Saturday, October 20, 2001

TRINITY FOOTBALL SCORES FIFTY

IN WIN OVER BOWDOIN

Cella Breaks Trinity Interception Record

Hartford, Conn.- Junior quarterback Greg Ward (Avon, Conn.) passed for 352 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third, and sophomore running back Thomas Pierandri (Ridgefield, Conn.) rushed for a career-high 186 yards to lead the Trinity College Bantams to a 50-34 win over the visiting Bowdoin College Polar Bears in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) football action this afternoon in front of 7,456 fans at Jessee/Miller Field. Trinity improves its season record to 3-2, while the Polar Bears fall to 1-4.

Trinity, which recorded its highest point total since a 55-30 win against Tufts in 1993, poured it on offensively both on the ground and through the air to total 542 yards in total offense. The Polar Bears finished with 438 total yards but were never able to close within less than nine points in the second half.

Bowdoin scored on its second play from scrimmage on a 70-yard sweep left by senior running back Tony Small (Westborough, Mass.). Trinity answered quickly, capping off a 10-play, 65-yard drive with a two-yard pass from Ward to sophomore receiver Joe Wahl (Riverside, R.I.).

The Polar Bears took the lead back on another big play when junior quarterback Justin Hardison (West Hartford, Conn.) completed a 40-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chris Sakelakos (Peabody, Mass.) midway through the first quarter. Trinity countered with unanswered scoring drives of 11 plays for 76 yards and seven plays for 52 yards to finish the first quarter with a 21-14 lead.

With 9:21 remaining in the second quarter, Pierandri ran for a 10-yard touchdown, but the Polar Bears reduced the lead back to seven points on a six yard run by junior fullback Mike Taylor (Marblehead, Mass.). Trinity added its fifth touchdown of the first half in the final minute on a one-yard dive by Ward, and the Bantams went to the locker room ahead, 34-21.

A 37-yard interception return for a score by sophomore cornerback Andrew Whipple (Marblehead, Mass.) gave the Bantams a comfortable advantage at 40-21 with 8:53 to play in the third stanza, but the Polar Bears closed to within 12 on a 15-yard scoring strike to Mark Drauschke (Melrose, Mass.) at the 3:06 mark.

After a 25-yard field goal by Trinity junior Skip Sullivan (Milton, Mass.), Bowdoin scored on a five-yard touchdown catch by Jason Rawlins (Bridgewater, Mass.). However the extra-point try by John Rock was no good and Bowdoin still had to score two times to tie the score with 9:06 remaining. Pierandri put the game out of reach with his third touchdown run of the game with 7:52 left on the clock.

In the first half, Trinity senior safety Steven Cella (Peabody, Mass.) intercepted a Hardison pass, breaking the College’s all-time record with 18 picks. The interception was the fourth for Cella this fall. Ward completed 29 out of 47 passes, including nine for 113 yards and a touchdown to freshman receiver Bradley Soules (Simsbury, Conn.) and six for 116 yards to fellow rookie Drew Finkeldey (Ivoryton, Conn.).

Hardison finished with 273 passing yards on 23 completions in 39 attempts with three touchdowns but three interceptions. Rawlins paced the Polar Bears with six catches for 76 yards, while Small rushed for 100 yards on 15 carries.