Sophomore Sam Lee had six receptions against the University of Findlay. Courtesy | Isabella Sheehan

After being held scoreless in the first three quarters of their first home game of the season, the Hillsdale Chargers football team exploded for three touchdowns in the fourth quarter but failed to catch up to their G-MAC rival, the University of Findlay Oilers, losing 31-21 in their Sept. 23 homecoming game.

“We didn’t play a full 60-minute game. I think we’ve yet to play our best football, and once we figure out how we’re going to do that, I think we’re going to be a very good team,” senior tailback Mike Herzog said. “It just comes down to making more plays. I need to make more plays. Everyone on the team needs to make more plays. If we do that, we’ll be able to get a win.”

Head coach Keith Otterbein said the team played hard for the whole game.

“We had our backs against the wall and didn’t quit,” Otterbein said. “I think that shows a lot of heart and a lot of character on our players’ parts.” 

In the fourth quarter alone, senior quarterback Garrit Aissen threw for 113 yards, connecting on eight of the 11 throws, and ran in for a one-yard touchdown. Herzog added a touchdown to his record, with a four-yard run. With 44 seconds remaining, Aissen threw a 40-yard pass to freshman wide receiver Shea Ruddy, who picked up his first Charger touchdown. 

Ruddy said he was excited about the touchdown and the team’s future.

“I think we just gotta keep doing the same thing,” Ruddy said. 

Aissen said one of the team’s issues is consistency.

“We played a great fourth quarter,” Aissen said. “A couple things didn’t go our way early on.” 

Otterbein said he talked with the team about preparing and thinking about the outcomes moving forward.

​​“I kind of related to the frontiersmen, where in order to get ahead, they had to chop wood, carry water,” he said. “The process is the same. We’ve got to go through our practice routine. We’ve got to learn the game plan. We’ve got to work on our fundamentals. Then we have to make plays and play better on Saturdays to win games, but there’s no magic words. There’s no magic schemes. It really comes down to doing a better job in executing and performing at a high level, a higher level on game day.”

The Chargers will play at home Sept. 30 against Northwood University, whom they beat 41-7 last season, and will then go on the road the following week to play another G-MAC rival, Tiffin University.

“I know they have a new coaching staff in, but I don’t think that’s really going to change anything,” Herzog said. “The guys on this team are not hanging their heads, and we’ve remained pretty positive during this season, despite all the loss. I think remaining positive and making more plays at the end of the day, that’s what it’s going to take, and that’s what we’re gonna be able to do on Saturday.”