GVFootball.com

The press conference for the 2008 Grand Valley State Lakers Signing Class was held yesterday. Chuck Martin made remarks about the class followed by video highlights and questions.

Official Press Release

Name                Pos  Ht    Wt   Hometown/High SchoolMatt Armstrong      OG   6-3   290  Lansing, Mich./SextonAndrew Biedenbender OL   6-4   270  Mt. Pleasant, Mich.Sam Burchyett       WR   6-1   185  Ann Arbor, Mich./SalineJarrod Cox          SS   6-1   190  Port Clinton, OhioChris Crawford      QB   6-0   180  Muskegon, Mich.Dominic Cundari     OL   6-2   290  Traverse City, Mich./WestZac Dreffs          DB   5-10  175  Elk Rapids, Mich.Jarren Harrison	    RB   5-10  185  Ferndale, Mich.Jared Hensley       LS   5-10  210  Wyoming, Mich./GRCCJohn Kaminski       OL   6-2   295  Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic AcademyCharles Martin      DL   6-2   255  Macomb, Mich./DakotaJohn Orlando        WR   6-0   175  Shelby Twp., Mich./Utica EisenhowerChad O’Shell        RB   5-10  175  Sterling Heights, Mich./Warren DeLaSalleMac Parker          OL   6-1   270  Muskegon, Mich.Myron Puryear       RB   5-10  180  Canton, Mich./PlymouthMatt Sanders        DB   6-3   200  Farmington Hills, Mich./FarmingtonRicky Shorkey       LB   6-3   210  Clinton Twp., Mich./Chippewa ValleyErik Thompson       RB   6-1   180  Pontiac, Mich./L’Anse Creuse NorthLuther Ware         RB   5-10  194  Bay City, Mich./CentralIsrael Woolfork     WR   6-3   175  Livonia, Mich./Franklin

Enrolled in JanuaryJeff Alexander      DB   6-0   190  Battle Creek, Mich./CentralCam Bramer          Ath  6-1   220  Olivet, Mich./Central MichiganKeioshe Jones       DL   6-2   305  Venice, Calif./West L.A. CollegeNick Lawrence       LB   6-3   235  Brighton, Mich./Bowling Green State

Here are my rough notes from the press conference:

Excited. Worked hard. Started last spring. Excited about who we got. Always looking for lineman. Especially OLine. We think we hit the jackpot here. Always looking for diversity. 1-dimensional players don’t work. Multi talents players are what works out. Asst coaches did a great job at finding tremendous athletes that can plug in on both sides of the ball and they are also great students. They also did a great job finding our type of kid. Competitiveness is key.

List Breakdown:

Crawford - QB at Muskegon. Beat DeLaSalle in NC game twice. We are thinking defense (corner safety) but maybe offense as well. ran option at muskegon. dominant player. one of the best juniors in MI last year.

Thompson - RB/DB - very excited about him. We had an eye on him for a long time. Looked like D1 the whole time. Strong and agile. Good at making people miss. Could play S, CB, WR, RB. He could do great things quickly here.

Ware - RB/DB - Little different back being a bit bigger 200 6 foot. Big but physical yet can still run. Set school record for high jump in HS. Lots of track events in HS. Possible LB/TB here.

Puryear - RB/ATH - Slot WR in our O, RB in our O, or CB in our D. Undersized but can make guys miss so we aren’t afraid of that. Breaks lots of tackles

O’Shell - Took over Jimmy’s spot last year until injury halfway through SR year. We were watching him before. Very fast if he gets out in the open. Definitely suits our style of offense.

Harrison - RB - Tremendous SR season. Explosive. fast. Tennessee/Spearmon like. Finds the holes and gets through them. S/CB maybe but probably TB.

Cox - DB - Port Clinton (East of Toledo) - Birthplace of Tim Selgo. Very good feet. Played TB WR S. Will start on D side of the ball.

Sanders - WR - Has a place on O but can play D as well. S/LB. Bigger at 6′3″ Who knows where he will shake out but on the field someplace.

Woolfork WR - Taller explosive. Needs to get into the weigh room. Loves to run and catch. Fits in wth what we do. Should have a great career for us. Definitely O.

