ADRIAN, Mich. -- The Siena Heights football team (5-1, 1-1) will embark on a three-game road trip starting this Saturday at Lawrence Tech (1-4, 0-1). This will be the third game in the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL) for the Saints, second for the Blue Devils.
Siena enters the game with a 5-1 mark on the season following a 42-0 win over Taylor (Ind.) last week in the Saints' homecoming game. Siena's only loss of the season came two weeks ago at then No. 5 Concordia (Mich.), 10-7. The game in Southfield, Michigan this week will be only the third road game for the Saints who have a 1-1 record on the road so far this season.
Lawrence Tech's lone win of the season came in week two when the team defeated Wisconsin Lutheran 34-14. The Blue Devils fell to Indiana Wesleyan most recently, coming up short in a 45-10 game on the road.
This will be the first meeting between Siena Heights and Lawrence Tech in football. The Blue Devils and Saints are no strangers in competition as both schools compete in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) in other sports.
Siena is led in the backfield by running back Kaleb Jefferson and quarterback Tyler Knecht. Jefferson has 565 rushing yards on 95 carries (5.9 AVG) and four touchdowns. Knecht is 56-80 (70.0%) for 608 yards and six touchdowns through the air. Speedy freshman running back Ethan LoPresto has accumulated 236 yards on 24 carries (9.8 AVG) for four touchdowns so far this season. Jared Jordan has 163 yards on 45 carries and three touchdowns to his credit. The receiving corps is led by senior Jalen Young (12 rec, 76 yds) and Jerrold King (10 rec, 161 yds, 2 TD). Timothy Brown has hauled in 11 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown while h-back Pianki Abdul-Hakiym has caught 10 balls for 95 yards.
Kole Murlin leads the team in tackles with 60. He has recorded four tackles for loss, a half-sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, an interception, and two pass breakups. Nick Stalworth has 47 tackles, 1.5 for loss, and a forced fumble. Gabe Callery and Griffin Sobol both have 33 tackles to their credit. Callery has also registered 2.5 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery that he returned for a 71-yard touchdown (the longest fumble return in program history), and two interceptions. Sobol has 1.5 sacks, two TFLs, one fumble recovery, and four pass breakups. Trenton Morrow is the fifth-leading tackler for the Saints with 26. He has two sacks, four TFLs, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, and a team-high four interceptions.
Anthony Secchi is 18-20 (90%) in extra-point attempts this season. Caleb Meister has 35 punts for 1495 yards (42.7 AVG) and a long of 67 yards. He has pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line a total of 20 times this year. His average yards-per-punt of 42.7 is currently the best season average for a punter in Saint football history.
The Lawrence Tech offense is led by quarterback Tyler Kulka. He is 84-162 (51.9%) for 979 yards and 11 touchdowns. The running game is led by duo Tanner Foley (47 carries, 282 yards, 1 TD) and Mekai Otero (57 carries, 234 yards, 1 TD). CJ Thompson leads the Blue Devil receivers with 23 catches for 220 yards and two touchdowns. Kendyl Williams has 22 grabs for 339 yards and two touchdowns. Derrick Hinton is the team leader in touchdown catches with five to go along with his 15 receptions for 234 yards.
Defensively, LTU is led by Daniel Macks with 33 tackles, 1.5 TFL, and one pass breakup. Drake Berry is second in tackles with 25 along with 2.5 tackles for loss. Mitch Waters has 24 tackles, 1.5 for loss while Keivlan Griffith has 16 tackles, a forced fumble, one pass breakup, and a team-high two interceptions.
Kicker Brad Gibson is 6-8 in field goals with a long of 42 yards. He is also 11-12 in extra-point attempts on the season. Michael Fox leads the team with 12 punts for 349 yards. He has pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line twice. Gibson has also punted 11 times for 374 yards. he has a season-long punt of 63 yards.
The game is scheduled to kickoff at 12:00 p.m., EST. Fans can follow the game via live stats and the live stream. The game will also be broadcasted on WLEN online by tuning into 96.5 FM The Cave on Saturday afternoon.
