WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Charger Rundown: Nolan Strake and Vincent Francescone

Episode Date: November 16, 2023

Hana Connelly and Evan Mick recap this week’s athletics and interview defensive backs Nolan and Vincent. They discuss their experiences as Chargerathletes and defensive players on the Hillsdale football team.

Hello and welcome to the Charger Rundown on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.1.7 FM. I'm Hannah Connolly. And I'm Evan Mick with all things Charger Athletics. Today we will be interviewing Nolan Strachie and Vincent Francis Cone, defensive backs for the Charger football team. But first, let's review this week's athletics. The Charger football team had a big win Saturday, November 11th, against Ohio Dominican. With a final score of 35 to 17,

the Chargers played a great game on both sides of the ball. Hillsdale made quick moves in the first quarter, forcing a three-and-out on the opening drive of the game, and then turning around in just four plays to score a 36-yard touchdown by Mike Herzog. This would be his first of five touchdowns in this game. In the second quarter, the Panthers managed to tie the game seven to seven and threatened to take the lead before halftime with a field goal. Raleigh Tolsma came in clutch by blocking the field goal, which gave Hillsdale the ball on their own 20. With just a minute and 18 to go in the half, the chargers

managed to go 80 yards with Garrett Eison connecting with Josh Lee for 25 yards, and then with his brother Sam Lee for 45 yards to set Hillsdale up on ODU's two yard line. Herzog ran the ball into the end zone for his second score, giving Hillsdale a 14 to 7 lead at halftime. After the half, the Panthers got a strip sack to start the second half on Hillsdale's 5. The Charger defense managed to hold O'DU to a field goal, which made the game 14 to 10. On their next three drives, the Chargers managed to successfully score in each drive. Herzog scored on a 30-yard touchdown run and also on two one-yard rushes, which turned the close game around to give the Chargers a lead of 35 to 10.

With eight seconds to go in the game, the Panthers were able to make one final final score, leaving the final score of 35 to 17. Herzog managed to set multiple records against what is known as the GMAC's best rush defense. He rushed a career high of 175 yards and had all five of Hillsdale's touchdowns. Those scores gave him 21 total touchdowns on the season, breaking the old Great Midwest Athletic Conference record of 19 set in 2017. With five rushing touchdowns, Herzog also broke the GMAC's single game rushing touchdown record and tied Hillsdale's all-time record for single-game rushing touchdowns matching Gordon Piot in 1939, Hillsdale Hall of Famer Nate Clark in 1955, and Willis Miles in 1982.

Hillsdale piled up 435 total yards of offense with a great final performance by quarterback Garrett Eason, who was 7 for 11 for 149 yards and connected on a 79-yard pass to Sam Lee. Sam Lee finished with five catches for 151 yards on his career best performance. Hillsdale's defense also had a phenomenal game. Riley Tollsma had a big sack and tied for the Chargers lead tackles having eight. Vince Franciscone added eight tackles as well. Nolan Strachie chipped in six tackles and had two pass breakups in the game. Charger kicker Julian Lee was five for five on extra points,

and senior Ethan Lammerow averaged 42.3 yards on three punts. Hillesdale finishes their season six and five after this win and six in the GMAC. The Chargers have won their last five games in a row, showcasing their resilience as a program. There's a lot of work to be done in the offseason and a lot. lot to look forward to in the season to come. The Charger volleyball team went two and one this past weekend, defeating Tiffin and Malone in three sets and falling to Finley in a tough five-set match.

Ali Weiss broke the single-season ACEs record against Finley with 58 aces. Against Malone, Aliis had 22 digs and Amanda Hillikur had eight. Maisie Brown had eight kills. Emery Brazwell had five kills and added two service aces. And Lauren Paisalia had 21 assists. Against Tiffin, Ali Weiss had 25 digs. Amanda Hillicker had 10 and Marilyn Popwell had eight. Masey Brown had 14 kills and Megan Culp, Marilyn Popwell,

and Emery Braswell all had 10 kills. And Lauren Pesalia had 38 assists. Against Finley, Aluiz had 20 digs, Amanda Hill occur at 15, Maryland Popowell had 12, and Roger Riley had 7. Maisie Brown and Megan Culp had 12 kills. Marilyn Pappua had 11, and Emery Braswell had 10. And Lauren Pesalia had 43 assists. And then Ali Weiss added two service aces.

Hillsdale also ended their season on top of the division, which means they will host the GMAC tournament. The tournament starts this week, so on Tuesday at 7 p.m., create some time on your schedule to watch the Chargers take on Cedarville and Dawn Tibbet Potter Arena. The Chargers men's basketball team opened up their regular season this week. They won the both third games this week against Wayne State and Saginaw Valley, and this week they take on Michigan Dearborn at home at 7 p.m.

