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If you have been checking this space and wondering where all of the updates are get back to Chargerblue.com and get caught up with all of the new updates.

Help family of Hillsdale captain pick up the pieces after devastating house fire

While Hillsdale College h-back and team captain Alex Fogt was hard at work during the team's scrimmage last Saturday, life for him and his family was taking a devastating turn. When he returned to the locker room he learned that his family's home had burnt in a fire.

St. Jacob Lutheran Church in Anna, Ohio is leading the charge in helping the Fogt Family rebuild their lives and you are encouraged to help through cash donations.

Checks should be made payable to:  St. Jacob Lutheran Church and earmarked
to the Doug Fogt Family.

St. Jacob Lutheran Church
   101 W. Main Street
   Anna, OH 45302

   Attn: Rev Michael Althauser

Hillsdale kicker Mette on Mitchell Watch List

Sophomore kicker Steven Mette is getting some pre-season hype as he has been named to the watch list for the Fred Mitchell award. The Mitchell Award is given to a kicker in FCS, DII, DIII, NAIA, or Junior College who excels on the field and off.

Last year the Rockford, Michigan native who volunteers at a Hillsdale elementary school and helped with Jared Veldheer's camp this summer to raise heart health awareness averaged 57 yards on kickoffs and made all 37 of his extra points in his first season.

Press Release

Steven Mette on Fred Mitchell Watch List (Hillsdale College photo)

Chargers 5th in MES TV GLIAC Power Rankings

The GLIAC coaches may have picked Hillsdale 5th in the North Division, but there is another ranking that is kicking off the season.

MES-TV.com offers up its first of weekly power rankings for the 2014 season. According to the site, "These rankings will look at all 15 GLIAC teams and break them down based on their likelihood of winning that upcoming week at a neutral site. Check back on Sept. 9 for the start of our weekly breakdown."

Hillsdale comes in again at 5th, but this time it is 5th among all GLIAC teams in the pre-season rankings.

Check out the entire list.

Brandon Folsom's Daily Peninsula is new site for GLIAC and Hillsdale Football coverage

Last April I shared a couple of articles from Brandon Folsom's site DailyPeninsula.com as he covered Hillsdale's Spring Game and profiled Mark Laprairie as the Chargers' next quarterback. Keep up with Brandon's stuff on his page dedicated to Hillsdale Football.

MES-TV Chargers Try to Bottle Previous Success

By: MES Staff Reports
info@mes-tv.com

The Chargers will have to replace quarterback Sam Landry. 

(Courtesy of Hillsdale College)

Between 2009 and 2012, Hillsdale College never finished worse than second in its division. That includes the 2011 season when the Chargers won the GLIAC title for the first time since 1988. Last season, Hillsdale took a step back, finishing in the middle of the pack with a 5-6 record.

Will 2014 see the Chargers jump back into the GLIAC title hunt or are they doomed for another season of mediocrity?

Read full article.

Otter and the Hillsdale Chargers accept the #ALSIceBucketChallenge

I put it out there and Hillsdale College responded as Coach Keith Otterbein and the 2014 captains take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The Chargers call out Coach Tharp and the basketball team.

Props also to Jared Veldheer who accepted the challenge first laid down by the Hamilton Hawkeyes JV football team.

Calling out the Charger Football Team in the ALS #IceBucketChallenge

I have accepted and completed the challenge. Now it is time for the Charger Football Program to meet it. You too Jared Veldheer.

2014 Hillsdale College Football Preview

Hillsdale's Jessie Fox sits down with Otter to preview the upcoming season. Chargers report to training camp on Thursday.

Three Nights of NFL Preseason Football with Three Hillsdale Grads in Action

Check out former Hillsdale College Chargers Cam White, Andre Holmes, and Jared Veldheer as they all play in their first pre-season games of the 2014-2015 NFL season.

Cam White, FB, Indianapolis Colts at New York Jets - Thursday Night - 7:00 PM EDT

Andre Holmes, WR, Oakland Raiders at Minnesota Vikings - Friday Night -8:00 PM EDT

Jared Veldheer, LT, Arizona Cardinals host Houston Texans - Saturday Night - 8:30 PM EDT

Former Charger captain Joe Williamson talks football with WCSR's Andy Brown

Former Charger and new Jonesville Head Coach Joe Williamson sits down with WCSR's Andy Brown to talk about his days in blue and white and now as a coach.

