Hillsdale's Jacob Vance gets in position during the Chargers' game against Northwood on Oct. 18, 2025.


Over The Limit Images By Reva Ludwig



Football
10/22/2025 9:12:00 AM







Story Links

Schedule
Lake Erie (1-6, 1-4 G-MAC) at Hillsdale College (2-5, 1-4 G-MAC) | 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Oct. 25 | Frank “Muddy” Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
 
Follow/Watch
Live Stats | Webcast | Tickets
 
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Lake Erie Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Lake Erie Stats | G-MAC Schedule | G-MAC Standings
 
Last Game
The Chargers fell behind Northwood 21-0 in the first quarter at home and were unable to dig their way out of that early hole in a 48-19 loss to the Timberwolves in the inaugural Riepma Cup game. Hillsdale was outgained by less than 80 yards but Northwood exploited an edge in turnovers and consistently capitalized on short fields to pull away. Tutt Carrico had a career-best day at receiver for the Chargers, catching six passes for 143 yards and a touchdown, and Shea Ruddy caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Colin McKernan as well. Colin Morrow led Hillsdale with nine tackles and a sack defensively, and Jacob Vance finished with 1.5 sacks as well.
 
Scouting the Opposition
The Chargers come into today’s contest looking to snap a three-game losing streak, and Hillsdale is facing off against another team desperate for a victory in a 1-6 Lake Erie squad.
 
The Storm were hoping to take a step forward in year two under head coach David Price, and have been competitive at times, but a tough schedule that includes losses to #1 Ferris State and three G-MAC contenders has made it difficult to build momentum. With winnable games in the following two weeks, Lake Erie is hoping to get on the right track against the Chargers.
 
Lake Erie has shown a threatening passing attack at times. The Storm have used two quarterbacks, Eastern Kentucky transfer Brady Clark and Langston transfer Wrentie Martin, with Clark playing solidly in the loss to Walsh last week and looking likely to get the starting nod against Hillsdale. Clark is more of a pocket passer, while Martin presents an additional run threat.
 
Grad transfer Makhi Jackson has been a consistent threat for the Storm at receiver and paired well with returns Ali Lee Jr. and Keyshawn Johnson. Lee missed last week’s game against the Cavaliers and could make a big difference if he’s healthy against the Chargers. Devin Morgan and Rico Small also have made significant contributions in the passing game for Lake Erie.
 
The Storm have struggled to get consistent production on the ground. Veteran Nick Mosley has split time with redshirt freshman Julian Means-Flewellen, with both getting roughly an equal number of carries. Except for a 210-yard rushing day in the loss to Wheeling, Lake Erie has had a difficult time making a mark. Fullback Jordan Smith is a threat in short yardage as well for the Storm with two goal-line touchdown carries.
 
Lake Erie has some experience up front with returning starters Joey Rozak and Jayden Adelson, while Chris Flora also has experience from last season on the offensive line.
 
Defensively it’s been a struggle for Lake Erie, which ranks at or near the bottom of the G-MAC in every statistical category. The Storm have had solid outings containing explosive offenses from Tiffin and Walsh, and the defense played a major role in Lake Erie’s lone win over Thomas More, however.
 
Lake Erie’s leading tackler is American International transfer Kemari Ward, who’s having a stellar final season at linebacker for the Storm. Quinterrious Jefferson is a dangerous pass rusher in the rotation for Lake Erie as well, as the Storm have done an impressive job forcing negative plays this season with 39 tackles for loss. Chris Payne and Debonair Brown lead Lake Erie’s secondary.
 
Ave Maria transfer Enrique Olmos is 4 of 7 on field goals and has been money from inside 30 yards for Lake Erie, while freshman William Allen Batton IV has averaged 34.73 yards per punt for the Storm with five punts inside the 20. Ali Lee Jr. and Curtis Thomas have been solid return men for the Storm so far this season, with Lee Jr. the main player on kickoffs and Thomas handling punts.
 
The Series
Hillsdale has controlled the series with Lake Erie dating back to the first meeting in 2010, currently holding an 11-1 record in 12 meetings and three straight victories, including a 28-10 win in Painesville last year. Lake Erie has played the Chargers close at least five times in that span, however, including its lone win in the series, a 33-14 victory over Hillsdale on Oct. 21, 2021.
 
