How DeWitt football has fared in previous state final appearances
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When the DeWitt football team faces Mount Pleasant in the Division 3 state championship game at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, at Ford Field it will mark the program's eighth appearance in a state final.
This will be the seventh championship game appearance under current coach Rob Zimmerman and the third since 2020.
Here’s a look at how DeWitt has fared in its previous title game appearances.
1989: Farmington Hills Harrison 28, DeWitt 27
This marked the first title game appearance for DeWitt. A touchdown run with 1:34 remaining by Mill Coleman, who went on to star at Michigan State, and the extra point that followed lifted Harrison to the victory over DeWitt in the Class B title game at the Pontiac Silverdome. John Telford led DeWitt with 15 carries for 153 yards and two touchdowns and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to John Cowan.
2002: East Grand Rapids 55, DeWitt 14
This marked the first title game appearance under the direction of Zimmerman. A 20-point second quarter helped East Grand Rapids pull away as it captured the Division 3 state title. Chad Alger completed 23-of-51 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns and Kirk Williams had 15 catches for 204 yards and two TDs for DeWitt. Kevin Grady Jr., who went on to play at Michigan, ran for 176 yards and four TDs for EGR.
2003: Three Rivers 24, DeWitt 6
Dan Blemaster’s touchdown pass to Paul Pulice in the opening quarter accounted for the lone score for the Panthers in their Division 4 state finals loss to Three Rivers at the Pontiac Silverdome. Blemaster threw for 234 yards and Justin Meeder had a team-high 95 yards receiving for DeWitt. David Booko had 209 yards rushing on 34 carries and three TDs for Three Rivers.
2004: Muskegon Orchard View 31, DeWitt 14
This marked the third straight state finals trip for DeWitt, which gave up 28 unanswered points after scoring first while falling in the Division 4 final. Chadd Fletcher and Justin Meeder each had touchdown runs for DeWitt. Spencer Bush ran for 115 yards and two TDs to lead Orchard View.
2013: Zeeland West 34, DeWitt 27
A second half comeback fell short for DeWitt as it fell in the Division 3 state final at Ford Field. The Panthers trailed 28-7 and halftime before outscoring Zeeland West 20-6 after halftime. Jake Johnson threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns and Josh Borta had five catches for 183 yards and two TDs to lead DeWitt.
2020: DeWitt 40, River Rouge 30
The Panthers had a stretch where they scored 20 unanswered points as they claimed the Division 3 state title with a win over River Rouge. Tyler Holtz was 12-of-16 passing for 177 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 118 yards and a TD while helping power DeWitt to its first state title in program history. Mareyohn Hrabowski threw for 227 yards and two TDs and ran for 94 yards and two scores for River Rouge, which was denied a second straight state title.
2021: Detroit King 25, DeWitt 21
DeWitt had its bid for a second straight Division 3 state title come up short when King got the go-ahead touchdown run from Sterling Anderson JR. with 3:28 to play. The Panthers had all 21 of their points in the second quarter, which included a 69-yard interception return for a TD by Tyler Holtz. Holtz threw for 153 yards and two TDs and Tommy McIntosh had six catches for 90 yards and a score. Dante Moore, who is now the quarterback at Oregon, threw for 228 yards and Terrence Brown ran for 113 yards and two scores for King.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: A look at DeWitt football's state title game history
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