Schedule
Thomas More (0-3, 0-1 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (2-1, 0-1 G-MAC) | 12 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 26 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats | Webcast | Community Day – Free Admission, No Ticket Required
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Thomas More Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Thomas More Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Game
Hillsdale dropped a heartbreaker to #25 Northwood on the road in the annual Riepma Cup game, 10-7. In a hard-fought defensive contest, Hillsdale took an early lead on a one-yard touchdown run by quarterback Eli Boyce, and led 7-3 in the fourth quarter, but a late touchdown by the Timberwolves allowed Northwood to take the game. Hillsdale had a chance to tie in the closing seconds, but the field goal was blocked, sealing the defeat. Boyce led the Chargers in rushing, and Alex Lee had a huge game defensively for the Chargers with 11 tackles and two sacks, while Drake Badger added six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble as well.

 
Scouting the Opposition
The Hillsdale College football team will look to rebound from a heartbreaking loss last weekend and remain unbeaten at home as the Chargers host G-MAC foe Thomas More on Saturday.

The Saints enter the weekend at 0-3 despite some encouraging signs, as Thomas More led early in losses to Wheeling and Tiffin and trailed by less than a score at halftime against FCS team Dayton.

The defense has been a relative strength for the Saints, keeping Thomas More in ballgames. The Saints are among the G-MAC leaders with four interceptions, two by cornerback Chase Terrell, who returned a 31-yard pick to the house to briefly give Thomas More the lead at Tiffin last week. Fellow cornerback Kevarris Cohen also has an interception, as does safety Judson Lawrie for a dangerous secondary.

Part of Thomas More's ability to force turnovers comes from a respectable pass rush. Veteran Tahj Meadows has two sacks to lead the Saints, and fellow ends Caden Thompson and John Blincoe have also put pressure on the quarterback. Tofa Luani, a returning All-G-MAC player, leads Thomas More's linebacking corps, along with his brother, Toto and veteran Josh Dugan.

While the Thomas More defense has held its own, the offense has struggled in 2026, ranking dead last in the G-MAC in points per game and second to last in yards per game. Getting the unit going is priority one for the Saints as they look to escape the G-MAC basement.

After sharing the job in 2025, sophomore Ben Chesser has seized the reins at quarterback in 2025. He's thrown for 404 yards, but turnovers have been a problem, with five interceptions so far. Chesser does have some talent in the receiving game to attack defenses with, including returning All-G-MAC player Javion Bostic. Slot receiver Numehnne Gwilly also has made significant contributions for the Saints, while tight end Ben Fay is a big target and recorded Thomas More's lone touchdown catch on the season so far.

Chesser is a dangerous scrambler who leads the Saints in rushing and has scored on the ground, while tailback Martavious Smith is averaging 5.2 yards per carry in a timeshare with fellow junior Kayleb Wagner in the backfield. The Saints average a respectable 3.3 yards per carry, but need more consistency to sustain drives.

Thomas More has a whole new unit up front on the line, with no returning starters from 2025 and only backups Samuel Williams and Nick Fritzsche from last year's two-deep. The unit is still jelling and will need to get up to speed quickly to help kick-start the Saints' offensive endeavors.

New kicker Davis Burleigh is 1 for 3 on field goals so far for the Saints with a long of 30, while Jackson Trombley and George Guidugli are averaging a combined 35.4 yards on punts.
 
The Series
Hillsdale has a 3-0 all-time edge over Thomas More in a series that began in 2023 with the Saints' move up to NCAA DII and into the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. The first meeting between the two teams was close, a 35-33 thriller in Crestview Hills, but the Chargers have won the last two meetings by two or more touchdowns, including a 24-10 win on the road last season.

