GAYLORD ― Don’t worry, there’s still some summer left for you to enjoy in Northern Michigan. But forgive us for looking ahead to the fall and football season here in Otsego County.
We’ve been breaking down the top players and early thoughts on each Gaylord area team throughout the summer and just began breaking down each team’s nine-game regular season schedule. The GHS Blue Devils schedule breakdown came first. Now, it’s Gaylord St. Mary’s turn.
GSM is in the hunt for more success this season, entering the new Bridge Alliance Conference with more continuity than most teams in 8-player football. Still, a team mainly consisting of sophomores and juniors is hoping its leaders can bring the team further into the 8-player Division 2 postseason.
Pellston
Aug. 27 vs. Pellston
Last matchup: GSM 54, Pellston 8 (Oct. 3, 2025)
With GSM’s move to the Bridge Alliance Conference and Pellston staying independent, this Week 1 matchup serves as one of two non-conference battles the Snowbirds will face in 2026. GSM has won four straight matchups against the Hornets dating back to 2022.
Central Lake
Sept. 3 vs. Central Lake
Last matchup: GSM 34, Central Lake 20 (Sept. 5, 2025)
Central Lake and Ellsworth’s new athletic co-op begins this school year, something each school’s football teams have already benefited from. The Bridge Alliance Conference opener for both teams, this Week 2 matchup may prove to be the toughest test for GSM in the first half of the season.
Fife Lake Forest Area
Sept. 11 vs. Fife Lake Forest Area
Last matchup: GSM 47, Forest Area 0
Another Ski Valley team choosing to stay independent, Forest Area hasn’t had much luck on the football field since 2020. And, despite staying out of the Bridge Alliance Conference, this matchup with GSM is one of seven times they will matchup against BAC teams in 2026.
Bellaire
Sept. 18 at Bellaire
Last matchup: GSM 58, Bellaire 30 (Sept. 19, 2025)
Bellaire managed to score 30 points against GSM last season, but still nearly had their point total doubled as GSM scored 58 points in another runaway victory. The Eagles serve as GSM’s first road test in 2026 and in the BAC.
Cedarville
Sept. 25 at Cedarville
Last matchup: GSM 30, Cedarville 12 (Oct. 8, 2021)
The new conference alignment allows for more matchups between teams just over the bridge, including this matchup between GSM and Cedarville. It’s been five years since these two football programs met; now, it’ll be a more regular matchup.
Engadine
Oct. 2 at Engadine
Last matchup: GSM 2, Engadine 0 (Forfeit, Oct. 19 2024)
A team from the south-central Upper Peninsula, Gaylord St. Mary and Engadine were supposed to meet up in 8-player football for the first time back in 2024. Now, this year’s conference matchup will be the first on-field matchup between the programs since 1968, a 56-0 win for Engadine.
Onaway
Oct. 9 vs. Onaway
Last matchup: GSM 40, Onaway 0 (Sept. 26, 2025)
Another former Ski Valley Conference foe, GSM football has won five straight matchups with Onaway and gets to host the Cardinals a week before their two biggest games of the season.
Pickford
Oct. 16 vs. Pickford
Last matchup: Pickford 40, GSM 22 (Aug. 24, 2023)
GSM’s schedule ramps up in the final two weeks, facing two of the top contenders in 8-player Division 1, Pickford and Inland Lakes. The Panthers had only one loss in the 2025 regular season while upsetting Inland Lakes in the regional semifinals.
Indian River Inland Lakes
Oct. 23 at Indian River Inland Lakes
Last matchup: Inland Lakes 47, GSM 20 (Oct. 24, 2025)
The yearly end-of-season rivalry will continue in the Bridge Alliance Conference, a matchup that decided the winner of the Ski Valley Conference Champion for the last four years. IL has never lost to GSM since making the switch to 8-player football, but this could be the year the Snowbirds change that,
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: GSM football enters new conference, faces new look schedule in 2026
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review | USA TODAY Network
