Trinity football returned home to face Rhodes College for their third conference game of the season on Oct. 18. After Berry College handed Trinity their first loss of the season 29-6, the Tigers rebounded with a 63-0 victory against the Rhodes Lynx. The Tigers improved their season record to 5-1 with a 734-yard offensive outing, setting the university record and the Southern Athletic Association’s (SAA) current season-high.
Sophomore defensive lineman Azriel Ngatcha said that the team was focusing on the little things and being more physical heading into the game against Rhodes.
“Last week, [Berry College] took it to us,” Ngatcha said, “and this week, it doesn’t matter who we play, we just focus on ourselves and being good [and] being the best team we can be. Last week, we didn’t play like the way we should have played, but this week, we just focus on being more intense [with our] intentionality.”
With their first loss season, the Tigers don’t control their own fate for the conference title, but remain eligible for Division III playoffs. Last year’s team began the season 2-2 and still made the playoffs.
The Tigers’ offense began their game against Rhodes by scoring six points in the first quarter. Sophomore wide receiver Tyson Hancock threw a touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Alejandro Tavarez on a trick play, putting the Tigers on the board early in the first quarter. The following two-point conversion was unsuccessful, but the Tigers had an early 6-0 lead. The Tigers scored 17 points in the second quarter and had a 23-0 advantage going into halftime.
The offense tallied on 40 more points for the remainder of the game, scoring 20 each in the third and fourth quarters. Trinity’s offense scored touchdowns on seven consecutive drives and only punted once the entire game. Sophomore quarterback Hondo Franklin threw for a season-high 260 passing yards, ending the day with two touchdown passes and one interception.
Tavarez accounted for 169 of the 313 receiving yards the Tigers accumulated on eight receptions, two of which were touchdowns. Tavarez also had the longest reception of the day in the third quarter, bringing in a 78-yard touchdown reception.
Senior running back Johnny Milo, who rushed for 96 yards on nine carries with one touchdown, said that it felt great to return home and win after the loss against Berry.
“Obviously, last week wasn’t our best ball that we played,” Milo said. “So, during that week, during practice, we just focused on being detailed and getting back to our standard. So, I’m glad we could come out here and deliver that.”
On the defensive side, the Tigers logged their second shutout of the season, making this their first season since 2022 to record multiple shutout games. The Tigers held Rhodes to a total of 103 offensive yards, forcing the Lynx to punt 11 times.
Sophomore defensive tackle Jackson Priesmeyer had a career day, leading the defense with a career-high seven total tackles, one of which was a sack for a seven-yard loss. “I can’t do much of anything without the rest of the guys on my team,” Priesmeyer said. “[With] backside covering, getting me the opportunity to get to the QB, holding that pocket up, and then as well as my defensive lineman next to me and linebackers filling holes and doing their job. Everyone doing their one-eleventh allows me to do my job and show out.”
Priesmeyer also said that preparation for next week’s home game will remain the same compared to a road game.
“We just put our head down [with the] same week of practice,” Priesmeyer said. “I mean, it is nice that we get to stay here, but personally, I like going to someone’s house and ruining their day. But it’s always nice to have the home crowd out and seeing family [and] friends come in who can make it, along with just playing some Tiger football.”
The 5-1 Tigers will return home to host Centre College on Oct. 25.
*This story has been updated from a previous version with more detailed coverage.
