Schedule
Hillsdale College (2-5, 2-3 G-MAC) at Kentucky Wesleyan (2-5, 1-4 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 26 | Steele Stadium | Owensboro, KY
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | KWC Roster | Hillsdale Stats | KWC Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Week

Hillsdale staged an impressive comeback after falling behind 10-0 at Lake Erie, scoring 28 unanswered points and 21 in the second half to roll past the Storm for its second victory of the season. Redshirt freshman tailback Zach Tetler scored three rushing touchdowns on the ground as Hillsdale punished Lake Erie for five turnovers, including three interceptions. Matt Soderdahl had two of those picks, both leading to touchdowns, while Colin McKernan also connected with Shea Ruddy for a passing touchdown as well. The Chargers finished with 206 yards on the ground in the contest.
 
Scouting the Opposition

Kentucky Wesleyan had gone though five straight losses entering last weekend, but pulled off a stunning last-second upset in a 27-20 road win at Northwood that has the Panthers looking dangerous entering this weekend's home contest.

For offense this season, KWC has leaned heavily on NAIA transfer Brandon Mackey, from Judson (IL), who has been neck-and-neck with Tiffin's Ronald Blackman for the distinction of best running back in the G-MAC so far. Mackey has been lights out the last three weeks, setting a school record for single-game rushing yards with 276 and two touchdowns in a loss to Lake Erie on Oct. 12, and scoring the game-winning touchdown with five seconds to play against Northwood last week. The workhorse back will top the scouting report for Hillsdale this week and finding ways to keep him out of the end zone will be priority one for the Chargers. Camran McNeil is the top backup for Mackey when the senior needs a breather.

The Panthers have had less success in the passing game, generating just five passing touchdowns in seven contests so far. Local product Joey Cambron is the starter, with three games of 200 yards or more passing, including 266 in last week's upset of Northwood. Backup Aden Hooper has seen action in six games as well for KWC and is more of a running threat, with three touchdowns on the ground this season.

KWC runs a spread offense with primarily three and four receiver sets, allowing the Panthers to test defenses in space, with Kam Sherrard the team's top receiver with 454 yards and three touchdowns. Jatavian Churchill is another option and Mackey has been effective as a receiver out of the backfield as well. KWC misses Kam's brother Khia, who hasn't played in October yet due to injury and could open up the passing game for KWC if he returns at some point this season. The Panthers have a solid offensive line that's in the top half of the G-MAC in sacks allowed, led by returning starters Terrant Young, Gage Sales and Andrew Hobbs.

KWC has had a rough go of things defensively overall this year, though they seem to be improving over the last two weeks. The Panthers have a playmaker at safety in Jhor'dan Inniss, the reigning G-MAC defensive player of the week and the team's leading tackler, while linebacker John Purdy is second in tackles and also has a team-leading three interceptions. Gerald Palmer is KWC's top cover corner, and Kelton Farmer and KaJuan Hardesty the Panthers' most productive defensive linemen. KWC has struggled to bring consistent pressure on quarterbacks this year, with just five recorded sacks, and will have to improve in that regard to have a solid finish down the stretch.

Blake Vivrette is one of the better kickers in the league for the Panthers, going 9 of 13 on field goals so far with two makes from 50-plus. Jakob DeShields averages 38.16 yards per punt for KWC, and Jatavian Churchill, Kam Sherrard and Khalil James split return duties.
 
The Series

Hillsdale is 5-1 all-time against the Panthers, and usually in dominant fashion, with all five victories coming by 19 or more points. Kentucky Wesleyan's lone win in the series was a 33-27 home defeat of the Chargers in the final minute in 2022, a feat the Panthers will hope to repeat this season.
 
