Football Suffers Loss at Wesleyan
by Simon Hoke ’24, Sports Contributor
In their first away trip of the season, Hamilton football took on the Wesleyan University Cardinals on Saturday, Sept. 25. Hamilton fell behind early, finding themselves down 27–0 in the third quarter, but they fought back late in the game. The game ended 30–14 in Wesleyan’s favor.
The Cardinals came out flying on offense, scoring on their first drive after 11 plays and 86 yards. Wesleyan quarterback David Estevez finished off the drive with a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Lutenberger. This was the only successful drive completed in a slow-paced first quarter.
The Cardinals’ second touchdown came at the 13:43 mark in the second quarter. This time it was Wesleyan quarterback Ashton Scott who found wide receiver Logan Tomlinson to make it a two-possession game. The Continentals struggled on offense in the first half, punting on their first three possessions, and the Cardinals capitalized on another red-zone opportunity late in the half. Scott connected with receiver Matt Simco to give his team a 20–0 lead going into the break.
Wesleyan continued in the second half where they left off in the first. This time it was Estevez throwing to Tomlinson in the endzone from 16 yards after a 63 yard drive. Down 27–0, the Continentals got their offense firing, getting on the board midway through the third quarter, as quarterback Joe Cairns ’25 completed 34 and 36 yard passes on consecutive plays, followed by a four yard touchdown run by running back Justin Moran ’25. Wesleyan’s Daniel Yoon kicked a 24 yard field goal with 1:38 to go in the third quarter.
Hamilton’s offense came alive in the second half, but it was too late for the Blue and White. Despite Cairns rushing from 5 yards for the Continentals’ second touchdown with 11:20 left in the game, Wesleyan held on for the win.
It was a tough loss for Hamilton, but they will take some promising signs away from the game, believes Cairns, who made his first collegiate start Saturday. “Wesleyan was a good football team,” he said, “but once we got going in the second half, we showed we can play with and beat anybody.” Cairns threw 15 for 21 and recorded 219 passing yards to go along with his rushing touchdown to lead the Hamilton offense. Wide receiver Drew Granski ’22 was the focal point of the Continentals’ passing game, putting up a career-high 100 yards and six receptions. Will Buddington ’22 made a major impact on the game as well, posting 58 receiving yards on four catches.
Defensively, the Continentals were led by George Johnson ’23, who made 10 tackles, including a first career sack. Mike Cairns ’22 and James Ball ’22 contributed nine tackles apiece, while Matt LoPresti ’23 added to the defensive effort with his first sack. Christian Snell ’23 beat the Cardinal line to block an extra-point attempt.
The game was a story of the Cardinals’ potent running offense. Wesleyan rushed for 194 of their 419 total yards, led by running back Charlie McPhee, who accounted for 100. Their success on the ground allowed Wesleyan to build a time of possession of 39:37 to Hamilton’s 20:14. Hamilton rushed for 31 yards, as opposed to last Saturday’s matchup with Bowdoin, when the Continentals ran for 153 yards.
The loss takes the Continentals to 1–1 on the season. The team is back.
