No. 20 Eagles Lose Late At No. RV Greyhounds To End Non-Conference Slate

On Saturday (Sept. 13), the No. 20-ranked Ashland University football team lost 33-26 at No. RV Indianapolis to finish the non-conference portion of the 2025 regular-season schedule.
 
The Eagles are 1-1, and the Greyhounds are 2-1.
 
Highlighting Saturday's effort once again were the stats turned in by senior defensive end Michael Shimek. After finishing with four solo tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble, Shimek has 6½ sacks in the first two games of 2025.
 
The Greyhounds got the game's first break on a fumbled Eagle punt return early in the first quarter, which set Indy up 15 yards away from the end zone. The ensuing 31-yard field goal attempt, however, was missed, and Ashland got away with the turnover without falling behind.
 
Indianapolis was knocking on the door of the go-ahead score late in the first quarter before sophomore defensive tackle Zane Swackhammer's first career interception. But on the first play of the second quarter, the Greyhounds struck first on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Sukup to Colton Wilkie.
 
Redshirt freshman kicker Manaki Watanabe's first collegiate field goal, a 22-yarder, cut the AU deficit to 7-3 with 5:45 to go until halftime. That ended an 83-yard drive.
 
The Greyhounds, however, took momentum back late in the first half in the form of a defensive scoop-and-score, as Alvin Contreras' 43-yard fumble return touchdown put Indy up by two scores at 14-3.
 
Back and forth the two teams went, and Ashland's response was a one-yard scoring plunge from junior fullback Collin Remenowsky – his first collegiate TD. The Eagles were back to within four points at 14-10 with 65 seconds left in the first half, following a 10-play, 85-yard drive.
 
And, then, right before the break, Watanabe's early career-long field goal of 46 yards – following an interception by senior safety D.J. Butler – pulled the Eagles to 14-13 at the break.
 
Once senior quarterback Cameron Blair ran in from 10 yards out Ashland's opening drive of the second half, the Eagles' 17 consecutive points put them ahead 20-14. Blair and Remenowsky then connected on a 19-yard scoring strike early in the fourth quarter to lift AU to a 26-14 lead (two-point conversion failed) with 12:36 remaining in regulation.
 
Indianapolis halted the Eagles' run with just inside of 10 minutes to go in the game on a Garrett Sherrell one-yard touchdown rush – cutting Ashland's lead to six points at 26-20. The Greyhounds went driving again on their next possession, but a sack/forced fumble from Shimek resulted in a fumble recovery for sophomore linebacker Jack Talkington.
 
Following the Eagles' third turnover, Indy went back down the field, and Sherrell's one-yard scoring run gave the Greyhounds a one-point lead at 27-26 (two-point conversion failed). Indianapolis scored on the game's final play when Contreras hopped on a fumble in the end zone.

 

WRAPPING IT UP

• Ashland sacked Sukup eight times – the Eagles' highest single-game total since at least 2011.
• Sophomore defensive end Elisha Baldridge finished Saturday with nine total tackles (seven solo), two tackles for loss and a sack.

NEXT UP
The 2025 home opener at Jack Miller Stadium/Martinelli Field vs. Hillsdale (1-1) at 1 p.m. on Sept. 20. The Traveling Trophy game also will be a Martinelli Seat Dedication, as well as reunions for 1955, 1960, 1965, 1980 and 1985 Eagle football teams.