Grandville faces gauntlet of football schedule with workmanlike attitude; Cass Tech visits this week

BY SCOTT DECAMP

For Michigan Sports Radio

GRANDVILLE – The four-game stretch in which Grandville opens its 2026 season is as tough as it gets for Michigan high school football.

Muskegon, Detroit Cass Tech, East Kentwood, and Hudsonville: Three of those four on the road, to boot.

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me, ‘Your first four games (are extremely difficult),’ and it’s not just the first four games – it’s the entire schedule,” said Grandville coach Eric Stiegel, who is in  his 13th season at the helm. “I think the first four teams we play have a lot of acclaim with rankings and they deserve that. 

“I just kind of block that out and say it doesn’t do you any good to look at the enormity of everything. If you worry about those things, I guess it’s taking time from the actual preparation of what you can control and do with your team.”

Weeks 5-9 have Grandville hosting West Ottawa and Caledonia, visiting Rockford and Jenison, and welcoming Grand Haven in the regular-season finale.

Welcome to life in the OK Red, plus powerhouses Muskegon and Cass Tech as big-time nonleague tests at the front of the slate.

So far, so good for the Bulldogs.

In last week’s season opener, Grandville stunned Muskegon at historic Hackley Stadium, 29-28 in overtime. The Bulldogs did it without star running back DJ Hardiman, who is nursing a sprained ankle. 

It was a total team effort, but Stiegel was especially proud of the defense, which returned only one starter from 2025. 

“I’m so proud of how we grew as a team together over the summer,” Grandville senior edge Jaden King said. “We worked hard. I feel like it was truly earned. These guys are great, well-coached.”

Against Muskegon, Grandville allowed 22 points in regulation, but one of those touchdowns came on a deflected pass and pick-6 in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs trailed the Big Reds, 22-12, early in the fourth quarter but continued to battle. Luke Mulder’s field goal with 21 seconds left tied the game at 22 and forced overtime.

In OT, Grandville had the ball first. The Bulldogs scored a TD on their possession and converted the PAT. 

Muskegon answered with a TD and, rather than trying to force a second OT, the Big Reds went for two and the win. The Bulldogs’ defense was up to the task, knocking down a pass to seal the thrilling victory.

“It felt really good coming off with a win against a really tough team like Muskegon,” said 6-foot-1, 270-pound Grandville senior nosetackle Grant Matzke, the lone returning starter on defense, “It was really nice knowing that we, as a team, could work together as one to complete tackles and, like, bring them down.”

Added King: “It felt really good. It didn’t even feel real at the time, especially how it came out. It’s just such a blessing, you know.”

While the feeling was “electric,” in the words of the 6-foot, 190-pound King, the moment was not too big for the Bulldogs.

“You’ve got your brothers with you and anything’s possible,” King said.

Difficult as it was to sit and watch, Hardiman was perhaps the biggest fan on hand.

“Oh, it was awesome. I feel like in my three years starting on the varsity, I haven’t seen a first-half shutout (by the defense) and to see a shutout against a high-powered offense like Muskegon, it was nice to see,” Hardiman said.

“I feel like it was kind of a sigh of relief because I knew that my boys could get the job done, but really seeing them work on the things that we wanted to practice and that we wanted to execute on Friday nights, seeing them execute (was great).”

Stiegel was thrilled to see the poise in which the Bulldogs handled themselves in pressure situations at Muskegon.

He also was impressed with how his defensive players got to the ball, tackled, and situationally made some big stops against a large offensive line and powerful running game.

“Sometimes you see in those moments where there may be a little bit of panic. Our guys stayed very composed and so I’m hoping that can be a strength of ours,” he said.

“The exciting thing is there’s a lot of young guys (on defense). There’s a lot of guys with first-year experience and you hope that through consistent practice and just more experience, that there’s a big upward curve for those guys both individually and then also collectively as a unit.”

Grandville will have to execute very well once again, as the Bulldogs face another big challenge this week. Grandville hosts Cass Tech (1-0) and its bevy of Division I talent at 7 p.m. Thursday at Bulldog Stadium.

Cass Tech is led by junior quarterback Donald Tabron II, a 6-4, 200-pound five-star prospect committed to Texas A&M.

“Cass Tech is slightly different (than Muskegon),” Matzke said. “They have a lot of overall, just, talent across the board, so it’s going to be a struggle to find those weak points and not be consumed by their talent.” 

Last season, Grandville opened with a 44-40 home victory over Muskegon, then lost a 31-28 OT heartbreaker at Cass Tech.

“Cass Tech’s a great team – high-powered offense, a lot of D-I commits,” Hardiman said. “I feel like it definitely boosts the confidence seeing that we can hang with a team like that. But, at the end of the day, we’ve just got to finish.”

Consistency has been a calling card for Grandville under Stiegel, whose program has qualified for the Division 1 playoffs 11 of the last 12 years.

According to King, the Bulldogs take every opponent seriously. No opponent is too big of a challenge, in his opinion.

Cliche as it may sound, Grandville has no choice but to adopt a one-game-at-a-time approach. The schedule is too daunting to look beyond the next game.

“I think both teams (Muskegon and Cass Tech) provide different challenges,” Stiegel said. “Cass Tech on offense, they have a Division I quarterback going to Texas A&M. They will be able to throw the ball in different ways than Muskegon could. Both teams are physical. Muskegon wanted to run it down our throat and they did that at times. I think Cass Tech can definitely do that. … 

“They scare you with everything they can do. But, you know, I think we have a good plan against those guys. … It’s going to be a similar type of challenge for us where you know they’ll outsize you. Muskegon outsized us quite a bit but, you know, our kids are going to go out there and attack.”

Featured photo at the top: Grandville seniors Jaden King (6), Reese Wisniewski (55), and Grant Matkze (70) take part in a drill during practice Monday, Aug. 31, 2026, at Bulldog Stadium in Grandville, Mich. (Photo | Scott DeCamp)