# 2009 Grand Valley State Lakers football team

The 2009 Grand Valley State Lakers football team was an American football team that represented Grand Valley State University in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) during the 2009 NCAA Division II football season. In their sixth season under head coach Chuck Martin, the Lakers compiled a 13–2 record (9–1 against conference opponents), won the GLIAC championship for the fifth consecutive season, and qualified for the NCAA Division II playoff for the ninth straight year.
In the playoffs, the Lakers received a bye in the first round and won in the second round, quarterfinals, and semifinals before losing to Northwest Missouri State in the national championship game.
Statistical leaders included James Berezik with 1,280 rushing yards, Brad Iciek with 3,194 passing yards, Blake Somlen with 917 receiving yards, and Justin Trumble with 107 points scored (18 field goals and 53 points after touchdown).
The team played its home games at Lubbers Stadium in Allendale Charter Township, Michigan.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | Result | Attendance |
| August 29 | 7:00 p.m. | at No. 11 West Texas A&M* | No. 1 | Kimbrough Memorial StadiumCanyon, TX | W 37–23 | 15,093 |
| September 5 | 6:00 p.m. | at Indianapolis | No. 1 | Key StadiumIndianapolis, IN | W 26–10 | 4,802 |
| September 12 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 16 Saginaw Valley State | No. 1 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI (Battle of the Valleys) | W 38–7 | 16,467 |
| September 19 | 7:00 p.m. | at Ferris State | No. 1 | Top Taggert FieldBig Rapids, MI | W 17–10 | 4,290 |
| September 26 | 6:00 p.m. | at Michigan Tech | No. 1 | Sherman FieldHoughton, MI | W 55–7 | 2,639 |
| October 3 | 7:00 p.m. | Tiffin | No. 1 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI | W 47–21 | 11,299 |
| October 10 | 2:30 p.m. | at Hillsdale | No. 1 | Muddy Waters StadiumHillsdale, MI | L 24–27 | 3,116 |
| October 17 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 18 Findlay | No. 8 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI | W 38–13 | 11,428 |
| October 24 | 1:00 p.m. | at Ashland | No. 6 | Jack Miller StadiumAshland, OH | W 34–7 | 3,491 |
| October 31 | 7:00 p.m. | Northern Michigan | No. 5 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI | W 31–19 | 6,633 |
| November 7 | 1:00 p.m. | Wayne State (MI) | No. 5 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI | W 59–28 | 8,397 |
| November 21 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 15 Hillsdale* | No. 3 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI (NCAA Division II Second Round) | W 44–27 | 8,229 |
| November 28 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 4 Minnesota Duluth* | No. 3 | Malosky StadiumDuluth, MN (NCAA Division II Quarterfinals) | W 24–10 | 4,211 |
| December 5 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 10 Carson–Newman* | No. 3 | Lubbers StadiumAllendale, MI (NCAA Division II Semifinals) | W 41–27 | 7,247 |
| December 12 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 2 Northwest Missouri State* | No. 3 | Braly Municipal StadiumFlorence, AL (NCAA Division II Championship Game) | L 23–30 | 6,211 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AFCA Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Final |
| AFCA | 1 (12) | 1 (21) | 1 (25) | 1 (25) | 1 (24) | 1 (24) | 1 (24) | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 |

## Game summaries
### At No. 11 West Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Lakers | 7 | 7 | 20 | 3 | 37 |
| No. 11 Buffaloes | 7 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 23 |
at Kimbrough Memorial Stadium, Canyon, Texas
* Date: August 29
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear, 81 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 15,093
* Referee: Robert Dalton
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | GV | WT |
| First downs | 16 | 25 |
| Total yards | 382 | 426 |
| Rushing yards | 156 | 44 |
| Passing yards | 226 | 382 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 29:38 | 30:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 17/25, 226 yards, 3 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | James Berezik | 19 rushes, 95 yards |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Mike Koster | 7 receptions, 68 yards, TD |
| West Texas A&M | Passing | Taylor Harris | 34/46, 306 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| West Texas A&M | Rushing | Kelvin Thompson | 10 rushes, 54 yards |
| West Texas A&M | Receiving | Tyson Williams | 8 receptions, 92 yards, TD |

### At Indianapolis

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Lakers | 6 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 26 |
| Greyhounds | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
at Key Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: September 5
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Mild, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,802
* Referee: Mike McCann
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | GV | UI |
| First downs | 23 | 11 |
| Total yards | 414 | 273 |
| Rushing yards | 174 | 11 |
| Passing yards | 240 | 262 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 32:50 | 27:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 19/36, 240 yards, 2 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | James Berezik | 20 rushes, 101 yards |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Mike Koster | 5 receptions, 68 yards, TD |
| Indianapolis | Passing | Rob Doyle | 25/36, 262 yards, TD |
| Indianapolis | Rushing | Willis Brucker | 2 rushes, 23 yards |
| Indianapolis | Receiving | Halston Love | 7 receptions, 108 yards, TD |

