It’s a Dynasty in Hartford: Trinity Football Preview 2019

Editor’s Note: This article was written by one of our new writers this year – Haven Cutko from Trinity. A fun fact about Haven is that he was actually accepted into Harvard as a senior in high school but chose to attend Trinity due to its superior location.

2018 Record: 8-1 

Projected 2019 Record: 9-0

Projected Offensive Starters: (*7 returning) 

QB- Seamus Lambert ‘22*

RB- Spencer Lockwood ‘22 

OT- Austin Baiardi ‘20*

G- Alex Wukovits ‘20*

C- Kyle Woodring ‘22 

G- Matt Evans ‘20

OT- Kalvin Guillermo ‘22*

WR- Jon Girard ‘21*

WR- Koby Schofer ‘20* 

WR- Devante Reid ‘22

FB/TE- Joe Samuelman ‘20* 

Projected Defensive Starters: (*6 returning) 

DL- Jimmy Christiano ‘21*

DL- Devyn Perkins ‘20*

DL- Hassan Azeem ‘22 

LB- Daniel Negron ‘20*

LB- Will Dencker ‘21*

LB- Brian Casagrande ‘22 

LB- Sean Smerczynski ‘20 

DB- Matt Patry ‘20*

DB- Matt McCarthy ‘21*

DB- Jalen Weathers ‘22 

DB- Rob Levine ‘22

Projected Specialists: (*2 returning)

K- Kimball Winans ‘20 

P- Ian McDonald ‘20* 

KR- Colin Beaulieu ‘21* 

Offensive MVP: QB Seamus Lambert ‘22 

This was not an easy pick to make, because WRs Koby Schofer ‘20 and Jonathan Girard ‘21 have both probably proven more at this point in their careers. However, they are both elite receivers (arguably the NESCAC’s two best) and they complement each other so well on the field that I’d be remiss to select one over the other for this honor. They also cannot do what they do without a great quarterback, which is what Lambert proved to be as he stepped in after an early season loss at Williams and did nothing but win games while leading Trinity to a third straight championship. Lambert’s stats were not off the charts, but he made accurate throws and showed that he could run the ball as well, posting 75 rushing yards against Bowdoin and 56 against Middlebury the following week. Look for former Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year Spencer Lockwood ‘22 to have a breakout season at running back as well. Lockwood had to play behind Max Chipouras last year, but he still put up 425 yards and 7 TDs getting plenty of garbage time reps in the Bantams’ various blowout wins. As the number 1 back he’ll get a chance to prove himself against the top defenses and their first stringers, which Lambert did from the quarterback position last season. Lambert has all the weapons in place to ball out this season and continue to win games, but if he falls off at all, URI transfer Jordan Vazzano ‘20 will be motivated to win back the starting job he had up until the Williams loss last season. Not many D1 transfers ride the bench in the NESCAC, but it’s hard to sit a QB who came in as a freshman and won every one of his starts as Lambert did. Either way, Trinity’s offense is in great position to make a mockery of their opponents as they have done for the past few years. 

Defensive MVP: DE Jimmy Christiano ‘21

Christiano has steadily improved over his career at Trinity, and with two more seasons to play, the sky is the limit for this burly edge rusher. An all-NESCAC first teamer last season on a loaded defense, Christiano was third in the conference in both sacks and tackles for loss and will be looking to boost both numbers this year. He can force fumbles (3 last year) and he also recorded both a blocked punt and an interception. While the Bantams graduated some strong defensive players, they return another NESCAC first teamer on the other end of the D-line, Devyn Perkins ‘20. With offensive lines having to gameplan for both of those guys, Christiano has an opportunity to have an even better season than his last. He also plays without gloves. Does your favorite defensive lineman do that? 

Biggest Game: October 26th vs. Williams 

These days, Trinity football is at the point where one loss is jarring to everyone associated with the team and the league. When the Bantams lost at Williams last year, they had to refocus and make changes- this was Jordan Vazzano’s last game starting at quarterback before Coach Jeff Devanney switched to Seamus Lambert. Although the team righted the ship and still took home the NESCAC title (would we expect anything less?), the one loss is still a blemish on the record that the Bantams would undoubtedly  love to get back. Williams did not play up to their potential towards the end of last season due to some injuries, but they return a lot of their best players and will be coming for that number one spot this year. This matchup also kicks off a gauntlet of three tough games for Trinity to finish the season: Williams, Amherst, and Wesleyan. If they can pass each of those tests, there’s a good chance a four-peat is in the cards. The matchup with the Ephs in the Coop will be one that everyone in the league has an eye on. 

Best Tweet: 

Real recognize real. Coach Belichick may be a Wesleyan alum, but his son played lacrosse at Trinity and he is clearly smart enough to know who the superior NESCAC program is. It’s possible that Belichick has some other fall commitments, but if he made it to a game in Hartford in the past four years, maybe we’d be preparing to see Max Chipouras on Sundays this season at Gillette. The Patriots are a running back by committee kind of team, right? 

