Painesville, Ohio - The Lake Erie College football team opens its 2026 season under third-year head coach David Price on Saturday at 3 p.m. as the Storm play host to the Hawks of Saint Anselm College at Jack Britt Stadium.

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Inside the Series …

This is the first-ever meeting between the Hawks and the Storm.

A Look at Lake Erie …

The Storm are coming off back-to-back 2-9 seasons, but have added an influx of talent to the roster that should bolster results this fall … Lake Erie returns its top tackler from a season ago in Kemari Ward, who made 85 stops to accompany 12 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks … redshirt-junior Quinterrius Jemison is back at linebacker after he led the Storm with 13 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. ?
 

Offensively, LEC welcomes the return of leading rusher Julian Means-Flewellen, who accumulated 514 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry … Redshirt-freshman Josh Takats is set to make his debut under center and may split reps with redshirt-junior Hunter Newell … Takats had an impressive high school career at Perrysburg where he recorded 3,678 passing yards and 37 touchdowns through the air … The dual-threat QB also rushed for 1,023 yards and added 13 scores on the ground …Newell appeared in three games in 2025, going 15-of-32 for 187 yards and a TD … Tight end Devin Morgan played in just five games last year and led the Storm with three touchdown catches.

Scouting the Hawks …

Saint Anselm University is coming off a 5-5 season under 11th-year head coach Joe Adam … Like the Storm, the Hawks will have a new face under center as Joe Caro takes the reins at QB with just one collegiate pass attempt … He will be joined in the backfield by sophomore transfer Jermaine Sheppherd Jr., who will make his STA debut … The Hawks' passing game produced 20 touchdowns last year, and they bring back leading receiver Kyle Verriest, who recorded 389 yards on 25 catches and three touchdowns.
 

Defensively, senior safety Jon Hosney is the top returning tackler for the Hawks as he made 59 tackles for a unit that totaled 17 sacks and eight interceptions. 

Oh Captain My Captain …

At the conclusion of preseason camp, the Storm named its four captains for the year … Senior tight end Devin Morgan, graduate linebacker Kemari Ward, sophomore defensive lineman Jalen Joyce, and fifth-year offensive lineman Joey Rozak will handle the captain duties … Morgan and Rozak both served as captains last season as well … As a freshman, Joyce played in all 11 games, totaling 30 tackles, 4.5 TFL's and two sacks.

Poll Me …

Lake Erie was selected to finish eighth in the G-MAC Football Coaches Poll, totaling 36 points … Ashland University led the way with 87 points and six first-place votes, while Northwood was close behind with 85 points and four first-place votes … Findlay (74), Tiffin (66), Hillsdale (61), Walsh (51), and Ohio Dominican (36) placed ahead of LEC in spots three through seven, while Thomas More (25) and Kentucky Wesleyan (18) checked in ninth and 10th, respectively.

Week One Recap …

The Storm are looking for their first week-one win since 2021 when they beat Clarion University 31-26 on September 4, 2021 … The last two seasons, the schedule has been unfavorable for the Storm, opening against Ferris State, who ranked No. 1 in the country in 2025 and were No. 9 in 2024 … A 14-3 quarter from Hillsdale in 2022 gave them a 35-31 win over the Storm, while Lake Erie fell to Franklin Pierce, 26-10 in 2023.

Spreading the Love …

A total of 13 players accounted for 20 of the Storm's touchdowns a season ago … Seven scores came on the ground, eight through the air, three on defense, and two on special teams.