Trinity Evens the Score With Principia
Minneapolis, Minn., Oct. 26, 2007 – The Trinity Bible College football team kicked off the 2007 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Dome Day in exciting fashion, as they overcame Principia College 47-20. The Lions avenged their previous loss to the Panthers from Oct. 13, when Principia claimed a 28-20 victory in Elsah, Ill.

Trinity rushed for a season-high 297 yards on the ground – almost 200 yards more than their average of 102.0 this season. The Lions boasted two 100-yard rushers in Sannon Norick and Ben Jones as TBC scored 13 or more points in three of the game’s four quarters.

Ricky Guittierrez, Scott Kilsdonk and Scott Rasmussen were all big reasons why the Lions gained an early 21-0 lead, as they all saw the endzone. Guittierrez had a 27-yard reception from Dusty Hess for the first score, followed by a Kilsdonk nine-yard score via Hess and a Rasmussen one-yard run.

Principia responded with two consecutive touchdowns of their own, as Sean Meacham caught two Martin Buchanan passes from three and 42 yards out, limiting Trinity’s lead to 20-14.

The Lions came right back, capping off a five-play, 60-yard drive with a 46-yard touchdown reception from Hess to Guittierrez with 1:27 left on the clock in the first half, sending their team into the locker room with a 27-14 halftime lead.

After several possession trade-offs, Principia scored with 3:13 remaining in the third quarter via an Andrew Rawlinson run from three yards out to keep the Panthers in the game.

Rawlinson’s score would be the last for Principia though, as Trinity Bible ended the game with three unanswered touchdowns – including a 40-yard running score from Norick - to produce the 47-20 final.

Norick, a senior, finished with 188 yards on 39 carries and a touchdown in his final game as a Lion, while Ben Jones added 13 carries for 113 yards. Quarterback Dusty Hess was equally impressive, completing 18 of 34 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns.

Buchanan tallied an even 350 yards in the air to throttle Principia’s offense, completing 23 of his 44 passes for two touchdowns. Meacham was Buchanan’s primary target, as the receiver had 11 catches for 161 yards and both scores in the loss. Cal Webster and Spencer Powell also had 76 and 70 yards receiving, respectively.

Trinity exited the 8 a.m. game with a 1-8 overall record and a 1-6 mark in conference play. Principia travels back to Elsah with an equal record at 1-8 (1-6 UMAC).