 
Other Notes

• This weekend is Community Weekend for the Chargers, presented by Farmers Insurance – Justin Price Agency! Thanks to a generous donation by the agency, admission will be free to all spectators for the Saturday noon football contest against Thomas More, as well as home volleyball matches on Friday at 7 p.m. against Kentucky Wesleyan and on Saturday at 5 p.m. against Thomas More. Come watch Chargers athletics for free this weekend!
• Hillsdale College athletics will once again stream on FloCollege for the 2026-27 season as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference continues with a media rights deal with FloSports. All 11 Hillsdale College football contests in 2026 will stream with FloSports as a part of its FloCollege brand. FloSports is a subscription-based livestreaming service that hosts 40,000 contests and has deals with over 20 conferences in the NCAA. You can find out more information and sign up to watch the Chargers at this link.
• Hillsdale head coach Nate Shreffler is entering his third season as the man in charge, and the veteran coach is no stranger to the sport and to Hillsdale. Shreffler is entering his 27^th season as a coach for the Chargers, including 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 Chargers finished with winning records in Shreffler's first two seasons in charge, and he was the first Hillsdale coach to finish above .500 in his debut season since Hillsdale Hall of Famer Dick Lowry in 1980.
• Senior Shea Ruddy set another record three weeks ago on his 96-yard kick return for a touchdown against McKendree, breaking the G-MAC record for career return yards set by current Indianapolis Colt Ashton Dulin. Showcasing the versatility that made him a consensus All-American in 2025, he also added two more receiving touchdowns to lead the Chargers with three scores. An electric player in the return game, Ruddy led all of college football in 2025 with 960 kickoff return yards and three kick return touchdowns while becoming the only NCAA DII player in the nation to finish with a rushing, passing, receiving and kickoff return touchdown in 2025.
• Already a two-time All-American and Academic All-American, Ruddy added two prestigious honors in the last two weeks by being selected to the 2026 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, and as a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy. Just 22 college football players from across the country make the Good Works team, which honors outstanding efforts in community service among student-athletes. Ruddy was recognized for his work with the emergency room and surgery at Hillsdale Hospital, as well as serving as the chair of Hillsdale's Be The Match bone marrow donor registry drive, and several other charitable efforts. Ruddy is the first Hillsdale player to be recognized as a part of the team since Phil Davignon in 2008, and Hillsdale's fourth Campbell Trophy Semifinalist in four seasons.
• Sophomore tailback Ben Ngishu had a historic season opener for the Chargers against McKendree, rushing for 212 yards, the most by a Hillsdale player since All-American David Graham's 232 yard effort against Lake Erie in 2019. Ngishu had touchdown carries of 80 and 78 yards, the two longest touchdown runs by a Charger since Joe "The Show" Glendening's 80 yard score against Ohio Dominican on Oct. 8, 2011. The 2025 G-MAC Freshman of the Year, Ngishu looks poised to build on that campaign with an even bigger one as a sophomore, adding two more touchdown runs against Wayne State two weeks ago, and ranking among the top five running backs in yardage in the G-MAC so far.
• Although it's slowed down thanks to a seven-point effort last week, Hillsdale's 111 points through three games is still a historic output offensively. The last time the Chargers hit that mark offensively through three contests was 2009, when Hillsdale finished the season 10-3 and made the NCAA DII Playoffs. Hillsdale still ranks 24^th in the nation, averaging 37 points per game, and will look to continue lighting up the scoreboard this weekend.
• Ruddy isn't the only standout receiver the Chargers have, as junior Tutt Carrico is proving to be a prolific player in his own right. After an impressive sophomore campaign that had him rank among the G-MAC leaders in receiving yards and touchdowns, Carrico exploded for three touchdowns and 111 yards receiving against Wayne State on Sept. 12. It's Hillsdale's first three receiving touchdown performance in a single game since current Detroit Lion Isaac TeSlaa caught three TD passes against Walsh in 2022. Carrico was named the G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week for his game against the Warriors.
• Fifth year linebacker Jacob Vance is another Charger who made the DIIFootball.com Elite 100 preseason watch list and has been a difference-maker for Hillsdale as the team's leading tackler in each of the last three seasons. Vance was named to the All-Super Region 1 team in 2024 and earned first team All-G-MAC honors each of the last two seasons. He was the Chargers' Team MVP in 2025 as well as a team captain, and has a chance to become the first player in program history to be named the team's linebacker of the year in four straight seasons.
• Hillsdale brought back several strong pass rushers from last year's team, and the Chargers have done damage up front so far, with seven sacks against Wayne State falling just shy of the program single game record. Sophomore Jayden Njoroge was responsible for 3.5 of those sacks, the most in a single game by a Charger in over two decades, but he's far from alone, as Drake Badger had double-digit sacks in 2025 and Luke Penola and Jacob Vance are both capable pass rushers from the linebacker position as well. The Chargers also finished with three sacks against Northwood this past weekend, two from linebacker Alex Lee and one from Badger, who now ranks ninth all-time in program history with 20.
• Fifth-year senior Ryan Niksa had a stellar 2025 campaign, finishing second in NCAA DII and leading the G-MAC with 16 pass breakups to play a major role for the Chargers defense. A starter at cornerback for Hillsdale, Niksa will look to lead a veteran secondary unit that also includes decorated fifth-year safety Colin Morrow and is aiming for major improvement in 2026.
• Hillsdale has selected four captains for the 2026 campaign: Jacob Vance, who will serve as a captain for the second straight season, along with Ruddy, fifth-year offensive lineman Jesse Mendoza and junior linebacker Luke Penola.
• The Charger football program continued to shine academically this past season, with eight players earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, including returners Ruddy, Penola, Carrico and senior safety Jonah Jensen. In addition to making the All-District team, Ruddy went a step further, becoming the first football player in Hillsdale College history to be named a CSC Academic All-American two years in a row. In addition, 53 Hillsdale football players received Academic All-G-MAC honors for posting a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA through the spring 2024 semester, and the Chargers led NCAA DII with 17 graduating players earning a spot on the NFF Hampshire Honor Society for their achievements in the classroom.