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Last Update: 09-21-2026 Sometimes you need to refresh your browser. |
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We recently received word that long time DeWitt educator and coach, Dr. WILX and WLNS did a nice interview of Shooks as he retired. Geoff Kimmerly, then of the Lansing State Journal wrote a nice article on Coach. This is his Hall of Fame Induction write up. The team picture following his last football game. |
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DeWitt, Mi (09-21-2026): The Dewitt Panthers play the second game of a three game mid-season away stand by traveling this Friday to Down River Detroit to play the Trenton Trojans at 7:30pm at William Farrar Field on the campus of Trenton High School. The Trenton Trojans are in the Down River conference along with Allen Park, Wyandott Roosevelt, Edsel Ford, Gibraltar Carlson, Taylor, Southgate Anderson, Woodhaven, and Lincoln Park. The William Farrar Field is a beautiful facility with artificial turf, similar to DeWitt. There is ample parking available. Again, game time is 7:30. Trenton is coming off a tough loss to undefeated Gibralter Carlson 21-14 while the Panthers defeated Lansing Waverly 58-6. The deepest Trojan run in the playoffs was 1978 to the semi-finals losing to Traverse City Central 7-6. In the 1998 semi-finals the Trojans were upset at Jackson High School by Haslett, losing to the Vikings 28-26. We saw that one. Last season, Trenton lost to Detroit ML King in the district finals 38-22. The Trojans are coached by Steven Voss, his second year as head coach but has been in the program many years. Offensively, Voss will send his offense onto the field and run multiple formations from 4-wideouts, Power-H, Flex, I, Power-I, and probably some we have not seen. But it is all run with the option play in mind. Senior QB Anthony Hawkins (5-11, 175) runs the option well and loves to tuck it an run. He is very fast and runs well in the open field. He leads the team in rushing with 388 yards on 31 carries and five TDs. Last season he rushed for 1,286 yards and 18 scores with eight games over 100 yards rushing. Passing this season, he is over 300 yards and 5 TDs. He has several weapons to hand off to or pass to. #10 junior Parker Saches has 211 yards on 26 carries and 3 TDs this season and this is his second year on Varsity. #2 Tyler Cook is another pure multi-sport athlete. 102 yards on 18 rugged carries he is the fullback. Defensively, the Trojans have middle linebacker #1 senior Christopher Szczechowski is another three sport stud and has 63 tackles on the season and near the tops in the state with tackles. He carries a load when he hits you. Last season he had 109 total tackles. #9 junior Carter Casey is the outside linebacker with 50 tackles and may be the strongest non-lineman on the team. What time is the kickoff Friday night? DeWitt, MI (09-19-2026):.The DeWitt Panthers defeated the Waverly Warriors at Manszita Field in Lansing Friday evening 58-6. It was quite a cool wind from the north east as the first real night for a jacket. We got ours at half time. With the win, the Panthers are still atop the CAAC Blue Division tied with Grand Ledge at 2-0 in the league. The Comets pulled away from the East Lansing Trojans 49-25 at East Lansing last evening. The Panthers have a non-conference game at Trenton next Friday evening then the rest of the games are league games, at East Lansing, Holt, at Grand Ledge and Okemos. Watch out for Okemos, they could sneak up and upset someone. Coach Efe Scott-Emuakopr has steadily improved the once hapless Wolves program. They are 1-1 in the CAAC Blue and 3-1 overall. Week eight seems to be the week everyone is looking at out of the corner of their eye as DeWitt will travel to Community Stadium in Grand Ledge. But, today. The Panthers scored on all six first half possessions to take a 44-0 lead into the locker room. The Panther defense, getting a bit better each week, gave the offense a short field by stopping the Warriors on the first drive. The Panther's first drive was five plays featuring a couple Griffin Braman passes to Joseph Bobeda, 5 yards, Caedin Martin-Seymour, 20 yards and the last three yards on two Donovan Hillard runs. Braman tossed a pass to Hillard for the two point conversion. The DeWitt defense held the Warriors again to -13 yards on the next drive. Bobeda took the Warrior punt back for 16 yards. Hillard capped of the next Panther drive on a 15 yard run, breaking arm tackles along the way. A Martin-Seymour extra point run made it 16-0 DeWitt. DeWitt scored once more in the first quarter, a 60 yard drive set up by Braman's 37 yard run. Braman took it in from the 5 yard line to make it 22-0 DeWitt just a few tics of the clock into the second quarter. DeWitt scored three more times in the second quarter. Bobeda kept the scoring going with an eleven yard run. Braman carried in the two point conversion, 30-0 Panthers. The Panther offense was using a balanced attack, short passes and rugged runs. Bobeda returned the next Waverly punt for 39 yards to set the offense up with a short field at the Waverly 9 yard line. Braman ran it in from the nine for another TD. Waverly put together a drive of 48 yards but missed a 31 yard field goal. DeWitt then went 80 yards on the arm of Braman and capped the drive with a 39 yard pass to Landon Kurncz. Hillard blasted into the endzone for the two point conversion to end the half. At the half, DeWitt had 148 rushing yards and 140 passing yards for 288 total. Braman was 14 of 17 passing with one TD and no interceptions. Waverly had 80 yards in the first half with 25 rushing and 64 net yards passing. The second half was a bit close stat wise, but DeWItt outgained the Warriors for the game. The second half was a lot of clean jerseys getting dirty. Nash Sosebee had two rushing touchdowns, one of 22 and one of 20 and showed outstanding speed. Carter Harryman kicked both extra points in the second half to make it a super running clock. Does not stop for anything. With just over a two minutes to play Waverly had a 78 yard eight play drive, capped by a Tre Burton 7 yard run on a scramble. The extra point was no good and with about 1:10 on the clock, Waverly called a time out and the clock ran out. Once again, the Panther offense showed a number of weapons. Braman 67 yards rushing and 2 TDs, Hillard 58 yards 2 TDs, Sosebee 42 with 2 TDs. Receiving Martin-Seymour four for 51 yards, Bobeda four for 22 yards and Kurncz six for 67 and a TD. The defense is coming. A little more crisp hitting and playing down hill. Caleb Ocha had nine tackles, Trevor Preston eight and a sack, Gavin Braska eight, Dexter Dodds seven, Casey Flannery, Tyler Bayshore and Landon Braska six. Bobeda had a good night on special teams with three punt returns for 76 yards. Off the wire: The Panther JV team beat Waverly 65-0. The Fresmen had an exciting game with Portage Northern. Northern went up 18-0 before the Panthers scored. And Northern was up 24-8 at the half. DeWitt roared back in the second half and won the game 38-24. Please let us know if the finals are correct.
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HOME OF THE PANTHERS
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Please send inquiries and comments to DeWitt Football Touchdown Club Facebook page.
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DeWitt Football Official Picture Site 
TCP Photography
Wayne Shooks passed at 84 years of age. We had the opportunity to spend a few years on the sideline with Coach and we learned a lot about football and how to be a gentleman on and off the field and how to keep things in order and focus on the particulars and small things that made a person better. That was pretty important to a young high school kid. 
