Western Wayne Today

The Wayne State University football team is set to host Grand Valley State University, ranked No. 25 nationally, for its Senior Day game on Saturday. The matchup marks the 47th meeting between the two teams, with Grand Valley State holding a 40-6 advantage in the all-time series. Wayne State last defeated GVSU in 2019.

Grand Valley State enters the contest after consecutive losses, a first since 2019. Their head coach, Scott Wooster, is a former Wayne State captain and offensive line coach now in his third season leading the Lakers. Under his leadership, GVSU has achieved a 26-7 record and made two NCAA Playoff appearances.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Schuster leads GVSU’s offense with a conference-best 1,684 passing yards and 16 touchdowns this season. Running back Brady Drogosh has rushed for 211 yards and four touchdowns, while Syone Usma-Harper has added another touchdown on the ground. Three Laker receivers—Lynn Wyche-El, Kellen Reed, and Sean Byrd—have each surpassed 280 receiving yards.

On special teams, Kellen Reed handles kickoff returns with a long of 69 yards this year; Trace Hrgich averages nearly 47 yards per punt; Mathew Bacik is responsible for field goals and kickoffs.

Defensively for GVSU, Jimmy Downs leads with 50 tackles including six for loss. Anthony Cardamone has recorded three sacks.

For Wayne State, linebackers Martell Williams (79 tackles), Logan McGraw (62), and Max Edwards (48) have combined for nearly half of the team’s total tackles through eight games. Williams leads the GLIAC in tackles while McGraw ranks second in tackles for loss.

Wayne State’s defense ranks seventh nationally in kickoff-return defense and has scored two defensive touchdowns this season. The Warriors have also recovered seven fumbles so far.

Redshirt freshmen have contributed five of WSU’s seven touchdown receptions this year: Donovan Isaac has two touchdown catches while Drew Hickmott leads with three.

Special teams play was highlighted by an onside kick recovery at Saginaw Valley State last week by redshirt freshman Wendell Smith, who also had an interception before halftime.

The Warriors’ secondary produced two interception returns for touchdowns this season—by Kelly Matthews against Michigan Tech and Luke Johnson against Davenport—marking only the thirteenth time in school history that multiple interceptions have been returned for scores in one season.

Senior receiver Justyz Tuggle continues to provide key plays offensively with several long receptions across recent games and even threw a touchdown pass earlier this year.

Before Saturday's game, Wayne State will honor its fifteen-member senior class: D'Vaun Bentley, Clifton Buchanan, Angel Carrillo, Elijah Fowlkes, Ethan Gates, Chris Gillam, Colby Horn, Devon Isaac, Jayden Lewin, Brayden McKenna, Blake Nelson, Nick Ostas, Josh Sekiyoba, Justyz Tuggle and Martell Williams.

This season saw eighty-nine different student-athletes take the field for WSU; twenty transferred from other schools while thirty-one made their collegiate debut as Warriors. The roster includes players from thirteen states plus Ontario; most are from Michigan but others hail from Ohio to California to Texas.

Despite having one of Division II's toughest schedules again this year—with opponents combining for a .717 winning percentage—the Warriors continue to compete against top-ranked programs such as Ferris State and Grand Valley State itself.

Wayne State also introduced new coaching staff members this year including four full-time coaches and three graduate assistants along with Mustafa Khaleefah’s promotion to Tight Ends Coach.

The Warrior Sports Network continues coverage of every game through Flo Sports broadcasts; home games air via The PreP network for a third straight year. Veteran broadcaster Sean Baligian calls play-by-play alongside analysts Brady Beedon or Kevin Brechmacher; Tony Ortiz reports from sidelines at home contests.

Fans can join head coach Tyrone Wheatley and analyst Brady Beedon on October 29 at Woodbridge Pub for the final “Weekly with Wheatley” podcast episode of the season.