Colby closed the season the way every senior dreams about: at home, walking off winners. In a hard-nosed 16–6 victory over Bowdoin, the Mules leaned on defense, field position, and a wave of senior leadership to finish the year on their terms. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't easy, but in the last game for this senior class, it was exactly the kind of gritty win that will stick in memory.
After a scoreless first quarter of traded punts and field position, the offense struck first behind Patrick Miller. Early in the second, Miller hit tight end Eli Soehren for 15 yards and then found Jack Nye on a 55-yard strike down the sideline to flip the field. A pass interference erased a would-be touchdown to Nye, but Miller finished the job himself moments later, lowering his shoulder on a 2-yard keeper to put Colby up 7–0. On the day, Miller ground out 58 tough rushing yards and threw for 92, constantly picking up just enough to keep the chains moving behind a senior-heavy offensive line led by Nasir Lawson and Joelin Pimentel in their final start in the trenches.
The defining play of the game belonged to senior linebacker Declan McNamara. With Colby already up 9–0 after a safety, Bowdoin tried to answer through the air. McNamara read the quarterback perfectly, jumped the route at the Polar Bears' 28, and sprinted untouched into the end zone for a pick-six and a 16–0 lead. The stadium exploded, and the entire defense mobbed him in the end zone, a picture-perfect moment for a senior who's been at the heart of this unit for years.
From there, the defense and special teams took control. Senior corner Trevor Smith came up with a huge interception to start the fourth quarter, ending a Bowdoin drive that had crept deep into Colby territory. Up front, seniors like Sebastien Romain, Dennis Dougherty, Joshua Iyonsi, Jack Mullen, Max Toomey and Michael Williams kept Bowdoin's ground game contained and made the quarterback uncomfortable all afternoon, especially in the red zone. In the return game, senior receiver Cormac Wright quietly flipped the field with multiple punt returns, and long snapper Gamble Reed and senior stalwarts on the coverage units. Even as Bowdoin finally broke the shutout with a late touchdown in the final seconds, the Mules' defense had held them off the board for nearly 60 minutes.
It was fitting that so many seniors had fingerprints on this rivalry win. From Subomi Soyoye and Elian Joseph in the receiver room, to leaders like Trevor Smith in the secondary and Romain in the front seven, this class has helped define Colby football's standard. On their last day in blue, with Bowdoin on the other sideline and the clock finally hitting zero, they walked off together as rivals beaten, season finished, and legacy secure.
