GLENVILLE, W.Va. – The (1-1) Glenville State Football team is eyeing the program's first-ever Division 1 win on Saturday (Sept. 19) when the Pioneers travel to Mercyhurst for a 1 p.m. kickoff inside Saxon Stadium. The Lakers are in their third season as a D1 program in 2026.
 
THE JAKE CASTEEL SHOW
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SERIES HISTORY

• Second meeting ever between the Pioneers and Lakers
• Mercyhurst won only meeting, 14-7, in 1981
• Second meeting at Mercyhurst

GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, September 19 | 1 p.m. | Saxon Stadium
Glenville State at Mercyhurst
Watch Live on NEC Front Row | Live Stats | Tickets
 
THE OPPONENT
MERCYHURST
2026 Season
The Lakers enter the week (0-3) following a trio of lopsided losses on the road, including two FBS defeats in the state of New Mexico. Mercyhurst opened the season with a 43-10 defeat at FCS No. 9 Youngstown State before falling to New Mexico State, 51-14, and New Mexico, 70-7. Saturday's matchup with the Pioneers will be the Lakers first home game of 2026.
 
Head Coach
Tom Sydeski is in his first season as head coach of the Mercyhurst football program. Sydeski recently worked on staff in Erie as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, landing the head coaching gig in the offseason. Sydeski has worked at Old Dominion, Bryant, Florida International and West Georgia in various roles since joining the coaching ranks in 2018.
 
Lakers Offense
Mercyhurst has used three quarterbacks thus far, with Alex Gevaudan leading the way with 359 yards and two touchdowns. Gevaudan is not projected to play this week, with Anthony Wolter (111 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT) and Tyler Tusai (46 yards, 2 INT) listed on the depth chart. Jameir Gamble is one of 12 Lakers who have recorded a carry, but the 5-foot-10, 190-pound sophomore leads the team with 112 yards on 29 carries.
 
Dylan Evans (10 catches, 97 yards), Camden Lewis (10 catches, 83 yards, 1 TD) and Evan Van Dkye (7 catches, 79 yards) have been the top targets for the trio of quarterbacks the Lakers have used this season, as the Pioneers look to once again put together a strong defensive performance after giving up just 85 passing yards against Millersville. A tall task the GSU defense will deal with this week is the offensive line, as the "smallest" offensive lineman for the Lakers stands at 6-2 and weighs 295 pounds. The biggest? 6-foot, 6-inches and nearly 400 pounds.
 
Lakers Defense
With teams averaging nearly 55 points per game, the backend of the defense has done a lot of the legwork. Three of top five tacklers for the Lakers are defensive backs, with Braylon Beckwith leading the way with 21 tackles and one TFL. Linebacker Jeff Leavell (18 tackles) and defensive lineman Zachhaeus Dixon (15 tackles, 1.5 TFL) have been a strong presence in the middle, with Dixon being tied for the team lead on the team in TFLs.
 
Lakers Special Teams
Rocco Marcantonio has handled kicking duties for Mercyhurst this season, going 50% on field goal attempts. Thomas O'Neill handles the punting and averages just over 43 yards per punt. The return game averages nearly 20 yards per return on kickoff, but the Lakers have had just two opportunities to return punt.
 
THE PIONEERS
GLENVILLE STATE
2026 Season
The Pioneers come in (1-1) following a bye week, which came after the head coach Jake Casteel secured his first win as head coach against Millersville on September 3^rd. Glenville State opened the season at Division 1 Elon, falling to the Phoenix, 42-7.
 
Pioneers Offense
Southeast Missouri State transfer QB JD Sherrod is coming off of a strong performance against Millersville, bumping his season totals to 362 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception. Sherrod has also ran for 63 yards. As a team, GSU has ran for 183 yards with five different Pioneers recording a carry.
 
Caden Harris has been the go-to target when a reception is needed, as the UTEP transfer leads the squad in receptions with 13. Kyree Bunny sits atop the team leaderboard in receiving yards (130) and receiving touchdowns (2) on six catches this year. Shippensburg transfer Joziah Gonzalez broke out a 50-yard TD against Millersville and Kashez Gedeon has caught four passes for 62 yards through two games.
 
Pioneers Defense
South Dakota transfer Jacob Clark has stood out defensively, leading the Pioneers in tackles (22), tackles for loss (2.5) and sacks (1.5). Navy import Knowel Smith earned MEC Defensive Player of the Week following his 12-tackle and one interception performance against Millersville. St. Francis transfer Wesley Brown Jr. (11 TKL, 1.5 TFL) and William & Mary transfer Tyson Garrett (11 TKL, 1.0 TFL) have been immediate impacts as well for head coach Jake Casteel's defense.
 
Pioneers Special Teams
Braiden Haught is averaging nearly 40 yards per punt, placing two inside the 20 having a long of 50 yards on the season. Brody Layman, who only missed one field goal in 2025, is 1-for-2 with a make from 29 yards out.
 
MEDIA
Fans can follow Glenville State Football on Twitter (X) @GlenvilleStFB and Instagram @GlenvilleStFB for news and updates plus many more all season long.

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