Northwest Wayne News

The Wayne State University football team is set to host Michigan Tech at Tom Adams Field for its annual Homecoming game, marking the 88th time the event has taken place. This matchup also serves as the opening contest of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) schedule for both teams.

Michigan Tech enters the game with a 3-1 record, having defeated Bemidji State, South Dakota Mines, and Hillsdale, while losing only to Upper Iowa. The Huskies are led by head coach Dan Mettlach, who is in his third season and previously served in various coaching roles since joining Michigan Tech’s staff in 2017. As a former All-American quarterback for MTU, Mettlach was named GLIAC Player of the Year in 2004.

Quarterback Alex Bueno leads Michigan Tech’s offense with 811 passing yards and eight touchdowns against one interception. Bueno has also contributed on the ground with 221 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He earned GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after his performance against Bemidji State earlier this season.

Three receivers have surpassed 150 receiving yards for Michigan Tech: Ethan Champney (249 yards), Nic Nora (236 yards), and Bryce Kurncz (156 yards). Nora is also responsible for kickoff and punt returns. On defense, Chase Koch leads with 31 tackles and three tackles for loss.

Wayne State will look to improve its Homecoming record, which currently stands at 45-41-1 since its first Homecoming game in 1935. In previous Homecoming meetings between these two teams, WSU holds a slight edge over MTU.

WSU leads the all-time series against Michigan Tech with a record of 20-14 and has won two of their last three home contests against them. The Warriors’ most recent performances include notable contributions from Justyz Tuggle—who led last week’s loss to Quincy with six receptions for 79 yards—and Drew Hickmott, who leads WSU in receiving through four weeks with three touchdowns.

On defense, linebackers Martell Williams, Logan McGraw, and Max Edwards have combined for a total of 87 tackles so far this season. Senior safety Elijah Fowlkes recorded his fifth career interception earlier this year and recently received Defensive Player of the Week honors from WSU.

This season has seen significant participation from new players; seventeen student-athletes made their collegiate debuts in Wayne State’s opener against Tiffin alone. In total, there are seventy-four newcomers on WSU’s roster this year—including forty-nine freshmen—alongside fifty-three returning players.

Wayne State faces one of Division II football’s tougher schedules based on opponents’ win percentages over recent seasons.

The Warriors’ roster features student-athletes from fourteen states plus Ontario. There are several sets of brothers playing together as well as multiple athletes whose family members have notable football backgrounds or connections to Wayne State athletics history.

Fans can follow all GLIAC games via FloSports broadcasts as part of an expanded media partnership that includes coverage through The PreP platform for home games. Veteran broadcaster Sean Baligian continues his long-standing role calling Warrior football games alongside color analysts Brady Beedon or Kevin Brechmacher and sideline reporter Tony Ortiz during home contests.

Head coach Tyrone Wheatley will participate weekly in “Weekly with Wheatley,” a podcast taping five episodes throughout the season featuring different coaches and student-athletes each time before home games.