The J.A.M. taking shape at Hillsdale College

 Hillsdale College's new J.A.M. weight room named in honor of Jared, Aaron, and Morgan Veldheer is taking shape as players start reporting next week. Here are some pictures of the great facilities upgrades.

Hillsdale featuring an exciting home football slate in 2014

Although Hillsdale College Football fans will have to wait until Week 3 of the season to see the Blue at home, the schedule features some great teams coming to Muddy Waters Stadium.

September 6 at Findlay, 7:00 PM
September 13 at Lake Erie 1:00 PM
September 20 N. Michigan 1:00 PM
September 27 at UIndy 6:00 PM - Non-conference game
October 4 Grand Valley 4:30 PM - Homecoming
October 11 at Ohio Dominican 12:00 PM
October 18 Ashland 2:30 PM - Parents Weekend
October 25 at Tiffin 1:30 PM
November 1 Saginaw Valley 1:00 PM
November 8 Northwood 1:00 PM - Senior Day
November 15 at Wayne State 12:00 PM

Long-time rival Ashland is back on the schedule after a two-year hiatus but Hillsdale will not play Ferris State this year. The teams had played each other every year since 1972. The Chargers get the benefit of playing Grand Valley and Saginaw Valley at home and do not have to make an Upper Peninsula trek since the NMU game is at home and Michigan Tech is not on the schedule either. There are no "gimmes" in the GLIAC but playing toughest teams at home definitely beats the alternative. The toughest road game looks to be at defending league champ Ohio Dominican. Non-conference opponent Indianapolis also made the playoffs as Great Lakes Valley champion last year.

Brandon Folsom - Hillsdale Football: Mark Laprairie exits Spring as top quarterback

HILLSDALE – The process of replacing former Hillsdale College quarterback Sam Landry began this spring.

Sophomore Mark LaPrairie has emerged as the team’s unofficial No. 1 signal caller but has big shoes to fill.

As a senior last season, Landry completed 217 passes for 2,509 yards, 16 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Laprairie, on the other hand, attempted and completed only one pass as a relief quarterback last year.

“I think that’s pretty much been determined here,” said Hillsdale coach Keith Otterbein when asked if LaPrairie will start this fall. “We haven’t had our finally meetings yet, and we’ll talk as a staff (before making a decision).”

Although he is a raw talent, LaPrairie possesses great qualities as a quarterback. He comes from a high school powerhouse in Rockford where his Rams appeared in three consecutive Division 1 semifinal playoff games. He set school records for single season touchdown passes (22), career touchdown passes (39) and career passing yards (3,784), among other historical marks.

Otterbein said he was delighted in how well LaPrairie played throughout the spring.

“Mark has done a good job of managing the football team,” Otterbein said. “He’s taken care of the football.”

If the season were to start today, junior quarterback Jacob Richter would be second on the Chargers’ depth chart while junior C.J. Mifsud would be third.

“From the way they’ve performed here in the spring, all have done some nice stuff and all have made some mistakes in trying to get better,” Otterbein said.

Read full article at Peninsula Daily.

Cam White signs free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts

Cam White, who suffered serious injuries to both knees during his senior season of 2012, never gave up on his dream of playing in the NFL. Now 17 months later he gets his chance.

The former All-American h-back from Hillsdale College signed a free agent contract today with the Indianapolis Colts.

Below is a little glimpse into the hard work he put in as a trainer and athlete at Jared Veldheer's PowerStrength training center since graduation.

Congrats Cam!

Chargers Wrap up Spring Drills Tonight at Muddy Waters Stadium

QB Mark Laprairie

Whether it is fair or not, the biggest question that always swirls around Spring Practice when a team graduates its quarterback is "Who's the next guy going to be?"

Although most Division II schools don't make a big public announcement, the tea leaves around Hillsdale College this extended winter are floating in the direction of current RS-Freshman Mark Laprairie from Rockford.

Laprairie rewrote the passing record books for the storied program north of Grand Rapids and will have 3 years of eligibility to put a dent into the ones at Hillsdale.

Hopefully, Laprairie will get some help from the backfield and the return of Bennett Lewis. Lewis showed glimpses of breakaway talent in the 2013 season opener but was lost for the year due to injury during that game. Emerging alongside is Oklahoman Jake Wiseman. While Lewis will be more of a slasher, Wiseman will provide a change of pace and be the pounder. Both guys will be just Sophomores.

The offensive line is another area where some wholesale changes will be noticed. Currently it appears that a big battle is brewing over who will play where. The unit has had some injuries throw a wrench into early placement. More than likely whoever works the hardest between now and the beginning of the season is going to find himself in the starting line-up. We  know Nate Shreffler is one of the top offensive line coaches in the GLIAC and he will have this group ready.

