Luck be a Lady This Week::Chargers Head to Gannon

Okay folks, I am headed to Vegas, or as I like to call it ,The Evil Empire for the weekend. So, I have blatantly ripped off all of the hard work Brad Monastiere does in the the Sports Information Office and utilized the handy cut and paste features of my iBook. Below are Brad's game notes for this week.

Hillsdale is coming off a tremendous win over Ferris State and there is no reason that momentum shouldn't roll with them down the Turnpike to Gannon University in Erie, PA. Gannon like the Chargers are 1-2 but have experienced their share of foes trying to replace last year's star QB Darnell Whitfield.

Hopefully the breaks will go Hillsdale's and MY way this week. Who knows, I may be one lucky quarter away from being able to build the Chargers a new indoor practice facility...oh yeah, and fund some cheerleaders.

Check Hillsdale Athletics Webpage or GLIAC.org for postgame coverage. I can't wait to toast a Charger victory with 99 cent shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate down on Fremont Street.

Hillsdale College Game Notes

Week 4 - Chargers look to make it two in a row at Gannon The Hillsdale College football team hits the road for the third time in four weeks this weekend, as the Chargers head to Erie, Pa. for a matchup with the Gannon University Golden Knights. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. It’s the first of two trips to Erie the Chargers will make this season. The Series This is one of the youngets rivalries the Chargers have. With Gannon being a newcomer to the GLIAC, the schools have met just three times in their respective histories, with Hillsdale holding a 2-1 edge. Last year, Hillsdale won a memorable Homecoming game, 38-31 in overtime in a wild offensive shootout with the Knights.

Media Coverage Saturday’s game will be broadcasted by WCSR Radio (Hillsdale), 92.1-FM/1340AM, with Andy Brown and Dan Bisher providing coverage. The game will be available for free on Hillsdale’s athletic website, www.hillsdale.edu/chargers. A tape-delayed broadcast of the game will be available on Hillsdale’s local cable access channel 19. TV times are yet to be determined.

Last week The two teams come into this game from two very different places. After a pair of tough losses to open the season, Hillsdale broke out in a big way with a 34-14 Homecoming win over Ferris State University in its home opener. On the other hand, Gannon is coming off two straight one-sided losses, which have seen the Knights get outscored 88-10. Last week, Ashland pitched a 27-0 shutout of Gannon.

Very Special Teams Through three games, Hillsdale’s special teams unit is ranked at the top of the GLIAC rankings in several categories. The team leads the conference in kick returns with an average of 30.1 yards per kick return. The Chargers also rank first in team punt returns, averaging 21.1 yards per punt return, nearly double the yardage of SVSU, who ranks second in the conference. Hillsdale also ranks fourth in the conference in rushing yards per game, at 191.7. Hillsdale

Players of the Week for Week 3 vs. Ferris State The Hillsdale College coaching staff picked its players of the week for the Sept. 3 contest against the University of Findlay. Junior tailback Phil Martin earned the Offensive Player of the Week award, while lineman Andrewe Daugherty was the Defensive Player of the Week recipient. Junior Josh Dye was named the Special Teams Player of the Week. Steve Balone, who had three tackles fo loss, was picked for the “Every Player Every Play” award, while Marcellus Wade won the Big Stick Honor. Scout Team Players of the week were Jake White (offense) and Bill Riegner (defense).

The Century Club The Hillsdale running game has taken off the past two weeks, with quarterback Aaron Scholl and tailback Phil Martin each rushing for more than 100 yards in each of the past two games. The Chargers rushed for 295 yards as a team in the 34-14 win over Ferris. Even more impressive was the team’s 5.5 yards-per-rush average for the game against the Bulldogs.

So Close...So Far Away Both Gannon and Hillsdale have endured their share of tough losses over the past two seasons. In 2004, the Golden Knights were the “Cardiac Kids” of the GLIAC, with three games going into overtime (1-2) and six games being decided by a touchdown or less. Hillsdale also had four games decided by one score, with the team going 3-1 in those games.