DEWITT — The early morning storms gave way to sunshine.
And the DeWitt football team embraced those conditions as it returned to work Monday, Aug. 10, with its first official practice on the turf at DeWitt Memorial Stadium.
Monday marked the first official day of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s sports calendar for the 2026-27 school year with practices for fall sports beginning. And it brought excitement for reigning Division 3 state champion DeWitt, which has high hopes once again.
“I’d say 10-out-of-10 excitement,” DeWitt junior running back Channing Ridley said about the start of the new season. “We’ve been waiting for this. We love to practice and (it is good) to get out here with my boys and be out here working hard and getting ready for Week 1.”
Ridley, who owns a Division I offer from Miami (Ohio), is a major piece back for the Panthers from a squad that finished 14-0 and captured the program’s second state championship. The Panthers lost several key contributors from last season, including record-setting quarterback Trav Moore, who is now playing at Central Michigan. But while players like Moore have graduated, DeWitt hopes a large group of returners who played in the shadows behind last year’s stars will shine as they step into bigger roles.
The early returns from the offseason work has veteran DeWitt coach Rob Zimmerman encouraged.
“To be honest, they’ve far exceeded our expectations,” Zimmerman said. “When we started in January this group had it in their head that they were going to follow in the footsteps of last year’s group. The seniors have always been really, really talented. They’ve had a very good year all the way up. It’s just that they’ve been overshadowed by last year’s senior group. We’ve had a great offseason. This summer I thought went really, really well.”
The mentality now for the Panthers is to build on a summer that included competing against the likes of Detroit Cass Tech, Warren De La Salle, Belleville and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s. Zimmerman said those experiences provided value to many of the first-year starters his program will have this fall.
Senior quarterback Griffin Braman is one of those first time starters who is ready to capitalize on his opportunity to help the Panthers continue their tradition of success.
“Last year was a great season,” Braman said. “We’ve got to defend the title. We told our guys last year doesn’t matter and it’s just us this year,”
Contact Brian Calloway at bcalloway@lsj.com. Follow him on X @brian_calloway and Bluesky @briancalloway.
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: As practice officially begins, DeWitt football in pursuit of title repeat
Reporting by Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brian Calloway, Lansing State Journal | USA TODAY Network
