After a 1-5 start, the Hillsdale College football team will enter the final week of the regular season with a chance to clinch its seventh .500 or better season in the last eight years.
The latest stop in one of NCAA Division II football's biggest turnarounds in 2023 was North Canton, Ohio on Saturday, as Hillsdale dominated both sides of the ball for a decisive 28-3 victory over host Walsh, the Chargers' fourth-straight win.
The Cavaliers defense, like many opponents in Hillsdale's recent stretch of victories, had no answer for the Chargers' rushing attack. Hillsdale averaged 9.1 yards per carry on the ground, totalling 356 yards to break the 300 rushing yard mark for the third time this season. It's the first time since Hillsdale's 2011 GLIAC championship team that the Chargers have had three or more games with over 300 rushing yards in a single year.
Hillsdale's 1,000-plus yard senior tailback Michael Herzog had another huge game for the Chargers, rushing for 156 yards on 20 carries to move his single-season total to 1,158, good for eighth all-time in Hillsdale's history. Herzog had plenty of help on the ground against Walsh. Junior Logan VanEnkevort broke a 68-yard run that set up a one-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore Kyle Riffel that gave Hillsdale a two-possession lead in the second quarter.
Additionally, wide receiver Shea Ruddy continues to be a weapon for the Chargers on jet motion. Ruddy got Hillsdale on the board in the first quarter on a 21-yard run to give Hillsdale a 7-0 lead early, then added to Hillsdale's advantage going into halftime with a 24 yard touchdown run with 1:10 to play in the second quarter.
The Chargers put the game away for good in the fourth quarter on an eight play, 84 yard drive with 5:31 left in the game, as quarterback Garrit Aissen found VanEnkevort for a 41-yard touchdown pass that put Hillsdale up 28-3 and ended any hopes of a Walsh comeback.
Aissen finished 8 of 19 for 130 yards and the score to VanEnkevort, while Sam Lee caught three passes for 74 yards to lead Hillsdale's receivers. Shea Ruddy also caught two passes for 21 yards as well.
Walsh possessed the ball for significant time but couldn't break through a stout Hillsdale defense, with a chip-shot field goal early in the second quarter the Cavaliers' only points on the day. Hillsdale's defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage and bottled up Walsh's rushing attack, and the Cavaliers put up yards but were unable to hit any game changing big plays against a solid performance by Hillsdale's secondary.
Junior defensive end Riley Tolsma led Hillsdale defensively with seven tackles, two for loss, and a sack against the Cavaliers, and Jacob Vance chipped in seven tackles as well. Sam Zemis and Ryan Niksa each chipped in a pass breakup as well for the Chargers in the victory.
Julian Lee hit all four extra points for the Chargers in the victory, and Ethan Lamoreaux averaged 44.3 yards per punt on three attempts for Hillsdale.
The Chargers (5-5, 5-3 G-MAC) finish the regular season at home against Ohio Dominican at 1 p.m. on Saturday, November 11. Hillsdale will look to claim its sixth win of the year and also will honor 25 senior players and support staff who will participate in their final home football game on Saturday.
Photo by Isabella Sheehan