The Hillsdale College football team got knocked down repeatedly in a season opening road contest at Lake Erie, trailing by 10 or more points four separate times on Saturday.
But the Chargers refused to stay down -- and when the opportunity presented itself, Hillsdale was ready to deliver the knockout blow.
Down 31-21 with 7:17 to play in the game, and having never led in the contest after falling into an early 14-0 hole in the first quarter, the Chargers got the ball at their own 20 with one more realistic chance of getting back in the game.
With no time to waste, Hillsdale got its comeback attempt going in earnest immediately, as senior quarterback Luke Keller hit a 51 yard pass to junior wide receiver Tim Boyd to flip the field on the first play of the drive. Two plays later Keller scored on a quarterback keeper from nine yards out to cut Lake Erie's lead to 31-28 with 6:19 to play.
After forcing a three and out defensively thanks to a big tackle for loss by sophomore defensive tackle Zachary Tokie on second down, Keller and the Charger offense delivered a haymaker on the very first play of the drive, as the senior quarterback hit sophomore wideout Isaac TeSlaa in stride on a deep ball for what would prove to be a game-winning 70 yard touchdown with 4:45 left, putting Hillsdale up 35-31.
Now in the lead, the Charger defense had to come up with one final stop on a Lake Erie unit that had been moving the ball all day. Led by quarterback Gerald Gardner, the Storm drove 68 yards in 3:57 to the Hillsdale 5, with three chances at a go-ahead score with under 45 seconds to play, but senior safety Julius Graber picked off Gardner in the end zone with 32 seconds to play to seal the victory.
It was a hard-earned victory for the Chargers, who gave up a 47-yard touchdown pass on Lake Erie's opening drive and turned the ball over on each of their first two drives to start the game in a 14-0 hole.
Despite the adversity, Hillsdale made the plays it needed to in order to keep the game from getting out of hand. The Chargers cashed in a Nick Crum fumble recovery, forced by Graber, with a one-yard touchdown run by Keller early in the second quarter, and Keller found TeSlaa on a four-yard touchdown pass with 10 seconds to go in the half to keep Hillsdale within a touchdown of the lead at halftime. The Chargers also answered an early third quarter touchdown by Lake Erie with a 75-yard drive that ended in a 21-yard touchdown pass from Keller to tight end Michael Harding to keep contact with the Storm at 28-21.
Keller got off to a shaky start with two interceptions on back-to-back drives, but excluding those two picks the senior was 15 of 18 for 279 yards and three passing touchdowns, while also finishing with 39 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in a huge performance. His deep ball accuracy late proved to be a game-changer for the Chargers, as he connected twice with receivers on critical plays of 50 yards or more in the fourth quarter.
TeSlaa, expected to be one of the top receivers in the conference in 2022, opened the season with a huge performance of his own, finishing with seven catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Boyd added 57 yards on three receptions, while senior tailback Michael Herzog led the Chargers on the ground in his first game since 2019, rushing for 88 yards on 25 carries.
For the Hillsdale defense, critical forced turnovers once again helped the Chargers overcome short fields for their opponent and give the team a chance at victory.
Along with Crum's fumble recovery, Bart Bixler also forced a fumble for Hillsdale, recovered by linebacker Kyle Kudla. Senior defensive end Kendall Tobin added a critical sack on the final drive of the game, and redshirt freshman Vince Francescone led Hillsdale with eight tackles in his first game appearance as a Charger.
On special teams, sophomore placekicker Julian Lee was a perfect 5 for 5 on extra points for Hillsdale in the victory.
The Chargers start the season 1-0 with the road victory over the Storm, and now return to Hillsdale next week for their home opener against another G-MAC foe, Walsh, at 7 p.m. next Saturday. It's Business and Industry Night for the Chargers, and a chance to start the season off 2-0 in conference play and build momentum for a title push.
Photo by Steve Southerington