Heidelberg looking for more in 2026

Heidelberg University couldn't be more excited to start the new season off right. The Student Princes last season were 6-4 overall and had a 5-3 Ohio Athletic Conference record, putting them into fourth place. "Sure we could have easily been 8-2," HU coach Scott Donaldson said. "But we were starting four freshmen at the end of the season." There were two games that Donaldson looks back on that could have made a difference in the season. The first was against Calvin on Sept 20, where the teams were tied up at 34 heading into OT. While Calvin broke out and won with a touchdown and HU got a field goal, making Calvin the winner 40-37, that game was a high-pressure situation. "With that pressure, the kids rose to the occasion throughout the remainder of the season," Donaldson said. The other close game was at the end of the season with Baldwin Wallace. Tied at 38 with 3:02 remaining in the game, BW pulled out a 34-yard field goal to pull ahead and win 41-38. "It's not the games that you lose that close that stick out in your mind," Donaldson said. "It's the games that you don't play well that sticks out." That was last season: this season, there will be a tough challenge ahead with new schools added to the schedule and a mix of experience and inexperience in all three areas of the football team. First though, a look at who is returning for the Student Princes, as there are 125 that will dress for Saturday's game against Marysville and they have 158 in total, which is on the lower end for schools in the OAC. One area that has a lot of experience returning is offensively, as they have six or seven coming back. Coming back this season is senior Drew Miller. The running back earned first-team All-OAC last season, and third team All-American. Miller led the OAC with 1,383 rushing yards, averaging 144.5 yards per game. Miller led the team in touchdowns with 13. For quarterbacks, there are two returners that will be in the spot this season. One of them is senior Lance Rickle from Carey. Last season, he had 56 yards rushing and 28 passing yards and appeared in three games last season. The other QB is graduate student Alex Arledge, who passed for 99 yards and had two touchdowns. Arledge appeared in four games last season, and played for two seasons at California University of Pennsylvania before coming to 'Berg. Additional returners for the Student Princes for the offensive line include two-time captain Elmwood alumni offensive lineman Zach May, tailback and captain senior Shae Sparks from Plymouth, and Columbian alumni Max Fortney (OL). Defensive returners and special team returners include Carey's Austin Niederkohr, who earned first team All-American last season. He also earned the OAC's Special Team's Player of the Year award. This season, the junior defensive back holds an important position as he was named one of five captains for the Student Princes. Niederkohr recorded 37 tackles last year. Another defensive returner is Fremont Ross alumni and captain Mason Villareal. The senior linebacker had 69 tackles and 32 were solo tackles. The kickers for the season will be different, and haven't been determined exactly, but are looking to possibly utilize senior Andrew Orahood this season. "There will be some new faces when it comes to kickers and punters," Donaldson said. "I don't want to say that everyone is a specialist, but everyone around me. The guys blocking the front, the guys running down on the kickoff, the guys blocking the punts, and the guys covering the punts. We have a core group of guys for the team." The home opener this season is against Maryville. It's a team that is new to the schedule this season. They are replacing the traditional week one opponent of Hiram College. "It's going to be a different level of competition," Donaldson said. "We are going to find out what this team we have this year is made up of." The other new college added to the schedule is Rose-Hulman out of Terra-Haute, Indiana. While the goal is the same as wanting to win the OAC title, making it to nationals, and bringing home a national championship, it's not going to be an easy battle. "I have been doing this for 23 years," Donaldson said. "It's exciting to get new opponents but it's also scary. We know how the Mounts, the Wallaces, and the Capitals all do things. Any of us play against each other, we know its going to be great games. As long as we remain healthy, and disciplined, we have the ability to play a great game."