Football returns to Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium this Saturday as Hillsdale hosts Walsh in its 2022 home opener for a G-MAC clash. It's also Business and Industry Night at Hillsdale, as the Chargers will be saluting local area businesses. Stick around after the final whistle for a fireworks show hosted by the County National Bank Mortgage team. It's also Victory Day, as the Hillsdale College football team hosts special needs kids from around the area to give them a special and memorable game day experience.
Schedule
Walsh (0-1, 0-1 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (1-0, 1-0 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 10 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Walsh Roster | 2022 Hillsdale Stats | 2022 Walsh Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings | Game Notes
Last Week
Hillsdale rallied from 14 points down in the second half, scoring two touchdowns in the final seven minutes of the game, to win its season opener on the road over Lake Erie, 35-31. Quarterback Luke Keller accounted for all five touchdowns, including the eventual game-winner, a 70-yard pass to Isaac TeSlaa that put the Chargers ahead with under five minutes to play. Lake Erie drove to the Charger five with 31 seconds to go looking to retake the lead, but Julius Graber picked off a Storm pass in the end zone to seal the victory.
Scouting the Opposition
Walsh's 2022 campaign got off to a brutal start this past Saturday, as the Cavaliers were blanked 42-0 by a Tiffin squad that looks set to contend for the G-MAC crown.
That lopsided loss shouldn't obscure a Walsh squad that has experienced talent back on both sides of the ball and have been making strides in terms of competitiveness for the past few seasons – they're not a team that G-MAC opponents can afford to overlook.
Offensively, the biggest threats for the Cavaliers are at the wide receiver position, where Walsh returns 2021 starters Jaden Gresham and Keyshawn Johnson, as well as senior Tyre Gray, an explosive threat who missed most of last year with an injury but had 100 receiving yards for Walsh against Tiffin.
Those three will be solid options for senior quarterback Tom Vatter, a Northern Illinois transfer who split the job with Jeremy Hodge last year but who has the position outright this fall. Vatter threw for 1,415 yards in seven games last season and hopes improved line play will allow him to take a big step forward in 2022.
At running back, the Cavaliers are starting fresh with junior Tai Carter, who got just seven carries in 2021, and sophomore Dom Jennings, a transfer from Long Island. Blocking for Carter and Jennings up front is a line that returns three starters but must replace All-G-MAC talent Alijah Demetras at center.
Walsh is hoping to take a step forward offensively this season after finishing seventh or worse in the league in both scoring offense and total offense in 2021, but will hope for continued strong play from their defense, which has been a consistent bright spot for the Cavaliers over the last three seasons.
Several quality players return for Walsh on the defensive side of the ball, including safety Diego Bremer, the team's second-leading tackler in 2021, and top pass rusher Marcus Shellenbarger, as well as returning starters Johnny Agresta and Rocco Iacino in the linebacking corps, Robbie Page in the secondary and Grayson Long on the defensive line.
Bremer led the Cavaliers with six tackles against Tiffin last week, while junior Javon Colston also picked off a pass for Walsh in the loss.
Walsh has multiple new starters on its special teams unit after its starting kicker and punter from 2021 departed. New punter Garrett Kashner averaged 37 yards on six punts, with three inside the 20 against Tiffin, while new kicker Charles Hanchett missed both field goals he attempted, though both were over 40 yards.
Walsh is coached by John Fankhauser, who is in his fifth season at the helm of the Cavaliers with an 11-32 record overall. An assistant for 19 years at Walsh before taking over the head job, Fankhauser got his start under legendary Walsh coach Jim Dennison, joining the program after serving as a student assistant at his alma mater, Youngstown State, in the mid-90s.
The Series
Hillsdale is unbeaten in six contests with Walsh, allowing the Cavaliers to score more than 10 points only once. The Chargers have shut the Cavaliers out twice and have won by double-digits in all six games so far, including a 20-3 win at home last fall.
Other Notes
- While both of the Chargers' 2021 All-Americans graduated this past spring, several decorated players return for Hillsdale this fall, led by sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, a second-team All-G-MAC player and the Chargers' leading receiver in 2021. Junior tight end Michael Harding, sophomore cornerback Jackson Gillock and sophomore placekicker Julian Lee also return after earning third-team All-G-MAC honors in 2021.
- A huge part of the success of the Chargers defense last year came from forcing turnovers – interceptions in particular. Hillsdale led all of NCAA Division II last season with 20 interceptions in regular season contests – with Notre Dame (OH) only surpassing them thanks to extra postseason opportunities to add more to their tally. Hillsdale continued that trend against Lake Erie last weekend, forcing and recovering two fumbles and also intercepting a pass to help seal the victory.
- In his first start in almost a full calendar year after suffering a season-ending knee injury last fall, senior quarterback Luke Keller threw interceptions on each of his first two drives, but quickly shook off the rust and closed out the game with one of the best performances of his career. Keller completed his final 11 passes, including a 51-yard completion to Tim Boyd that set up one Charger rushing touchdown, and a 70-yard touchdown pass to Isaac TeSlaa that proved to be the game-winner. All told, Keller accounted for five touchdowns – three passing, two rushing – in the win over the Storm and completed 75% of his passes – earning G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance.
- Along with Keller, sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa also shone in Week 1. His 157 yards receiving were the most by a G-MAC player in the first week of the season, and the sixth most in the nation at the NCAA Division II level. TeSlaa also was the only G-MAC player with multiple receiving touchdowns in Week 1 as well.
- The Charger football program continued to shine academically this past season, with graduated Hillsdale seniors Cole Johnson and Alex Anschutz becoming the first football players in Charger history to repeat as CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. In addition, 57 of Hillsdale's 119 players received Academic All-G-MAC honors for posting a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA.
- The Charger football program has long been known for its strong family tradition, and that continues in 2022 with a set of brothers in the starting lineup. On the offensive line, twin brothers Nick Affholter and Benjamin Affholter (Quincy, MI/Reading) will hold down interior line spots for the second straight season. Both are the sons of Brad Affholter, a multi-year starter on the Charger offensive line in the mid-90s. There are several other sibling duos on the team – twin brother Josh Lee and Sam Lee (Toledo, OH/Central Catholic) join the squad as freshmen this year, and sophomore tight end Ben Hinrichs is joined by his younger brother, Christian (Escondido, CA/Classical Academy). Along with those sibling pairs, several other players on the roster have older brothers, fathers or grandfathers who suited up for previous Charger teams.
- With 123 wins to date, Otterbein is third all-time in career coaching victories at Hillsdale, trailing two Charger Athletics Hall of Famers in Frank "Muddy" Waters (138) and Dick Lowry (134). If he maintains his current career pace of wins per season, Otterbein would pass Waters for the all-time record in the fall of 2024.