September 26, 2014
This past weekend the Continentals were hosted by Tufts and defeated by a score of 24-17. Though the football team did not start the season with their desired result, they still have a lot to be excited about.
Tufts got on the board first with a 32-yard run by Chance Brady ’16. Hamilton responded quickly with a 24-yard touchdown pass from Chase Rosenberg ’17 to Charles Ensley ’17. The Jumbos then went on a 10-0 run before the half with a field goal followed by a touchdown reception from Jack Doll ’15. Tufts ended up missing the extra point. The third quarter was relatively quiet as the two teams went up and down the field with no result.
The Continentals would score the only points of the quarter from a field goal by Zach Altneu ’18, narrowing the deficit back to a single possession. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Trause ’15 found the end zone for the second time with a one-yard touchdown run. The subsequent two-point conversion was successful. Hamilton would not fold, despite the score, as Pat Donadio ’15 caught a touchdown to put up the final points of the contest with 25 seconds left on the clock.
On offense, Jeff Hopsicker ’15, debuting at running back, had a productive day rushing with 54 yards and another 44 yards receiving. Hopsicker said, “Charles Ensley really stepped up. We all knew he was a good player, but 14 catches is huge, and some of those catches were pretty clutch.” Ensley’s 14 catches ties a school record for Hamilton. Besides the sheer number of receptions, he amassed a total of 189 yards receiving, more than double any other receiver in the NESCAC through the first week. Another encouraging performance came from Rosenberg, who threw for 301 yards, completing 30 of 50 attempts while tossing two touchdowns and only one interception. Rosenberg’s 320 yards in the air put him in the lead for total passing yards in the NESCAC. With an additional 62 yards on the ground, he had a productive day. Despite losing and having a brand new offense, Hamilton was able to outgain Tufts offensively 435 to 236 yards. If Hamilton can finish in the red zone, having only converted two of six trips, the Continentals should put up big point totals.
On the defensive side, Hamilton was very stout. They held Tufts’ offense to under 250 yards, which is not an easy feat. The Continental defense also held the Jumbos to seven of 17 on third-down conversions as well as 1 of 5 on fourth down. Captain Mike De Percin ’15 had 5 tackles. When asked what they can take away from this weekend De Percin said, “On defense we were put in some tough situations field position wise but battled and found ways to make plays.” A combination of special team missteps and seven turnovers on downs did not make it easy on the defense. De Percin went on to point out particularly strong players on the defensive side of the ball, noting that “Nick Sobczyk ’17 and Matt Glebus ’17 both stepped up and made plays on defense.” Sobczyk and Glebus both had seven tackles. Cade Larabee ’16 led the team with a total of nine tackles.
There were positive performances all around but there is still plenty to improve on. De Percin noted, “Overall, we played well on both sides of the ball, but have to improve finishing drives and find ways to get turnovers on defense and pressure the quarterback.” The Jumbos had two fumbles but did not lose either. They also were never sacked. If the Continentals can improve in the categories De Percin highlighted, they will be very hard to score on.
This week, the Continentals will be hosted on, Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. by reigning NESCAC co-champs Wesleyan (1-0). De Percin talked about the keys to success this week, “stopping the run and getting turnovers on defense…Special teams and mental focus will also play a huge role...These plays change the outcomes of games.”
Hopsicker added to that list by stating that, “We need to cut down on our penalties big time for Wesleyan.” Penalties can really turn the tide of a game, so by preventing these lapses, the Continentals plan to give Wesleyan a hard-fought battle. As Hopsicker put it, “If we come out, play hard and continue to get better, I think that we’ll be just fine.” Like any other week, the team will be hard at work both on the field and off the field watching film. The Continentals know that games are not won on Saturdays, but rather with relentless preparation ahead of time.
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