Last-Second heroics at the goal-line helped the Hillsdale College Chargers complete a double-digit comeback and doll-out revenge in their 35-31 win on the road in the team’s season opener against the Lake Erie Storm.
The Charger football team struggled out of the gate, as senior quarterback Luke Keller threw back-to-back interceptions, putting Hillsdale in a 14-point hole early.
The fourteen unanswered points in the fourth, and a defensive stand on the five yard-line in the game’s final moments, however, helped bring the team all the way back to secure an in-conference road win.
“To hang in there like we did showed a lot of character,” head coach Keith Otterbein said. “Our kids didn’t flinch, didn’t get uptight, just kept playing and didn’t get distracted.”
The win also dealt a dose of revenge for a game the Chargers have not forgotten. Last year The Storm, who finished with only two G-MAC wins, took down the Chargers at home, effectively keeping the team from winning the conference title.
“That was a big focus going into this week,” Keller said. “A lot of people that were playing in that game were playing in this game as well, so there were a lot of bad feelings left over and business that needed to be taken care of.”
Despite his two early interceptions, Keller topped 300 total yards and five total touchdowns, earning him G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week.
“He played really well, didn’t force the ball, tucked it and ran a few times, and we had a few designed runs for him where he was very productive,” Otterbein said.
Saturday marked the first time Keller played since tearing his right ACL in the second quarter of last year’s homecoming game.
“I felt great, my knee felt great, I felt healthy,” Keller said. “It was really awesome to be back out there playing with my brothers, it’s been a while. I put a lot of hard work in over the offseason and throughout the summer, and then had a pretty good camp, I think. It was great, it was probably one of the most fun football games I’ve ever been a part of, just being down and having to come back.”
Keller started the Chargers’ scoring with a one yard touchdown run early in the second quarter, after senior defensive backs Julius Graber and Nick Crum, respectively, forced and recovered a fumble on the Lake Erie 14-yard line.
After the Storm responded with a touchdown run of their own, Hillsdale took 17 plays and over seven minutes of game time before Keller found sophomore wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the back corner of the endzone to cut the lead back to seven at the break.
Despite a 21-yard touchdown catch from junior Michael Harding, the Chargers still found themselves trailing 21-31 with just over seven minutes left to play.
“Them having a new coaching staff was going to create some challenges,” Otterbein said. “It took us a little bit of the game to adjust to what they were doing. They created some problems for us and we had to get that corrected, but we settled in fairly quickly, and just kept hanging around.”
With their backs against the wall, the Chargers finally struck, using a 51-yard pass to junior wide receiver Tim Boyd to set up a Keller touchdown run.
With its deficit under seven for the first time since the score was 0-0, Hillsdale’s defense forced a three and out to get its offense the ball back. The Chargers needed just one play, a 70-yard bomb to TeSlaa on a double-move, to take the lead for the first time all game.
“One of the big things that was going through my head, was I hope I don’t cramp up because the drive before that, I was just getting off the ball, and both my calves felt like they were on the verge of cramping up,” TeSlaa said. “Initially I wasn’t even in the game on that play, but I checked myself in because I was like I want to be in for this play.”
TeSlaa finished with seven catches, which he turned into a game-high 157 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including what would prove to be the game-winner.
Needing a touchdown to win, the Storm drove it down to the Hillsdale five-yard line with under 45 seconds to play. The Charger defense, however, stood strong, as Graber came up with a game-saving interception in the end zone to seal the victory.
“Some breaks went against us in terms of officials’ calls and different things, but we just kept playing,” Otterbein said. “In the end, Julius came up with a big play. We were aggressive, we were blitzing, he was playing man-to-man and cut in front of a slant route and picked it.”
The team now looks ahead to its first home game, set for 7 p.m. on Saturday against the Walsh Cavaliers. The team is scheduled to play three total night games this season, though this will be the only one at home.
“I wish every game could be a night game, I love it,” TeSlaa said. “I like playing at night because the weather and just the atmosphere is totally different with the lights on and everything, I love it.”