Football Ben Miles, Coordinator of Athletics Communication | HCAC

HCAC 2025 Football Notebook, Week 1

CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) football teams competed in week one of the 2025 season.
 
Around the League:
HCAC Football Schedule
 
Athletes of the Week: 
Offensive Player of the Week:
Eli Aston (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) Mount St. Joseph University | Wide Receiver | Sophomore - MSJ wideout Eli Aston had one of the biggest receiving days in the country in the Lions win over Muskingum. He hauled in 10 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown in the win, currently ranking third in the NCAA in receiving yards and tied for second in catches. 

Defensive Player of the Week:
Devin Hogan (Warren, Mich.) Bluffton University | Linebacker | Senior - Hogan was a key component in Bluffton stunning 20-17 victory over Kenyon on Saturday night. He had five solo stops with four of them being tackles for loss, including two huge sacks. His TFL's added up to 25 yards of losses with 19 of them coming on the two sacks as Bluffton pitched a shutout in the second half. The Bluffton defense allowed just 57 yards on the ground.

Special Teams Player of the Week:
Colton Yugovich (Mansfield, Ohio) Bluffton University | Kicker/Punter | First Year - Yugovich came up huge in his first collegiate game for the Beavers. He was a perfect 2-of-2 on field goals with scoring strikes from 44 yards and 35 yards in Bluffton's 20-17 win over Kenyon. He punted four times for 143 yards (35.8 AVG) with two inside the 20 and a long of 46 yards. Yugovich also had five kickoffs for a 42.2 yard average and dropped a pooch kickoff at the Kenyon 35 that Bluffton recovered and it set up a touchdown as the Beavers scored 10 points in just over three minutes.
 
Notable Performances:
Offensive Players:
  • Albert Rabb (El Paso, Texas) Anderson University | Running Back | Sophomore - Albert Rabb rushed for 83 yards and 1 rushing touchdown in Anderson's 7-6 win against Alfred State. He also added 5 receiving yards.
  • Niegel Payne (Detroit, Mich.) Bluffton University | Wide Receiver | Senior - Payne caught six balls for 133 yards, including a one-hander for 43 yards that put Bluffton in position to score a 20-17 come-from-behind victory over Kenyon on Saturday night.
  • Owen Wright (Greenwood, Ind.) Franklin College | Wide Receiver | Junior - Wright made an instant impact on Franklin's 27-20 victory over Ohio Northern, throwing an 84-yard touchdown pass off a reverse on the first play of the game. He followed up that big play with several others, catching five passes for 113 yards and two more scores. His first TD grab was a 5-yarder in heavy traffic on fourth and goal, and the other, covering 32 yards late in the third quarter, proved to be the game-winning points.
  • Eian Roudebush (New Palestine, Ind.) Hanover College | Quarterback | Junior - Eian Roudebush turned in an impressive performance despite falling to Centre. The junior threw for 170 yards while rushing for 51 yards. He added one passing score, as well as one on the ground score, contributing to all 15 of the Panthers points. Eian helped Hanover record 289 yards of total offense.

Defensive Players:
  • Kevin Thomas (Detroit, Mich.) Anderson University | Linebacker | First Year - Kevin Thomas intercepted a pass on the final drive of the game to seal Anderson's 7-6 win against Alfred State.
  • Seth Rindfuss (Lake Village, Ind.) Franklin College | Nose Tackle | Sophomore - Rindfuss played a key role in the Grizzlies' thrilling 27-20 win over Ohio Northern. He made five tackles, including half a quarterback sack, and put constant pressure on the ONU offensive line. He was credited with two quarterback hurries, one of those a hit on ONU quarterback Sam Feldman during the game-clinching stop on fourth down with 1:26 left. That was one of four fourth-down stops by the Franklin defense.
  • Brian Wall (Sellersburg, Ind.) Hanover College | Linebacker | Sophomore - Brian Wall led the defense with a game-high seven tackles. The sophomore was key to the Panther defense, collecting five solo stops and helping to hold Centre to just 73 yards on the ground.
  • Mason Daring (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Manchester University | Linebacker | Junior - Mason clocked 10 total tackles, 5 of which were solo, and 5 assisted. He also had 1 tackle for loss.
  • Luke Paff (Cincinnati, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Linebacker | Junior - Lions junior linebacker Luke Paff started the 2025 season off right, the preseason all-american registered a team-high 12 tackles including 7 solo stops. He helped the Lions secure a hardfought 33-27 road win at Muskingum.

Special Teams Players:
  • Layton Anderson (Harrison, Ohio) Anderson University | Punter | First Year - Layton Anderson posted an average of 38 yards per punt on 5 punts in Anderson's 7-6 win against Alfred State. Anderson also delivered a 62-yard punt and pinned a punt inside the 20.
  • Nick Stoner (Providence, Ind.) Hanover College | Punter | First Year - Stoner tallied two punts as the Panthers fell to Centre. The freshman made he debut, punting twice for a combined 42 yards. One of his two punts landed inside the 20-yard line.
  • Angel Estrada (Bremen, Ind.) Manchester University | Punter | Junior - Estrada tallied 10 punts for a total of 364 yards. The longest had a yardage of 55 yard. He had  2 punts of 50+ yards,  and 3 punts inside the 20.
  • Maxwell Spencer (Commercial Point, Ohio) Mount St. Joseph University | Kicker | First Year - Mount St. Joseph freshman kicker Maxwell Spencer had a perfect Lions debut! He was 3-for-3 on  PAT attempts and kicked a pair of fieldgoals, from 27 and 25 yards respectively. He also handled the Lions kickoff duties hitting 7 kickoffs for 364 yards for an average of 52.0 yards per kick.
Looking Forward:
HCAC Football Standings