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The 1997 Grand Ledge football team was the 3rd team in school history to qualify for the playoffs (fewer teams qualified at this time, even 8-1 teams were left out like GL in 1991).
The CAC was loaded with college talent this year as Grand Ledge would beat yet another talented East Lansing team by only 1 point, an EL team that later in the season would come up 1 score short of appearing in yet another state title game.
GL managed to beat, in a 7-3 dog fight, what is still considered one of Lansing Eastern's best teams in school history (Eastern has not had a winning season or playoff appearance since this 1997 team) as this team was loaded with talent and only lost 2 regular season games by a combined 5 points to GL & Sexton.
GL would lose their only regular season game to one of Sexton's best teams in the 90s (Shawn Foster was at RB who later played for MSU; ironically, his son Shawn Foster II would play for GL 2019-2022) by 2 points to share the CAC title (Sexton lost to EL, their only loss).
GL would eventually return the favor by beating Sexton by 2 points opening round of the playoffs before running into a dominant Rockford team (Rockford was undefeated and had averaged 40 ppg that season; Rockford also crushed Eastern the game before playing GL in the playoffs). This would be GL's 3rd regional final appearance ever and 3rd in 6 years (1992, 1994, 1997). At this point, every GL football playoff appearance resulted in a regional title / quarterfinal appearance, an impressive run.
GL Running Back Matt O'Connor also broke the Lansing Area rushing record this season set a few years prior by EL RB Randy Kinder. Matt O'Connor is still in the state record books for this achievement. He also set numerous single season and career rushing records for GL.
1997 Team
9-2
*CAC Co-Champs, 3rd playoff appearance, 3rd playoff win (1-1), 3rd regional title app.
*Finished regular season ranked #6 in Class AA by AP, prior to losing to Sexton GL was ranked #1 in the state in the Class AA AP poll which was the first time in school history
This GL team also very famously had what is likely the biggest starting OL / TEs in school history which contributed greatly to the team's success, particularly running the ball. The line was so big, the LSJ did an entire article profiling them, pictured below, including both starting TEs. 5 of them went on to play college football. 3 of them played D1 college football (McLean - Toledo, Brown - Michigan, Miller - Michigan State) while Westrick became an All-American, National Champ, and Hall of Fame inductee at D2 Grand Valley. LaCross also played college football at D3 Alma.
Grand Ledge's playoff win over Sexton this season was ranked the 7th greatest high school game ever in the Greater Lansing Area in 1998 by the Lansing State Journal.
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