Release courtesy of the Hillsdale College Sports Information Department
TIFFIN, Ohio - No sharing the title with anyone else, no ties. The Hillsdale College Chargers own this year's conference title all to themselves, thanks in part to a 42-0 win over Tiffin University in Ohio Saturday afternoon.
Hillsdale finished the regular season with an overall record of
8-3, and 8-2 in the GLIAC. That 8-2 record is the best in the
league, by virtue of the following results Saturday: Ohio Dominican
over the University of Indianapolis, Grand Valley State over
Saginaw Valley State, and Findlay over Wayne State.
Entering play Saturday, five teams had a mathematical shot at at
least a share of the GLIAC title. But by 4:03 p.m. Saturday, the
championship for this season became the sole property of Hillsdale
College.
The team will officially learn its playoff fate at Sunday
afternoon's NCAA Division II playoff selection show, to be
broadcast on ESPNU.
Regardless of what the future holds, the Chargers recorded their
first shutout in four years, while helping their all-world running
back etch his name more deeply into the record books.
Junior RB Joe Glendening set new single-season school records for
rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in leading
the team to victory. He finished with 32 carries for 188 yards and
four scores.
Glendening's season totals to this point now stand at 325 carries,
1,604 rushing yards and 27 touchdown runs. All are single-season
records, and if the Chargers make the playoffs, he will have an
opportunity to add to all of those marks.
Much credit for his amazing year has to go to Hillsdale’s
offensive line, who played together all season and really jelled as
a unit in the second half of the season. The offensive line
starters for Hillsdale were Reid Meador, Patrick Ryan, D.J. Loy,
Tim Hornak and Nick “Slim” Landry.
Hillsdale jumped on Tiffin right away, building a 14-0 lead in the
first quarter. Glendening racked up 106 of his yards in the first
quarter, the second game in a row he went over the 100-yard barrier
in the game’s first 15 minutes.
Junior QB Anthony Mifsud completed 15 of 24 passes for 245 yards.
He galloped for a 14-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter,
and finished with 30 yards on the ground for Hillsdale.
The Charger defense was able to cotnain one of the most explosive
passing attacks in the conference. Tiffin passed for 213 yards,
well under its season average. The team also forced four turnovers,
two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, to help stifle the
Dragons.
The sophomore linebacking trio of Devin Moynihan, Steven Embry and
Brett Pasche combined for 25 total tackles and 2.5 sacks to lead
the defensive effort.
Tyler Sandner and Garet Lee each had an interception for
Hillsdale, while Ridge Riebold, Jimmy Plaskey and Nathan Bundy each
had sacks in the game.
The win gave Hillsdale its first league title since 1992, and its
first outright conference championship since 1988.