Cuddeback DB - Likes to hit. He should help a lot on special teams. Probably a safety. Hard to find kids that like contact like this kid so he will get special teams time early. Not the biggest but makes plays.

Burchyett - WR - Bigger with great hands. Good student. Looks like Antoine Trent 5 years ago.  Stronger kid that will gain speed with time. O guy.

Orlando - WR - A bit undersized but definitely offense. Competitive kid that makes plays.

Dreffs - WR - Tremendous playmaker. Loves to compete.

Shorkey - LB - Very good football player. Committed early. Great LB. Does exactly what we do defensively. Played LB, DE, QB, RB, HB. Bigger kid with unbelievable feet. Start on D but could move. The offense would love him but I don’t think he will end up there.

Martin - DT - Great instincts. Good technique. Good feel for blocking.

Biedenbender - OL - 6′4″ 275 lbs. Tremendous athlete. Early commit. Sold on what we believe at GV. His ability to stay on his feet is really impressive.

Armstrong - OL/DL - 6′3″ 315 lbs. Impressive on his visit. BB comparison. If he can become close to player BB then we are really excited.

Kaminksi - OL - Illinois - Loves to run block.

Parker - OL - A little undersized so he wasn’t that recruited. We got him early and think he can be great at center. Needs a bit more weight at 215.

Cundari - OL - Love his passion and work ethic. Plays it to the end. Effort sets him apart.

A few transfers are still in the works. Not the largest but that’s fine b/c we can only bring 105 into camp. Lost 2 coaches around Christmas but remaining asst coaches did a great job and we didn’t skip a beat.

Q and A:

Lots of OL with no coach. Who did that? Early or what? Some early but all asst coaches have areas so you recruit from your area not position.

Was OL a point of emphasis - probably a key but we always recruit those positions. Skill guys are easier to find but lineman are harder so you take them when you get them.

Who will play soonest? Probably a guard b/c we lost the top 3. Not better player, just higher need. Hard to say at this point. Last years top of SR class were walk-ons so it is hard to say. We put pads on and let them practice.

Lots of early commits. Any kids that fell late? Thompson came late but it wasn’t that we just found him. Its been awhile looking but D1 were working him. The interest seemed to come and go.  Lost a few late but that happens. Lost one to Air Force and one to S. Illinois. Those are good teams to lose them to.

Crawford. Lots of local exposure. No GR on list. We aren’t concerned with where or how many press clippers they got in high school. Crawford should be a great competitor for us here. We look at GR/West Michigan first but didn’t find anything that was better. We look for the best that fit into what we do. Money sometimes plays an issue when its not full scholarship. Other D2 schools always outbid us with money. Our asst coaches just have to keep on them.

Is the 85 scholarship limit at D1 limit. Making D2 more attractive? Ya everyone still has a D1 dream. Less kids are getting it so some more come to this level. Every level has moved up just a bit with the limit coming down. If we had more, we could do lots more damage.

Lots play multiple positions in HS. What do you look for? Try to project at other spots but some expertise comes in. Body type, tape, etc. Big on play makers even if we give up height/weight. Versatility is key.

Thompson BB Player. Any chance? Rick Wesley actually mentioned that to me this morning. I wouldn’t say no chance but very difficult double. I did it in D3 and it is hard because the sports are back to back. Football/baseball is an easier double.

Any in program moves? Not quite yet. That is next on the list of things to do. Some things in the back of my head but not tested till later.

April 12 Spring Game. Snow. Sleet. Rain. We’ll be there.

Sorry for the delay. I went to Lansing last night in the snow storm and didn’t get back soon enough to post before shut eye.

More to come…

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Greg Johnson (GR Press) made a blog post last night with a decent list of who has confirmd verbally to GVSU. The official signing day is Wednesday February 6th, 2007.

Check back on Wednesday for full details.

Sorry for the delay in the Central Washington and Northwest Missouri State photos. Life has busier than normal with Christmas stuff going on.

Central Washington

Northwest Missouri State

Enjoy!

Last night marked the third time that Lakers of GVSU would match up against the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State University in the Division II playoffs. Both of the previous meetings were in the National Championship games in Florence, AL in both 2005 and 2006. Going into the game, GV was leading the series at 2-0.

What was on the line this time?

