Glen Lake entered Friday’s matchup against Traverse City St. Francis determined to get back in the win column and prove themselves against one of the region’s top teams.
Despite a hard-fought effort and several highlight moments, the Lakers fell 39-20.
“I’m proud of the boys. St. Francis is a great program and a tough competitor. You see where you stack up against a team like them, and we fought for four quarters.”
The night started with a tough break for Glen Lake as they fumbled the opening kickoff, giving St. Francis an early scoring opportunity. The Gladiators capitalized, but the Lakers responded in electrifying fashion: junior running back Ben Diotte broke free for a 70-yard touchdown run, then powered in the two-point conversion to take an early 8-7 lead. It would be the Lakers’ only lead of the evening, but it energized the Glen Lake sideline and traveling fans.
Not to be outdone, senior Max Galla burst through the St. Francis defense late in the first quarter, racing 45 yards for another Glen Lake touchdown. The ground game kept the Lakers in striking distance throughout the first half, with Galla and Diotte consistently finding room against a stout Gladiator front.
The Glen Lake defense came up big in the second quarter, forcing St. Francis to punt for the first time and pinning them deep with a perfectly executed kick downed at the 1-yard line. Despite offensive momentum, penalties and timely St. Francis pressure—including a key sack—slowed the Lakers’ attack late in the half. Glen Lake engineered a promising drive before halftime but ran out of time and entered the break trailing.
After halftime, the Lakers kept fighting. The defense stiffened, and the offense showed flashes, driving deep into Gladiator territory multiple times. Quarterback Lamerson connected with Liam Palmer for a 56-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter, keeping Glen Lake within reach and giving the Lakers hope for a late-game comeback.
But turnovers and missed opportunities kept Glen Lake from closing the gap. The Lakers’ effort never wavered, with the offensive line battling in the trenches and the defense making St. Francis earn every yard.
Glen Lake will look to bounce back on their home field next week against Johannesburg-Lewiston.
Traverse City St. Francis got exactly what they needed with the victory. After a challenging start to the season, the Gladiators moved back to .500 and regained momentum. Senior running back Cooper Sellers led the way for St. Francis with three rushing touchdowns, while sophomore quarterback John St. Peter threw for 150 yards and added another 30 on the ground. The offensive line, anchored by senior Ben Eckerle, powered a dominant second half for the Glads, who tightened up defensively and executed key plays under pressure.
St. Francis head coach Josh Sellers praised his team’s response after a tough loss the previous week. “Bouncing back after last week was huge, and to come out here and get a win was big … We knew that first drive was huge coming out of halftime and putting the ball in the end zone,” Sellers said. “It was a team effort and a good team win.”
Gladiator lineman Ben Eckerle added, “We had a lot of different energy than past weeks. We had an amazing week of practice and one of the best I’ve had. We executed everything and there were mistakes, but our best offensive game played … I want us to keep that energy from this game and replicate it as if we lost two games in a row and need to win this. We don’t have a choice.”
“We got our momentum back. We are on the road for the third week in a row next at Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart. We have to clean up our mistakes and what we are doing wrong,” head coach Josh Sellers said. “It was a team effort and a good team win.”
With the win, St. Francis now leads the all-time series 16-5 and will look to build on this performance next week on the road against Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart.
