Tag Archives: Godfrey-Lee Legends

Lee Legends call audible: Return to 8-man football for 2025 season

Citizen Journalism, City of Wyoming, Going Local, Kent County, Local Faces, Local Sports, Our Cities, Sports, West Michigan, , , ,
The Lee Legends varsity football team prepares for its first game of the 2025-26 season (Ty Marzean/WKTV Contributor)


By Ty Marzean

WKTV Contributor

greer@wktv.org


Godfrey-Lee’s varsity football program has not played a full season of 11-man football since 2019.

This off-season, Coach Lamar Marshall and his team prepared for a return to the traditional format. Due to low roster numbers, however, the Legends will once again compete in the MHSAA 8-man football division for the fourth-straight year.

“Unfortunately, we lost some players to transfer,” said Marshall, in his fourth year, whose Legends ended the 2024 season with a 4-5 record. “So we ended up making the decision to come back to the 8-man game.

“It will be business as usual to prepare for the season, and I’m excited for what’s coming up.”

Key players and dual roles

The 2025 Legends will boast an even number of seniors and lowerclassmen. Among the returning seniors is the wide receiver trio of Jaden Potts, Manny Ramos and Aidan Merriweather.

The trio accounted for 95 catches, 909 yards, and nine touchdowns from the graduated Anthony Blok.

Jaden Potts, Lee Legends (Courtesy, Ty Marzean)
Jayden Sanchez, Lee Legends (Courtesy, Ty Marzean)
Daeden Lopez, Lee Legends (Courtesy, Ty Marzean)
Aidan Merriweather, Lee Legends (Courtesy, Ty Marzean)
Manny Ramos, Lee Legends (Courtesy, Ty Marzean)
Joseph Marshall, Lee Legends (Courtesy, Ty Marzean)


Potts will find himself all over the field as he is a stout force on the defensive side of the ball as well.

“Jaden Potts is our offensive captain, our defensive captain. He gets us into position on defense, and offensively – if you need a key play – he can come up big,” Marshall said.

Merriweather also will play a dual role for the Legends. The dexterous wideout collected 25 tackles last season and also will play running back on offense.

“He’s going to be our gadget guy,” Marshall said. “He’s coming off a foot injury from track, so he’s knocking the rust off, but he’s going to be a monster for us this year.”

Junior Jayden Sanchez will convert to quarterback from running back, where he led the Legends in rushing with 622 yards and seven touchdowns, pinballing his way to 10 yards per carry.

The Lee Legends varsity football team prepares for its first game of the 2025-26 season (Ty Marzean/WKTV Contributor)

“He’s a load to bring down,” Marshall said of his new signal caller. “He played quarterback under me in middle school, so he’s been in the system for a long time.”

The offensive line will be anchored by a pair of four-year varsity starters, 6-4 guard Darnell Burton and 220-lb. center Daeden Lopez.

Legends Schedule

The Legends will kick off the 2025 season with a pair of home games, hosting Baldwin on Thursday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m. and Sacred Heart Academy on Friday, Sept. 5 at 7 p.m. in the WKTV Game of the Week.

Lee loses quarterback, game in season opener against Sacred Heart

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(Courtesy, WKTV)


By Ty Marzean

WKTV Managing Editor

greer@wktv.org


Lee Legends’ 2024 football season got off to a rough start Thursday, Aug. 29. They lost their quarterback, Anthony Blok, to injury and suffered a 41-18 defeat to Sacred Heart in WKTV’s Game of the Week.

Blok left the game after a hard hit on the opening drive of the third quarter.


Lee QB Anthony Blok suffered an injury in the third quarter of Aug. 29 opening game. (Courtesy, WKTV)


“Anthony is doing much better,” said third-year coach Lamar Marshall. “Resting, [but] most likely won’t have him next week for Homecoming.”

Lee defeated Sacred Heart 42-30 during the 2023 season, with Blok throwing for 253 yards and four touchdown passes.

Starting strong, losing momentum

Legends’ senior quarterback Blok threw touchdown passes of 46 and 51 yards to Jaden Potts and Aidan Merriweather, respectively, in the first quarter.

“We started off well, then lost momentum and missed a ton of tackles,” Marshall said.

Will Hyland, sophomore quarterback for Sacred Heart, was a one-man wrecking crew in the team’s first-ever varsity football victory. He scored all 41 points, including five rushing touchdowns, an 82-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and five PATs.


Sacred Heart QB Will Hyland (#5) scores final touchdown of the first half. (Courtesy, WKTV)


Hyland finished the first drive of the season with an 18-yard touchdown run to open up the scoring in what would be a high-scoring first quarter.

Sacred Heart had a 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. Both teams scored an additional touchdown, and Lee senior defensive back Jayden Pena intercepted a pass in the end zone. Sacred Heart led 27-18 at the end of the second quarter.


(Courtesy, WKTV)


Finding their rhythm

Sophomore Jaden Sanchez replaced Blok after the third-quarter injury, but was unable to get the Legends’ offense in rhythm. Coach Marshall is confident they have found a strategy that will best fit Sanchez.

“I believe we’ve found a formula that will work, running the ball and getting it out quickly,” Marshall said of his squad. “Our game plan going forward is fundamentals; we have to preach doing the fundamentals correctly.

“We missed a few opportunities such as not capitalizing after half, leaving yards and touchdowns on the field.”

Lee (0-1) will look for their first win Homecoming night, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m., against Calvin Christian (1-0).

Lawrence beats visiting Godfrey-Lee 66-40; Beckwith shines on offense

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The Lee Legends team at practice prior to a Sept. 1, 2021 game. (WKTV)



By Zach Fanko, WKTV Contributing Writer

Despite a solid day on offense, Godfrey-Lee fell short against host Lawrence, 66-40 on Friday.

(Image courtesy of Godfrey-Lee)

Elijah Beckwith had five touchdowns, including three on the ground, a kickoff return and a 76-yard TD reception. He had 17 carries for 205 yards.

Quarterback Anthony Blok passed for 194 yards and two TDs.

“Blok is coming around in his first year as the starter,” said Godfrey-Lee Coach Lamar Marshall, whose team dropped to 0-5 overall. “He’s getting his IQ of the offense.”

Marshall said the game was a big improvement, noting that the Legends had zero turnovers.



WKTV Game of the Week

Our Game of the Week airs every Friday night on WKTV Comcast Channel 25 & AT&T U-Verse Channel 99 at 11 p.m. with a rebroadcast on Saturday at 11 a.m. If you don’t have cable, visit our website at WKTV.org to watch the livestream. Watch at home on your Smart TV in brilliant HD.