Great Midwest Notes / Records (PDF)
Findlay Notes vs. Ohio Dominican (PDF)
Ohio Dominican Notes vs. Findlay (PDF)
Hillsdale Notes vs. Lake Erie (PDF)
Malone Notes vs. Walsh (PDF)
Alderson Broaddus Notes vs. Kentucky Wesleyan (PDF)
Walsh Notes vs. Malone (PDF)
INDIANAPOLIS – Rivalries will be renewed and a championship is on the line as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference football programs get ready to close out the regular season on a busy Saturday.
The highlight feature includes No. 21 Findlay and Ohio Dominican clashing for the conference championship, the second offering in the league’s young history after Alderson Broaddus celebrated in 2016.
But the third annual G-MAC Founders Cup Game trophy with Alderson Broaddus/Kentucky Wesleyan is also on the line along with bragging rights for the John Bankert-Dick Gallagher Memorial Trophy between Walsh/Malone. Hillsdale and Lake Erie will take the field in Painesville for their regular-season finale.
Ohio Dominican (6-3, 6-0 G-MAC) has the series edge on Findlay with four wins in five meetings going back to 2010 (Findlay won in 2011, 27-24). Each team currently sports a winning streak of at least six games, with the nationally ranked and regionally-ranked Oilers (9-1, 6-0 G-MAC) having won eight in a row.
A win for Findlay could translate into a home playoff game in the NCAA Championship when the field is announced during the selection show on Sunday. ODU could play the role of spoiler and be crowned conference champions in a battle of high-octane offenses.
Ohio Dominican enters the game with the top passing offense in the conference, averaging over 344 yards per game through the air. Senior quarterback Grant Russell has thrown 24 touchdowns versus only two interceptions. He has also completed 73.2 percent of his passes and is closing in on 3,000 yards for the season.
Junior receiving threat Cory Contini ranks second in the conference with 1,006 yards and 11 touchdowns. He earned Week 10 Offensive Player of the Week honors after catching five passes for 142 yards and four touchdowns in last week’s 63-7 victory over Kentucky Wesleyan.
Contini and running back EJ Colson are the only players in league history to record four offensive touchdowns in a single game at their position.
The Panthers will take on the league’s most dangerous ground attack. The Oilers average almost 300 yards per game on the ground and will look to keep that rolling this week after rushing for 261 yards without leading rusher Daouda Sylla. A three-headed monster of Sylla, Nate Slagel and Michael Campbell, has been running wild behind a veteran offensive line carving space up front.
Sylla has rushed for 1,132 yards and 15 touchdowns. The Oilers’ secondary matched up against the Ohio Dominican wide receivers (and vice versa) is going to be something to monitor all game long.
Findlay only permits 155 passing yards per game. Last week in the Oilers’ 70-28 win over Alderson Broaddus, they let up only 107 yards and picked off three passes, with Week 10 Defensive Player of the Week sophomore Tyler Lee taking one of his two interceptions back for a touchdown.
Now at .500 in the league standings, Walsh (3-7, 3-3 G-MAC) will square off against storied crosstown rival Malone (1-8, 1-5 G-MAC). The Cavaliers also own one of the conference’s best rushing attacks, ranking second with 197 yards per game. Kalvin Gordon was a big part of the unit’s 355 yards and four touchdowns gained on the ground last week vs. Lake Erie.
The Pioneers will look to counter the run with a pair of tackling machines behind Ryan Weber and Josh Correll. Track star Ashton Dulin is closing in the 1,000-yard receiving milestone for the season and has been one of the breakout stars in the league.
Hillsdale’s three skill positions feature top-tier options. Junior Chance Stewart is second in the conference in passing yards with 2,549 to go along with 16 touchdown passes. His partner in crime on the Chargers (6-4, 4-2 G-MAC), two-time Offensive Player of the Week Trey Brock, leads the league in both yards and receptions.
Lake Erie (2-7, 2-4 G-MAC) has made strides under first-year head coach Gerald Hazzard and enters the game with a defense that ranks in the top half of the conference in total yards allowed per game. This is headlined by the second-best passing defense in the G-MAC, as they are one of just two teams that allow fewer than 200 passing yards per game.
The G-MAC Founders Cup Game trophy, a heavy mining cart, has been in possession in Philippi as Kentucky Wesleyan tries to stake claim for the right to put the hardware in Owensboro.
Kentucky Wesleyan (2-7, 1-5 G-MAC) will hope for another strong performance from Ladarrius Dunn. The junior ranks sixth in the conference in receiving yards and receptions, and has a receiving touchdown in his past three games this season after catching three passes for 52 yards and a touchdown in his last matchup against Ohio Dominican.
The Battlers (2-8, 1-5 G-MAC) have big-play abilities from one of their receivers as well. Sophomore Zack Lake leads the conference in yards per catch, averaging over 20 yards per reception. His six touchdowns is tied with Dunn. Special teams demon Maurice Thomas flew down the field for a conference-record 100-yard return last week on a kickoff.