Schedule

Hillsdale College (0-3, 0-1 G-MAC) at RV Findlay (3-0, 1-0) | 2 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 28 | Donnell Stadium | Findlay, OH
 
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Hillsdale Roster | Findlay Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Findlay Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Week

Hillsdale rallied from a 21-6 deficit with two late touchdowns to tie Saturday's home rivalry contest against Ashland at 21-all with 5:29 to play, but Ashland retook the lead on a field goal on the ensuing possession and the Chargers couldn't string together a drive to pull ahead for good in the final two minutes of a close loss. Making his first start, quarterback Colin McKernan connected with wide receiver Connor Pratt and running back Zach Tetler on touchdown passes to help lead the comeback, and linebacker Carson Ingram also had an interception returned for a touchdown as well. Fellow linebacker Jacob Vance finished with a team-high 13 tackles for the Chargers as well.
 
Scouting the Opposition

The Chargers have a tough test on the road this week with a trip to undefeated Findlay, the preseason favorite to bring home the G-MAC title.

Although the Oilers were picked as favorites to begin the season, if anything they've outperformed expectations so far with an offense that leads the G-MAC by a wide margin and ranks in the top 10 in the country. Leading the show for Findlay at quarterback is Boston College grad transfer Matthew Rueve, who has stepped right in as the G-MAC's best quarterback through three games with a 69% completion percentage, 835 passing yards and nine touchdowns.

Part of the reason Rueve has gotten off to a fast start is great continuity for the Oilers at the receiver position, with three of their top four receivers returning from 2023, led by returning All-G-MAC receiver Cam Childers. Bryan Hunt and Mitch Nielsen also return as top targets, while Shippensburg transfer Redd Douglas has made an impact as well. Rueve has done a great job of distributing the ball, getting tight end Brycen Yarmo and fullback Tristan Cross involved as well.

The passing attack is Findlay's bread and butter, but the Oilers also have an effective rushing attack, led by senior Makya Matthews, who leads the team in rushing after a supporting role the past couple of years. Fellow senior Jayden Farmer is more of a power back and a good compliment to Matthews' more explosive style. Up front, Findlay must replace star tackle Michael Jerrell, who is now in the NFL, but return a first-team All-G-MAC tackle in junior Ta'Jamere Nash along with two other starters.

Findlay's offense has stolen the show so far, but the Oilers also have a solid defensive unit. Returning All-G-MAC honoree Londyn Claxton anchors Findlay's defensive line and leads the team in sacks, while veteran edge Romaro Warren Jr. also has made a significant impact. At the linebacker level, Sam Weirauch is another returning All-G-MAC player off to a strong start, but teammate Christion Stokes has been just as impactful, leading the team in tackles and interceptions so far with 2.5 tackles for loss and three pass breakups.

In the secondary, true freshman Jayon Harvey has the makings of a budding star, leading the Oilers in pass breakups to date, and safety Adonai Bumba is off to a solid start as well.

Notre Dame College transfer Cameron Shirkey has taken over the kicking duties for the Oilers and is 1-2 on field goals so far with a 21-yard make, while sophomore Owen Clevenger has been solid in his first season as a punter, averaging 47.5 yards per kick with a long of 57. Nielsen and Douglas are the Oilers' top return men.
 
The Series
The Chargers have a long history with Findlay dating back to the 1960s, and the two programs, separated by less than three hours and the Michigan-Ohio border, have played a number of close, competitive games in what has become a rivalry for both schools over time. Hillsdale has an 18-15-1 edge in the series, but Findlay has won the last two meetings, including a 31-21 victory in the most recent game last Sept. 23. The Chargers' most recent win came at Findlay, 34-29, on Oct. 23, 2021.
 
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.
• 2024 marks the fifth time in six seasons that Hillsdale has opened with back-to-back losses, and the third time in four seasons it's begun the campaign 0-3. While the Chargers aren't happy with slow starts, history says there's no reason to panic – in every one of those previous four seasons, Hillsdale rallied to finish with a .500 or better record, and in both seasons where they started 0-3, 2021 and last year in 2023, the Chargers finished with a winning record. Hillsdale will look to duplicate that performance again this season.
• The biggest strength on paper for the Chargers is a veteran offensive line, and especially an interior trio 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, and on the right by his twin brother, Ben Affholter, who might have been an All-Conference player as well in 2023 if he hadn't missed time while recovering from an injury. Along with that gifted trio, Hillsdale also returns right tackle Carter Cushman as a second-year starter.
• Sophomore wide receiver Shea Ruddy looks set to build on a 2023 campaign that saw him accumulate the most receiving yards and touchdowns by a Hillsdale true freshman since two-time All-American Trey Brock. Ruddy had two touchdown receptions of 50 or more yards in Hillsdale's first two games in 2024 and is sixth in the G-MAC in receiving yardage with 218, while leading the league with 31.1 yards per catch so far, as well as topping the league in punt return average with 17 yards per return, and all-purpose yards per game with 184. Teammate and fellow sophomore Jonathan Metzger also is 11^th  in the G-MAC through three games with 160 yards as well.
• 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 26 and is tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with four through three games.
• Junior linebacker Carson Ingram had Hillsdale's first interception return for a touchdown in nearly two years on Saturday, scoring from 68 yards out for the Chargers' first touchdown against Ashland. The previous last interception return for a TD also came against Ashland, from cornerback Jackson Gillock in Hillsdale's 36-20 upset in 2022. Ingram and safety Vince Francescone's interceptions were Hillsdale's first two forced turnovers of 2024, and something Hillsdale will look to build off of this week.
• Hillsdale's two permanent captains this season are senior wide receiver Logan 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 a nomination 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 this past season, 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.