The offensive group with the most experience is the wide receivers with Evan Bach, the team's leading receiver last season, back for one more go. Junior-to-be John Haley and Sophomore-to-be Joe Srebernak will give Laprairie a number of options and were near the top statistically last year for Hillsdale.

We will take a look at the defense a little later this Spring.

Jared Veldheer lands 5 year deal with the Arizona Cardinals

New Arizona Cardinal Jared Veldheer at Hillsdale

When the Oakland Raiders chose not to apply the franchise to former Hillsdale College All-American Jared Veldheer last Monday he became an unrestricted fee agent.

Despite having stated repeatedly that he wanted to remain a Raider, contract negotiations never got close enough to the numbers Arizona offered when additional teams were permitted to contact players on Saturday.

The offensive tackle was widely considered to be Oakland's best offensive player. He will be in Phoenix tomorrow to meet with the Cardinals' officials and take a physical.

Several media outlets reported Jared's deal to be worth 35 million dollars over four year with 17 of that being guaranteed.

Helping make all of this happen is Jared's brother Aaron, a former Hillsdale Charger himself. The older Veldheer was a captain of the Hillsdale basketball team and has served as Jared's agent since the end of the 2012 season.

Hillsdale Football great passes away

Stephen M. Roddick ranks ninth on the all-time Hillsdale College rushing list, having amassed 1,986 yards from 1976-1976. Among the many honors he earned as a Charger, he was regarded by many long-time fans as one of their favorite players in program history. After Hillsdale he went on to a long career of coaching young athletes.

Sadly, Roddick's friends, family, and teammates will be saying a final goodbye to him this weekend. Roddick died Tuesday afternoon after he was pulled from the icy St. Joseph River near South Bend, Indiana.

Visitation will be held for Roddick on Friday with the funeral on Saturday in South Bend. Full obituary and details can be found here.

Embry brings McAvoy Award back where it belongs

Hillsdale LB Steven Embry - photo: gliac.org

Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Release:

Hillsdale’s Steven Embry Named Recipient of the 2013 GLIAC Jack H. McAvoy Award



BAY CITY, Mich. - Hillsdale College senior linebacker Steven Embry has been named recipient of the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Jack H. McAvoy Award as announced by Commissioner Dell Robinson.   The award is presented annually to the GLIAC football player who best combines outstanding character and leadership on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.

    A native of Clinton, Michigan, Embry has earned a 3.6 grade point average (4.0 scale) while majoring in biology.  He has been named to the GLIAC All-Academic football team three times, and is a two-time member of the All-GLIAC Football  Honorable Mention Team. A winner of the Michigan Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award, the Howard “Champ” Messenger Award, and the Leonard Urbanick Award for Scholarship, Leadership and Ability. Embry leads the Charger football team’s weekly bible study group, while mentoring twin boys in Hillsdale who lost their father when they were very young. He also volunteers at Hot Rock, a mission-based basketball camp in Adrian, Mich. while also volunteering at the Hillsdale Community Health Center in operating rooms and with patient pockets.  In 2011 he volunteered for Habitat for Humanity at Spring Break in Immokalee, Fla. Embry has been a volunteer at the Hillsdale Center Youth Football Camp in 2010, 2011 and 2013, and volunteers his time to coach at his high school alma mater, Clinton High School, during two-a-days. He is a member of the Tri-Beta biology honorary, and volunteered as a teacher’s assistant in the spring of 2013 at the Biological Statistics Lab. In the 2013 Summer Session he worked as a lab assistant on campus in anatomy and physiology classes.

    This season, Embry led the GLIAC with four interceptions in the regular season, good for 79 yards and one touchdown. He was third on the team with 74 total tackles on the season, with two half tackles for losses. He also had season-high 15 total tackles in a win  over Ferris State University and had two interceptions versus the eventual Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) champion University of Indianapolis.

    “The GLIAC is proud of the accomplishments of Steven Embry,” stated Commissioner Robinson.  “He exemplifies outstanding character and embodies all of the qualities that the Jack McAvoy Award and Division II athletics represent.”

    Embry becomes the third Hillsdale athlete to win the award. Ferris State University has had the most recipients of the award (4), with Michigan Technological University, Northwood, and Saginaw Valley State University in third with two apiece.   The Award is named for former Hillsdale College director of athletics and head football coach, Jack McAvoy, who was instrumental in the founding of the Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference (MIFC), now known as the GLIAC.

