Special senior group has DeWitt football a win away from state title

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

There have been moments throughout the path to Ford Field when coach Rob Zimmerman has posed for photos with his senior class as the DeWitt football team has collected league, district and regional championships.

There have been plenty of those types of photos with the numerous players Zimmerman has led at DeWitt during his successful tenure as coach.

But this latest group of seniors that has the Panthers a win away from capturing their second state championship in program history has been a special one.

A lot of that stems from his daughter also being a senior and Zimmerman knowing many of this year's seniors since they were very young.

"I know these kids even better than most groups," Zimmerman said. "They've all been in DeWitt. Every single one of these seniors is a player that's grown up in DeWitt and has been in high school throughout their whole careers so I've known most of them since they were very young. Because of that I've had a better grasp at where they are at because of having a daughter in that class."

The senior group has grown up accustomed to success since their days as Junior Panthers. Jacob Schorfhaar can't remember many losses over the years and remembers the disappointment of finishing 5-1 one year during their early football journeys.

"We just hated losing," Schorfhaar said. "Ever since then we hated losing."

That has helped spur the success these seniors have gone on to achieve as they've played prominent roles in DeWitt getting to Ford Field for the first time since 2021. The Panthers will face Mount Pleasant in the Division 3 state final at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30.

The Panthers are led in the trenches by several of those veterans. Offensive linemen Drew Rumsey, Jackson Hildenbrant, Luke Nolen and tight end Schorfhaar were all-region selections by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.

Seniors Everett Cooper, Brendan Mensing and Andrew Nehf were all-region defensive linemen and all have Division II college interest. They all have been major pieces in what the Panthers have accomplished.

"Those guys are really, really close friends and they all committed to the weight room," Zimmerman said. "Four of the five starters squat 500 pounds or more and I've never had anything like that. You've got to have a close-knit group as an offensive line if you're going to be really good and these guys certainly are."

Cooper, Mensing and Nehf have played vital roles in the defensive improvement up front, while leaders like Miller Wing and Lucas Brandell have also been key. Michigan Tech commit Jadon Bender has been a major playmaker in the secondary and on special teams.

Then there is star Traverse Moore, a Central Michigan commit who made the move from running back to running the show at quarterback this season for DeWitt. He's rushed for 2,088 yards and 25 touchdowns while thriving as a run-first quarterback, but he's also displayed an ability to be an effective passer when needed.

Those things have all resulted in numerous wins over the last few years, which includes a combined 25-1 record since the start of the 2024 season. But this group desperately wants to be also known as a state champion — something the seniors have been dreaming about since they were in fourth grade.

"(We have to) just keep doing our thing," Bender said. "We've been saying it, if we keep playing calm and collected, that's it. We've got Mount Pleasant and they've obviously been a great team and are undefeated as well this year. We'll be ready for them."

Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Special senior group has DeWitt football in mix for state title

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos