Michigan Tech wide receiver Ethan Champney (10) and tight end Drew Collins celebrate a touchdown catch by Champney during a game against Bemidji State Thursday, Aug. 28, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — For all intents and purposes, the Michigan Tech Huskies football team had a very successful season. They went 7-4 for the second straight year. Thirteen Huskies were awarded All-GLIAC honors. Coach Dan Mettlach was named Coach of the Year. Junior linebacker Chase Koch was named to the 2025 D2CCA All-Super Region 3 Second Team. Oh, and senior tight end Drew Collins became the fourth player in school history to win the Jack H. McAvoy Award.

Junior offensive lineman Brandon DeVries, redshirt sophomore wide receiver Nic Nora, junior defensive lineman Pierce Miller, Koch, and senior defensive back Dante Basanese all were named to the First Team. All five earned the honor for the first time in their careers. Wide receiver Ethan Champney, defensive lineman Connor Hindenach, and linebacker Porter Zeeman, all seniors, earned Second Team honors.

“Looking back on it now, a couple weeks removed, (it was a) really good year,” Mettlach said. “Back-to-back seven win seasons. A lot to be proud of from that standpoint.”

Steps were taken by the Huskies.

“At the same time, we had talked a year ago at this point about wanting to be competitive in the big games,” Mettlach said. “I feel like we took a step this year in terms of we weren’t just competitive. We’re in those games with chances to win those games and just didn’t. (I’m) really proud of that fact, in terms of where we’re at right now going into next year, with how many people we have coming back, the big thing now is just going to be to get our guys to a point where our offseason workouts, spring ball going into summer, that we’re not just okay with being seven wins.

“It is a great accomplishment, winning seven games up here is not an easy thing to do. At the same point, getting our guys hungry enough that they realize how close we are, and what needs to get taken care of now to make sure we’re winning those close games, rather than just being in them. It was a great year from that standpoint, but I feel like it could have been really good, had we taken care of even just one more game.”

Therein lies the rub. So, why does this season also feel like the Huskies came up short? Part of the issue is how the season ended. A year ago, the Huskies pulled off an incredible comeback against Saginaw Valley State on the road. This year, the Huskies had the Cardinals on the ropes late, and then gave up a late score to lose.

“It’s a completely different feel,” said Mettlach. You make a bunch of plays at the end of the game against Saginaw last year to get to seven wins, and then you finish this year on a two-game skid against two great teams. Don’t get me wrong there. But, it’s just, your record is the exact same. You’re in a really good spot with guys getting recognized postseason awards, and finishing in the top half of the GLIAC.

“There’s a lot of things to be proud of from that standpoint. But anytime you finish off a year losing two games, I don’t care who it’s to, the feeling is different.”

Mettlach loves how his team responded to the way the season ended with the losses to Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State.

“The positive thing about where our guys were this year in exit meetings, and everything else, was it’s not a feeling of being upset or anything like that,” he said. “There’s a disappointment of knowing we are capable of winning either one of those last two games, and what could have been at that point. All the guys that are returning are hungry to get back after it now, which is awesome to see. But, there’s no question the vibe is a little different than when you win a big game, than when you lose two tight ones to finish off the season.”

The Huskies lost by a touchdown to Upper Iowa, and by three points each to Grand Valley State and Saginaw Valley State, which shows just how razor-thin the margin between winning and losing can be.

“That’s the thing about our league, I think, is that when you have a team that is competing in those games, I say it every single week, anybody can beat anybody,” Mettlach said. “It’s one thing to sit here and say what ifs, when you lose one-score games in those types of situations, especially the way we did lose them, that part is tough to handle. But, it all comes back to being able to execute in crucial situations against the best teams in our league.

“Every single week you’re in a battle. So, could we have potentially been whatever, 8-3, 9-2, 10-1? Sure.”

Even the one game the Huskies lost by more than a touchdown, a 38-10 loss to No. 1 Ferris State, the Huskies turned the ball over five times in the first half.

“There’s plenty of evidence, watching the film back, to say we could have won any one of those games,” said Mettlach. “Playing Ferris up here, five turnovers in the first half, and it’s still only 21-3. So, we’ve closed the gap. There’s no question about that now.

“It’s got to be the amount of guys we have coming back next year. You can’t sit there and say, ‘Well, we got experience coming back at every single position, so we’re in a good spot.’ Those guys need to get to the point now where we aren’t letting those games slip away. You’re going out and it doesn’t matter what the jersey says that you’re playing. We approach every week the same way so that we’re not sitting here in December talking about Upper beating us at home when those are games we have to win, especially at home.”

Mettlach said it is time for his team to take the next step.

“The more mature our team gets at every position, I think that’ll help,” he said. “But, we can’t be satisfied with where we’re at now. We have to get to that next spot, and that’s got to be with the guys that are in our locker room currently.”

Michigan Tech coach Dan Mettlach calls out to his team from the sideline during a game against Bemidji State Thursday, Aug. 28, at Kearly Stadium in Houghton. (David Archambeau/For the Gazette)