The Division III program initially didn’t have the Beacons as Week 1 opponent, but as fortune would have it Adrian came away with its biggest win in program history.
ADRIAN, Mich. — There are multiple elements to the sport of college football that make it stand out. Unpredictability stands near the top, with upsets giving fans a boost of adrenaline when underdogs find a way to victory.
Adrian College received a season-opening jolt on Sept. 6, taking down Valparaiso 10-7 on the road. A Division III school defeating an FCS program for what head coach Joe Palka called “the biggest win in school history.”
“I certainly believe so, I know some old timers would disagree but the reality is we beat a Division I team at their place as huge underdogs,” Palka said.
The Bulldogs entered their season opener to simply compete. With new faces littered throughout the roster and no scrimmages to help prepare, Adrian set out to Indiana seeking a reference point. What they came back with turned out to be a new sense of belief within the team.
“Just goes to show this new team, there’s a lot of newcomers with transfers and all, including me, just helps us believe what we can do,” senior quarterback Noah Beaudrie said. “Apply that every day from now on.”
The game did not start great for Adrian’s offense by any stretch. Nine offensive plays, including a fumble, spelled trouble for Beaudrie and his unit early on.
Despite the adversity, Beaudrie’s unit found itself with a chance to still come away with victory. All he had to do, march the Bulldogs down the field trailing 7-3 with one minute and 20 seconds remaining.
“They rolled a Cover 3, so I threw the seam,” Beaudrie said. “Actually got hit so I was down on the ground and didn’t see anything, but I heard our sidelines screaming and our fans screaming. So, I knew we caught it and scored.”
The Monroe native from Erie-Mason High School connected with sophomore Wide Receiver Ethan Abberger for a 26-yard touchdown with 26 seconds to play. Flipping the script after the Beacons had taken the lead on the previous drive.
Celebration on the Adrian sideline couldn’t be matched, but the drama didn’t end there. Bulldog’s defense, which forced five turnovers on Saturday night, still needed one more to bring home the win. Junior Ethan Burrows delivered with an interception at the 9-yard line with under ten seconds to go. Thus, preventing Valpo from victory and sealing a thrilling upset win for Adrian.
“To be honest with you, the expectations for ourselves were really high,” sophomore defensive back Quincy Dorsey said. “With us playing as well as we did on defense, we had a lot of little mistakes that we need to fix, but I’m not surprised how it turned out as far as us playing defense. We prepared for that moment.”
Dorsey himself proved impactful. His performance earned him Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Athlete of the Week honors following an interception in the end zone and a forced fumble.
“It feels good, knowing my hard work is starting to be seen in the light a little bit now,” Dorsey said. “It’s a really great feeling.”
Sophomore running back and Bedford grad Trey Brueggemann rushed for 79 yards on 22 carries to help pace the offense as well. Players were quick to point out who they believe the heroes of this massive triumph should be.
“Really, the coaches are who I point the congratulations to,” Beaudrie said. “They’ve done a great job of getting us ready and preparing us for the season. Just gives the players a lot of confidence going into the rest of our schedule.”
Head Coach Joe Palka is entering his second season at the helm of Adrian College, coming off a 6-4 campaign last year. He told WTOL 11 that he couldn’t be happier to see his group kick off a season in the fashion they did.
“I was very impressed because the reality is they [Valparaiso] started camp so much sooner than we did,” Palka said. “They had a game under their belt, and we didn’t have any of that. So, for our first go around to not make mistakes allows the underdog to stay in the game.”
The Beacons were not originally on Adrian’s 2025 schedule. The Bulldogs set out to play Madonna University for their season opener. However, they dropped out late in the spring, which then opened the door for Palka to seek a new opponent.
“The kids were excited about it and accepted it. Gave us something to point to in the offseason,” Palka said. “So, yeah, it’s crazy how a quick twist of fate puts you in that situation. Then to be able to capitalize on it is huge.”
From underdog to the epitome of a Bulldog, the program is riding a high that they may never come down from. Yet, there’s still a whole season left to play, and that’s the challenge now moving forward.
“We had a two percent chance of winning that game,” Dorsey said. “We got a goal to win a championship, so for us to get a big win like that in the first week lets us know what we believe in can possibly happen.”
Adrian returns to action on Sept. 13 for the home opener at 3 p.m. against Thiel College.
This article was published by Tyler Seggerman on 2025-09-10 22:07:00
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