Glen Lake football (7-1) traveled to Ferris State University Friday for a non-conference matchup against Saginaw Valley Lutheran (4-5).
The Lakers ran away with the game at the end to come away with a 32-13 win.
“It was a really cool experience for the football program, having the junior varsity and varsity play there and win against a really good, up and coming new program ... It was like a playoff atmosphere,” Glen Lake coach Jesse Smith said.
The Lakers had its defense step up and its offense tested all night long.
Laker senior running back and quarterback Benji Allen got the action started, driving down the field when senior running back Fletcher Middleton struck first on a 2-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Valley Lutheran would strike back early in the second quarter with a 72-yard kickoff return. Glen Lake answered right back with a 52-yard pass from senior quarterback Keaton LaCross to senior Isaac Hlavka.
Valley Lutheran would tie the game 13-13 with a 20-yard touchdown pass of its own. Allen finished off the half with a 4-yard touchdown run to take a 20-13 lead.
The third quarter was a scoreless defensive battle before Sam Dykstra broke free in the fourth quarter on a 51-yard run to take a 26-13 lead.
Allen would finish the game off with a 93-yard touchdown run to win 32-13.
“I think the guys picked up a lot of experience that I think they can take going forward this weekend into the playoffs,” Smith said.
Glen Lake dominated on the ground with 260 rushing yards and 104 passing yards. Hlavka had 86 receiving yards and Allen had 125 rushing yards on eight attempts. Dykstra had 77 yards on five carries and Middleton had 47 yards on seven carries.
LaCross went 4-of-7 for 99 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Lakers defense patrolled the secondary well, forcing three interceptions by Dykstra and Wade Daniels.
Glen Lake sophomore Dominic Stein and Middleton led the defense with seven and six tackles, respectively. Allen, Dykstra, Jacob Peplinski, Boden Fisher, Eli Verschaeve, Sully Seymour and Braden Rush combined for 24 tackles.
Glen Lake will head into a pivotal matchup against a strong Mancelona team Friday for a Northwest Conference Championship game. The Lakers are looking for its first conference championship since 2019.
“I think the guys picked up a lot of experience that I think they can take going forward this weekend and into the playoffs,” Smith said.
With a win, Mancelona will clinch a spot in the playoffs. If Glen Lake wins, they will set themselves up nicely for a home playoff game.
MHSAA hosts a selection show for playoff matchups on Sunday.
At this point in the season, Glen Lake is focusing on sharpening mistakes.
“We’re more or less trying to sharpen and clean up some of those mistakes because we know once you get into the playoff s it’s win or go home and every team you play is gonna be really good,” Smith said.
