Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College will open a new chapter in program history Saturday when the Pomeroys make their NAIA football debut against Lawrence Tech.

Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Blue Devils Stadium in Southfield, Mich. The game will stream live through SMWCAthletics.com and air on 95.3 FM, with legendary broadcaster John Montgomery on the call.

SMWC enters its inaugural NAIA season following a storybook conclusion to its sprint-football era. The Pomeroys went 8-0 in 2025, secured their first undefeated season and defeated Calumet College of St. Joseph, 33-6, in the Midwest Sprint Football League Championship Game.

The victory gave SMWC its second MSFL playoff championship and completed a run of four consecutive appearances in the league title game.

Head coach Blaine Powell will make his NAIA head-coaching debut Saturday with a 28-4 collegiate career record. The two-time MSFL Coach of the Year has never lost a road game during his collegiate coaching career, carrying a perfect 13-0 road record into the opener.

Under Powell, SMWC developed into one of the nation's premier sprint-football programs. The Pomeroys excelled across all three phases during their championship season, averaging an MSFL-leading 45.5 points and 400.2 total yards per game entering the 2025 title game.

SMWC also led the conference in scoring defense at 19.3 points allowed per game. The Pomeroys entered the championship with 47.5 tackles for loss, 18 sacks and 13 interceptions before holding Calumet to six points in the season finale.

The championship roster earned widespread postseason recognition. Twenty Pomeroys received MSFL All-Conference honors, while 11 players earned CSFL Hub All-American recognition.

Adonimi Parker, Byran Simmons and Connor Wardlaw earned First Team All-America honors. Simmons also received Freshman Team recognition after making an immediate impact in the SMWC secondary.

Corbyn Cleveland earned Second Team honors, while Derron Hazzard and Peyton Metzger were named to the Third Team. Zy'Eiar White and Brodi Smith joined Simmons among the Pomeroys selected to the Freshman Team.

SMWC will now look to carry that championship culture into a significantly different level of competition. The move eliminates the sprint-football weight restriction and places the Pomeroys within the Mid-States Football Association, one of the NAIA's most accomplished football conferences.

The Pomeroys will compete in the MSFA Midwest League alongside Marian University, the University of Saint Francis, the University of St. Francis, Olivet Nazarene University, Saint Xavier University and Judson University.

The MSFA has produced nine NAIA national champions, including six since 2011. Each league champion can earn an automatic berth in the NAIA Football Championship Series by finishing among the top 20 in the final NAIA coaches' poll.

Saturday's matchup with Lawrence Tech represents SMWC's first opportunity to compete at the full NAIA level. It also puts Powell's unbeaten road record on the line as the reigning undefeated MSFL champions begin the next stage of the program's rise.

Game Information
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods at Lawrence Tech
Saturday, Sept. 5 | 1 p.m.
Blue Devils Stadium | Southfield, Mich.
Live stream: SMWCAthletics.com
Radio: 95.3 FM, with John Montgomery on the call