LEWISTON, Maine -- Coming off a defensive battle with Amherst, the Bates football team welcomes perennial NESCAC power Trinity to Garcelon Field on Saturday for the Bobcats' 2026 home opener, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.

Bates (0-1 NESCAC) held Amherst to only 248 yards of total offense last week, while Trinity (1-0 NESCAC) racked up 473 yards of total offense in a 34-14 win over Colby.

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THE PARTICULARS:

What: Bates (0-1) vs. Trinity (1-0)

When: Saturday, Sept. 26, 1 p.m.

Where: Lewiston, Maine | Garcelon Field

Live Coverage: Video | Stats

All-Time Series: Trinity leads 43-7

Last Meeting: Trinity 30, Bates 13 (Hartford, Conn. | Sept. 20, 2025)

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TRINITY'S LAST TIME OUT:

Trinity kicked off the 2026 campaign with a 34-14 victory over visiting Colby in a NESCAC clash at Jessee/Miller Field at Tansil-Muldoon Stadium.

The Bantams opened the game with a seven-play, 70-yard drive as Jaxon Carroll completed 5-of-5 passes for 48 yards and Jack Tosone punctuated the drive with a nine-yard touchdown tote to hand Trinity the 7-0 lead.

After being stopped on fourth down on their second drive, Trinity added to their advantage with a seven-play, 77-yard drive, capped with a spectacular catch by Nolan O'Brien, who elevated over a Colby defender to haul in the 35-yard score, extending the Bantams lead to 14-0.

Trinity closed out the first half with a methodical 11-play, 83-yard drive eclipsing less than four minutes on the game clock. On 3rd-and-3 from the Mules three-yard line, Carroll spotted Tosone on a quick slant to paydirt, making it a 21-0 game at the break.

On their opening possession of the second half, the Mules cracked the scoreboard as Alex Clapp broke free from the Bantams defense on a 64-yard catch-and-run to cut the deficit to 21-7 with 12:35 left in the third quarter.
After forcing a three-and-out midway through the third quarter, Trinity responded with an efficient three-play, 54-yard drive, featuring a 42 yard reception from Darison Hooper. Tosone found the end zone for a career-high third time on a five-yard scamper, increasing the Bantams lead to 27-7 following a missed extra point.

Trinity put the game away with an eight-play, 58-yard drive early in the fourth quarter, with Josh Woodford corralling a 13-yard touchdown reception from Carroll to set the score at 34-7. Colby added a late touchdown on a 15-yard touchdown connection between Gill and Ray Thornton as the Bantams registered the 34-14 win.

BATES' LAST TIME OUT:

The Bates football team opened the 2026 season Saturday at Amherst and fell 24-14 in a contest that saw the Mammoths rally from four points down late in the fourth quarter to prevail over the Bobcats.

Bates (0-1 NESCAC) took a 14-10 lead when senior cornerback Payton Francis (Foxborough, Mass.) jumped a route on the far side of the field and picked off a pass from Amherst quarterback Marek Hill, returning it 36 yards for a touchdown. It's the first interception for Francis in his collegiate career and the first interception by a Bates player to be returned for a touchdown since Anthony Costa '22 recorded a pick-six in 2018. Senior Marcos Ruiz (Haskell, N.J.) made the extra point, putting the Bobcats up four with 3:13 left in regulation.

The Bobcat defense did their part, forcing a pair of incomplete passes. An illegal forward pass by Hill when he was in front of the line of scrimmage brought up a fourth down. Facing fourth and 15, the Mammoths were forced to punt. However, the punt hit a Bates player at the Bobcat 45-yard line and Amherst's Ty Kazanowsky recovered the ball. The Mammoths got another chance to rally with 2:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.

On a second and 10 from the Bates 43, an unnecessary roughness call against the Bobcats moved the ball down to the 28. Then Hill found Jadon Davis for 26 yards to the Bates two. Michael Dunmore punched it in from there and Amherst led 17-14 after the extra point with 1:55 to go.

Bates got pinned deep in their own territory on the ensuing kickoff and three pass attempts failed. The fourth pass attempt got picked off by Amherst's Jordan Summers and returned for a touchdown, providing the final margin of victory for the hosts.

Defense was certainly the name of the game on Saturday, as Amherst managed just 248 yards of total offense and Bates finished with 227 yards of total offense. The two quarterbacks threw a combined six interceptions and the defenses combined for four sacks. Bates finished 3-16 on third down and Amherst was 3-13 on third down. Each team recorded 12 first downs apiece in the contest.

Sophomore wide receiver Riley Provencher (Old Orchard Beach, Maine) had a solid game for Bates, catching six passes for a game-high 78 yards. Senior Ryan Gleason (Millbury, Mass.) added four catches for 55 yards. Defensively, sophomore Colton Brisard (Lee, N.H.) paced Bates with seven total tackles, including two solo stops. Sophomore Liam Keaney (Swampscott, Mass.) notched six total tackles, with a team-high four solo stops. He was consistently in the backfield, finishing with 2.5 tackles for loss, including an impressive 1.5 sacks. Senior captain Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) added six total tackles of his own, with two solo stops, a pass break-up and a QB hurry. Junior linebacker Carmel Crunk (Lancaster, Calif.) intercepted the first pass of his career and tallied a pair of tackles. 

