Hillsdale College Sports: Chargers host Truman State this Saturday; golf opens season
HILLSDALE — Here's a look at what's happening around the Charger sports world this week, including a look at their upcoming matchup with Truman State football this Saturday.
Preview: Chargers host Truman State in GLVC/G-MAC Crossover Game
Schedule: Truman St. (1-1, 0-0 GLVC) at Hillsdale College (2-0, 2-0 G-MAC) | 1 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 17 | Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium | Hillsdale, MI
Week 2 Notes: Hillsdale needed a halftime rally for the second week in a row to outscore Walsh College 28-3 in the second half and take a 35-17 victory. Sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa continues to be Luke Keller's favorite target, having caught eight passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Walsh. Mike Herzog ran for 134 yards in the contest, the most by a Charger since 2019.
Truman State Notes: The Chargers were handed two losses at the hands of the Bulldgogs, once in the regular season and then once more in the Crossroads Bowl game. Running back Cody Schrader, who led NCAA DII in rushing yards last season, is no longer with the Bulldogs, having moved on to play for University of Missouri at the FBS level. The level of production the Chargers had last season has yet to be replaced this year.
Since the Schrader leave, Truman has had to rely more on junior quarterback Nolan Hair, who enters his third season as the starter for the Bulldogs. Truman State had a rough start to the season with a 20-19 loss to Davenport but the Bulldogs rebounded to get a win at South Dakota Mines. The junior signal caller threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns.
All five starters on the offensive line return for the Bulldogs and that could be a key strength this weekend against the Chargers. The Charger offense will have to contend with playmakers like Isaiah Estes, Peyton Carr, Ben Thomas and Ben Watson.
Charger Historical Notes: Truman St. is 3-0 all-time against the Chargers, including two victories last season. 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. His 189-yard, three touchdown performance in Hillsdale's win over Walsh last week helped earn the second G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors of his career.
The Chargers hold a special gift for creating more opportunities for their offense. The Charger defense last season led all of NCAA DII in interceptions (20). So far, Hillsdale has two fumble recoveries and three interceptions this fall.
Senior tailback Michael Herzog missed the last two seasons while recovering from a devastating knee injury, but he's making up for lost time now that he's back on the field. His 222 rushing yards lead all G-MAC players so far through two games, and he scored the first two rushing touchdowns of his career in last week's win against Walsh. He will be a key player if the Chargers want to continue their win streak.
Also factoring to be a skill set in this game and in the future of the program is the Chargers' strong family tradition that continues in 2022 with three sets of brothers on the team. . 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).
Charger Golf earns runner-up finish at Glenmoor Invite, second-best score in modern program history
Hillsdale College's men's golf team made a great impression at the Malone-Glenmoor Invitational on Monday and Tuesday in Canton, Ohio. Hillsdale shot a 282-282-296 to finish runner-up to Tiffin in the 16 team event, finishing with an 860 total score for three rounds, just two strokes off the record score for a 54-hole tournament since the program was restarted in 2013. Both Darragh Monaghan and Gerry Jones, Jr. shot personal best rounds and earned top five finishes for Hillsdale to lead the way.
Monaghan tied for runner-up honors and finished just one stroke behind Hillsdale's modern individual record for a 54-hole round of 207 shot by Joel Pietila in 2017. This was the best finish so far of his career.
Along with strong play from seniors, Hillsdale also got a solid first outing from freshman Maxwell Burns, who shot a promising 69 in the second round sandwiched between two rounds of 77 to finish tied for 35th overall at 223.
In his first time playing in the A lineup for the Chargers, senior Carson Stohler shot a 74-74-77-225 to finish tied for 42nd for Hillsdale, and senior Drew Gandy also tied for 42nd with a 72-75-78 as well.
Playing as an individual, junior Will Verduzco also had a consistent first invitational for the Chargers, shooting a 75-74-75 to finish tied for 38th overall in the field of 90 golfers.
The Chargers look to continue their strong start as the team hopes to return to the NCAA Tournament field after being left out in 2021-22. Hillsdale men's golf travels to Findlay, Ohio on Monday and Tuesday to play in the Doc Spragg Invite.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Hillsdale College: Chargers host Truman Sat.; Men's golf opens season
