THE RFC MYC: Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC)-(NCAA Division III)

Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC)-(NCAA Division III)

Overview: The race for the 2018 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) championship came down to the final week of the regular season, with Franklin, Hanover, and Mount St. Joseph sharing the title at 7-1 in league play. However, a stunning win over Franklin on November 10 not only gave the Panthers the Victory Bell in knocking off the Grizzlies, it also propelled them into postseason play for the first time since 2003. Hanover fell to North Central (Ill.) in the first round of the NCAA Division III playoffs to end their season at 7-4 overall.

Meanwhile, both Mount St. Joseph and Franklin both found themselves on the outside looking in despite finishing 8-2 overall last fall. While the Lions handed Hanover their lone HCAC loss of the season in a tight 19-15 contest on October 27, it was a tough loss to Franklin just two weeks earlier (October 13) that turned out to be their undoing, as the Grizzlies outlasted them 42-34 for their lone league defeat. As for Franklin, the upset loss to archrival Hanover forced the Grizzlies to miss out on the playoffs for just the third time since 2006, with the only other time during that 13-year span coming in 2009, when the Grizzlies finished 7-3. 

Looking ahead to 2019, the HCAC will have one less team taking the football field this fall, as Earlham has suspended its program for this season pending further review. That means the other eight teams will only play seven conference games this season, with the three remaining regular season contests coming from outside of the conference. As for a game that HCAC fans should mark on their calendars, Hanover plays host to Franklin in the Victory Bell game on November 16, with the Grizzlies looking to avenge last year's loss to the Panthers.

2018 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Football Final Standings

2019 Schedules (Teams listed in alphabetical order, click the links below to access to find the schedules)

NOTE: If the link to the team's schedule is not highlighted, it means that the team has not submitted its schedule for the 2019 season. When the team's schedule is submitted, the link (s) will appear in each blog post. Also, please visit the RFC blog at realfootballcentral.blogspot.com for schedules, schedule updates, preseason previews, and much more.

Anderson

Bluffton

Defiance

Franklin

Hanover

Manchester

Mount St. Joseph

Rose-Hulman

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