MIDDLETOWN — The 124th meeting between the Wesleyan and Trinity football teams just may go down as one of the best.
The ancient state rivals, who first met in 1885, came into the game each hoping to claim the NESCAC championship. For Trinity, a win would hand them the title outright, their 12th; for the Cardinals a win meant a title defense and co-championship.
When the dust settled on Andrus Field Saturday, Wesleyan had a 31-28 victory and, perhaps fittingly, they shared the title with 7-2 records.
It’s equally fitting that right in the middle of everything, leading their teams as they had all season, were quarterbacks Matt Fitzsimons of Wesleyan and Jaxon Carroll of Trinity. Both were at the top of their game on Saturday, but Fitzsimons was just a little bit better.
The junior from Somers, N.Y., completed 15 of 26 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns and a 1-yard run that turned out to be the winning score with 6:28 remaining. Carroll, from Fitchburg, Mass., and also a junior, was 19 of 39 for 255 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, on the game’s final play, a desperation pass that was grabbed by Wesleyan’s Mike Solimando as time ran out.
Trinity now leads the series, 67-56-1.
After a scoreless first period, the Cardinals grabbed a 10-0 advantage on a 22-yard Gage Hammond field goal and Fitzsimons’ first TD pass, a 74-yard connection with Justin Meyreles. Despite a number of punchbacks by Carroll and the Bantam offense that kept the game close throughout, Wesleyan would never trail.
Trinity finally cashed in when Carroll found Darison Hooper for a 5-yard scoring play with 2:28 left in the half. But as they did throughout, the Cardinals punched back, this time just 20 seconds later on a 74-yard scoring run by Angelo LaRose that made the score 17-7. LaRose finished with 218 yards rushing on 26 carries.
As the second half began, Carroll again brought the Bantams closer, hooking up with Jamieson Hodlin on a 59-yard scoring play at 11:49. Not to be outdone, Wesleyan got the score right back when Fitzsimons and Sam Wien connected on a 13-yard scoring play at 10:20, good for a 24-14 lead.
There were more punches and counterpunches, but in the end it would be Fitzsimons again, capping a 13-play, 57-yard drive with his 1-yard rush and a 31-21 lead. Carroll answered once again, though, leading his team on a 10-play, 64-yard drive that ended with his fourth TD pass, a 14-yarder to Hooper with 1:58 left that once again closed the gap to three points.
Wesleyan recovered an onside kick at its own 47 and although the Bantam defense held the Cardinals to three-and-out, there were only 10 seconds left when Carroll got the ball back on his own 20.