### No. 16 Saginaw Valley State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Cardinals | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 1 Lakers | 17 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 38 |
at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale, Michigan
* Date: September 12
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny and calm, 71 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,467
* Referee: David Siegle
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | SV | GV |
| First downs | 20 | 18 |
| Total yards | 370 | 464 |
| Rushing yards | 170 | 99 |
| Passing yards | 200 | 365 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 31:41 | 28:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Saginaw Valley State | Passing | Charles Dowdell | 18/36, 200 yards, TD, 3 INT |
| Saginaw Valley State | Rushing | Charles Dowdell | 14 rushes, 48 yards |
| Saginaw Valley State | Receiving | Galen Stone | 5 receptions, 85 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 18/27, 336 yards, 5 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | James Berezik | 12 rushes, 74 yards |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Blake Smolen | 6 receptions, 112 yards, 2 TD |

### At Ferris State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Lakers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Top Taggert Field, Big Rapids, Michigan
* Date: September 19
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Clear, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,290
* Referee: David Siegle
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | GV | FS |
| First downs | 23 | 10 |
| Total yards | 400 | 210 |
| Rushing yards | 214 | 108 |
| Passing yards | 186 | 102 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 33:38 | 26:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 16/27, 186 yards, 2 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | James Berezik | 29 rushes, 178 yards |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Mike Koster | 6 receptions, 51 yards, 2 TD |
| Ferris State | Passing | Kyle Parrish | 4/9, 102 yards |
| Ferris State | Rushing | David Freeman | 11 rushes, 70 yards |
| Ferris State | Receiving | Aaron Olman | 2 receptions, 86 yards |

### At Michigan Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Lakers | 21 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 55 |
| Huskies | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Sherman Field, Houghton, Michigan
* Date: September 26
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 62 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 2,639
* Referee: Jeff Servenski
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | GV | MT |
| First downs | 25 | 22 |
| Total yards | 496 | 294 |
| Rushing yards | 311 | 92 |
| Passing yards | 185 | 203 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 4 |
| Time of possession | 30:30 | 29:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 6/9, 107 yards, 3 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | P. T. Gates | 10 rushes, 108 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Ryan Bass | 2 receptions, 59 yards, 2 TD |
| Michigan Tech | Passing | Brent Heim | 20/31, 203 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Michigan Tech | Rushing | Marvin Atkins | 17 rushes, 100 yards |
| Michigan Tech | Receiving | Bobby Slowik | 5 receptions, 104 yards |

### Tiffin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dragons | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
| No. 1 Lakers | 28 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 47 |
at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale, Michigan
* Date: October 3
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy and wet, 53 °F (12 °C)
* Game attendance: 11,299
* Referee: Jon Leslie
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TU | GV |
| First downs | 12 | 26 |
| Total yards | 181 | 596 |
| Rushing yards | 44 | 346 |
| Passing yards | 137 | 250 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 26:53 | 33:07 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tiffin | Passing | Nate Scully | 15/25, 107 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Tiffin | Rushing | Alvin McKnight | 8 rushes, 47 yards |
| Tiffin | Receiving | Greg Raspberry | 6 receptions, 51 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 9/15, 231 yards, 2 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | Justin Sherrod | 19 rushes, 191 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Blake Smolen | 2 receptions, 90 yards, TD |

### At Hillsdale

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Lakers | 9 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 24 |
| Chargers | 0 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 27 |
at Muddy Waters Stadium, Hillsdale, Michigan
* Date: October 10
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Mostly sunny, 51 °F (11 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,116
* Referee: Chris LaMange
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | GV | HC |
| First downs | 23 | 19 |
| Total yards | 462 | 324 |
| Rushing yards | 201 | 58 |
| Passing yards | 261 | 266 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 34:28 | 25:32 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 22/29, 261 yards, 2 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | James Berezik | 13 rushes, 93 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Blake Smolen | 8 receptions, 125 yards, TD |
| Hillsdale | Passing | Troy Weatherhead | 21/31, 265 yards, 2 INT |
| Hillsdale | Rushing | Vinnie Panizzi | 17 rushes, 60 yards, TD |
| Hillsdale | Receiving | A. J. Kegg | 7 receptions, 100 yards |

