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The Chargers’ defense came up big on senior day, holding Northwood’s option offense to just 2.5 yards per carry and leading Hillsdale to their second straight win, 24-14.
“We controlled the line of scrimmage,” head coach Keith Otterbein said. “We showed really good effort on the defensive side of the ball.”
Hillsdale held Northwood to just 73 yards on the ground.
“We were able to get into the backfield,” senior defensive back Tim Moinet said. “Once we stopped the run their passing game wasn’t even a factor.”
Moinet is one of 20 graduating seniors who were honored in a special pre-game ceremony.
“It didn’t really hit me until after the game was over that that was probably my last game here,” Moinet said. “It was strange but it was nice to go out on top.”
Offensively, the Chargers saw solid production from two different quarterbacks.
Quarterback C.J. Mifsud started the game, but went down with an injury just before halftime. Quarterback Mark LaPrairie, who has been recovering from a knee injury, took over the offense after Mifsud exited the game.
Mifsud completed six passes for 87 yards and a touchdown, including a 54-yard bomb to a wide-open John Haley after a fake handoff drew the Northwood defense in.
Mifsud’s injury will keep him out of Hillsdale’s season finale on Saturday.
“He was playing well so it’s unfortunate,” Otterbein said. “I feel bad for him.”
LaPrairie looked sharp after not playing for a couple weeks, completing eight passes for 65 yards.
“It was a really smooth transition,” offensive lineman Justice Karmie said on the quarterback switch. “Mark has as much control of the offense as he did at the beginning of the season. He played well.”
“He came in and took charge of the offense and did a nice job,” Otterbein said.
LaPrairie led the Chargers on an instrumental drive in the third quarter that held Northwood at bay after the Timberwolves had climbed within a field goal of the Chargers.
“When it got to 17-14 we made a great drive. That was probably one of the better drives we’ve had all year,” Otterbein said.
Northwood drove quickly down the field on their first possession after halftime, cutting Hillsdale’s once comfortable lead to an uncomfortable 17-14.
The Chargers responded with a methodical 11-play 82-yard drive that ate up 5:10 off the clock and put Hillsdale back up by two scores.
“That was a critical drive in crunch time,” Otterbein said. “We made some critical third down conversions and had a good balance between running and passing.”
The win improves Hillsdale’s record to 4-6 on the season and 4-5 in GLIAC play.
The Chargers now focus on their final opponent of the season, Wayne State.
“This is one of the most physically strong and hardest hitting teams [in the league],” Otterbein said. “They fly around the football field, they’ve got great guys on all phases, and they’ve got great team speed.”
The Chargers will have to be ready to deal with an outstanding running back.
Wayne State’s Michael Johnson ran for 292 yards on 39 carries last week, finding the end zone three times.
“They love pounding the ball,” Moinet said. “As long as we stop the run as we have been doing I don’t think we’ll have any problems.”
“If I had to say what word describes Wayne State, I would say tough,” Otterbein said.
The Chargers are preparing for another tough challenge in hopes of finishing the season on a three-game winning streak and an even record in GLIAC play.
