Football Crushes Wesleyan Cardinals

So, another Homecoming Weekend came and went. For those of you who are now looking back on Saturday as a complete haze, funny, but still a haze, let me try and help you clear up a few questions you may have regarding this crazy weekend. Yes, you did pass out Friday night with a beer in your hand and woke up Saturday morning drinking that same beer. No, that guy from Shakedown Street at AD wasn't Jerry Garcia's long-lost twin brother Terry. And yes, there was a football game going on behind you as you stumbled around from car to car, pretending to be friends with people so you could get a beer or a Bloody Mary. And no, all that cheering you heard wasn't because you had just completed your fifteenth keg stand of the day; I don't care if you broke your personal record. All that cheering was for our Bantam football team, who took on Wesleyan and broke a few records of their own on the field.

Safety Steve Cella '02, broke the Trinity record for the most interceptions in a season with nine, after he picked off two passes in Saturday's game and broke up another four passes coming from the Wesleyan quarterback. Also, kicker Skip Sullivan '03, almost broke Trinity's record for the longest field goal kicked in a game, when he booted a 48-yard field goal which trickled over the goal post.

Another Trinity record was broken, but this time it wasn't broken by a Trinity player. Wesleyan quarterback Jake Fay, became the all-time touchdown pass leader in the NESCAC, when he broke Trinity alum Joe Shield '85's record of 52 with a culmination of 53 touchdown passes.

The Bantam squad came into this Homecoming battle against Wesleyan with a record of 4-3, looking to end the 1999 season with a winning record and not simply break even at 4-4. Wesleyan came to Hartford with an impressive record of 5-2 aspiring to improve on that record and bring them to the top of the NESCAC in final standings. Trinity wouldn't let that happen without a fight, and fight they did.

After a close offensive and defensive struggle between both of the teams, Wesleyan finally struck first in the later minutes of the first half with a 10-yard pass into the open arms of a receiver in the endzone. The Wesleyan kicker missed the extra point, one of two in the game, and the Cardinals led the Bantams by 6. The Trinity offense pushed down the field in the remaining minutes of the first half and ended up gaining good field position for kicker Skip Sullivan '03, to come in and put Trinity on the scoreboard. However, Sullivan's kick was blocked and Wesleyan took control of the ball.

Wesleyan couldn't crack the Trinity defense and after their attempt, the Bantam offense, led by Greg Wysocki '00, had control. With 1:47 remaining in the first half, tailback Brian Fabrizio '03 took the ball for a 7-yard run into the endzone, putting Trinity on the board and tying the game at 6. Then, Sullivan came back into play when he completed an impressive 48-yard field goal to put the Bantams up and over the Cardinals 9-6 by the end of the first half.

Trinity rallied off of their aggressive play in the first half to fuel them in the second half.

Wysocki started off the second half on the right foot, planting a 35-yard touchdown pass in the hands of wide receiver Sean Furey '00, and then just minutes later in the middle of the second half, he dropped a 65-yard bomb into the hands of Fabrizio, putting the Bantams on top of the Cardinals 23-6. Fabrizio, who has contributed greatly to the Trinity offense this season, gained 223 all-purpose yards in the game. Wesleyan cut the Bantams lead to 23-12 with a 37-yard touchdown pass. However, that would be the end of the Cardinals, with the Bantam defense holding the Wesleyan offense hostage, not allowing them to reach the pay dirt again. Sullivan was brought back into the game again to clinch the Bantams win with an effortless 28-yard field goal, leaving the final score at 26-12.

This was a great end to a great season for head coach Bill Decker and his football team. Offensively, Trinity trounced Wesleyan, gaining a total of 414 yards, compared to their opponents' 257. Wysocki completed 17 of 27 passes throughout the game for a total of 275 yards and tailback Fabrizio gained 96 yards on his 27 carries and made 8 receptions for 127 yards. Defensively, Trinity was outstanding with linebacker Brian LaHaie '00 leading the way with 7 tackles and one sack.

This game was a chance for this 1999 Trinity team to prove that just because they had a new head coach, the winning tradition didn't have to end. Bill Decker should be congratulated on his leading of this team and has definitely shown that in the wake of the ending of the Don Miller Era here at Trinity, he has begun his own era this season. The Bantams record their 18th winning season in 19 years and end the season with another winning record of 5-3.