And the Hillsdale Women's Basketball team unfortunately fell in both their games this week, but they're looking for the first win this week as they traveled to Quincy on Friday and take on McKinjury Saturday at home at 1 p.m. Evan and I are here with Nolan Strachie and Vincent Francisco and defensive backs on Hillsdale's football team. team. Thank you guys for joining us today. Thanks for having us. Yeah, let's do it. So yesterday, you guys had a big win against ODIU with a final score of 35 to 17. Vince, you had eight tackles in the game and Nolan, you added another six tackles and had two past breakups.

So what do you guys think contributed to the momentum and the performance by the Chargers in this game? We came out fast in the first half, got some like big stops, and then our offense just they did what they do, scored early, scored often. and then that just helped us. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think going into the game, we thought that it was going to be a pretty low-scoring game, and we were going to have to do a lot of work on defense to kind of hold them because we knew that they had

one of the best defenses in the G-MAC, but credit to our offense, because they came out and they attacked them, and they got after it, and they scored a lot. And that took a lot of the pressure off of us. We just went out there and had fun and ended up having a good game. So looking at the season in review,

you guys went from starting the season, 0-and-4 to actually finishing with a winning record of 6 and 5. So what do you think led to a shift in the season like this with your team? Yeah. I think, you know, there's a lot of things that go into a season. It's a long season and it's tough to consistently grind. Even when you're, you know, when we start out 0-4, I think it's easy for guys to kind of hang their heads and just want to throw on the towel for the season.

But, you know, I think we have a great group of guys. You know, I love everybody on the team. And I think that was kind of kind of our thing. year was to just keep going no matter the circumstances. Obviously, we had a rough start, but credit to everybody because, you know, we just kept fighting. And we knew eventually that we had good players, you know. And from the start, we knew we had good players and we had a good team. And we just had to get everybody on the same page and get it clicking.

And eventually it did and finish strong. Yeah, we just, we kind of had a younger team this year. And it just took a couple of games to kind of get like into our stride and start clicking offensively and defensively, like coaches with players. like same mindset and just everyone started like executing and doing their job together and then that just led to success so because hill still plays such a small box and plays a lot of nickel and dime how does it affect your responsibility as dbs in the run game yeah um i think playing on our defense i think it's pretty apparent that db is the position is the most fun position to play out there

i mean there's a lot of responsibility on our defense um on the dbs to play outside the box play inside of the box make tackles, but also guard guys out in space. So, you know, the way our defense is set up, it's designed so that the DBs are going to make a lot of plays. And I think that's a fun, fun thing about it for us is we get to go in and make a lot of tackles. But it's also a lot of responsibility. So, yeah, they really put you in a position to succeed. And they really trust in the defensive backs and their defensive scheme to kind of be the ones that are going and being the free hitter and making the plays in there. So as, defensive players, what are you guys looking at in an opponent's offense when you're watching

film and prepping for a game? I'll watch for like certain tendencies in certain formations and like down in distances and then sometimes how guys like line up or like some guys have certain tells like if it's going to be a run or a pass and if you can kind of key in on that it'll kind of slow the game down for you. Yeah, we like to switch up what we're doing a lot on defense. So in credit to our coaches, I think film is one of the most one of the things that kind of sets us apart from other schools is how much work we put in in the film room and really just coming up with a good game plan every week for how we're going to attack them based off what they like to do. And I think as a season kind of turned around there, I think that was one of the

things that really helped us. So as players, how much effect do you guys have on that scheme? We don't have like a whole lot of say, but just kind of like how we react to the certain play calls like throughout the week and the weeks prior. That'll change their like future. your game plans and like what they like want to call for us because there's certain calls that we just do better in and are just more comfortable in than others and they just try to stick with those and stick with the stuff like we know better because then we can play faster. Yeah, you know, like X's and O's wise, I would say, you know, the coaches pretty much come up with all of that the week before. But I think like early on in the season, you know, we're like he said,

we're a young team. We had a lot of young guys in the DB room that were playing for their first time. playing with each other for the first time, and we had a lot of trouble communicating with each other early on in the season. But yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like we were able to turn it around. Those guys, we were able to figure out what we like to do, figure out what works good for us,

and kind of settle into those rules. So I think like X's and knows wise, we don't have a whole lot of say of what we're doing. But there's a lot of stuff that we got to be talking about on the field and communicating during the game. So I guess that part of it, we do do a lot of it. So Nolan, what ways do you use your height of 5-8-tier advantage? Well, it doesn't give me much advantage, but I just try to not think about it.