• The Lakers were on a 40 game winning streak dating back to the quarterfinal loss to the University of North Dakota during the 2004 playoff drive.
• The Lakers were marching towards their 7th invite to the DII National Championship game.
• The Lakers were working on going 13-0 on the 2007 season.

December 8th, 2007 that all ended.

Due to ESPN television coverage, the game was moved to 9 PM and due to “schedule differences,” the game was moved to Maryville, MO. The Laker diehards made the 10 hour drive and bundled up for the battle. The wind chill was supposed to be nearing 0 degrees and a light mist was falling from the sky.

The Lakers got out on top first with a FG (3-0). The Bearcats returned with a drive and a missed FG but the Cats would later put a TD in the books to take a 7-3 lead. The Lakers retallied with another FG to bring the NW lead to 1 (7-6). On the Lakers next drive, a short pass and a PAT would once again regain their lead at 13-7. The half ended with another Bearcat FG to make the score 13-10.

The Bearcats opened the second half with a drive that resulted in a TD to make the score 17-13 in favor of NW. GV’s drive resulted in yet another FG to come within 1 point of Northwest Missouri (17-16). The fourth quarter could effectively be renamed the Bearcat Show with 2 TD runs and a FG to top off the score at 34 to 16.

The stats looked just like the score with NW putting 528 yards in the book to GV’s 374. 292 of Bearcat yards came from Xavier Omon. In one word, stud. There were times when he ran directly at the line and somehow came out the other side. Completely amazing. I think that guy has a very bright future in football. The committees made a mistake on the Harlon Hill award if you ask me…

One last thing to point out, the Bearcat fans were definitely out in full force despite the frigid weather. I have always said the loudest game I have been at was the 2004 Quarterfinal game vs. UND but that was indoor (Alerus Center) and its hard to say what that would have sounded like outside. The Northwest Missouri fans were easily the second loudest (and #1 outdoor) crowd that I have ever heard. Hearing 7000 people chant B - E - A - R and C - A - T - S back and forth at the top of their lungs was quite amazing. The volume and unison was top notch.
Ind the end, the Lakers lost. At least it was a fight and not some last second FG hanging on a thread of luck one way or the other. We will move on and start another streak.

What’s next? 2008 will bring lots of new faces with fourteen 2007 seniors moving on to the next phase of their lives.

More to come…

Contrary to what most people were expecting to find in the Sunday morning news, the Lakers will be travelling this weekend to Maryville, MO to take on the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State University in a rematch of the last two years National Championship games. The Lakers lead the series at 2-0. Due to the way the regions rotate who plays who in the semifinals, it was impossible for the same matchup to meet in Florence for a third year in a row. Maybe next year as the NW/NE and SW/SE matchups return.

Despite the fact the facts that GV has a 40 game winning streak, is undefeated, are the back to back National Champions, they are going to play as the visitor this weekend. The game will be televised by ESPN 2 (and HD) at 9 PM EST on December 8th, 2007.

GO LAKERS!

This week seemed to take forever with all the hype behind the battle between the Lakers of Grand Valley and the Wildcats of Central Washington University. Right after Cw’s win over UNO last week, Mike Reilly (CWU QB) made a comment that “GV’s streak was going to end and they were going to be the team to do it.” He lied and GV won by a score of 41-21.

Apparantly, CW had no clue that we picked up on his comment and made a media frenzy of it in West Michigan. Someone was telling me that they got off the plane and saw the paper to think “he said that?”

But in his defense, just as Chuck Martin said during the Coach’s Show on Thursday, the kid has a rocket for an arm and can normally get off a pass even with defenders barreling down on him. Chuck compared his physique to that of Cullen Finnerty and after seeing him play on Saturday, I would have to agree. Very physical QB with a great arm.

I read in another article that Kitna (CW Alum) talks to Beau Baldwin on a regular basis and he plans to make a run at CW being an upcoming DII power. They had quite a fewDI transfers and that is what it takes. I wouldn’t mind seeing them come to Allendale again. Minus the attitude of course. Non-conference game anyone?

