BOX SCORE
LEWISTON, Maine – Bates opened their 2005 season with a 47-0 home loss to three-time defending conference champion Trinity on Saturday afternoon at Garcelon Field.
Quarterback Bill Schweitzer (Alexandria, Va./ St. Stephens & St. Agnes) and running back Gennaro Leo (Everett, Mass./Everett) led a balanced offensive attack for the Bantams that put up 518 yards of total offense, 260 through the air and 258 on the ground. Only a touchdown separated the two teams for most of the first half, but Trinity turned five consecutive possessions into 37 points over a thirteen minute span in the second and third quarters to put the game out of reach.
Jordan Quinones (Pottstown, PA/Hill) opened the scoring for the visitors on the final play of the first quarter with a 29 yard touchdown run, capping a 12 play, 75 yard drive. Bates marched into Trinity territory several times in the second quarter but could not turn the drives into points. A ten play, 45 yard drive for the Bobcats ended at the Trinity 23 yard line as the team turned the ball over on downs.
Four plays later, Eric Obeng (Wellesley, Mass./Wellesley) recovered a fumble at the Trinity 21 yard line but the Bantam defense held and Bates was forced to punt. Trinity took advantage of good field position just before halftime, marching 37 yards in just two plays as Schweitzer connected with Chandler Barnard (Lubbock, Texas/Lubbock) on a 31 yard scoring pass with 1:16 left on the clock. Schweitzer struck again when Trinity received the ball to start the second half, tossing a 44 yard touchdown to Jeff Pratt (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) to make the score 20-0.
After the next drive ended with a Bobcat punt, Trinity padded their lead with a 35 yard field goal. Bates had another promising drive end in Trinity territory, but a Tyler Schmelz (Monmouth Beach, N.J./Red Bank Catholic) punt pinned the Bantams deep in their own territory at the seven yard line. In just over a minute, the visitors were in the end zone again after Leo reversed field and wove through the Bates defense on a 75 yard scoring run. A fumble on the ensuing kickoff return was recovered by Trinity and less than two minutes later, Pratt made an acrobatic 23 yard catch in the endzone for his second touchdown reception. Kevin Swinarski (Plymouth, Mass./Plymouth North) converted the extra point to make the score 37-0. Trinity added 10 points in the final quarter on a field goal and a 38 yard interception return with a minute left on the clock to cap the scoring.
Linebacker Dave Bodger (Lewiston, Maine/Lewiston) led the Bobcat defense with 9.5 tackles, eight of them solo takedowns. Obeng added five tackles, including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage, half a sack and a fumble recovery. Kevin Reyes (North Adover, Mass./North Andover) picked off a pass in the first quarter to end a Trinity drive. Brandon Colon (Manchester, N.H./Northfield Mt. Hermon) passed for 110 yards for Bates, despite being pressured by a fierce pass rush for much of the game. Jamie Walker (Needham, Mass./Needham) added 31 yards on the ground and first year Greg Thornton (Norwell, Mass./Norwell) chipped in 20 yards rushing in his college debut.
Bates will play host to Tufts next Saturday at Garcelon Field at 1 p.m. Trinity will look to extend their win streak to a Division III leading 24 games next week at home against Williams.
