Football Ben Miles, Coordinator of Athletics Communication | HCAC

HCAC 2025 Football Notebook, Week 5

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) football teams competed in week five of the 2025 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Football Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week: 
Offensive Player of the Week:
 Eian Roudebush (New Palestine, Ind.) Hanover College | Quarterback | Junior - The Panthers remained perfect in HCAC play, defeating MSJ on the road 45-21. The junior quarterback put on a dominant performance, combining for six total touchdowns. Roudebush threw for three touchdowns and a game-high 291 yards, going 18-of-25. He added three scores on the ground, rushing for 47 yards. He helped lead an offense that combined for an impressive 443 yards.

Defensive Player of the Week:
Maxwell Moore (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) Bluffton University | Defensive Line | Senior - Moore was all over the field, getting four tackles that included a pair of sacks, while also snagging his first interception of the season and taking it back 44 yards. He helped the Beavers hold Anderson to 214 total yards as Bluffton improved to 4-1 on the season.

Special Teams Player of the Week:
Clint Hearne (Madison, Ind.) Hanover College | Kicker | Senior - Hearne was dominant for the Panthers at MSJ as they defeated the Lions 45-21 to remain perfect in the HCAC. The senior went a perfect 6-for-6 on PAT tries. He also added a league-long 48-yard field goal.
 
Notable Performances:
Offensive Players:
  • Adam Dunson (Columbus, Ohio) Anderson University | Wide Receiver | Senior - Adam Dunson tallied 108 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns in Saturday's loss to Mount St. Joseph.
  • Jashawn Wycoff (Cleveland, Ohio) Bluffton University | Wide Receiver | First Year - Wyckoff made the most of his three catches, tallying 153 receiving yards and recording three touchdowns. His touchdowns went for 52, 30 and 71 yards, as he averaged a whopping 51 yards per catch! Wyckoff helped Bluffton score 49 straight points on the way to a convincing 49-7 win at Anderson on Saturday.
  • Marshall Kmiecik (Michigan City, Ind.) Franklin College | Quarterback | Sophomore - Kmiecik put up more big numbers in a homecoming clash with Rose-Hulman. He completed 27 of 39 passes (69.2%) for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and also rushed for a team-leading 35 yards and two more TDs. On the season, Kmiecik has 1,435 yards passing with 13 touchdowns against just three interceptions.
  • Marquez Williams (La.) Manchester University | Wide Receiver | First Year - Marquez Williams had a breakout game against Capital. Williams provided a spark for the Spartans with 4 catches for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. Both touchdowns for Williams came on the deep ball with a 47 yarder and a 38 yarder.
  • Eli Aston (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Wide Receiver | Sophomore - Mount St. Joseph wide receiver Eli Aston helped the team to a 41-21 win over Anderson to open HCAC play. He hauled in 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the game.
  • Jay Smith (Evansville, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Running Back | Senior - Jay Smith was the hero in the Fightin' Engineers' comeback win over Franklin on Saturday with a final score of 35-34. Smith led Rose-Hulman with 163 yards rushing and three rushing touchdowns. He also added five receptions for 38 yards and one receiving touchdown. After being down 34-14 in the fourth quarter, Rose-Hulman put up three straight unanswered scores to win the game. Smith scored all three fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Fightin' Engineers to complete the comeback over the Grizzlies in an HCAC thriller.

Defensive Players:
  • Brayden Baker (Bedford, Ind.) Franklin College | Linebacker | Sophomore - Baker was all over the place in the Grizzlies' thrilling 34-33 victory at Muskingum, making a career-high 19 tackles (10 solo, 9 assist). He had 2.5 tackles for loss, forced a fumble and added a QB hurry. Two of Baker's tackles came during the fourth-quarter defensive stop that allowed Franklin to get the ball back with 2:49 left for a game-winning drive.
  • Saadiq Pasha (Hephzibah, Ga.) Hanover College | Defensive Back | Junior - Saadiq Pasha led the Panthers at MSJ as they claimed the 45-21 victory. The Junior recorded six total tackles, three solo stops. He also had an interception. He was a key member of the Hanover defense that held the league's top offense in check, holding them to just 18 yards total rushing.
  • Blake Haifilich (Ossian, Ind.) Manchester University | Linebacker | Senior - Haiflich was stout in Manchester's 52-27 loss to Capital, racking up 5 total tackles and an interception which he returned for 25 yards.
  • Gabe Adams (Kalispell, Mont.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Defesnive Line | Senior - Gabe Adams was a key contributor for the Fightin' Engineers in their comeback win over Franklin, 35-34. Adams totaled 2.0 tackles for loss for 14 yards and 2.0 sacks for 14 yards. One of his sacks came late in the fourth quarter with close to two minutes remaining in the game. This forced Franklin to punt, which led to the game-winning drive by the Fightin' Engineers.

Special Teams Players:
  • Drew Michael (Eaton, Ohio) Anderson University | Kicker | Junior - Michael hit all 7 of his PAT attempts and averaged 59.1 yards on eight kickoffs as Bluffton pummeled Anderson 49-7 on Saturday.
  • Jayden Berkley (Jeffersonville, Ind.) Manchester University | Wide Receiver | First Year - Berkley was electric on kickoff return for Manchester with 9 returns for 228 yards and a long of 50. Berkley also added two returns of 41 yards and 37 yards.
  • Trevor Saguto (Saint Charles, Mo.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Kicker | Senior - Trevor Saguto was exceptional in Rose-Hulman's big win over Franklin, 35-34. Saguto was a perfect five for five on extra point attempts and totaled four punts for 138 yards. He averaged 34.5 yards per punt on the day with a long of 49. 
Looking Forward:
HCAC Football Standings