So Impressed...

Special to chargerblue.com
Andy Brown
WCSR Play-By-Play

I had a chance to sit down with four Chargers Wednesday night and all I can say is how impressed I am. As I talked with Mark Nicolet, Aaron Waldie, Nick Gurica, and Tom Korte, I was struck that whenever I tried to praise their play as individuals, they deflected the praise to their teammates and coaches.

Some highlights of the interviews that will play during the broadcast of the Saginaw game Saturday:

--There is no talk of playoffs, there is just talk of Saginaw. To a man, the players said their entire focus is being 1-0 this week, nothing more.

--Nick Gurica claims that his brother Chad is the best Gurica in Chargers history.

--Mark Nicolet talked about how disappointed he was for his coaches that they went 5-6 last season. He felt that the coaches had prepared them to win, but that he and his teammates had not kept up their end. He said that was what drove him to improve over the off season.

--Tom Korte talked about how his decision to attend Hillsdale came down to last minute phone calls with Chuck Martin from Grand Valley, and Coach Otterbein from Hillsdale. He said that Coach Otterbein made the difference, and that he has never regretted the decision.

--Aaron Waldie admitted to being in the zone as he caught five touchdowns against Findlay. Both he and Mark admitted to being disappointed in having to come out of the game in the third quarter.

--Mark Nicolet has aspirations to resume his football career in the NFL after this season, but he refused to talk about it with me. He said that there will be a time for that down the road, but that he is completely focused on the game at hand this week.

--Nicolet talked about how exciting it was to prepare for the game this week, not knowing whether or not it will be his last game. Having the chance to play on November 17 has been his goal since the end of the Saginaw game last season.

--Each of the players spoke about how their faith has been a key to the season.

You can hear the entire interview during our broadcast Saturday. I can also pass along that coach Otterbein thinks that Saginaw has a great defense, and that his offense will be tested Saturday. He put the chances of Hillsdale getting into the playoffs at 50/50 (provided they beat Saginaw).