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Last Update: 09-16-2024 |
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Spectator Information: Watching Games: Visit www.NFHSnetwork.com and search DeWitt High School. There is a subscription required. This will allow you to watch games from your easy chair. But, we'd rather have you with us at Memorial Stadium. Listening to games: Games are on the DeWitt Panthers Network by Zach Surdenik live or recorded. Accessing the broadcast can be done by going to www.HighSchoolStreaming.com and click on DeWitt at the top. Local Radio: If local radio will broadcast a game, we will do our best to notifiy you ahead of time. But, we'd rather have you listen to Zach |
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DeWitt, MI (09/16/2024): The DeWitt Panthers will host the Hurricane High School Redskins Friday evening at 7:00pm at Memorial Stadium. This will be the first home game of the season for the Varsity Panthers. It will also be the Hall of Fame Induction of the 2024 DeWitt Class of 2024. The JV Panthers will travel to Pewamo-Westphalia and the Freshmen to Lowell. Hurricane (pronounced 'her uh kin') is a member of the Mountain State Region. Their region is similar to our CAAC Conference Blue Division. Good team? Oh, yeah. Ranked 5th in the State of West Virginia. Panther Coach Rob Zimmerman stated: "We are very much looking forward to our matchup with Hurricane West Virginia. They are an incredibly talented football team with both great size and speed as well as experience. They are as talented as any team that we could face this season so it will certainly help us further down the road". While doing a little research, we find them at 2-1 with their only loss to 4th ranked Huntington 38-35. They defeated #18 Spring Valley 63-48 and #21 Parkersburg 49-14. They are coached by Donnie Mays, in his third year at Hurricane and has built an offensive powerhouse, averaging 50 points a season last year and this year and is 20-7 overall. As of this writing, there ar 10 Division 1 quality players on the roster. Like DeWitt, the Skins offense starts with its QB and they have a good one in #7 Noah Vellaithambi. The 6'0" 205lb QB is 41 of 60 passing for 668 (222 per game avg.) with 7 TDs. He has also rushed for 284 yards on 32 carries and 5 TDs. His top receivers are #0 Tayshawn Dues, a 5'11' 180lb senior in his fourth year on varsity. He has 13 catches for 244 yards and 2 TDs. He is ranked as the #2 receiver in WV. Alongside of Dues is 6'0" 185lb junior #5Ja'lei Burnett with 15 catches for 243 yards and one score. Then the big tight end Sha'lik Hampton at 6'4" and 220lbs that has 8 catches for 125 yards and 3 TDs. And can block the sun out. In the backfield, the key is 5'10 200lb junior #8 Kylan Grace. With speed to burn, he has rushed 45 times for 404 yards and 6TDs. Also in the backfield is scatback AJ Gregory at 5'11 and 170 pounds. He has 26 carries for 141 yards Defensively they are led by middle linebacker #33 Joey Quijano. The 2'10" 205 had 26 solo tackles and 15 assists for 41 tackles and 5 tackles for loss. So, look for Hurricane to shoot him through the gaps to get into the Panther backfield. DB #12 Jai'den Smith has 28 tackles from his defensive backfield position. And upfront, junior #66 Cohen Lusher anchors the D-Line at 5'11" and 210lbs with 18 solo tackles and 5 tackles for loss. And, the rest of the D-Line is big as well as the offensive line at 270lb, 275lb, 260lb and 255lbs. It will be an awesome game and could turn into a shootout. Friday's weather at game time looks to be sunny and dropping through the 70s during the game. How did this game come about? We caught up with Athletic Director Mike Brya and and he provided us with some information. MB: We began looking for a game immediately after the conclusion of our season, knowing the difficulty of finding an opponent in Week 4 of the season. In mid-November, we began talking with a school on the west side of the state that has a rich tradition in football and would have been a very good matchup for both schools. Things were very promising in early-December, and by the first week of January, we had a verbal agreement for a 2-year home-and-home contract. The contract was sent to finalize the agreement, and the school backed out. Coach Zimmerman was on the Staudt Radio Show shortly thereafter and had mentioned that we were struggling to find a Week 4 opponent. One of the listeners contacted Tim Staudt and asked for my number. The listener contacted me and said his son runs a Google doc with essentially every high school (from Illinois to Pennsylvania and Michigan to Kentucky) and their open date. Coach Zimmerman literally reached out to every school who was open on 9/20 (or 9/21). With the CAAC Blue being an odd-numbered division, one school will have a bye in Weeks 3-9. For the 2022 & 2023 seasons, DeWitt had its bye in Week 3. When the league schedule rotated, which it does every two years, DeWitt's bye moved to Week 4 for 2024 and 2025. DeWittFootball.org: How did you know to go outside of the state to get a game? MB: Prior to the 2024-2025 school year, the MHSAA only allowed MHSAA-member schools to play teams from the border States (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Canada - Minnesota & Illinois share a maritime border). Beginning in the Fall of 2025, the MHSAA now allows MHSAA-member schools to play teams outside of the border-state footprint; however, two things are required: the school must be a member-in-good-standing with their State Association AND the game must be played in one of the border states. DeWittfootball.Org: That is a long way to travel for a game, do they have any other plans? MB: The team is departing West Virginia about 8:00 a.m. They intend to stop in the Toledo-area to break-up the trip, stretch, and do a walk-thru. They are expected to arrive on campus between 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. The bus will turn around and head back right after the game. Some members of the team are staying around town with their family and hope to attend the U of M / USC game in Ann Arbor on Saturday (something they normally would not have an opportunity to do). DeWittFootball.org: Is this a home and home contract? What if we can't find a week four next season? MB: This will be a one-year contract, and we will begin to immediately look for a Week 4 opponent on a one-year contract for the 2025 season. Thanks, Mike for this information. Pretty fascinating
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Please send inquiries and comments to info@DeWittFootball.org
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TCP Photography
