Grandville Football Preview

Grandville is heading into the 2021 season with a chip on their shoulder. They fell short last year deep in the playoffs in one of the most dramatic games of the year. They lost to Rockford, who we just covered, in triple OT. The Bullfrogs have their key leaders returning in 2021 and the same coaching staff. There have been a few major shakeups with the team and with that, they feel the challenge heading into 2021. <strong>Coaching Staff</strong> Grandville is led by Head Coach Eric Stiegel. Stiegel is also a teacher for the Bulldogs so he gets to build those relationships throughout the day. He’s taken advantage of the extra time with his players year by year. Last year under his watch, amidst the pandemic, he led the Bulldogs to an 8-2 season. The Bulldogs had one of the best offenses in the state where they averaged just under 41 PPG. They had one of the best defenses in the state where they only gave up less than 20 PPG. <strong>Players to Replace</strong> The Bulldogs lost their 2 leading rushers. Cam Terry and [player_tooltip player_id="29760" first="Marcel" last="Love"] both graduated. Those 2 are taking with them over 2,000 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns. That is a lot of production and it’s going to be nearly impossible to replace. They are both playing football at the collegiate level and Grandville understands they need to work on filling the voids. They think they have a plan, but they won’t know how successful that is until the season starts. <strong>Key Players for 2021</strong> The Bulldogs have 2 quarterbacks that they feel really comfortable with. Both of them can play QB successfully and play other positions. Ian Sanders is going to be the starting QB at first but they expect Carson Smith to play some too. Smith is much more of a baseball prospect and that’s where he wants to be. However, he’s still a good football player. He’s going to play some WR and FS this year along with QB when it’s his rotation. Ian Sanders is a senior and third-year starting at QB. They expect a lot of him heading into the year. It’s not often that in high school you have 2 really good QBs. They’re in a good spot with that spot and the Bulldogs are hopeful that Smith and Sanders can pick up some of the rushing work left behind from the 2 who just graduated. Ethan Schultz is the centerpiece for the Bulldogs defense. Schultz is a big body kid who stands at 6’3" and 210 lbs. He’s played Corner, Safety, Tight End, Outside Linebacker, and Defensive End. He’s a defensive weapon and they will use him all over the field. He makes plays and hits like a Mack Truck. He’s the leader of the defense not only with his play but also with his energy. His teammates feed off of him and anytime he makes a big play. <strong>2021 Schedule</strong> The Bulldogs are starting their season on a Saturday later this month. It's a pretty tough schedule but that's what they need to improve. They start their year on the road on August 28th at 1 PM against Glenbard West. They return back home the next week against the University of Detroit Jesuit at 7 PM. They will finish their year on the road against West Ottawa on October 22nd at 7 PM. That game could be huge for playoff implications and it’s going to be here sooner than we think.