Hoekstra and U.S. Rep. Sam Graves have placed a friendly wager over the outcome of the game featuring products from their districts to help honor GVSU for another successful run at the championship.
Should Grand Valley regain the national title, Graves has offered to serve Hoekstra and his staff a meal from Pagliai's Pizza, a popular local pizzeria near the Northwest Missouri State University campus.
Hoekstra has offered a basket of West Michigan specialty crops and products should the NMSU Bearcats win that will include asparagus guacamole, a pair of wooden shoes, tulip bulbs, blueberries, cherries, pickles, turkey, apple cider and a Grand Valley State University sweatshirt.
"I could really use more tulips for my garden," said Graves. "I know that Pete is looking forward to Pagliai's, but hopefully he will have to make a special trip to Maryville for it."
The game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 10 at Braly Stadium in Florence, Ala. Kick-off is slated for 4 p.m. EST, and the contest will be carried live on ESPN. Hoekstra lauded Grand Valley's scholar-athletes.
"The campaign by the Lakers to the reach the national championship football game for the fourth time in five years has been inspiring, especially coming on the heels of GVSU's first-ever national championship in a women's sport by the volleyball team," Hoekstra said. "The achievements of Grand Valley's scholar-athletes present a great opportunity to highlight some local West Michigan flavor with my colleague from Missouri."
"Both Grand Valley and NMSU have put forth a tremendous effort during the 2005 season just to have the opportunity to play in Saturday's game," Hoekstra said. "May the best team win, but based on the outstanding play of the Lakers over the past season, I have good reason to believe that my staff and I will soon enjoy a terrific lunch graciously provided by my good friend Sam Graves and his office."
