Box Score Mankato, Minn. – Hillsdale’s Mark Petro connected on a 34-yard field goal to propel the 15th-ranked and sixth-seeded Chargers to a 27-24 overtime victory over eighth-ranked and third-seeded Minnesota State Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the 209 NCAA Division II Playoffs.
The game was the first-ever playoff game in Blakeslee Stadium history and was witnessed by 1,617 fans.
Trailing 24-17 with two minutes and 35 seconds remaining in regulation Minnesota State started its game-tying drive on its own 25-yardline after a Hillsdale punt.
Senior quarterback Ryan Fick – who made his first start since Sept. 5 – started the drive by completing a 19-yard pass to senior wideout Vincent Flury. The Fick-to-Flury connection would happen on MSU’s next three passing plays as the combo covered 53 yards on the drive. Facing a 1st –and-10 on Hillsdale 22, Fick found junior wideout Omaar Balton for a 22-yard scoring strike. Freshman kicker Sam Brockshus added the extra point and the game was tied with 38 seconds remaining.
Hillsdale won the toss to start overtime and elected to play defense. After a personal foul gave Minnesota State a 1st-and-25 from the Hillsdale 40, Fick connected with redshirt-freshman Adam Thielen on an inside slant pattern. Hillsdale cornerback Lance Smith knocked the ball free from Thielen and linebacker Joe Stempien recovered it to give the Chargers possession and set up Petro’s heroics.
“I thought for sure we were going to win that overtime,” said Fick. “You don’t want to look ahead, but I liked our chances. That’s why you play the game and that’s why you play overtime.”
The Mavericks opened the game with an 8-play, 80-yard drive capped by a 14-yard touchdown by redshirt-freshman Jake Abergas he ran along the right side. Brockshus added the extra point and MSU raced to a 7-0 lead with 10:29 remaining in the opening quarter.
The touchdown was set up on a fake punt by the Mavericks on fourth-and-two that saw senior running back Ernest Walker pick up 30 yards.
The Chargers answered on its ensuing drive as they used nine plays to cover 80 yards with senior H-back Bill Kanitz punching in a one-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good and the game was tied at seven with 5:22 remaining in the first quarter.
Minnesota State continued its scoring trend on its second drive of the game as Fick found Flurry in the left side of the endzone for a 21-yard scoring strike, capping a 10-play, 64-yard drive. Brockshus added the extra point and MSU led 14-7 at the 14:55 mark of the first half.
Hillsdale again answered the call on its second drive as it put together a 12-play, 73-yard drive which chewed up 7:01 as Kanitz again punched a one-yard run. Petro added the extra point and the game was again tied, 14-14, with 7:48 remaining in the opening half.
After both teams traded punts, MSU started a drive on its own 36-yardline with 3:50 remaining in the first half. Aberg ran around the right side for a 26-yard gain on the first play as MSU entered Hillsdale territory for the third time. Fick then found senior wideout Chris Nowlinfor a 15-yard gain to enter field goal territory.
After an incomplete pass and a sack, Minnesota State sent on Brockshus to attempt a 42-yard field goal to end the half and the freshman’s kick was true as the Mavericks took a 17-14 lead at the break.
The Chargers scored on the opening drive of the third quarter as Vinnie Panizzi capped a 12-play, 81-yard drive that used 6:02 off the clock. The touchdown was set up when quarterback Troy Weatherhead found Andrew Holmes for a 27-yard completion on third and six.
After each team traded possessions, Minnesota State used a 10-yard run on fourth and one from senior running back Ernest Walker to reach midfield and keep the drive alive.
Three players later, on third-and-12, Hillsdale defensive lineman Jordan Knudsen picked off an errant Fick pass and returned it to the Minnesota State 35 giving the Chargers excellent field position.
Petro then booted a 20-yard field goal to cap a seven-play, 32-yard drive that used 3:08 and gave the Chargers a 24-17 lead with 12:38 remaining in the game.
Statistically the game was even as Minnesota State ran 66 plays for 378 yards while the Chargers ran 63 plays for 370 yards. Minnesota State rushed 40 times for 241 yards while the Maverick defense held the Chargers to 31 carries for 112 yards. Hillsdale owned a slight edge in the time of possession, 30:23-29:37.
Aberg led all rushers with 22 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Fick finished the game completing 11-of-25 passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Flury led all receivers with six catches for 98 yards and a score.
Panizzi led Hillsdale with 22 carries for 86 yards and a score. Weatherhead connected on 24-of-31 passes for 258 yards while Holmes led the Chargers with six catches for 89 yards.
Defensively, sophomore defensive back Jesse Hamilton led Minnesota State with 14 tackles – eight of which were solo. He also had an interception, a pass break-up and a blocked punt. Junior linebacker Matt McQuiston added 11 tackles in the loss. Linebacker David Bakker, safety Joe Vear and linebacker Marcellus Wade all had 10 stops for the Chargers.
Hamilton’s interception was his eighth of his career moving into a tie for first on the school’s single-season chart, joining Bernie Mazuga (1967), Harold Wellman (1967) and Marty Kranz for the school record with seven
“That was a classic football game, hard for anyone to loose,” said head coach Todd Hoffner. “It was a hard-fought, very physical football game. We made a couple of mistakes down the stretch that cost us in the end. We have a lot of great leadership and great seniors. We have a lot of guys that will be missed and I am very proud of players and how the played the game. I thought they played very classy, that they played very hard and took a lot of pride in the things they did. ”
Minnesota State ends its 2009 season with a 10-2 record, while Hillsdale improves to 10-2. The Chargers travel to Grand Valley State next week to continue action in the playoffs.
Postgame Notes: MSU is now 2-5 in the postseason…Minnesota State has lost its last three post season games…The Mavericks finished the season losing their last two games, the first time that MSU has lost consecutive games under head coach Todd Hoffner…Minnesota State finished the 2009 season with 29 interceptions which is a school record, besting last year’s mark of 27…The two squads each scored on their first two drives…MSU finished the season 1-2 in overtime…All three of those overtime games were played in Blakeslee Stadium…Aberg finished the year with five 100-yard rushing games…The loss snapped MSU’s 10-game winning streak in Blakeslee Stadium.
To view the game stats, click HERE
To listen to the post game press conference, click HERE
Fans can watch the replay of the game (when available) HERE
