Nov. 8, 2008

Detroit News column by Rob Parker -- "Wayne State trying to start a tradition

Saturday, November 8, 2008 Wayne State 'trying to start a tradition' Rob Parker / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- There are mountains to climb. And then there are mountains to climb.

In Division II football, Grand Valley State University is Mount Everest.

That was the task Wayne State faced Saturday afternoon.

To add even more pressure to the mix, the game really was a playoff game. With a victory, the Warriors had a great shot at a postseason berth.

Instead, Wayne State, despite playing well in the first half, just couldn't hold down Grand Valley when it mattered most, losing 24-10 before 5,152 -- the largest crowd at Adams Field since 1974.

Hence, the Warriors (8-3) couldn't talk about playing next week for sure. They could only talk about what might have been.

"I told my team that we can play with them, we just had to play better," Wayne State coach Paul Winters said. "If we played better, we win the football game."

Grand Valley (10-0) now is 95-6 in its previous 101 games and has earned four national championships in the process.

It was quite a moment for the Warriors, who were having one of their finest seasons in quite some time.

Coming in, Wayne State had won four straight games for the first time since 1977. They had seven conference victories, a school record.

"Grand Valley's tradition is that they never give up," Warriors running back Joique Bell said. "We're trying to start a tradition here."

Grand Valley now was won 22 straight against Wayne State.

Yet, Wayne State had a 7-3 halftime lead. Easily, Wayne State could have had more points if not for a few mistakes, none bigger than Bell's costly first-quarter fumble as the Warriors were knocking on the door for their second touchdown on their second possession.

"You can't waste opportunities against a good football team," Winters said. "And they're a good football team."

This was a game, pitting the two best defenses (based on points allowed) in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

And it lived up to its billing early as both teams had a hard time scoring, combining for just 10 points in the first half.

It really was a credit to Wayne State.

Coming in, Grand Valley had scored at least 31 points in each game and scored 40 or more in six of its first nine contests.

"We were shutting them down and it looked like they didn't have an answer really in the first half," Wayne State senior safety Dante Dunn said. "In the second half, I don't know what really happened."

Grand Valley took the lead for good, 17-10, when quarterback Brad Iciek hit tight end Jonn Mathews with a 19-yard TD pass on a fourth-and-1 play.

"I have tons of respect for what our kids did," Grand Valley coach Chuck Martin said. "But I also have tons of respect for what Wayne State did."

They almost got over the mountain.