Staff file photo / Brian Yauger Grand Valley running back Lane Gallagher breaks out of the backfield during last season’s victory over Mathews.

There’s a cautious optimism within the Grand Valley program this year.

With first-year coach Matt Rosati in the mix, and an influx of new talent, the Mustangs are hoping 2025 brings a stark turnaround from last season’s 1-9 campaign.

“Things are going really well,” Rosati said. “Very, very pleased with the boys’ efforts and the community has been great. The administration is extremely, extremely supportive, so I have a really good situation.

“We have a lot of kids coming out to play football. I think the team ended with 18 last year and from what I’ve heard, it looks like we’re gonna have around 48 on the roster this year, so the interest in playing football is there. The kids are working really hard and have really great attitudes that are fun to be around. So we’re looking forward to it here.”

A point of emphasis early on for Grand Valley right now is keeping the players fresh. That will come from keeping guys on one side of the ball as much as possible. That doesn’t mean the Mustangs won’t have a two-way star or two out there, but keeping guys as fresh as possible has been a winning formula for Rosati during his 29-year coaching career.

“From a playoff aspect of things, the reason why we had so much success at Perry, obviously, we had some really good players, but you know, I platooned most of those great teams,” Rosati said. “Perry is at the Division IV level and that was always a major advantage.

“If we had a guy playing both ways, it was really because they were that good, not because they had to play both ways. I think we’re trying to get into that situation right now where if they’re playing both ways, it’s because they’re simply that talented, not because we have to have them play. That’s something we’re striving for, and I think we can do that.”

While the potential is high for the Mustangs, there’s still a lot of unknowns, including at the most important position. But if all goes well, Grand Valley could be shaping up for a good season.

“We just want to try to get better every game,” Rosati said. “We have some new faces, and we have some new kids. Nice freshman class of 14 kids. I’m not really sure what to think right now. We’re still trying to figure out what we’re going to do at the quarterback position. Obviously, that’s a big part of what our team is going to be built around.”

Grand Valley opens the year up with a pair of road games against Brooklyn and Ravenna Southeast.

OFFENSE

With a new coach comes new scheme changes and Mustang fans will notice one pretty soon into the season.

Rosati is a big proponent of a good passing game, but it’ll all depend on who slots in where.

“We like to throw the football, so I think that’s going to be a little bit different than what happened in Grand Valley in the past few years scheme-wise,” Rosati said. “That’s going to be a big part of what we do, but you really play based upon what type of talent we have and sort of figure it out from there. We’re still in the learning process of what our kids can do and what they can’t do. So we’ll see.”

Right now, the Mustangs don’t have a set-in-stone starter at quarterback. Carter Turk and Mason Kocab are in the mix currently however.

Grand Valley will go by committee this year at tailback. Jay Williams and Luke Giddings are the top names to watch with freshman Lukah Mramor impressing early at camp as well.

If Turk isn’t playing quarterback, he’ll likely be the team’s go-to receiver. Senior Sincere Turner, sophomore Solomon Schultz, and freshman Mason Demshar are names to watch for on the outside. Inside receivers this season will be senior Lane Gallagher and Hunter Doing.

The offensive line is one of the most experienced units for the Mustangs this season.

With four seniors and two juniors and a sophomore in the mix, Grand Valley will be able to set the tone up front.

Left tackle Austin Miller, guard Kyle Mullet, Hunter Maruna, and guard Blake Taylor are the four seniors expected to start.

Juniors Bryce Meeker and Maxwell Thirion as well as sophomore Jeremiah Corll are going to battle for that last spot.

In his first year at a new program, entering with an experienced offensive line is a great

“It’s a big advantage to have an offensive line with some varsity experience, and that’s definitely a major building block for us,” Rosati said.

DEFENSE

Corll is expected to be the main two-way player on the lines for Grand Valley this season.

“He’s going to be a fantastic player,” Rosati said. “He’s a young sophomore, but he’s very, very talented, so we’re anticipating Jeremiah possibly getting some time on both sides of the ball.”

The defensive line as a whole is going to be a younger unit. Outside of senior Nathaniel Hostetler, everyone else projected to see time on the field is a sophomore. Ashton Lampman and Jesse DeLisle are two names that have stood out early.

Juniors Luke Giddings and Forrest Portman will anchor the defense at the linebacker spot, with Christian Seper and Mramor also expected to play a solid role.

Turner and Jamille Massingil are both going to bring experience to the secondary this season for the Mustangs, with seniors Gallagher, Noah Waldo, and freshman Tony Williams all in the mix as well.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Grand Valley has yet to decide on a kicker or punter.

Expect any of the team’s skill position players to take a crack at returning kicks and punts this season.