By Eric Belyea
@eric_belyea21
SPRINGFIELD — Throughout the 128 years of Springfield College football, there has been some prolific players. Usually, they are the quarterbacks, the wide receivers and other skill positions that seem to get most of the in-game action. But no player sees the most action than the players down in the trenches; enter the offensive linemen.
More importantly, who gets the ball to the quarterback to make the plays? The center. Junior Nick Bainter has quite the resume, that many people do not know about. Prior to the season, Bainter was named to D3football.com’s All-America Third Team, an honor that only three centers in the country received. But the Criminal Justice major does not look at it as an individual accolade.
“It is an awesome recognition I got, but I think a lot of it comes from the opportunities the coaches give me, my teammates, my family are all a piece of the puzzle,” Bainter said.
Although the recognition he received was something he was proud of, he kept his eyes on the big picture.
“The award was for preseason, but once you get to week one, the real season, that is when it really counts,” Bainter said.
The East Bridgewater, Massachusetts native takes pride in what he does both on and off the field, but being able to play the game he loves, with the people he loves, means the world to him.
“I am with some of my best friends playing next to me which is an outstanding experience,” Bainter said about his teammates, who he considers his brothers.
Not only does he have fun playing next to them, he knows the guys next to him have his back.
“These are some of the toughest, strongest and most committed people I have ever met. Not only do we have the talent, but when you add the Brotherhood aspect to the team, we all come together and work towards a common goal.”
The Brotherhood that is Springfield College football has brought Bainter close to many different people he now considers family.
After a shocking 45-10 loss to Union College, Bainter knows that this team needs to shake that loss off
“That one loss does not define who Team 128 is as a unit and as individuals,” he said.
This was the Pride’s first loss of the 2018 campaign, and only their second loss in their last 14 contests. Now that the loss is behind them, Bainter is focused on this week.
“Last weekend was not the result we wanted, but our goal right now is to win the next rep,” Bainter said.
With the team going into this week’s match up with a clean slate, getting ready for this week’s opponent in WPI should help them bounce back nicely.
Team 128 is out to a 2-1 start, all thanks to a great defensive presence, a dynamic offense and most importantly, a great front push by the offensive line. When the team is down, you can count on Nick Bainter to help bring the Pride back to the forefront. The 2018 Springfield College Pride football team has a great chance to be successful, but with student-athletes like Nick Bainter on their roster, it is bigger than just football. It is about family.
Photo courtesy of Sam Leventhal