Chargers dominate at #12 Ashland
Both sides of the ball clicked Saturday afternoon as the Chargers rolled
Issue date: 10/1/09 Section: Sports
Winning on the road is hard. When the opponent is ranked 12th in the country, it's not any easier. Yet, the Chargers made it look easy this weekend, when they doubled up Ashland University, 38-19.
"It's the biggest win for the team since I've been here," said senior co-captain and linebacker Mat Szula, who recorded 13.5 tackles on the day.
Senior running back Vinnie Panizzi agreed.
"This game was huge for us at this time of the season," he said. "It was a must-win, and we completely outplayed them."
As a result of the convincing win, the Hillsdale football team was ranked 24th in the latest AFCA Division II Poll. The team was realistic in response to the jump in the polls.
"The reality is that you're only as good as what you were Saturday, and people are only going to remember this coming Saturday, not last Saturday," said head coach Keith Otterbein.
The last time the Chargers were ranked was in 2007, and they lost the next game at home to Saginaw Valley State University. Currently, there are three GLIAC teams ranked ahead of Hillsdale in the top 25. Grand Valley State University is the consensus number one team in the nation, while Saginaw Valley State University and Wayne State University check in at numbers 16 and 22, respectively.
According to Panizzi, all the numbers don't mean a whole lot.
"Us being ranked doesn't concern me whatsoever, so I don't even want to think about that," he said. "I want to think about getting a win, one week at a time."
Panizzi reset his career-high yards on the ground for the second consecutive week, finishing with 28 carries for 231 yards and three touchdowns. He won GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance and ranks in the top two in the conference in rushing yards per game and total touchdowns.
This week the Chargers travel to Findlay University, who is 4-1 on the year. Otterbein sees no reason to switch up the game plan that has worked to perfection the last two weeks.
"It's the biggest win for the team since I've been here," said senior co-captain and linebacker Mat Szula, who recorded 13.5 tackles on the day.
Senior running back Vinnie Panizzi agreed.
"This game was huge for us at this time of the season," he said. "It was a must-win, and we completely outplayed them."
As a result of the convincing win, the Hillsdale football team was ranked 24th in the latest AFCA Division II Poll. The team was realistic in response to the jump in the polls.
"The reality is that you're only as good as what you were Saturday, and people are only going to remember this coming Saturday, not last Saturday," said head coach Keith Otterbein.
The last time the Chargers were ranked was in 2007, and they lost the next game at home to Saginaw Valley State University. Currently, there are three GLIAC teams ranked ahead of Hillsdale in the top 25. Grand Valley State University is the consensus number one team in the nation, while Saginaw Valley State University and Wayne State University check in at numbers 16 and 22, respectively.
According to Panizzi, all the numbers don't mean a whole lot.
"Us being ranked doesn't concern me whatsoever, so I don't even want to think about that," he said. "I want to think about getting a win, one week at a time."
Panizzi reset his career-high yards on the ground for the second consecutive week, finishing with 28 carries for 231 yards and three touchdowns. He won GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance and ranks in the top two in the conference in rushing yards per game and total touchdowns.
This week the Chargers travel to Findlay University, who is 4-1 on the year. Otterbein sees no reason to switch up the game plan that has worked to perfection the last two weeks.
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