2023 Hillsdale College Football Ticket Sales
July has turned to August, fall is right around the corner, and practices are back in full swing on the turf of Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium.
That can only mean that the college football season is right around the corner, and the Hillsdale College football team is fired up and ready for kickoff in under a month's time.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Chargers got a sense of how the rest of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference views them with the reveal of the 2023 G-MAC Football Coaches Preseason Poll.
Hillsdale was picked to finish fifth out of 10 teams in 2023. Defending champion Ashland took the top spot in the poll, with six first place votes, followed closely by Tiffin (three first place votes). Findlay (one first place vote) was picked to finish third and Ohio Dominican was picked to finish fourth, one spot ahead of the Chargers. You can see the full poll below.
The Chargers enter 2023 looking to rebound from a 5-6 season, their first losing season in six years. However, that record is a bit deceptive, as the Chargers lost three games by a touchdown or less, and were trailing 13-10 with five minutes to play in a fourth contest, meaning that Hillsdale was only a few plays away from a potential 9-2 mark.
Hillsdale also upset then sixth-ranked Ashland 36-20 on Oct. 29, handing the Eagles their only loss in the regular season and in conference play. It was the second straight season that Hillsdale handed the eventual G-MAC champion their only loss in conference play, as the Chargers also beat 2021 champion Tiffin 24-21 in a road victory in that year as well.
The Chargers enter the 2023 season with solid returning talent and questions to answer on both sides of the ball as well. On offense, Hillsdale must replace its starting quarterback and top receiver from 2022, but return the foundations of what could be one of the conference's best rushing attacks as senior tailback Michael Herzog, a first-team All-G-MAC honoree, and all five starting offensive linemen, including All-G-MAC third-team center Nick Affholter, return for the 2023 season.
Although neither started in 2022, Hillsdale does return two senior quarterbacks with starting experience in Garrit Aissen and Jake Burger. Aissen went 5-3 as a starter for the Chargers in 2021 and helped lead Hillsdale to an America's Crossroads Bowl bid, while Burger also showed promise in a start in 2021 as well. The two players are competing for the starting job this fall with a winner to be determined later in camp.
Whoever wins the job will be able to lean on that rugged ground game, and have a solid target to throw to in senior and three-time All-G-MAC tight end Mike Harding. H-Back Ty Williams and sophomore wide receivers Sam Lee and Connor Pratt, who both played for the Chargers as true freshmen in 2022, also figure to play important roles.
On defense, Hillsdale must replace four of its top six tacklers but brings back several key players, especially in the secondary, to a unit that's looking to play faster and have more consistent success in 2023. The safety position looks especially loaded for Hillsdale with sophomore Vince Francescone, Hillsdale's second-leading tackler in 2022, and returning starter Sam Zemis, a key contributor, both set to play key roles. Another sophomore, cornerback Matt Soderdahl, will lead Hillsdale's coverage team on the outside.
Up front, Riley Tolsma, the Chargers' leader in sacks and tackles for loss in 2022, heads a young unit that's looking to replace several multi-year starters. While Hillsdale is young up front, it does have several experienced players alongside Tolsma, including juniors Trevor DeGroote and Zachary Tokie, who were part of the rotation last season and in line for bigger roles in 2023.
Junior Zachary Pardonnet, who was a starter at linebacker for the Chargers before suffering a season-ending injury in the second game in 2022, returns healthy to lead another young unit who is looking to younger players to step up after graduating all three players who took the majority of the snaps for Hillsdale at the position in 2022.
Special teams has long been a unit of strength for the Chargers and Hillsdale returns one of the G-MAC's most accurate kickers in junior Julian Lee, who has made 97% of his extra points and is 15 of 18 on field goal attempts throughout his career to date. The Chargers are looking for a new punter after graduation losses, with several players battling for the position in fall camp.
In order to get back into the G-MAC title race, Hillsdale will have to navigate a brutal schedule that includes three straight road games to start, including night contests against defending GLVC champion Indianapolis and defending G-MAC champion Ashland. The Chargers do get G-MAC title contenders Findlay and Ohio Dominican at home in 2023, and that difficult start could be a springboard for Hillsdale if the Chargers can pull some upsets early.
2023 GREAT MIDWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE FOOTBALL COACHES PRESEASON POLL
1. Ashland (6) 78
2. Tiffin (3) 71
3. Findlay (1) 64
4. Ohio Dominican 60
5. Hillsdale 51
6. Northwood 39
7. Kentucky Wesleyan 27
8. Lake Erie 25
9. Walsh 22
10. Thomas More 13