Everything Else:

How dominant has this team been in recent years? Trinity’s senior class currently has more championship rings than total losses in their college careers. If the Bantams can again win the NESCAC championship with one loss or by going undefeated, they will be able to make that claim for the rest of their lives…in addition to achieving a four-peat. While it will feel different for many not seeing Max Chipouras in the backfield, the team returns plenty of talent on both ends of the ball and has to be looked at as the heavy favorite once again coming into the 2019 season. What this means is that every NESCAC team, contender or bottom-feeder, will be aiming to knock Trinity off their throne this fall. As Amherst and Williams have shown the past two seasons, the Bantams are not unbeatable, but another team will need to step up and put together a complete season if anything is going to change. If the Bantams can win their opener at Tufts and get past the other NESCAC heavyweights in their final three games, a fourth ring for Coach Devanney and the boys will be in the forecast in Hartford.

Who can take those rings off their fingers? Trinity College Season Preview

Trinity College 2018 Football Preview

The Coop will be rocking soon, fans.

2017: Record 8-1

NBN Projected Record: 6-3

Projected Offensive Starters (*6 returning):

QB: Jordan Vazzano ‘21

RB: Max Chipouras ‘19*

WR: Koby Schofer ‘20*

WR: Jonathan Girard ‘21*

WR: John Spears ‘19*

TE: Teddy Allmendinger ‘20

T: Austin Baiardi ‘20*

G: Alex Wukovits ‘20*

C: Steve O’Reilly ‘19*

T: Sam Bowtell ‘19

G: Matt Covel ‘19

Projected Defensive Starters (*7  Returning):

DB: Matt Patry ‘20

DB: Matt McCarthy ‘21

S: Chandler Colberg ‘19*

S: Sameir Madden ‘19*

LB: Dago Picon-Roura ‘19*

LB: Shane Libby ‘19*

LB: Sean Smerczynski ‘19*

DL: Corey Jean-Jacques ‘19*

DL: Nick Rose ‘19*

DL: James Christiano ‘21

DL: Devyn Perkins ‘20

Projected Special Teams Starters (*2  Returning):

K: Eric Sachse ‘19*

P: Ian McDonald ‘20*

KR/PR: Colin Beaulieu ‘21

Offensive MVP:

Max Chipouras ’19

Max Chipouras ‘19

Seasoned NESCAC vet Max Chipouras will look to continue his dominance of the conference into his senior year. A former NESCAC Rookie of the Year and a two-time 1st team selection, Chipouras already has more hardware than some entire teams in the NESCAC.

Max Chipouras ’19 has been among the best RB in the conference his entire time in college.

There is no doubt that he will be featured early and often for the Bantams this season and I doubt that this will be the year that the conference figures him out. Chipouras will be supported by an offensive line that lacks neither experience or talent. Not only will defenses struggle to get Chipouras to the ground, they will struggle to get to him at all.

Defensive MVP:

Corey Jean-Jacques ‘19

Corey Jean-Jacques ‘19

Another former 1st team selection, something that the Bantams are far from lacking,  Jean-Jacques returns for a final year of terrorizing quarterbacks. Last season the defensive linemen recorded 4.5 sacks as well as 9 tackles for a loss.  Jean-Jacques is the cornerstone of an experienced defensive line for the Bantams, which helped them to a conference-low 9.8 points allowed per game. Trinity also allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game, the only team in the NESCAC to do so. Jean-Jacques is one of 7 returning starters for the Bantam defense who should only improve upon their dominance from last season.

Biggest Game: Saturday, November 3rd at Home vs. Amherst

Amherst was able to stifle the Bantams perfect season last year, handing them their only loss 28-20. I’ve got no doubt that Trinity has revenge on their mind and has circled this date on their calendar.

Best Tweet:

https://twitter.com/TrinFootball/status/978251755401211905

They’re cocky but they can back it up. Gotta respect the rings.

Everything Else:

Everybody wants to know–Can Trinity get it done without stud QB Sonny Puzzo ’18?

The biggest question by far this year for the Bantams is about the quarterback position. At this point, it looks like Jordan Pizarro, a transfer from Rhode Island, will be the guy for the job. While Pizarro has the D1 pedigree to his advantage, other quarterbacks such as David Ryan and Brad Whitman are certainly not out of the question. The biggest thing that Trinity has going for them is their abundance of returning starters. Between offense, defense and special teams; the Bantams are returning 15 starters from their NESCAC championship squad last season, many of whom were decorated with All-NESCAC awards at the end of the year. Their top receivers Koby Schofer and Jonathan Girard will be returning this year and whoever their quarterback is will be grateful to have their talents at their dispense. There’s absolutely no doubt that Max Chipouras will be making a significant impact as he has every other year he’s been on the field. The vast majority of their shut-down defense is returning, meaning that the best defense (Editor’s Note: I still think Amherst has the best defense) in the conference should only be stronger and less relenting. Overall, Trinity has been, can be and will be an absolutely dominant force in the NESCAC this year and it will take nothing less than an incredible performance to take them down this year. My projected record for them is 8-1.

Editor’s Note: As you may have noticed, we have three writers projecting teams to have 8-1 seasons, which doesn’t make much sense. Spencer, Andrew, and I disagree which team, Amherst, Wesleyan, or Trinity, will win the NESCAC, but luckily, as supreme power, I can overrule them. Our official projected records have Amherst at 8-1, Wesleyan at 7-2, and Trinity at 6-3. I’m not quite as good as Vegas at setting the win total for the season, but we’ll see how it all plays out in the coming weeks.