Thirteen unanswered fourth-quarter points by Wayne State University made the difference in the Warriors' 20-13 win over the Hillsdale College football team Saturday afternoon at Adams Field, near the campus of WSU in Detroit.
The Chargers finished the season with a 4-7 overall record and 4-6 in GLIAC play, while Wayne State finished 7-4.
A lot went Hillsdale's way in this game, including running 16 more offensive plays, generating three more first downs, and winning time of possession by more than five minutes. But Wayne State came up with big plays on defense and special teams in the fourth quarter that helped keep the Chargers winless on the Warriors' home field since 2003.
Hillsdale held a 13-7 lead entering the fourth quarter, but a long Charger drive was stopped when Wayne State's Anthony DeDamos intercepted a pass and returned it 85 yards, flipping field position from the WSU 7-yard-line to Hillsdale's 11. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty called on Wayne State set the team back to the Hillsdale 26, but six plays later, the Warriors found the end zone when quarterback Carl Roscoe called his own number and scored from 12 yards out to give the Warriors a 14-13 lead.
Later in the quarter, Hillsdale was stopped on a fourth-down play with a sack that set Wayne State up at the Charger 22-yard-line. The Hillsdale defense stepped up and held the Warriors to just two yards gained in three plays, setting up a 4th-and-8 from the Hillsdale 20.
Wayne State then pulled off a fake field goal, and Jamel Hicks ended up scoring from 20 yards out to extend the lead to seven. The Chargers blocked Wayne State's final extra-point attempt.
The Chargers had one last chance with the ball, but quarterback Mark LaPrairie was sacked on first down, immediately reducing the team's chances of driving down for the tying score.
Laprairie completed 20-of-31 passes for 192 yards against the tough Wayne State defense. He threw a touchdown pass to senior tight end Mike Carter for the team's only touchdown of the day.
Sophomore kicker Steven Mette kicked field goals of 43 and 35 yards, finishing the season with 66 points scored.
In his final collegiate game, senior wide receiver Evan Bach led Hillsdale with four receptions for 57 yards. Sophomore Joe Srebernak also snagged four passes, for 45 yards while Carter accounted for 30 receiving yards in addition to his touchdown.
Bennett Lewis led the team's rushers with 37 yards in the game, while Spencer Nehls added 26 on just eight carries.
Defensively, sophomore Austin Koneval recorded a team-high 9 total tackles to lead the team. Sophomore cornerback Joe Duff forced a fumble and broke up a pass, while senior Dan Pittman had two tackles for loss among his six total in his final collegiate game.
Photo by Sheridan Markatos