Other Notes

• New head coach Nate Shreffler may be in his first season as the man in charge, but the veteran coach is no stranger to the sport and to Hillsdale. Shreffler is entering his 26^th season as a coach for the Chargers after successful stints as the team's offensive line coach (1999-2009) and offensive coordinator (2010-2023). Hillsdale's all-time leading passer, rusher and receiver all played in offenses led by Shreffler, and he was the position coach of Hillsdale's most recent NFL draft pick, Jared Veldheer. A 1993 graduate of Hillsdale College, Shreffler was a three-year starter on the offensive line and an important part of the team's 1992 conference title.
• The biggest strength on paper for the Chargers is a veteran offensive line, and especially an All-Conference due at left guard and center who are all entering their third year together as starters. Senior center Nick Affholter, a two-time All-G-MAC player and two-time Hillsdale lineman of the year anchors the unit. He's flanked on the left by guard Eli Haidamous, another All-G-MAC honoree. Along with that gifted duo, Hillsdale also returns right tackle Carter Cushman as a second-year starter.
• After struggling running the ball in the first four games of the season, Hillsdale's offense has been strong the last three weeks, averaging 211 yards on the ground in those three games with two wins. Key to the turnaround has been senior Logan VanEnkevort, who has spent the last two years as a slot receiver but returned to the backfield against Northwood on Oct. 5 and had Hillsdale's first 100 yard rushing day of the season with two touchdowns against Walsh. Redshirt freshman Zach Tetler also impressed against Lake Erie last weekend with a three-touchdown performance on the ground.
• Sophomore wide receiver Shea Ruddy became the first Hillsdale player with multiple kickoff return touchdowns in a season since Chad Gurica in 2005 with a 95-yard return for a score against Walsh on Oct. 12. Ruddy has been one of the top return men in the country, leading both the G-MAC and all of NCAA DII with 591 yards, and currently tying for the national lead in kickoff return TDs. The sophomore's versatility, as a ballcarrier, pass catcher, and a returner of kickoffs and punts have allowed him to put up massive numbers, leading all of NCAA DII with 1,378 all-purpose yards through six games. Hillsdale will look to continue to find ways to get the ball in Ruddy's hands down the stretch of the season.    
• Hillsdale's leading tackler in 2023 and Linebacker of the Year Jacob Vance returns for his sophomore season in 2024, after a meteoric rise the year before. As a redshirt freshman, Vance didn't dress for the first two games of the season, and didn't crack the lineup until a week four contest against Findlay. Despite the late start, Vance quickly established himself as one of the Chargers' most reliable defensive players and contributed greatly to Hillsdale's season-ending winning streak. Already in 2024 he leads the team in tackles with 44 and tackles for loss with seven, while also putting up two sacks as well.
• The Chargers' pass rush has been improving in recent weeks, with two defensive linemen leading the way. Sophomore Drake Badger leads the Chargers with four sacks and has added three pass breakups, a forced fumble and fumble recovery, while Hunter Sperling has made a big impact as well with 3.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and a recorded safety.
• Hillsdale forced five turnovers in the 28-10 road win against Lake Erie, with top cover corner Matt Soderdahl leading the way with two interceptions. Hillsdale converted both interceptions into touchdowns as Soderdahl became the first Charger since Jackson Gillock picked off three passes against Walsh on Oct. 9, 2021 to record multiple interceptions in a single game.
• Hillsdale's two permanent captains this season are VanEnkevort and junior defensive end Landon VanBeek. VanEnkevort was Hillsdale's Special Teams Player of the Year in 2023 and is one of Hillsdale's most versatile players, having played as many as six different positions for the Chargers over the past two seasons. His success on and off the playing field has earned him several accolades, including semifinalist recognition for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell Award, the sport's academic Heisman Trophy. VanBeek, meanwhile, has been a critical part of Hillsdale's defensive line for multiple seasons and is making the move to end this fall after excelling on the interior for Hillsdale in 2023.
• The Charger football program continued to shine academically over the past year, with eight players earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, including returners Benjamin Affholter, Bart Bixler and Ty Williams. In addition, 48 Hillsdale football players received Academic All-G-MAC honors for posting a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA through the spring 2023 semester.
• The Charger football program has long been known for its strong family tradition, and that continues in 2024 with multiple sets of brothers on the roster. On the offensive line, twin brothers Nick Affholter and Benjamin Affholter (Quincy, MI/Reading) will hold down interior line spots for the third straight season, and are joined on the roster by younger brother Zac Affholter, a true freshman lineman. All three are sons of Brad Affholter, a multi-year starter on the Charger offensive line in the mid-90s and an assistant coach with the team in 2023. There are several other sibling duos on the team -- sophomore wide receiver Corban Creason (Coppell, TX/Founders Classical Academy) and freshman defensive back Christian Creason; junior offensive lineman John VanOpstall (Jenison, MI/Jenison) and younger brother Chris VanOpstall, and sophomore wide receiver Shea Ruddy (Temperance, MI/Ottawa Lake Whiteford) and freshman defensive back Ryin Ruddy. Along with those sibling pairs, several other players on the roster have older brothers, fathers or grandfathers who suited up for previous Charger teams.