PETOSKEY — Athletic programs like the one at Petoskey High School don’t maintain the level of excellence that Northmen athletics has for decades out of nowhere.
More than anything, it comes out of a strong foundation.
At Petoskey, the groundwork was laid by the likes of athletic director Gary Hice and dedicated coaches like Dennis and Karen Starkey, Mike Loper, Matt Tamm, Roy Harvey and others.
But, you can’t talk about the foundation of PHS athletics without mentioning Brent Hewitt as well.
Hewitt was a 1977 Petoskey graduate, lettering in baseball and basketball, before later spending more than 30 years working at the school, including 25 as part of the administration.
On Tuesday at Turcott Field, Hewitt was recognized and honored alongside family and friends before the start of Petoskey’s matchup with Traverse City West, as he fights a battle with Parkinson’s disease.
The day drew many of the old crowd Hewitt spent decades at PHS with, including Hice, Harvey on the microphone and a large crowd of others paying tribute on a sunny day at the park.
“Just to see the crowd here today, it’s pretty incredible,” Denny Hewitt, Brent’s brother said. “Even if the weather had not been like this, I think the people would still have been out here, just because how much Brent meant to them.”
Hewitt’s grandson, Ari, 4, tossed a pair of opening pitches alongside his father, Jamie Latner, as well as Denny and other brother, Clark.
While the Hewitt family grew up through athletics and has stayed involved for years, including at Petoskey, Clark is still active as the Harbor Light Christian athletic director.
“It’s just so cool to see some of the other former staff,” Clark said. “Gary Hice, Roy Harvey and Karen Starkey. I was kidding with people because it seemed like a 1977 class reunion and a baseball reunion. Bill Hansen and just a lot of hometown people that supported baseball and Brent.”
After his own playing days at Petoskey, Hewitt became involved in coaching under Starkey at the middle school level, helping build the consistency within the program that made it one of the more respected and revered programs in the state, coaching for 29 years.
“Brent told me once, before the season would ever start in basketball, he would go to Starkey and say, ‘What do you want me to teach? What do you want done?’” Denny said on building that consistency.
When Hewitt retired, he did so in 2024 as the coordinator of non-instructional services, essentially as a Dean of Students.
He spent years working the school day, then followed it with event work in the evenings helping Hice and the athletic leaders to follow.
If there was something going on at Petoskey High School, you were likely to see Hewitt servicing the operation.
The job came with a lot of long days and nights for Hewitt, which everyone noticed and respected.
“I think that tied in with a pretty tough job,” Clark said. “Another name for Dean of Students is Dean of Discipline and he had to do a lot of the disciplining. He had a way of doing it, holding the kids accountable, but he did it with such love. I know when I’d go out with him, to the movies or downtown, everyone was saying hi to him. Everybody loved him, even if he was hard on them and held them accountable.”
On Tuesday at Turcott Field – which came with a Northmen sweep over Traverse City West with Hewitt watching on – the love for Brent Hewitt was evident, celebrated by family, past coworkers and former students young and old.
As he battles Parkinson’s, a GoFundMe has been set up to help the family with the care Hewitt needs. Within the first 24 hours, more than $15,000 was raised, again showing that love.
Visit gofundme.com/f/support-brent-hewitts-care-legacy if you would like to donate.
Reach Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com and follow him on X @DrewKochanny and Instagram @drewkochanny
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Brent Hewitt has his day, recognized by Petoskey during baseball sweep
Reporting by Drew Kochanny, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