Jack H. McAvoy Award Winners

2013 Steven Embry, Hillsdale
2012 Ryan Whittum, Northwood
2011 Josh Renel, Wayne State
2010        Phil Doerfler, Hillsdale
2009        Nick Bellanco, Ashland
2008        Jake Visser, Ferris State
2007        Mark Nicolet, Hillsdale
2006        Mike Klobucher, Ferris State
2005        Matthew Shem, Northern Michigan
2004        Neil Baumgartner, Saginaw Valley State
2003        Josh Sherko, Northern Michigan       Scott Stuible, Northwood
2002        Jason Battershell, Saginaw Valley State
2001       Chris Volz, Indianapolis
2000      Alex Kowalski, Michigan Tech
1999       Mo Harris, Ferris State
1998       Jeff Fox, Grand Valley State
1997     Matt Fishburn, Wayne State    Eric Tree, Michigan Tech
1996    Chris Pulliams, Ferris State

Happy 20th!

Happy 20th Anniversary of your first date Dean and Mrs. Petersen. I am lucky to have gotten to spend 1994 in Hillsdale with you both.

 

Signing Day 2014 is tomorrow

That little dose of College Football that helps us get through the Winter makes its annual return tomorrow as institutions may begin to officially sign next year's incoming crop of new athletes.

Through the magic of social media and with big thanks to TheDZone.com, we have been able to track the Chargers' verbally committed recruits better than ever before.

Speaking of the DZone, check out their breakdown of the ten Michigan athletes who have publicly stated they will indeed become Chargers in less than twenty-four hours.

As of right now, we have learned of 16 commits. Once the class is officially announced tomorrow, I will begin to profile a few of the athletes headed to the Dale.

Verbal Commitments:
Wyatt Batdorf - DB - Forest Hills Northern
John Brennan - LB - Howell
Andrew Callahan - OT - Chippewa Valley
James Friedl - OLB - Medina, OH, Highland H.S.
Paul Galloway - WR/S - Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
Brian Newman - WR - Houston, TX, St. Pius X HS
Seth Overla - TE - Troy, OH
David Poljan - OL - Lansing Catholic Central
Joe Reverman - RB - Grand Ledge
Jay Rose - LB/FB - Brecksville, OH
Brenden Rohlfs - QB - Chippewa Valley
Trey VanAken - RB/LB - Greenville, PA
Shea Whitmore - LB/TE - Petoskey
Andrew Wilcox - WR - Hillsdale
Charlie Yost - DE - Livonia Churchill
Alex Zimmerman - DB/WR - Holland West Ottawa

Retired commissioner Hayes passes away

Here is a Hillsdale Daily News article on the passing of Hillsdale College Athletic Hall of Famer Parke Hayes. Hayes was the Muddy Waters Stadium and Phillips Arena announcer for several decades and was a Dale and a Charger through and through.



By Andy Barrand Twitter: @abarrandHDN
Posted Jan. 13, 2014 @ 10:19 am

Hillsdale, Mich.
HILLSDALE — After battles with health conditions over the past several years, former Hillsdale County Commissioner Parke Hayes, 67, passed away Friday afternoon at White Pine Rehabilitation Center in Howell.

Hayes, who had served on the commission for 10 years, resigned in June, citing health reasons. Despite resigning from the commission, Hayes still held the seat as president of the Hillsdale ISD School Board.
Hayes had been a member of the board for close to 40 years.

“He was a true champion for children; he was dedicated to public education,” said Mike Potts, ISD superintendent.

Hayes was well-known in the community, as he served on many boards in many different capacities. He was also news director at WCSR for a number of years.

“He was Mr. Hillsdale County,” said Andy Welden, commission vice-chair. “Hillsdale County was his home he loved the people that lived here.”

Welden was a member of the commission with Hayes all 10 years.

“He was straight-forward you didn’t question how he felt;” Welden said. “He was strong in his beliefs.”

In 2007 the Hillsdale ISD named its new administration building on West Bacon Street after Hayes, something that Potts said humbled him.

“He never expected it,” Potts said. “If you know Parke you know it is something that he didn’t ask for.”
Despite his health problems, Potts said Parke was always going the extra mile for the children of Hillsdale County.

“He was always sharp and on the ball,” Potts said. “He will be greatly missed.”

Commissioner Mark Wiley said Hayes’ passing is a “huge loss to the community.”

