The best first half of the Hillsdale College football team's season proved to be the difference for the Chargers on Saturday, as Hillsdale held off rival Northwood on the road, 14-13, for the Chargers' first win of the season. 

The victory gives Hillsdale 10 straight wins over Northwood, dating back to 2009, and snaps a four-game losing streak for the Chargers.

Hillsdale got all the points it needed to win the game in the second quarter. Trailing 3-0 at the end of the first quarter after holding Northwood to a field goal on its opening drive of the game, the Chargers opened the second quarter with a nine-play, 61 yard drive that ended in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Colin McKernan to receiver Connor Pratt to give Hillsdale its first lead of the 2024 season.

The Chargers would never trail again in the game, as Hillsdale forced a turnover on downs on the ensuing Northwood possession then added to their lead with another long drive, this time a 10-play, 65-yard foray that culminated in a five-yard touchdown run by Zach Tetler that gave Hillsdale a 14-3 edge. Even with a field goal by Northwood right before the half, the Chargers took a 14-6 edge into halftime.

While Hillsdale's offense was unable to build on its advantage in the second half, the Chargers defense was able to step up and get the job done. Northwood opened the second half with a long, grinding touchdown drive to cut Hillsdale's lead to a slim 14-13 margin with 25 minutes to play, but were unable to get the ball within field goal range on three subsequent possessions, turning it over on downs twice against a determined effort by the Chargers. A big stand by Hillsdale near midfield with 2:08 to play all but sealed the victory.

Even though it didn't add points in the second half, Hillsdale's offense was able to possess the ball well and burn clock to limit Northwood's chances at overtaking the Chargers on the scoreboard. In particular, a gritty 16-play drive in the fourth quarter that burned eight minutes off the clock and pinned Northwood deep in their own end with 5:31 to play was key to Hillsdale's victory.

The story of the game offensively was Hillsdale's rushing attack. The Chargers entered Saturday's contest averaging a G-MAC-worst 62 yards on the ground through four games, but rushed for 149 yards against the Timberwolves, giving the Chargers a balance the team had lacked on offense earlier in the year and also helping Hillsdale control time of possession more effectively. Senior Logan VanEnkevort, who began his career as a tailback before moving to slot receiver for the last two seasons, moved back to tailback for Hillsdale against Northwood and had the best rushing performance of the season for the Chargers, finishing with 81 yards on 15 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per carry. Kyle Riffel added 41 yards on 11 carries as well for the Chargers.

In the passing game, McKernan bounced back from an early interception to earn his first victory as a starter for Hillsdale. The redshirt freshman finished 9 of 21 for 113 yards and the touchdown pass to Pratt, hooking up twice with tight end Andrew Konieczny for 34 yards and twice with H-Back Ty Williams for 25 yards.

Defensively, true freshman Christian Herrema finished with five tackles and a sack for Hillsdale, while senior Matt Soderdahl added seven tackles, 1.5 for loss, and a pass breakup. Carson Ingram chipped in seven tackles, Hunter Sperling added a sack and Drake Badger recovered a fumble to help end an early Northwood drive as well for the Chargers.

Hillsdale improve to 1-4 overall, 1-2 in the G-MAC. Just like last year when an 0-4 start turned into a 6-5 finish, the Chargers have an opportunity to go on a run from here, with a return home next Saturday, Oct. 12 for Homecoming and a 4 p.m. contest against Walsh. The Chargers are a perfect 8-0 against the Cavaliers all-time, but Walsh is off to a much-improved 3-2 start and is coming off a 63-point effort in a win over Lake Erie on Saturday.

Photo by Reva Ludwig