Amid an overcast homecoming weekend, the Middlebury football team took on the Bates Bobcats at Alumni Stadium. The Panthers cruised past the Bobcats, tallying their 50th win in the matchup first contested in 1948 and improving their all-time record to 50-15-3.
Middlebury came into the game off three straight losses, including last week’s heroic come-from-behind effort which saw the Panthers fall just two points short of defeating the NESCAC-leading Trinity College Bantams.
Those losses “definitely put a chip on our shoulder, because that isn’t something this program is used to,” Shane Johnson ’26 said. “The players and coaching staff have shown a lot of resiliency these past few weeks.”
Trailing 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Middlebury offense scored 24 to Bates’ three over the next half hour of play, comfortably securing a 34-16 victory over the Bobcats.
The Bobcats received the ball to start the game, and 12 plays later, a three yard handoff into the endzone completed the visitors’ 78-yard drive. Neither offense scored for the remainder of the quarter.
The Panther offense ignited, evening the score just two and a half minutes into the second. On third down and eight from the Panthers’ own 30-yard line, Brian Moran ’26 slung a 29-yard pass to Mike Ahonen ’26 for an over-the-shoulder grab down the left sideline. A six yard touchdown rush by Caleb Smith ’27 down the left side topped off the 96-yard drive.
“Mike Ahonen, one of our captains, made a lot of great catches. Those grabs don’t just get us yards, but build morale and momentum. Brian Moran is also a great leader, and he put our receivers in good positions with great balls,” Santino Gambardella ’27 said.
Three-and-out on the following possession for the Bobcats, and the Middlebury offense maintained their momentum. Marching down the field, a handoff to Connor McClellan ’28 from the one yard line gave the Panthers a 14-7 lead with 5:03 left in the half.
Bates took the following kickoff and quickly marched down the field. A 65 yard play through the air brought the Bobcats to the Middlebury 10-yard line. The Bobcats failed to find the endzone, settling for three and trimming the Panther lead to 14-10 at the half.
The Panthers received the ball to start the second half, immediately storming 75 yards down the field. McClellan topped off the drive with a nine-yard run up the middle, bringing the Panther lead to 21-10.
An interception by Gabe Harris ’27 prematurely ended the Bobcats’ drive. The Panthers took advantage, stretching their advantage to 24-10 with a field goal by kicker Tony Wang ’26.
The Bobcats finally scored again with 2:08 remaining in the third, completing a short touchdown pass but failing to convert the extra point.
The score of 24-16 remained unchanged for most of the fourth, until the Panthers batted down a Bobcat punt, gaining possession at the Bates 12-yard line. Wang kicked another field goal to extend the Panther lead to 27-16 with 6:14 remaining.
The Bobcat offense trotted onto the field, just to get picked off on their very first play. Charlie Grant ’27 came up with the interception at the Bobcat 47. McClellan broke into the endzone from six yards out for his third touchdown of the day, cementing the Panthers’ 34-16 victory.
The Middlebury defense was anchored by Shane Johnson ’26 and Charlie Ozolin ’27, who each totaled seven tackles. Calvin Szoradi ’28 and Tommy Schwartz ’28 had a sack apiece, and Grant, Woodward and Harris each had a takeaway.
“The defensive backs, that’s the group I spend the most time with, and those guys were locked in all week – it showed with the turnovers and our ability to limit big plays,” Johnson said.
“They’re great leaders, and when the defense gets a big interception, it completely changes the momentum of the game,” Gambardella said.
McClellan rushed for 121 yards, finishing the game with a career-high 31 carries and tied a career-high with three rushing touchdowns.
The Panthers will face Hamilton on the road this weekend.
“We are going to have the same approach as always, we’ll bring focus, intensity, and attention to detail every day, no matter the opponent or circumstance,” Johnson said.
