The Collegian

Issue date: 9/24/09 Section: Sports

Media Credit: William Clayton

In the first two weeks of conference play, there were some questions raised about the Charger defense, namely, whether or not they could make the key stop when needed. After allowing 73 points in the first two games without forcing any turnovers, it looked like Hillsdale would have to rely on their offense to win games.

Now all of that has changed. The defense erased any doubt in their ability by coming up with two interceptions, one each by freshman Nick Galvan and junior David Bakker, en route to a 23-0 shutout of Indianapolis University Saturday night.

It was only the second shutout in the past dozen years for Hillsdale, showcasing just how impressive this effort from the defensive unit was.

Senior co-captain Mat Szula acknowledged just how important the performance by his squad was.

"[The shutout] means everything," he said. "The whole defense just came together and played great."

This kind of turnaround will have a positive effect on the rest of the season, according to head coach Keith Otterbein.

"It gives them some confidence," he said. "After two weeks in a row of struggling to keep people out of the end zone, they came back and played very inspired football."

The defensive unit has little time to celebrate. This weekend, the Chargers' momentum will carry them to Ashland University, a team that defeated them last season.

Otterbein described last year's loss as "a bitter pill to swallow," after outperforming Ashland everywhere but the scoreboard. Hillsdale had four turnovers inside their opponent's ten-yard line in a 24-17 loss.

"We know we outplayed them last year-we should have won," said senior running back Vincent Panizzi. "We kinda owe them one."
Hillsdale's "D" will be given the daunting task of containing quarterback Billy Cundiff, the GLIAC's reigning MVP.

After two weeks of airing it out, the offensive game plan for Indy was just the opposite.

"They were keying on the pass," said senior wideout AJ Kegg. "Coach just wanted to play smash mouth football, and we are definitely capable of it. Our offensive line responded really well."

That offensive line cleared the way for a career day by Panizzi. He ran for 188 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, allowing the offense to dictate the flow of the game. With his performance, Panizzi moved into third place on Hillsdale's all-time rushing list and is now at 2,662 yards for his career.

A week removed from throwing for 353 yards, junior quarterback Troy Weatherhead took a backseat in the game against Indy. According to Otterbein, he demonstrated maturity by taking what the defense gave him and not forcing many passes. Weatherhead finished at 19 of 30 for 136 yards.

According to senior co-captain Jared Veldheer, the most significant part of the win was the offense and defense being able to complement each other.

"I think as a whole, it was our first great effort on both sides of the ball," he said. "Everything clicked."

The Chargers get a chance to test their cohesiveness Saturday at 1pm at Ashland.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools