Trinity University faces revenge test against Berry College in late playoff showdown

SAN ANTONIO – Trinity University will travel to face No. 17 Berry College in the third round of the NCAA Division III football playoffs Saturday at noon, with the winner advancing to the national semifinals.

“It means a lot,” said Trinity junior linebacker and Brennan High School alum Wakil Mateen. “We earned this right, and a lot of people wrote us off. We beat Harden-Simmons and showed them that we’re here to play, we can go really far with it.”

“We just need to execute,” said Trinity junior receiver and Johnson High School alum Alejandro Tavarez. “We’re just playing for each other, and at the end of the day, that’s what’s gotten us through. If our run game is failing, our pass game is thriving and vice versa. We’re just working together.”

The No. 21 Tigers (10-1) and Vikings (10-1) are meeting for the second time this season.

Berry handed Trinity its only loss of the year, 29-6, on Oct. 11 in Mount Berry, Ga., in a Southern Athletic Association contest.

“We have to play with great passion,” said Trinity football head coach Jerheme Urban. “I think you saw that if you’re at the game this past Saturday, our guys are extremely hungry, and they played from the first kickoff to the last whistle, with an intensity that was second to none. We got to bring that, and we have to protect the football.”

After a first-round bye, the Tigers opened the playoffs by defeating Hardin-Simmons 34-24 at home in the second round last weekend.

Berry’s only loss came early in the season against nationally ranked Carnegie Mellon.

The Vikings opened postseason play narrowly advancing past LaGrange College in round two with a 18-14 victory.

Historically, Trinity owns a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series.

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