MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Trinity Pioneers have called Gill Stadium their football home for 60 years. It seemed only fitting that their last game there will be remembered as one of the best.
Trinity defeated Division III title contender Campbell on Friday night with a 31-24 overtime finish that capped off a thrilling back-and-forth battle.
Campbell found itself just five yards outside of the end zone after Trinity’s opening kickoff return was fumbled. The ball found its way into the possession of Campbell’s Carter Vedrani, and teammate Keegan Mills easily ran those extra five yards for the Cougars’ first touchdown.
Cam Barrett added a two-point conversion, but it would be Trinity with the next score after both teams traded punts. That touchdown also came on a one-play drive, with John Thibault taking the ball in from Campbell’s 38-yard line halfway through the first quarter.
Trinity’s Liam McCoy added a field goal from the Campbell eight-yard line with 3:04 left in the first quarter to give the Pioneers their first lead.
The Cougars were unable to capitalize on another fumble early in the second quarter and Thibault would make them pay, adding a 47-yard score with just over two minutes before the half. McCoy’s extra point and Peter Alisandro’s conversion on the first touchdown provided Trinity an 18-8 lead heading into the break, preserved by a Dantre Taylor interception with just seconds left in the second quarter.
After being limited to just four carries in the first half for ten total yards, the Cougars gave Mills the ball 20 times in the second half, beginning the second half’s first drive with a 28-yard run that set the tone for what eventually would turn into Cam Barrett one-yard score. Mills provided the conversion to bring the game back within two points and a 35-yard pass from Vedrani to Barrett and conversion from Barrett put Campbell up, 24-18.
Trinity could not immediately respond, but managed to stop another Campbell drive beginning at midfield, eventually responding with one more touchdown from Thibault with just 6:33 in regulation to tie up the contest at 24-24.
As if on cue, McCoy missed the extra point, and Trinity would fumble the ball yet again on their next and final drive of regulation.
However, the Pioneers stopped Campbell two more times after that tying score, culminating with a botched fake red zone field goal that ran out the final seconds in the second half.
With regulation gone, both teams now found themselves ten yards away from the end zone with four downs to force an outcome one way or another.
Trinity began with the ball, and John’s younger brother James broke a tackle at the five-yard line on the Pioneers final play, a reverse that eventually found the end zone to shift the pressure to the visitors.
There, Trinity’s Avery Fraser would be the hero, making a tackle on fourth down to seal the victory.
For Trinity Head Coach Rob Cathcart, the ending was particularly special given the fact that the team will be playing in Derryfield Park two weeks from now, ending generations of Trinity football at Gill Stadium and continuing to build a new tradition after the program was reborn in 2017.
“It’s just unbelievable, you have over 60 years of Trinity playing on this field,” he said. “A lot of guys have played on this field and we felt that energy.”
John Thibault ended with 177 yards rushing and 24 yards on a pair of catches as well. Mills led the way with 88 yards rushing for Campbell.
With the result, Trinity climbs to 4-1, leaving Lebanon as the only undefeated team left in Division III. They head to Meredith next Saturday, for a 12 p.m. contest against 1-4 Inter-Lakes-Moultounborough.
Coming into Saturday, Campbell had outscored its opponents 138-14, and will seek to rebound next week against Kearsarge-Mount Royal.