BATES' AND TRINITY'S LAST MEETING:

The Bates football team got off to a slow start and the Bobcats weren't able to recover in a 30-13 loss to Trinity last year at Jessee/Miller Field. 

The Bantams led 20-0 at halftime and added a long touchdown early in the third quarter to go up by 27 points. The Bobcats pulled to within 14 with 12:07 remaining, but that was as close as they'd get.

Bates running back Ryan Lynskey (Cranford, N.J.) had to work hard to gain a team-high 59 rushing yards on 22 carries. He scored both Bobcat touchdowns in the contest, a five-yard run with 5:18 left in the third quarter and a four-yard plunge to cut the deficit to 27-13 early in the fourth quarter.

Senior captain Sergio Beltran (East Palo Alto, Calif.) led the Bobcats in both passing (3-4 for 58 yards) and receiving (3 catches for 39 yards) on the afternoon. When passing the ball, he connected twice with Quinn Carver (Boston) for 39 yards and once with Jeff Vidou (Cornish, N.H.) for 15 yards. Vidou also ran the ball four times for 24 yards. 

Linebacker Carmel Crunk (Lancaster, Calif.) tallied a game-high 16 total tackles and broke up a pass. Meanwhile, Michael Spencer (Mansfield, Texas) added 12 tackles with a team-high six solo stops. Ryan Rozich (Cromwell, Conn.) had a big game, tallying 11 total tackles while also blocking a kick and intercepting a pass.

Nolan O'Brien had a day to remember for Trinity, catching nine passes for 140 yards and two receiving touchdowns. On top of that, he returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown. Jack Tosone and Tyler Dinapoli both ran the ball well, with Tosone carrying the ball 17 times for 83 yards and a touchdown. Dinapoli added 16 carries for 81 yards. Jaxon Carroll completed 12-20 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns. The Bantams gained 386 yards of total offense.

On defense, the Bantams held Bates to just 209 yards of total offense. Shane Mosia tallied 13 total tackles, with a game-high seven solo stops. Lincoln Moore hurried the quarterback three times and tallied 11 total tackles. Five different Trinity players recorded a sack.

BATES' PROBABLE STARTERS:

OFFENSE
OL 53 Zach Louvat Sr. 6-2 265
OL 51 Ryder Smith Jr. 6-0 271
OL 65 Matthew Pierotti Jr. 6-2 284
OL 66 John Antolik Sr. 6-1 282
OL 72 Kevin McDonald Sr. 6-3 270
TE 84 Bryce Carberry Jr. 6-1 232
WR 83 Ryan Gleason Sr. 5-10 177
WR 0 Jeff Vidou Jr. 6-0 190
WR 11 Quinn Carver Jr. 6-0 177
RB 22 Michael Seward So. 5-10 205
QB 16 Jack Gilmore So. 6-2 202

DEFENSE
DL 40 Josh Ezerioha Sr. 6-0 271
DL 98 Colton Brisard So. 6-1 279
DL 55 Camden Zambrowicz Sr. 6-2 268
DL 90 Ryan Kimmel Sr. 6-1 227
LB 9 Carmel Crunk Jr. 5-11 207
LB 39 Ryan Rozich Sr. 5-11 209
LB 21 Liam Keaney So. 6-2 215
DB 2 Samuel Christopher Jr. 5-11 173
DB 5 Michael Spencer Sr. 5-10 184
DB 23 Jack Morrison Sr. 5-11 196
DB 7 Payton Francis Sr. 6-2 185

SPECIALIST
K/P 49 Marcos Ruiz Sr. 5-9 178

TRINITY'S PROBABLE STARTERS:

OFFENSE
OL 57 Lucas Ricci Jr. 6-5 285
OL 70 Nate Rivera Fy. 6-2 280
OL 56 Aidan Murphy Sr. 6-1 270
OL 71 Cortez Cole Sr. 6-2 280
OL 77 John Curran Sr. 6-3 275
TE 18 Jamieson Hodlin Sr. 6-3 245
WR 2 Nick Behrens Sr. 6-4 210
WR 6 Darison Hooper Jr. 6-0 195
WR 11 Nolan O'Brien Gr. 5-9 192
RB 20 Jack Tosone Sr. 5-11 200
QB 12 Jaxon Carroll Sr. 6-4 210

DEFENSE
DL 61 Luke Ventura Sr. 6-5 240
DL 59 Emre Sensoy Jr. 6-1 260
DL 99 Luke Pickard Gr. 6-5 245
LB 3 Ethan Krauss Sr. 6-2 220
LB 8 Jacob Tobias So. 6-0 200
LB 10 Charlie Newhall Jr. 6-3 230
LB 47 Lincoln Moore Jr. 6-3 238
DB 0 Shane Lewis So. 5-9 170
DB 21 Marshall Rice Jr. 5-10 185
DB 5 Bryce Ferrell Sr. 6-0 180
DB 35 Shane Mosia Sr. 6-1 200

SPECIALIST
K/P 97 Max Wallace So. 6-2 175