October 24, 2014
The Hamilton football team put on a show during Fallcoming, fighting until the very last second against Bowdoin. Featuring a kickoff return for a touchdown, an onside kick recovery and a blocked punt from Hamilton, the Continentals proved their strength as a unit in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
“It was great having that many people there,” said Captain Vince DiCindio ’15. “Every difference in the stands makes a difference on the sideline…Getting the general school spirit up is huge.”
Though Bowdoin eventually edged the Continentals 30-24, Captain Nick Noonan ’15 firmly asserted that they can look back at the game as a success.
“We played a full 60-minute game and we were in it until the end. We moved the ball well and got some good first downs. The defense also played great, just down the stretch we didn’t finish.”
Offensive highlights include three touchdowns by Amman Weaver ’18, with two coming off of powerful goal line sweeps and the last off of an immaculate kickoff return. Catching the ball on the 15-yard line, Weaver read his blocks for a return straight up the middle all the way to the end zone.
“He took all of us by surprise by how great of a returner he is…He’s explosive,” head coach Dave Murray said of his first-year back and returner. The Continentals will be sure to rely on him more in the coming years.
Special teams also played a huge roll in the game, as Hamilton executed two of the hardest plays in football in a recovered onside kick and a blocked punt.
Though the onside kick was originally called back due to an offsides call, Noonan explained, “Upon further review of the play we did recover the onside kick legally. The referees issued an apology after the game…But you can’t really do anything about calls, you just have to keep playing the game.”
The blocked punt came from Alex Mitko ’16 at the end of the fourth quarter, as he set Hamilton up for an exciting finish at the Bowdoin 25-yard line before a failed final offensive effort.
Following the loss against Bowdoin, the Continentals followed up with another unsuccessful outing against a strong Colby squad, falling behind early and ultimately losing, 47-14.
“Sometimes stuff just doesn’t click, and sometimes it doesn’t click for an entire game,” said DiCindio. “There were flashes where it was good, but we’re on to Williams.”
Moving on to a struggling 1-4 Williams team, captain Michael de Percin ’15 feels confident that the Continentals can recover as a unit and bounce back with a strong week of practice.
“We just have to not focus on anything that’s gone on in the past. We need to focus on what the coaches tell us and what our assignments are. We just keep working hard and watching film.”
Coach Murray elaborated on the team’s plan for the week ahead. “We’re going to be doing some things differently offensively and defensively against Williams. Their offense is a bit of an enigma, constantly changing, but their defense is more consistent.” Murray believes that his team can rise to the challenge and finish the season with more success on the scoreboard.
Though the team currently sits at 0-5, the locker room remains positive and the team feels proud of nearly every effort they have had so far. Their last three bouts also seem favorable as they approach Williams, a less than stellar Middlebury squad in the Rocking Chair Classic the week after and finally Bates as they look for their first road victory since 2008. For the team’s seniors, those three remaining games could amount to a fully satisfying end to their careers.
“It’s been great to see the program grow,” concluded DiCindio. “If we can get those three things done, that’s a success in my book.”
While the season has not gone as planned so far, it would be unfair to call it a failure just yet. With three games left on the schedule, the Hamilton football team still believes that their hard work will pay off before the season concludes.
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