Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University’s football team secured a decisive 59-13 win against Wayne State on Saturday afternoon in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matchup. The Lakers, ranked #25, will return home to host Michigan Tech on November 8 at Lubbers Stadium for their Homecoming game.

Wayne State opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal after an 11-play drive. Grand Valley State responded with a 10-play, 64-yard drive capped by a 29-yard field goal from placekicker Mathew Bacik, tying the score at 3-3.

After another Wayne State field goal gave the Warriors a 6-3 lead late in the second quarter, Grand Valley State took control. Quarterback Andrew Schuster completed key passes to wide receiver Kellen Reed and running back Derrick Woods before Woods scored on a one-yard run. Defensive end Ryder Gravenhof recovered a fumble deep in Wayne State territory, setting up senior running back Syone Usma-Harper for another one-yard touchdown run. Bacik added the extra point for a 17-6 halftime advantage.

The Lakers’ momentum continued into the third quarter. Following another Wayne State turnover recovered by defensive tackle Jibriel Conde, Schuster connected with wide receiver Lynn Wyche-El and running back Paschal Jolman for quick gains, with Jolman finishing the drive with a 23-yard touchdown run. Anthony Scott recovered a fumbled snap in the end zone to increase Grand Valley’s lead to 31-6.

Running back Kenneth Jones contributed a one-yard touchdown following another sustained drive. Cornerback Jason Hardy then returned an interception for 90 yards and another score before the end of the third quarter. In the final quarter, quarterback Zak Olejniczak rushed for a five-yard touchdown and running back Kellen Russell-Dixon added another two-yard rushing score.

Schuster led Grand Valley’s passing attack by completing 17 of his 26 attempts for 256 yards. Reed caught five passes for 70 yards, Wyche-El had four receptions for 81 yards, and Sean Byrd added three catches for 33 yards. Russell-Dixon was the leading rusher with nine carries totaling 61 yards.

On defense, Grand Valley recorded nine tackles for loss and four sacks. Linebacker Torian Wyatt led with eight tackles while senior linebacker Anthony Cardamone registered seven tackles along with one and a half sacks and one and a half tackles for loss.