HANOVER, Ind. – The Hanover football team welcomes Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Defiance College to Alumni Stadium.

THE LAST MEETING: The last meeting between Hanover and Defiance came in the spring of 2021 with the Blue and Red capturing the 56-12 victory. The Panthers were led in the contest by senior Matthew Weimer (Georgetown, Ind.) with 134-yards through the air and senior Shawn Coane (Evansville, Ind.) with 66-yards on the ground.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Hanover enters the weekend averaging 27.8 ppg, while only giving up 25.0 ppg. Pacing the offensive attack is the running back duo of seniors Shawn Coane and Walt Ballinger (Beech Grove, Ind.). Coane averages a team-best 91.0-yards per game, while Ballinger comes in at 54.4-yards per outing. Through the air, senior Jared Frank (Louisville, Ky.) has been the Panthers top target collecting 307 total yards with two touchdowns.

ON THE DEFENSE: The Blue and Red defense has been a key component of the Panther success led by senior Kyle Treber (Mishawaka, Ind.) and junior Devonte Hardiman (Princeton, Ind.). Treber has tallied a team-best 44 tackles, including 23 solo stops. The senior has forced a fumble and added an interception. Hardiman has provided  the pressure in the backfield with six sacks and a fumble recovery.

UNDER THEOBALD: Head Coach Matt Theobald enters his sixth season with the Panthers posting a career 30-19 overall record, 27-10 in HCAC action. He has led the program to three consecutive HCAC titles, while making back-to-back NCAA Playoff berths.

BRINGING THE STING: The Yellow Jackets currently sit at 0-5 overall after falling to Manchester 22-0. Defiance is led this season by senior quarterback Cole Recker averaging 87.0-yards per game. Sophomore Tyshaun Freeman has paced the ground attack averaging 53.4-yards per carry.