November 21, 2009 – One of the best seasons of football in Hillsdale College history came to an end Saturday afternoon.

Playing in the Division II regional semifinals for the first time ever, the Chargers lost to the best Division II football program over the past 10 years, Grand Valley State University, 44-27 in Allendale. Hillsdale closes out the 2009 season with a 10-3 record, while the 11-1 Lakers move on to next weekend’s regional final against Minnesota-Duluth.

Throughout its decade of dominance, Grand Valley State has perhaps been best known for its unmatched offensive firepower. That firepower was on full display during a 27-point explosion in the second quarter that put the Chargers in a 37-0 halftime hole.

It was clear the Lakers’ game plan was to come out and establish the running game early in the contest, and they did so effectively. Highlighted by P.T. Gates’ 52-yard touchdown that opened the scoring, Grand Valley State outgained Hillsdale on the ground 117 to -4 in the first quarter.

In the first half, the Lakers generated 11 plays that covered 10 or more yards. Although just three of those big plays were scoring plays, the others set the Lakers up deep in Hillsdale territory, and GV did an excellent job of finishing its first-half offensive drives. Grand Valley State rolled up 356 total yards in the game’s first 30 minutes.

A big reason why Hillsdale beat Grand Valley back on Oct. 10 was the way the Chargers didn’t allow the fast and athletic Lakers any big plays on offense. But in this game, the Lakers made big plays in all three phases of the game – offense, defense and special teams – which were all keys in the home team’s first-half dominance.

The Lakers blocked two field goal attempts by Hillsdale in the first half, which not only kept points off the Chargers’ side of the scoreboard, but kept rhythm and momentum on Grand Valley’s side. Grand Valley would later also block Hillsdale’s first extra-point attempt. The Lakers also intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble on a kickoff return.

The Charger offense found its rhythm in the third quarter, putting together back-to-back scoring drives. Junior QB Troy Weatherhead threw a strike to senior WR A.J. Kegg for the team’s first score of the game. On the next drive, senior RB Vinnie Panizzi leaped over the defense from one yard out, his 54th career rushing touchdown, extending his career record.

Weatherhead, playing close to where he played his high school football at Comstock Park, had a huge day for the Chargers, setting a new school record for completions in a game. He was 36-for-47 for 384 yards, with three touchdown passes and one interception. Weatherhead’s 36 completions in this game broke the old school record of 34, set by Mark Nicolet against Michigan Tech on Sept. 29, 2007.

Hillsdale had a pair of 100-yard receivers in this game, the second time this season it has hit that achievement. Senior WR A.J. Kegg, who set the school’s single-season receptions record in the game, hauled in 10 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. Juniro WR Andre Holmes had nine receptions for 120 yards.

Senior RB Vinnie Panizzi accounted for three of Hillsdale’s four touchdowns in the game. He ran the ball 18 times for 51 yards, and leaped over the pile for a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He also caught four passes for 59 yards and had two receiving touchdowns. His TD catch with 15 seconds left was not only the 57th touchdown of his career, but the last in this unforgettable 2009 season for the Chargers.

The Chargers’ special teams came up with a big play in the second quarter. Junior defensive lineman Kam Mueller blocked an extra point after the Lakers’ second score. Nick Hixson picked up the blocked kick and returned it deep into Grand Valley territory, but was tackled in an attempt to create a two-point conversion for the Chargers.

Defensively, Joe Vear led Hillsdale with 10 total tackles, including eight solo stops. Linebacker David Bakker added eight total tackles, while freshman Nick Galvan had six tackles. Seniors Eric Schweller and Drew Berube each had a tackle-for-loss in their final collegiate game.

To view the stats from Saturday’s playoff game, please click on the link below.

Grand Valley State 44, Chargers 27