GAYLORD ― The Gaylord St. Mary Snowbirds have been a force in the 8-player ranks since joining in 2019, only missing the playoffs once in six seasons while going 38-22 overall.
Still, the past three seasons have followed very similar scripts; successful regular seasons overall being derailed late in the year by injuries and tough inter-conference matchups, ultimately holding GSM from its greater goals.
This season, in a year of change for the roster, Snowbird fans hope 2025 will be the year they find the recipe for postseason success.
The schedule looks relatively similar in 2025 as it did in 2024, but with new faces around the Ski Valley Conference, will this be the season GSM wins its first conference title since joining the 8-player ranks?
Gaylord St. Mary football
Head coach: Kevin O’Connell (12th season)
2024 record: 7-3 overall, 4-1 SVC (lost in first round of 8-player Division 2 playoffs)
Key Games: Aug. 28 vs. Rudyard, Sept. 19 vs. Bellaire, Oct. 18 vs. Holton, Oct. 24 vs. Inland Lakes
Starting with a U.P. challenge
St. Mary has been known to push itself against tougher competition in the non-conference, and for the fifth straight year, they’ll play one of the Upper Peninsula’s best teams to start their season.
The Snowbirds host the Rudyard Bulldogs on Thursday, Aug. 28 to open the season, hoping for another tone-setting victory after last year’s 8-0 road win helped start the GSM season on the right foot. This year, GSM fans will get to know the new-look offense right away as they host one of three area home games on high school football’s opening night.
Homecoming date with Bellaire
For at least the past three seasons, the Ski Valley Conference has been a conference of GSM, Inland Lakes and everyone else. After a 7-3 season of their own and the program’s first playoff appearance since 2020, the Bellaire Eagles are hoping to add to the competitiveness of the conference.
One of six home games for the Snowbirds in 2025, GSM will host Bellaire on Sept. 19 for its homecoming game, looking to stay unbeaten against the Eagles in 8-player matchups. Despite Bellaire’s improvement in 2024, GSM had little trouble when visiting the Eagles last season, winning 56-8 in Week 4.
Unknowns highlight matchup with new 8-player program
What usually makes a game notable in the preseason are the things we know. This Week 8 matchup is notable because of what we don’t know.
Holton joins the 8-player ranks in 2025 after three-straight winless seasons in 11-player from 2022-24. They hope to have more success in their first season in 8-player Division 1, while the Snowbirds will look to test themselves against another former 11-player team after a loss to Ishpeming in 2024, the U.P. program’s first season in 8-player ball.
Another SVC title matchup in Week 9
There’s a reason they play this game in Week 9.
The GSM vs. Inland Lakes game has decided the last four SVC championships from 2021-24, with Inland Lakes winning all four of those conference title-deciding matchups. This year, expect the same stakes to be on the line with a new cast of characters filling the pivotal roles. GSM’s star of last season, Daniel Jacobson, as well as IL’s four-year star Aidan Fenstermaker, have both graduated and are out the door, opening things up for new players to leave their mark on this ever-growing rivalry.
St. Mary and Inland Lakes have played 54 times in history, with games dating back to 1967. GSM holds a 32-21-1 overall record over the Bulldogs.
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: St. Mary football faces similar schedule with hopes of reaching larger goals in 2025
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