“He was a wealth of knowledge ... if he didn’t have the information he would get it for you,” Wiley said. “I considered him a good friend."

Commissioner Brad Benzing agreed with Wiley about the knowledge Hayes had about the community.
“He had a huge amount of institutional memory,” Benzing said. “He was a legend in the community.”

Hayes is survived by his wife Vicky, brother Larry, and the rest of his family.

Memorial services for Hayes are pending at VanHorn-Eagle Funeral Home in Hillsdale.


Read more: http://www.hillsdale.net/article/20140113/NEWS/140119695/1001/NEWS#ixzz2qIMRlpnd

36 Chargers make GLIAC All-Academic and Academic Excellence Teams

The GLIAC announced its all-academic and academic excellence teams for the fall season today. Thirty Chargers earned All-Academic honors with a GPA between 3.0 and 3.49. Six Chargers earned Academic Excellence awards with GPA's at 3.5 or above.

Academic Excellence: 3.5 - 4.0
Alex Fogt So. Exercise Science Anna, Ohio/Anna
Joe Duff R-Fr. Undeclared Cleveland, Ohio/Holy Name
Brett Pasche Sr. Mathematics & Economics University of Findlay, Ohio/Liberty Benton
Steven Embry Sr. Biology Clinton, Mich./Clinton
Justice Karmie So. Marketing Management Uniontown,Ohio/Lake

Evan Bach Jr. Financial Management Canal Fulton, Ohio/Northwest

All-Academic: 3.0-3.49
Jacob Richter So. Financial Management Louisville, Ky./Christian Academy
Gabe Starkey Jr. Economics South Whitley, Ind./Whitko
Andrew Mott Sr. Marketing Management Westminster, Ohio/Faith Christian Academy
Daniel Pittman Jr. Political Economy Grand Rapids, Mich./West Catholic
John Haley So. Financial Management Grand Rapids, Mich./G.R. Catholic Central
Eddy Mollison R-Fr. Undeclared Grosse Pointe, Mich./South
Alex Chludzinski Jr. Sports Management & Marketing Management White Lake, Mich./International Academy West
Steve Mette R-Fr. Undeclared Tempe, Ariz./James Madison Prep
Steve Harding Sr. Financial Management Livonia, Mich./Detroit Catholic Central
Jack Wiseman R-Fr. Biochemistry Bartlesville, OK/Bartlesville
Vincent Cook So. English & Spanish Lansing, Mich./Grand Ledge
Caleb Sundblad So. Financial Management Caro, Mich./Caro
Devin Moynihan Sr. Accounting Livonia, Mich./Churchill
Andrew Hoffer R-Fr. Undeclared New Haven, Ind./New Haven
Nathan Bundy Sr. Biology Greenfield, Ind./Mt. Vernon
Seth Kellicut R-Fr. Undeclared Traverse City, Mich./St. Francis
Drew Mallery R-Fr. Undeclared Vicksburg, Mich./Vicksberg
Logan Nabozny Jr. International Business & Foreign Language Warren, Mich./Bishop Foley
Aaron Price So. Accounting Newark, Ohio/ Newark Catholic
Tim Hornak Sr. Financial Management Muskegon. Mich./Detroit Catholic Central
Curtis Smith So. Financial Management Holland, Mich./West Ottawa
Zach Cherocci Sr. Accounting Rochester Hills, Mich./Birmingham Brother Rice
David Shirey Jr. Economics Santa Clara, CA/The King's Academy
Kegan Smith So. Financial Management Gladwin, Mich./Gladwin
Bryan Siegert Jr. Chemistry Clare, Mich./Clare
Scott Lantis Sr. Marketing Management Hillsdale College, Mich./Hillsdale College
Paul Wendt So. Accounting Fremont, Ohio/St. Joseph Catholic Central
Ben Jones Sr. Financial Management Muskegon, Mich./Muskegon Catholic Central
David Galginaitis So. Biology Colgate, Wis./Germantown

Evan Sassack Jr. Financial Management Washington, Mich./Notre Dame Prep

Hillsdale grad Jesse Hoskins named Michigan Division 3-4 Football Coach of the Year

Jesse Hoskins spent most of his time at Hillsdale as a back up quarterback in the early 2000's. In the town of Milan, Michigan, most of his time has been spent turning a 1-8 football program into one that hasn't lost a regular season game in two years.

For his efforts, Hoskins was named Michigan's Division 3-4 Coach of the Year.

MLive.com: Milan coach Jesse Hoskins named Associated Press Division 3-4 football coach of the year