Trailing 21-6 to visiting Ashland late in the third quarter on Saturday, the Hillsdale College football team staged a furious rally, battling all the way back to tie the game at 21-all with five minutes to play.

But Ashland hit a big play to set up a go-ahead 30-yard field goal with 1:46 to play, and Hillsdale was unable to advance far enough to set up a chance to tie on their final drive in a 24-21 loss to the Eagles that dropped the Chargers to 0-3 on the season.

Trailing 21-6 in the third quarter, and having put up just 92 yards of offense up to that point, Hillsdale up together its best drive of the game when it needed it most, going 71 yards on 10 plays and getting a big play downfield as junior Connor Pratt took advantage of a busted coverage by Ashland to haul in a wide open 40 yard touchdown pass from Colin McKernan with 26 seconds left in the quarter to cut into Hillsdale's lead.

After both teams traded punts, Hillsdale got the break it needed to get back in the game, as Hillsdale safety Vince Francescone plucked an overthrown Ashland pass out of the air and returned the interception 37 yards to set the Chargers up at the Ashland 16 with 6:11 to play. Two plays later, McKernan found tailback Zach Tetler on a wheel route out of the backfield for a 15-yard touchdown pass. The Chargers converted the ensuing 2-point conversion on an acrobatic catch by Shea Ruddy in the back of the end zone to tie the game up at 21-all with 5:29 to play.

With the score all knotted up, Hillsdale was one stop away from having a shot at taking the victory, but a 39-yard passing play by the Eagles on third down on Ashland's ensuing drive got the Eagles in range for the go-ahead field goal. Now trailing by three, Hillsdale got the ball back with 1:46 to play, one timeout and a final chance at seizing victory or forcing overtime. The Chargers marched across midfield but Hillsdale's final drive stalled at the Ashland 47, and the Chargers turned the ball over on downs to end the game.

Hillsdale had to rally from an early deficit, as Ashland jumped out to a 14-0 first-half lead. The Chargers defense kept Hillsdale in the game with a big second quarter play by linebacker Carson Ingram, who picked off a short pass and returned it 68 yards for a Hillsdale touchdown that cut Ashland's lead to 14-6 at the half. Hillsdale got the ball to start the second half but went three-and-out, and the Eagles scored on their first drive of the second half to go up by two scores once again and necessitate Hillsdale's late surge.

The Chargers finished with 229 yards of total offense, 183 through the air and just 46 on the ground. McKernan was 19 of 32 through the air for those 183 yards and two touchdowns, as well as one interception. Pratt led Hillsdale with 55 yards on three catches and the touchdown, while Andrew Konieczny chipped in 48 yards on seven catches and Ty Williams added 27 yards on two catches.

Tetler was Hillsdale's leading rusher in the contest, finishing with 44 yards on 11 carries.

Defensively, the Chargers were led by Jacob Vance, who finished with a game high 13 tackles, one for loss. Will Whims and Jack Trachet each chipped in six tackles, and Gavin Chenevey added five tackles and a forced fumble on special teams that was recovered by Kaden Evans. Matt Soderdahl finished with four tackles and two pass breakups, and Drake Badger added a sack as well for Hillsdale.

The Chargers fall to 0-3, 0-1 in G-MAC play, and draw a tough assignment next week with a road trip to undefeated Findlay for a 2 p.m. kickoff.

Photo by Sarah Chappelle