I just try to play like any other guy out there, do what I can make plays. The low man wins. I just try to let it not affect me out there. So what are you guys doing outside of practice and before games to make sure that you're prepared for a game? I think recovery is really big at this level because it's just it takes a lot more toll on your body. So, like, if you're banged up and, like, a little bit injured, like, getting in the training room and getting treatment that you need. And also just kind of staying hydrated and, like, eating right, because that, it's just the

fuel that your body uses to practice and play. So you just, you got to treat your body well to play well. So, Vince, you had an injury at the start of the season. How did that injury affect your season? And how do you overcome an injury while playing? Yeah, like, that sucked. And I've never had, like, an injury where it, you know, kind of took me out for, any real, like significant time.

You know, like getting a lot of playing time last year as a sophomore. I was really excited for this year just coming back and trying to build off that. And so it definitely sucked, you know, at camp, you know, pool my hamstring and then having to work through that for, you know, the first four or five weeks of the season there. But, you know, eventually I got over it. Eventually I did and I was able to come back. And I think, you know, obviously it stinks to do that, but to come back and then just realize, like, while you're out, realize how much you like to, how much you love to play football,

how much you miss being out there with the guys. And so I think that kind of brought some energy back for me, coming back and just being excited to go out there and play every day. Yeah. So you got, Vince, you just talked about something that you've been through that was kind of mentally and physically challenging. So Nolan, talk to me about what was a challenge that you faced mentally or physically that you've had to overcome in your years of playing football?

I mean, just kind of one of the apparent ones is I'm just undersized as a college football player at pretty much any position. So I've just kind of had to make up for that in other aspects of how I play. And then I feel like my mental aspect of the game is my strongest attribute. So I try to make up with it there. And I just try to work hard. So the sideline is yelling pass and the yelling ball when the ball is thrown. What changes in your positioning and your mindset do you make when you hear that call?

Nothing because I can't hear. No, you don't hear that. Yeah. Like you might, if you're away from the ball, you might hear pass. or ball, but if you're guarding the guy, you're not hearing that. You're just locked in on him. Okay, so give me your guys pregame routine. What are the things that you have to do in order to get into the right headspace before a game? It's game day you wake up. What's the first thing you do? All right. I got nothing like when I wake up, like wake up and then we go to Team Mill. I got

nothing before that. That's pretty normal. But after we come back from Team Mail, we get to the sports complex. I always got to, you know, it's things for away games because I can't do this. But For home games, I always got to take a, like a 20-minute hot tub. I always do that. I'll do that a couple hours before the game, and then I'm always eating a pack of skittles. I got to have my pre-game skittles. That's about it. On game day, I'll wake up, and then before I do anything,

I'll just say like a little prayer to start the day. And then I'll shower just to kind of, like, start my day right, and then go eat pre-game meal. Then when we show up to, if it's a home or away game, I just get some, like, mobility work in, like on the field or in the wait room, then I work on, I just go out there, play catch for a little bit, and then I get back in the locker room and I get locked in. How did redshirting your freshman year help you guys become better players?

I was fortunate enough to play behind some guys my freshman year that had been here for a while. So those guys were super helpful in just like learning how to balance school and football at the same time, especially at a place like Hillsdale where the classes are pretty tough. So, you know, that was good. And then those guys were just also really good football players. And so learning how to play football from them was super helpful. So I think that whole year, like redshirting, is just a good thing to have because you don't have to come here and jump right into football and balance that with school.

You just come here and you can kind of focus on school, focus on school mostly, and then kind of learn the playbook, learn how to play football here. Yeah, because like jumping from high school to college is kind of a big jump. And with that redshirt year, you kind of get to kind of ease into it a little more without the stress of being like a key contributor. So it makes it a lot like mentally, like easier mentally on you. So Vince, you just talked about the academic challenges that we have at Hillsdale. So walk me through a typical day, both of you as a student athlete at Hillsdale or talk to me about how you manage your time between school and football. Yeah. Well, I don't really. But yeah, depending on the day,