Other Notes


Saturday is Military Appreciation Day at Hillsdale College, with several festivities planned, including a pregame tailgate for veterans, a pregame veteran tunnel, the presentation of the American Flag for the national anthem by the Civil Air Patrol, and a military plane flyover. At halftime, Warrior Farms will be putting on a show using their service dogs.
There will be a new streaming home for Hillsdale College athletics in the 2025 season as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference has agreed to a media rights deal with FloSports. All Hillsdale home and conference contests will stream with FloSports as a part of its FloCollege brand. FloSports is a subscription-based livestreaming service that hosts 40,000 contests and has deals with over 20 conferences in the NCAA. You can find out more information and sign up to watch the Chargers at this link.
Hilllsdale head coach Nate Shreffler is entering his second season as the man in charge, and the veteran coach is no stranger to the sport and to Hillsdale. Shreffler is entering his 27th season as a coach for the Chargers, including successful stints as the team’s offensive line coach (1999-2009) and offensive coordinator (2010-2023). Hillsdale’s all-time leading passer, rusher and receiver all played in offenses led by Shreffler, and he was the position coach of Hillsdale’s most recent NFL draft pick, Jared Veldheer. A 1993 graduate of Hillsdale College, Shreffler was a three-year starter on the offensive line and an important part of the team’s 1992 conference title. The Chargers finished with a 6-5 record in Shreffler’s first season in charge, making him the first Hillsdale coach to finish above .500 in his debut season since Hillsdale Hall of Famer Dick Lowry in 1980.
Shea Ruddy showed why he’s one of the most feared special teams players in the country with an 86-yard kickoff return against Tiffin on Oct. 4. The return TD is his third as a Charger and puts him over 1,000 kickoff return yards for his career. In 2024, Ruddy was the first Hillsdale College player in the NCAA DII era to be named both an All-American and an Academic All-American in the same season after setting a G-MAC record by averaging 33.3 yards per return, while ranking second in the nation in kickoff return yardage (732) and fifth in All-Purpose Yards (1,779) and is putting up similar numbers in the return game this year, while also serving as one of the team’s leading receivers.
True freshman tailback Ben Ngishu has been one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises for the Chargers in 2025, seizing the starting job just two months into his time at Hillsdale and currently leading not just the Chargers but the G-MAC as a whole with 543 rushing yards. A native of Wylie, Texas, just outside of Houston, Ngishu had back-to-back 100 yards games against Ashland and Kentucky Wesleyan and ranks second in the G-MAC in yards per carry and rushing touchdowns. Ngishu is on pace to have the best performance by a Chargers freshman tailback since GLIAC Freshman of the Year Joe Reverman in 2015.
Junior Jacob Vance had a career first against Tiffin on Oct. 4, returning an interception for a touchdown for the first time in his three years as a starting linebacker for the Chargers. Vance remains a linchpin of the Hillsdale defense, leading the team in tackles as both a freshman and a sophomore, and he’s near the top again with 40 tackles through seven games, currently second, along with 4.5 tackles for loss. A 2024 first team All-G-MAC and All-Super Region 1 linebacker, Vance was a preseason All-American to D2Football.com and should be in line for more recognition at the end of the season if he stays healthy and continues to produce.
Junior Colin Morrow was slowed by injuries in each of his first two seasons, but has taken off in 2025 with better health. He currently leads the Chargers with 43 tackles while playing the STAR position, a hybrid linebacker/safety, and has added an interception, forced fumble and fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Along with Ngishu, Hillsdale’s gotten breakout seasons so far from a variety of sophomore receivers. Tutt Carrico leads the Chargers in all categories with 23 catches, 419 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns, while fellow sophomore Ryan Skura has 179 yards and two scores, and tight end Andrew Konieczny adding 205 yards and two touchdowns as well. The trio have combined to catch eight touchdown passes, helping fuel a career year to date from another important sophomore, quarterback Colin McKernan, who’s now in his second season as the starter.
The Chargers defensive line had a big week against Findlay on Oct. 11 to keep the Chargers in the contest, recording six sacks against the Oilers, the most in a single game by a Hillsdale team since a 38-19 win over Ashland on Sept. 26, 2009. Junior Drake Badger, Hillsdale’s sack leader a year ago, had two sacks, including a game-changing strip sack that led to a Chargers touchdown, and freshman Jayden Njoroge added two sacks as well. Hillsdale will need another great pass rushing performance this weekend against a Northwood team that is among the G-MAC leaders in passing yards per game and passing efficiency.
Defensive lineman Hunter Sperling was honored as Hillsdale’s nominee for the William V. Campbell trophy, awarded by the National Football Foundation. Considered the “Academic Heisman”, the award goes to a senior college football player who makes major contributions on and off the field while also excelling in the classroom. Sperling, an active volunteer in several charitable endeavors and an Economics major with a 3.86 GPA, is also a team captain in his third year as a starter, with 83 career tackles, 13.5 for loss, and 7.5 sacks in 35 games played at defensive tackle.
Hillsdale has another major award nominee in senior wide receiver Connor Pratt, who is a contender for a spot on the Allstate Good Works team. Pratt, who started and was one of the team’s most productive targets as a junior, has been active in a wide variety of community service projects, including Hillsdale’s Victory Day, Guys With Ties, and Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry drive fundraisers, as well as several solo volunteer efforts.
Hillsdale has selected three captains for the 2025 campaign – Vance, Sperling and Carter Cushman, a three-year starter at right tackle for Hillsdale. All three captains are veteran players with significant contributions on the field and as leaders of the program.
The Charger football program continued to shine academically this past season, with six players earning College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, including returners Sperling and Ruddy. In addition to making the All-District team, Ruddy went a step further, becoming just the ninth football player in Hillsdale College history to be named a CSC Academic All-American as a special teams player. In addition, 40 Hillsdale football players received Academic All-G-MAC honors for posting a 3.3 or better cumulative GPA through the spring 2024 semester.