Box Score After two seasons of painful losses in the month of September, the Hillsdale College football team entered the 2025 season ready to write a new chapter.

On Saturday afternoon, in southern Illinois, the Chargers did just that, thanks to some late-game heroics that allowed Hillsdale to stun host McKendree in a 22-17 victory to give the Chargers a season-opening win for the first time since 2022.

Hillsdale got the ball back with 2:06 to play and trailing the Bearcats 17-14, down to their last real shot to retake the lead in a game that had gotten away from the Chargers in the second half.

Facing fourth and 10 at their own 19, Hillsdale quarterback Colin McKernan found tight end Andrew Konieczny for a 19-yard gain that kept the Chargers' hopes alive.

After another completion to Connor Pratt that got the Chargers to midfield, McKernan threw a knockout blow for Hillsdale, connecting with redshirt freshman Tutt Carrico on a deep ball for a 50-yard touchdown pass that gave Hillsdale the lead again with 1:09 to play.

On the extra point attempt following the go-ahead score, Hillsdale turned potential disaster into a game-changing moment. Placekicker Jordan Westrich's attempt was blocked, but one of the players on the line, Mason Moulton kept his composure, grabbed the blocked kick off the ground and ran it into the end zone for a two-point conversion to give Hillsdale a 22-17 lead.

Moulton's heads-up play ended up being massive for the Chargers. Now trailing with 1:09 to play, McKendree's offense moved rapidly to answer Hillsdale's score, going 63 yards in under a minute to reach the Hillsdale 12 yard line, well within field goal range.

But the two-point conversion meant a field goal did the Bearcats no good, and forced McKendree to play for the touchdown. Bearcats quarterback Ty Michael threw a pass to the end zone with under 10 seconds to play, but Hillsdale's Ryan Niksa picked off the throw for the game-ending interception to secure the Chargers' victory.

In contrast to the frantic final two minutes, Saturday's contest started as a defensive struggle. Both Hillsdale and McKendree spent the first 27 minutes of the game locked in a scoreless tie.

The Chargers would be the first to break through offensively, going 63 yards in nine plays late in the second quarter. McKernan got the Chargers on the board with a 32 yard touchdown pass on third and 17, connecting with Carrico for the first of the sophomore receiver's two touchdowns on the day with 2:43 left in the half.

On the ensuing possession, McKendree made a costly decision to attempt to covert a 4^th and 1 on their own 34 yard line. Junior Drake Badger stuffed the Bearcat ballcarrier for no gain, setting up Hillsdale deep in McKendree territory with 1:41 still remaining in the half. With an opportunity to double their lead heading into halftime, the Chargers took advantage, with Pratt catching a 12-yard touchdown pass from McKernan to give Hillsdale a 14-0 edge heading into the break.

Hillsdale had a big advantage, but it proved ephemeral. McKendree struck back to start the third quarter, scoring on both of its first two drives of the second half thanks to long pass plays to tie up the game at 14-all. Late in the fourth quarter, McKendree took advantage of a short field to take the lead, converting an 18-yard field goal to go up 17-14 and set up the late drama.

Hillsdale won thanks in part to a huge game from McKernan, who was 17 of 32 for a career-best 255 passing yards and three touchdowns, also tying his career high. McKernan added 50 yards on the ground, moving the chains several times with his feet in the contest.

Konieczny, who had the big fourth down conversion, led all Hillsdale receivers with seven catches for 106 yards, Carrico added 82 yards on two catches, both touchdowns, and Pratt finished with six catches for 62 yards and a touchdown.  

True freshman Ben Ngishu added 48 yards on 12 carries on the ground in his first collegiate appearance.

Niksa, meanwhile, had a significant game at cornerback for the Chargers, leading the team with six tackles, breaking up three passes and recording the game-ending interception. Colin Morrow also picked off a pass for Hillsdale and added four tackles, while Niksa's partner at the corner spot, Gavin Chenevey, finished with four tackles and three pass breakups as well.

Evan Bienick added three tackles, two for loss, for the Chargers, while true freshman Jayden Njoroge recorded a sack in his first collegiate game for Hillsdale.

Hillsdale (1-0) heads back home with positive momentum from its victory, but faces a tough test next Saturday in its home opener against Michigan Tech. The Huskies enter the contest 2-0 after two blowout wins to start the season, including a 37-17 victory over then-16^th Bemidji State in their opener. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. on Sept. 13.