I mean, a couple of classes early. And then during the week, the days are pretty long. long. You know, Mondays we have practice at night, so you try and get in homework whenever you can during the day. But other than that, you know, we're practicing and, you get school in the morning and then try and practice from about, you know, 2.30 and hopefully get out of there around 7. So that leaves a little bit of time in the evenings for some schoolwork. But it's really not too bad, but it's pretty much the whole day. It just consists of football and school. So during the week. Yeah, you just, you stay busy. And when you have free time, you just you're always working on homework or whatever you need to get done and then on the away games

you have the bus rides to do stuff which kind of sucks but you just you have to do it sometimes how does your faith affect how you guys act on the field and during practice it just it helps to give me just more confidence and whatever I'm doing just like it's just like I have a helping hand there with me and it just it helps me just feel more like secure in what I'm doing and I'm just like doing the right thing and he's there to help me. I think it kind of gives me a better, a bigger purpose, you know, for doing the things that we do, you know, football's not always, I don't think football is always fun, like off-season workouts, it's not always fun, waking up early, staying there late. Like, it's not always fun. So I think just knowing that it's for a good cause, like the things that

you do in football translates to life and those things, you know, the faith really just teaches you all those morals that you can carry on to the football field and you can carry into life. And I think it just translates really well. And that's what kind of keeps you going. So if you two were talking to a potential recruit, what would you tell them is the most significant and memorable aspect of the football program at Hillsdale? What sets Hillsdale apart from other programs? I would say morning conditioning sets Hillsdale apart from everywhere else.

You got to do morning conditioning. Morning conditioning's great. It's the best thing about being a football player here. Everybody loves morning conditioning. Uh, yeah, I don't know about that, but I'd say the thing that sets Hillsdale apart is just the people we have here. Like, everybody on the team is just like a genuine person. Like, there's not many, like, fake people or they're just like trying to, they're selfish or like trying to go behind people's back. Like everyone's like like a good guy and like you can trust them.

How do you guys know as DBs when you're in a position to get your head around and make a play on the ball or when you should play the receiver? Where you're at on the field is kind of a big one. for that. Like if you have them pinned on the sideline and you can lean into him, you can look. But if he's like going across the middle, you can kind of like be on your man and see the ball more. But it's more like if you can make a play on the ball, you do that, but you don't sacrifice like cutting the guy free just to try to make a play. Yeah. And refs suck. Nobody likes the refs. Yeah. So, you know, it's always hard to to know what you got to do, you know, to not get flagged. It's a lot easier to just not turn your head around and just try and pull.

play the guy and play his hands. But you flagged a lot doing that. So. And so what are your guys' majors and what are your potential plans after college? I'm a physics major and I'm planning to go into the Navy and do the nuclear engineering program there and then just get a job after that. That's crazy because I am also a physics major and I am in the Navy currently in the nuclear engineering program. So once I graduate from here, I'll be going off to the Navy. That's awesome. And so after that, do you have any plans? Any thoughts? Yeah. Yeah. Think about that. No, not in particular. I'd like to go back to graduate school after that, maybe, and get a master's degree somewhere. But other than that, I don't have anything planned right now. So you guys are

smart. I'd like to think that. Hilsdale defense has a bend don't break type mentality. So how does that impact how you play? I don't think that I'd say that's our mentality all the time. I think it's a situational thing because there's certain situations where we just, we need to get the ball back. Like we have to make a play. And then there's other situations where we just can't give up big plays. So it just depends on like where we're at in the game, like score on the field. like it's not always that same mentality. Yeah, I think the biggest thing for us as a defense is like not giving up the big play. That kind of got us early on there in those games we were giving up the big play,

giving up, you know, 70-yard touchdown passes, 50-yard runs, things like that. They just can't climb back from all the time. You know, they start to build up and making teams drive the field, making them consistently make 10-yard plays, 5-yard plays, and just go all the way down the field because, you know, most teams eventually, some point are going to break. Most teams aren't going to be able to keep that up all the way down the field all game long. So, you know, letting them have, letting other teams have the short plays, make them drive the field, and then we know eventually, you know, at some point we're going to make

a play. So I think that's kind of our bend but don't break mentality that we have. Of course, you know, sometimes we've got to step up and just make a play. But for the most part, just trying to make teams drive the field. And then we know at some point we're going to step up and make a play. And looking forward into this offseason, what are some things that you two, will be prioritizing in order to grow and improve in your positions as DBs for next year. Yeah, I think we got to get better as a DB room. On the whole, I think the defense, you know, like I said earlier, is set up for the DBs to make a lot of plays. And so I think if we want to have a good defense, we got to have a good defensive back room. So I think it'll be good. We've got

a whole year. Most of the guys coming back. I think, you know, we're all just got to get on the same page, work hard. And I think, so I think we're set up for success next year. We just got to work hard and get after it. I just think we need to like really focus on the little things and just like get better technique. Just be get better at every aspect of being a defensive bag. Well, thank you guys so much for joining us. Thanks for having us. Yeah, shout out radio free hillsdale. And thank you for listening to the Charger Rundown on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.