opened up scoring early on with two unanswered touchdowns in the first. They cemented this lead with a 40-yard field goal to make the score 17–0 by the middle of the second quarter. Hamilton’s team rallied to score on 3 of their next 4 possessions. Gray’s pass to wide receiver Alec Waugh ’18 was caught in the endzone for a touchdown to end the 55-yard drive. Hamilton’s next possession ended with an interception, but the ensuing punt was returned 26 yards by Robinson. Gray found Donahoe for a 30-yard pass for another touchdown. Altneu made both extra points to make the score 17–14. A 14-yard run by Marcus Gutierrez ’18 led the drive, and catches by Donahoe and Schmidt gave Hamilton another touchdown. Altneu’s extra point was blocked, and the score was 20–17 Continentals with just over a minute left in the half. Colby drove the ball an astounding 65 yards in 83 seconds for a touchdown with just 5 seconds left in the half. The Mules’ extra point was good, and the half ended with Colby on top 24–20.
The second half was more subdued in terms of scoring thanks to Hamilton’s strong defensive play. Another Colby penalty (pass interference) led to great field position and a touchdown from Bierman. Altneu got the extra point, and Hamilton pulled ahead 27–24. The game was close until the end, when Colby’s possession seemed dangerous. A couple of tight passes got the Mules within striking distance, but a careless penalty for illegal motion took time off of the clock, and the Mules’ last-ditch pass effort in the final seconds was batted down in the endzone by Sam Bowen ’20, and Hamilton won their second game in as many weeks. Punter Billy Wagner ’20 averaged 40.8 yards on five punts, contributing to Hamilton’s field position during the win. Honorable mentions on defense include William Rothschild ’19, Bryce Phillips ’20, and Jeff Martinez ’20, who came up big to hold the Mules down for the Hamilton College win.
After the first six games, both the offense and the defense are feeling confident and boast conference-leading players. On defense, Jones had more than 15 stops between the two games, and Hudson leads the NESCAC in tackles. On offense, Schmidt is tied for first in the NESCAC for touchdown catches with 7 through 6 games. Donahoe is second in the NESCAC in yardage per game, averaging 97 yards per game, and he has caught for over 100 yards in 5 out of the 6 games this season.
Hamilton will play Williams College (4–2) next at 1:30 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 28. Hamilton has beaten the Ephs two seasons in a row, and Nole emphasized, “they are a better team this year, but so are we.”
The Continentals’ next home game will be their last of the season, and will be on Nov. 11 on Steuben Field against Bates College (0–6).
