Holland Reporter

Grand Valley State University’s football team, ranked 23rd nationally, will host Michigan Tech in its homecoming game on Saturday. The Lakers currently hold a 5-3 overall record and are 3-2 in league play, while the Huskies stand at 7-2 overall and 4-1 in GLIAC action. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

The all-time series between Grand Valley State and Michigan Tech has been dominated by the Lakers, who lead with a 33-4 margin. Last season, Grand Valley State defeated Michigan Tech 20-0 in Houghton. The Lakers have won nine consecutive games against the Huskies and have recorded significant offensive outputs during this period.

Scott Wooster, now in his third year as head coach of Grand Valley State, has led the program to a record of 27 wins and seven losses. Under his leadership, the team has made two NCAA Division II playoff appearances and secured a GLIAC title within his first two seasons.

Last weekend, Grand Valley State secured a decisive victory over Wayne State with a score of 59-13. After trailing early, the Lakers scored 56 unanswered points. Six different players contributed rushing touchdowns; Jason Hardy returned an interception for a touchdown; linebacker Anthony Scott recovered a fumbled snap for another score. Linebacker Torian Wyatt led with eight tackles and forced a fumble; Anthony Cardamone added seven tackles along with multiple sacks and tackles for loss. Kicker Mathew Bacik was successful on all nine extra point attempts and made a field goal from 29 yards out. Quarterback Andrew Schuster completed 17 passes for 256 yards.

Brady Drogosh ranks second on the team in rushing yards (212) and has four rushing touchdowns this season.

Defensively, Grand Valley State ranks fourth nationally in redzone defense—opponents have converted just over half their opportunities inside the red zone into scores. Offensively, the Lakers are second in their conference at converting redzone opportunities into points.

Senior punter Trace Hrgich is averaging more than 46 yards per punt this season—second best nationally—with several punts traveling over fifty yards or landing inside opponents’ twenty-yard line.

The defense has performed strongly against teams such as Davenport and Northern Michigan by limiting them to low yardage totals during key stretches of games. Nationally, Grand Valley’s defense also ranks among leaders in tackles for loss and first down prevention through seven games played so far this year.

Anthony Cardamone was recognized as GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week after recording notable statistics including multiple sacks during last week’s win over Wayne State: "He was a key piece of a defense that limited Wayne State to 141 yards of total offense while he was in the game." Cardamone leads GVSU with fifty-two total tackles this season along with five quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery.

Mathew Bacik earned GLIAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors following his performance at Wayne State: "Bacik hit a 29-yard field goal, was 8-for-8 in point after attempts and averaged 53.7 yards on nine kickoffs with one touchback at Wayne State." He is nearly perfect on extra points this year (37-of-38) and recently converted his career-long field goal from fifty-four yards out.

In earlier matchups this season—including victories over Black Hills State—the offense produced quick scoring drives featuring explosive plays both through passing and running attacks. Redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Schuster set school records for passing yardage by completing twenty-two passes for nearly four hundred yards against Black Hills State: "Schuster completed passes to ten different receivers...and he engineered seven scoring drives that did not eclipse two minutes thirty-nine seconds."

On special teams and defense alike there have been standout moments—such as Riley Simpson’s ninety-six yard fumble return touchdown which set a new school record—and strong contributions from various players across positions throughout recent contests.

Attendance remains high at Lubbers Stadium where Grand Valley leads national figures again this year after drawing more than forty-one thousand fans through just two home games.