Statistically, GV put 473 yards on the offense board with 246 coming from Blake Smolen alone. Berezik chipped in with 44 yards and Iciek with 30 yards and 4 TDs. The Laker defense held the Wildcat rushing attack to 38 yards and 275 yards in the air. On the defense side of the ball, Skuta led with 10 tackles, 3.5 for loss and 2 sacks. Total there were 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 picked passes.

Next week: Northwest Missouri State at a location to be determined.

For the sixth time, the Fighting Sioux of the University of North Dakota took the field to play the Lakers of Grand Valley State University. This time the battle occured in Lubbers Stadium in Allendale, Michigan this past Saturday. So far the rivalry stands at 4-2 in favor of GV with UND’s wins coming in the 2001 National Championship Game in Florence, AL and the 2004 Quarterfinal game in Grand Forks, ND.

As a loyal Laker fan would know, none of these battles have been one sided and the losing teams always makes some sort of a comeback. Today would be no different. The Lakers picked up unanswered 2 TD’s in the first half to go into the locker room 14-0 at half. In the 3rd quarter, the Lakers would put up another TD after our defense turned over the ball with a blocked punt. Then, you guessed it, this is where the comeback occurs.

In a play that looked like a GV INT at first, quickly turned into a UND TD as Dressler caught a deflection and UND was on the board 21 to 6. Towards the end of the second quarter, UND would find the endzone a second time but this time go for 2 to make the score 21-14 with just over a minute left in the 3rd. The 4th quarter brought a battle of defenses and that would be the last time someone ended up in the endzone as time expired.

The GV offense put up 433 yards on the day while the Laker defense held the Sioux to only 212 yards including only 36 yards on the ground. The offense was led by Smolen with 173 total yards and the defense followed the senior leadership of Anthony Adams with 11 tackles plus 3 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks.

Right after GV’s game ended, many fans rushed home to hear the final minutes of the UNO/Central Washington game. The favorite in this game was definitely UNO which would mean a Laker roadtrip for next weekend. But what? UNO loses in the final 2 minutes of the game and Central Washington will make the trip to Allendale on December 1st for the next round of the playoffs.

End an era with UND in the W column and UNO loses, all in the same day? Could this day get any better for GV fans? :)

Sorry it took so long for me to post the Northern photos. I was posting one or two just here and there when I had time. Last week was a busy week with work, hunting and a few concerts. Anyways, they should all be uploaded now. I took lots of “pink” photos. The event was definitely a success and I can’t wait until next year. Seeing Chuck in a pink sweater vest was very cool.

Enjoy!

The Lakers of Grand Valley State University finished the 2007 regular season yesterday with a win over the Wildcats of Northern Michigan by a score of 44-14. This served as the 30th straight GLIAC win and the 38th consecutive overall win. Both of which are pushing the record with every single win.

Lubbers Stadium was painted pink as part of the first annual Breast Cancer Awareness Day in front of 10270 fans. After the game, fans saw the presentation of the 3rd consectutive GLIAC Championship trophy which was presented to Chuck Martin and the team.

With several starters sitting out this game in preparation for the playoffs, players like Gary Fant (107 yards on 6 carries), Gary Anderson (7 tackles),  Danny Richards (5 tackles including 2 for a loss), and Corey Edwards (2 INT) all got a chance to help out the Laker attacks on both fronts. Once again the defense shined as they doubled the amount of interceptions that Buddy Rivera has through all year with 4 picks during the game.

The Lakers will recieve a first round bye next week as part of the first round of the 2007 NCAA Division II Playoffs. Full playoff bracket should be posted shortly after the selection show which can  be seen today on ESPNU at 11:30 EST.

GVSU Football and National City Bank have teamed up to present the first annual “Breast Cancer Awareness Day” at Lubbers Stadium on November 10th vs Northern Michigan at 1:00pm.

Help support breast cancer education and prevention. We encourage Laker Nation to wear pink to the game and bring a buck! All donations will go to Spectrum Health-Betty Ford Breast Care Services.

The GVSU Athletic Department is also taking donations in the Athletic Ticket Office (located in the Fieldhouse) November 5th-10th. There are two items available with a donation. With a $10 donation you will receive a “Pink” Louie the Laker T-Shirt.

Also, there a limited number of Chuck Martin autographed pink sweater-vest bobble heads available with a $100 donation.

REMEMBER: Show your support wear pink to the game and bring a buck!