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RAPIDS - Zac Dreffs set the single-season receiving record at Elk Rapids last fall. But he'll be just another number when the Grand Valley State football team opens practice in August. Dreffs, originally penciled in to be the Elks starting quarterback last year when summer conditioning began, is attending Grand Valley on a partial academic scholarship. Although he doesn't come in with a football scholarship, Dreffs will be treated the same as if he had one. Grand Valley may be impressed enough with Dreffs in his first year to offer him a scholarship. Elk Rapids head coach Ed Schindler has had players enter college as preferred walk-ons and later earn a scholarship. Dreffs is only concerned with earning himself a spot on the team first. He chose Grand Valley because of its academics, and the fact the football team has a solid tradition of excellence didn't hurt. "Grand Valley is the school he always wanted to attend," said his father, David - who taped the Elks' games the last few years. Zac isn't sure what he'll major in, but he's interested in communications. He'll pursue that to start. Obviously, he's excited about the opportunity to play football in college. The Lakers appear to be a perfect fit for him. "I think so, because they run the spread offense, which is what we passed out of this year," Dreffs said in a telephone interview. Dreffs naturally prefers to play offense, but he will play wherever the Grand Valley coaching staff puts him. He's looking forward to practice. "It'll give me a chance to get a feel for what it's all about," Dreffs said. "The competition will be pretty tough, I know that." Grand Valley's coaching staff has indicated it will send him a workout schedule for the summer. Until then, Dreffs plans to keep in shape by lifting weights and running. Dreffs was a very versatile player for the Elks, running back kicks and playing defense as well as being a record-setting receiver. "He was electifying on the football field," Schindler said. "Obviously, we tried to get the ball in his hands as much as we could. "But he was also very good on the defensive side of the ball. He really shut down their (opponents') best receivers throughout the season, and didn't have a lot of balls thrown his way. "That cut down the number of interceptions he had this year relative to last year." Schindler gladly traded Dreffs' interception total for keeping the opposing team's best receiver under shackles. Grand Valley's offense should suit Dreffs' skills very well, Schindler believes. "They run a lot of wide receiver screens and try to get people into space," Schindler said. "And, that's an offense that suits his (Dreffs') ability, because he's quick. He works well in space because he's a very good athlete. "So, a lot of the stuff we did with Zac will be able to carry on to his college career. But he's going to have a lot of competition, too. "(Grand Valley) has recruited a lot of other players that can do the same things that Zac can do." Dreffs isn't backing down from a little competition, though. In fact, he's already started on a program to gain weight in the form of muscle and mass. He plans on winning a job.