Football 9/12/2025 2:01:00 PM

Week 2: Findlay Looks to Keep Rolling vs Wayne State

The Game
Following up a big win over nationally ranked Indianapolis, the Oilers welcome in the Wayne State Warriors for a noon kickoff on Saturday, Sep. 13 in Donnell Stadium. Last year in Detroit, Findlay had their way with their GLIAC opponent, but with 70 new players in the fold in 2025, this version of Wayne State may look completely different, providing a new challenge for the Orange and Black looking to start a season 2-0 for the second consecutive year.

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Tickets for Wayne State at Findlay

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Findlay Oilers (1-0, 0-0 G-MAC)
2025 Findlay Football Coaching Staff
Since the Oilers joined the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) in 2017, they have a record of 5-3 in week two. Last year, the Oilers would travel to Detroit to take on the Warriors, defeating them by a score of 42-30.

Making his first career collegiate start in week one was Chase Harrison, making this the fifth straight year that the Oilers will have a new man under center. Harrison finished week one with two touchdown passes.

The Oilers rushing attack was dominant in week one, as they racked up 272 yards on the ground. Leading the way was Christian Davis, who ran for 109 yards on 11 attempts. This makes him the first Oiler since the spring of 2021 to surpass the 100-yard mark in a season opener, when Derek Lynch totaled 105 at Hillsdale.

Bryan Hunt will look to continue his strong start to the season in week two, as his performance in week one earned him G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. As the Oilers were without Delon Hurt in the opener, Hunt carried the load, recording a 34-yard rushing touchdown to go along with four receptions for 48 yards and his second touchdown of the contest.

Leading the Findlay defense in week one was Kevin Henderson, as the sophomore totaled eight tackles, including one TFL. Henderson finished off his impressive day with an interception as well. Also impressive was Elijah Shankle, who finished with four tackles in the game. The sophomore would record his first two sacks of the season in the fourth quarter against UIndy.

Findlay is hoping the ranked win in week one will give their team momentum for the rest of the year. The victory over #17 UIndy is the team's first win over a ranked opponent in seven years and the first home win against a ranked team in 16 years.

About the Opponent – Wayne State Warriors (0-1, 0-0 GLIAC)
A program that has tallied just eight wins in the 2020s, the Wayne State Warriors are far from a pushover and should not be taken lightly as UF wraps up its non-conference play for the regular season. It has been 14 seasons, but in 2011 the Warriors were among the nation's elite, making the NCAA DII National Championship game. After that year, the program has been searching for consistency in terms of a win-loss record, finishing with as many as eight wins and as few as one win in the time since then. Now in the third year under Tyrone Wheatley, Wayne State is looking to improve on a two-win season last year, and with 109 players in the team who started the year having not yet played a game in the Green and Gold, that lack of scar tissue may be just the recipe Warrior fans are looking for.

The recognizable name of Tyrone Wheatley is an attraction as the former University of Michigan star and NFL vet- eran to lead this team back to national relevance. Wheatley has coaching experience at all three NCAA divisions, including DI Eastern Michigan, Syracuse, Michigan, and Morgan State. He also has spent time in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Denver Broncos as a running backs coach.

Boasting the 24th-toughest schedule in the country according to Massey Ratings, the Warriors road is never easy as they compete yearly against a pair of the nation's top football programs in Ferris State and Grand Valley State. Taking on two of the best in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) in Tiffin and Findlay to start the year is a credit to a coaching staff that does not shy away from quality opponents.

Last year, the Oilers held a 42-3 lead early in the second half in Detroit as the game was all but decided. However, the Warriors showed fight, rattling off 27 unanswered points to make the final 42-30. That second half is certainly what will be cited in the UF locker room prior to Saturday's affair, showing how dangerous and explosive the Warriors can be when everything falls into place.

Leading the way will be quarterback Champion Edwards who was the main cog to the WSU offense last year against the Oilers. Through the air, he struggled, completing just five passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns. But on the ground, Edwards proved to be a top-end athlete, rushing 13 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. In fact, the War- riors as a team rushed for 256 yards against the Oilers last year, the most rushing yards Findlay allowed in a game all season. At the end of the year, Edwards was named honorable mention all-GLIAC and is the only one of seven Wayne State players who earned all-GLIAC to return to the squad in '25.

Other players to watch according to the GLIAC preseason release included defensive ends Jaiden Acker and Colby Horn, and safety Elijah Fowlkes.

Acker led the squad in sacks a season ago with 4.5 and totaled eight tackles for loss, which ranked second on the team (Carl Ware - 9.5). The Grand Rapids native had his best performance in last year's season finale against NMU with eight total tackles (3-5), including one for loss (a sack).

Horn, now a redshirt junior, has played in all 11 games each of the last two seasons and has totaled 35 tackles, 21 of which were solo. The Menomonee Falls, Wis., product has notched six tackles for loss and forced one fumble in his career.

Fowlkes enters the 2025 campaign as the squad's lone three-year letterwinner, playing in 24 games through his first three seasons. The senior was most effective in 2024 as he garnered 62 tackles, snagged one interception, and recovered one fumble.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Kevin Henderson: LB; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#4 Bryan Hunt: WR; 6' 0"; Senior

#7 Delon Hurt: WR; 6' 0"; Graduate Student

#90 Elijah Shankle: DL; 6' 3"; Sophomore

#6 Chase Harrison: QB; 6' 2"; Junior

#24 Christian Davis: RB; 5' 10"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#9 Kevin Henderson
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: LB

#4 Bryan Hunt
: 6' 0"; Senior
: WR

#7 Delon Hurt
: 6' 0"; Graduate Student
: WR

#90 Elijah Shankle
: 6' 3"; Sophomore
: DL

#6 Chase Harrison
: 6' 2"; Junior
: QB

#24 Christian Davis
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: RB