Football Ben Miles, Coordinator of Athletics Communication | HCAC

HCAC 2025 Football Notebook, Week 2

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) football teams competed in week two of the 2025 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Football Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week: 
Offensive Player of the Week:
 Jaxon Schreiber (Cincinnati, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Quarteback | Junior - MSJ junior quarterback had a fantastic game in the Lions loss to Aurora. He completed 31 passes on 53 attempts for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Defensive Player of the Week:
Brian Wall (Sellersburg, Ind.) Hanover College | Linebacker | Sophomore - Wall and the Panther defense turned in an impressive day as they were able to hold Division I foe Butler to just 16 points, allowing just one touchdown (the other came on special teams). The sophomore had 11 total tackles, with eight solo stops and a tackle for loss. Brian also had a pass break-up.

Special Teams Player of the Week:
Nick Stoner (Providence, Ind.) Hanover College | Punter | First Year - Stoner had an impressive afternoon as Hanover welcomed Division I foe Butler to Alumni Stadium. He recorded 259 yards on six punts, averaging 43.2 yards per punt.  He also had one punt at 50+ yards. He was key in the Panther efforts of holding Butler to just 16 points. 
 
Notable Performances:
Offensive Players:
  • Tywuan Clark (Toledo, Ohio) Bluffton University | Quarterback | Sophomore - Clark nearly led the Beavers to a miraculous comeback victory over Albion on Saturday. Bluffton trailed 29-3 at the half before he guided the home team to 29 straight points and a 32-29 lead late in the 4th quarter. Clark completed 20-of-32 passes that went for 251 yards with three touchdowns. The dual-threat also led Bluffton in rushing with 116 yards on 29 carries and another score on the ground.
  • Jace Mohr (Pittsboro, Ind.) Franklin College | Wide Receiver | Senior - Mohr caught five passes for 46 yards, two of those going for touchdowns (6 and 30 yards) in the Grizzlies' matchup with No. 18 Hope. The senior leads the team in receptions with 14 through the first two games.
  • Curbrian Shelby (Indianapolis, Ind.) Hanover College | Wide Receiver | Junior - Shelby had an impressive afternoon as the Panthers welcomed Butler to Alumni Stadium, falling to the Division I foe 16-7. The wide receiver recorded three receptions for a combined 59-yards and one touchdown. His production slowed down in the second half as the Butler defense limited his attempts at the ball.  CB also recorded one carry for 12-yards.
  • James Lewis (Bloomfield, Ind.) Manchester University | Running Back | Sophomore - Lewis ended the day with 18 carries, for a total of 100 net rushing yards. His longest rush was 31. Lewis also tallied 1 rushing touchdown and 4 receptions for 22 yards.
  • Jay Smith (Evansville, Ind.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Running Back | Senior - Jay Smith was the workhorse for the Fightin' Engineers in the team's loss to Trine. Smith carried the ball 30 times for a total of 107 yards rushing. He averaged 3.6 yards per carry against a tough Thunder defense.

Defensive Players:
  • Blake Haiflich (Ossian, Ind.) Manchester University | Linebacker | Senior - Blake clocked 15 total tackles, 4 of which were solo. He also had 1.5 tackles for loss.
  • Brady Pierce (Thompson Station, Tenn.) Mount St. Joseph University | Defensive Back | Senior - Lions senior defensive back Brady Pierce had an outstanding game in helping the Lions defense hold the high-powered Aurora offense to 35 points. He had a team-high 8 tackles (7 solo), and interception and a pass defensed.
  • Wyatt Bell (River Falls, Wis.) Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Defensive Back | Junior - Wyatt Bell made an immaculate play for the Fightin' Engineers to get the team back in the game against the Trine Thunder this weekend. Bell made an interception off a tipped pass and returned it 60 yards to the endzone for the team's first defensive touchdown of the season. The score put Rose-Hulman on the board and gave them the momentum. Rose-Hulman would ultimately fall to Trine with a final score of 27-10.

Special Teams Players:
  • Zachary Anderson (Cincinnati, Ohio) Anderson University | Punter | First Year -Zachary Anderson provided an average of 40.5 yards per punt on 4 punts. His longest punt was 57 yards.
  • Angel Estrada (Bremen, Ind.) Manchester University | Punter | Junior - Estrada tallied 7 punts for 238 total yards. He had an average punt of 34 yards, long of 47, and one punt inside the five.
Looking Forward:
HCAC Football Standings