WATERVILLE — Trinity scored 3:02 into the first quarter and rolled to a 34-0 victory over Colby in a New England Small College Athletic Conference football opener Saturday afternoon at Harold Alfond Stadium.
“They have great personnel and they’re very well coached,” Colby Coach Jonathan Michaeles said. “Their line is enormous, they have skill guys, they have a rookie of the year quarterback coming back, so that’s what we expected. That’s what we got.”
Ultimately, the Mules had no answer for Trinity quarterback Sonny Puzzo. A redshirt sophomore who missed last season for personal reasons, Puzzo – the 2013 NESCAC Rookie of the Year – completed 14 of 22 passes for 278 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also had seven carries for 53 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s always important (for us to start fast), whether you’re on the road or at home – especially against Colby,” said Puzzo. “They’re a really well-coached team, they’re a little younger this year, but they’re very well-coached, very disciplined, so it’s always important to come and start quick.”
Junior Gabe Harrington and sophomore Christian Sparacio split time at quarterback for the Mules, and both were under constant pressure. Harrington finished 14 of 26 for 97 yards with three interceptions. Sparacio was the team’s leading rusher with 30 yards on seven carries. He completed 2 of 3 passes for 10 yards.
The Mules were outgained 439-159 and lost the turnover battle 4-1. Trinity also had three sacks.
“We just physically struggled to pick up and block their blitzers,” Michaeles said. “They were blitzing on second down and we physically did not pick up the blitzes, and that hurt us. That prevented us from getting that next first down.”
WILLIAMS 27, BOWDOIN 7: Austin Lommen was 20 of 30 for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Eph downed the Polar Bears in the opener for both teams at Brunswick.
Connor Harris started the scoring for Williams with a 10-yard run to cap an 11-play, 76-yard drive in the first quarter. Lommen then connected with Adam Regensburg on a 21-yard strike on the first play of the second quarter, ending an 11-play, 93-yard drive.
Greg Plumb caught Lommen’s second touchdown pass in the third quarter.
The Ephs held Bowdoin to 52 yards rushing and 288 total yards.
Tim Drakeley was 21 of 39 for 248 yards and a touchdown for Bowdoin.
AMHERST 37, BATES 14: Shaun Carroll scored on an 80-yard run on Bates’ first offensive play, but the Lord Jeffs answered with 28 straight points in a season-opening win in Lewiston.
Carroll finished with 107 yards on 13 carries, while quarterback Patrick Dugan was 11 of 16 for 117 yards.
Seven players combined to runs for 270 yards for Amherst, led by Kenny Adinkra (20 carries, 104 yards).
Quarterback Reece Foy completed 22 of 33 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown.
MIT 51, MAINE MARITIME 26: Adis Ojeda rushed 22 times for 262 yards and three touchdowns as the Engineers (1-3, 1-0 NEFC) rolled past the Mariners (1-2, 0-1) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
James Ferrar led Maine Maritime with 144 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Quarterback Michael Fahey was 12 of 25 for 165 yards and two touchdowns.
John King and Danny Callahan combined to pass for 300 yards and four touchdowns for MIT.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.