### No. 18 Findlay

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 18 Oilers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
| No. 8 Lakers | 7 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale, Michigan
* Date: October 17
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy and cool, 43 °F (6 °C)
* Game attendance: 11,428
* Referee: Mike McCann
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UF | GV |
| First downs | 13 | 23 |
| Total yards | 250 | 480 |
| Rushing yards | 63 | 266 |
| Passing yards | 187 | 214 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 21:41 | 38:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Findlay | Passing | Andrew Beam | 17/23, 187 yards, TD, INT |
| Findlay | Rushing | Montgomery Williams | 6 rushes, 27 yards |
| Findlay | Receiving | Mike Chambers | 8 receptions, 107 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 17/22, 214 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | James Berezik | 17 rushes, 104 yards |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Blake Smolen | 8 receptions, 98 yards, TD |

### At Ashland

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 Lakers | 10 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 34 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Jack Miller Stadium, Ashland, Ohio
* Date: October 24
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Overcast, 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 3,491
* Referee: Jeff Servinski
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | GV | AU |
| First downs | 19 | 10 |
| Total yards | 365 | 226 |
| Rushing yards | 219 | 177 |
| Passing yards | 146 | 49 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 36:37 | 23:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 11/20, 146 yards, 3 TD |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | P. T. Gates | 10 rushes, 95 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Blake Smolen | 2 receptions, 62 yards, TD |
| Ashland | Passing | Billy Cundiff | 9/13, 49 yards |
| Ashland | Rushing | Dawon Harvey | 15 rushes, 109 yards |
| Ashland | Receiving | Christian Livingston | 2 receptions, 18 yards |

### Northern Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 19 |
| No. 5 Lakers | 17 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 31 |
at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale, Michigan
* Date: October 31
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Windy and overcast, 42 °F (6 °C)
* Game attendance: 6,633
* Referee: Jake Kemp
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Northern Michigan | Passing |
| Northern Michigan | Rushing |
| Northern Michigan | Receiving |
| Grand Valley State | Passing |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving |

### Wayne State (MI)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Warriors | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 28 |
| No. 5 Lakers | 17 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 59 |
at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale, Michigan
* Date: November 7
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny and windy, 57 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 8,397
* Referee: Mike McCann
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Wayne State | Passing |
| Wayne State | Rushing |
| Wayne State | Receiving |
| Grand Valley State | Passing |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving |

### No. 15 Hillsdale (NCAA Division II Second Round)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Chargers | 0 | 0 | 13 | 14 | 27 |
| No. 3 Lakers | 10 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 44 |
at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale, Michigan
* Date: November 21
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 51 °F (11 °C)
* Game attendance: 8,229
* Referee: Mike McCann
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Hillsdale | Passing |
| Hillsdale | Rushing |
| Hillsdale | Receiving |
| Grand Valley State | Passing |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving |

### At No. 4 Minnesota Duluth (NCAA Division II Quarterfinals)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 3 Lakers | 14 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 4 Bulldogs | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Malosky Stadium, Duluth, Minnesota
* Date: November 28
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 37 °F (3 °C)
* Game attendance: 4,211
* Referee: Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Grand Valley State | Passing |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving |
| Minnesota Duluth | Passing |
| Minnesota Duluth | Rushing |
| Minnesota Duluth | Receiving |

### No. 10 Carson–Newman (NCAA Division II Semifinals)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Eagles | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
| No. 3 Lakers | 17 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
at Lubbers Stadium, Allendale, Michigan
* Date: December 5
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Cold and snowy, 25 °F (−4 °C)
* Game attendance: 7,247
* Referee: Fred Brown
* Box score, Recap
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Carson–Newman | Passing |
| Carson–Newman | Rushing |
| Carson–Newman | Receiving |
| Grand Valley State | Passing |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving |

### Vs. No. 3 Northwest Missouri State (NCAA Division II Championship Game)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 2 Bearcats | 7 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 30 |
| No. 3 Lakers | 0 | 0 | 13 | 10 | 23 |
at Braly Municipal Stadium, Florence, Alabama
* Date: December 12
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 6,211
* Referee: Kenny Johnson
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NW | GV |
| First downs | 20 | 22 |
| Total yards | 366 | 381 |
| Rushing yards | 168 | 91 |
| Passing yards | 198 | 290 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:33 | 37:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northwest Missouri State | Passing | Blake Bolles | 15/23, 198 yards, TD, INT |
| Northwest Missouri State | Rushing | LaRon Council | 22 rushes, 172 yards, 2 TD |
| Northwest Missouri State | Receiving | Jake Soy | 9 receptions, 118 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Passing | Brad Iciek | 28/49, 290 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Grand Valley State | Rushing | Blake Smolen | 7 rushes, 45 yards, TD |
| Grand Valley State | Receiving | Ryan Bass | 8 receptions, 111 yards, TD |