Traverse Moore etched his name into the Michigan high school football record books while leading DeWitt to the 2025 Division 3 state title.
The Panthers’ star quarterback finished with 397 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 32 carries, smashing the championship game record for yards, previously held by Jackson Lumen Christi’s Kadale Williams at 314 yards. Moore’s record-setting day at Ford Field lifted DeWitt to a 54-20 win over Mount Pleasant in the Division 3 title game.
DeWitt (14-0) completed a perfect season to win the school’s second football state championship, while Mount Pleasant (13-1) came up short for the school’s first title.
DeWitt jumped out to a 33-point lead as Moore accounted for five touchdowns, four rushing and one passing, in the first half. Mount Pleasant battled back in the second half, including a record-setting rushing touchdown from quarterback Xavier Creguer, but the massive deficit was too much to overcome.
DeWitt’s offensive line carved out big holes afternoon, helping the Panthers rush for a whopping 575 yards as a team. On top of Moore’s 397 yards, Channing Ridley had 101 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries. Tyler Bashore had 77 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries.
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Check out the full game recap below.
DeWitt vs Mount Pleasant game recap, highlights
Channing Ridley adds 27-yard rushing TD for DeWitt
The party is underway on DeWitt’s sidelines. Channing Ridley got around the left edge untouched on a jet sweep for a 27-yard rushing touchdown. DeWitt has scored seven times on the ground and once through the air to put up the second 50-point performance of the championship weekend.
Tyler Bashore adds DeWitt TD
DeWitt 47, Mt. Pleasant 20, 10:24 4Q.
DeWitt snuffed out any chance at a comeback by putting together an 8-play, 68-yard scoring drive ending with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by junior Tyler Bashore. DeWitt has now run for 507 total yards as a team with six rushing touchdowns.
Mt. Pleasant turns it over on downs
DeWitt 40, Mt. Pleasant 20, 10:24 4Q.
Mt. Pleasant’s defense forced another DeWitt punt, receiving the ball at midfield. The Oilers picked up one first down but ran out of steam. On 4th-and-6, DeWitt blanketed Mt. Pleasant’s receivers downfield, forcing Xavier Creguer to try to scramble for a fresh set of downs. But, DeWitt defensive end Everett Cooper chased him down for a drive-ending sack.
DeWitt’s Jadon Bender hauls in INT
DeWitt 40, Mt. Pleasant 20, 1:20 3Q.
Mt. Pleasant forced a DeWitt punt and drove into Panther territory on a trick play pass to Xavier Creguer, who picked up 31 yards. On the next play, Creguer tried to take a deep shot, but he got hit while throwing and his pass came up short, landing in the hands of DeWitt defensive back Jadon Bender for a Panthers turnover.
Xavier Creguer breaks 91-yard TD for Mt. Pleasant, sets state record
DeWitt 40, Mt. Pleasant 20, 4:56 3Q.
Xavier Creguer found a seam and took off for the longest rushing touchdown in Michigan championship history. The Oilers quarterback kept it himself and ran through a massive gap created by the offensive line, using his speed to escape DeWitt’s defensive backs for a 91-yard rushing touchdown. Creguer traveled the entire length of Ford Field untouched for his second rushing touchdown. Mt. Pleasant missed the extra point.
Creguer joins DeWitt’s Traverse Moore as a record-breaker in this game. Creguer’s touchdown run is the longest in Michigan championship game history, breaking the previous record of 90 yards held by Edwardsburg’s Nick Bradley in 2017 and Farmington Hills Harrison’s Nick Williams in 1994.
Traverse Moore sets state title game record for rushing yards; Mt. Pleasant gets goal-line stop
DeWitt 40, Mt. Pleasant 14, 5:57 3Q.
Traverse Moore has officially had a record-breaking performance for DeWitt. The Panthers’ star has set the championship game record for rushing yards, breaking the mark previously set by Jackson Lumen Christi’s Kadale Williams in 2024. Moore has 325 yards on 24 carries, breaking the previous record of 314 held by Williams.
Moore led DeWitt all the way down to the doorstep, but Mt. Pleasant’s defense stood tall and stopped him short of the goal line on fourth down, forcing a turnover on downs.
Second half underway
The second half of the D-3 title game has started. Mt. Pleasant’s offense will start at its own 35-yard line after a solid kickoff return.
Halftime: DeWitt 40, Mt. Pleasant 14
DeWitt dominated the first 24 minutes, taking a 26-point lead at the break.
DeWitt scored a touchdown on its first six offensive possessions. Traverse Moore has 19 carries for 263 yards and four touchdowns, while completing three of six passes for 58 yards and another touchdown. Channing Ridley has seven carries for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Mt. Pleasant scored on its second possession and on the final possession before half. The Oilers are being led by quarterback Xavier Creguer, who has 64 passing yards and 41 rushing yards. As a team, Mt. Pleasant has gained 126 yards compared to DeWitt’s 430.
Mt. Pleasant adds Xavier Creguer TD before half
DeWitt 40, Mt. Pleasant 14, 0:12 2Q.
Mt. Pleasant will carry a touch of momentum into half after DeWitt largely dominated the first 24 minutes. The Oilers produced a defensive stop and then drove 63 yards in five plays to score on a Xavier Creguer quarterback run from four yards out. Creguer had three carries for 43 yards and completed two passes for 25 yards on the scoring drive.
Jadon Bender hauls in 35-yard TD for DeWitt
DeWitt 40, Mt. Pleasant 7, 4:45 2Q.
On 4th-and-5 from the Mt. Pleasant 35-yard line, DeWitt kept its offense on the field. Traverse Moore faked a handoff before dropping back to pass and delivered a strike to a wide-open Jadon Bender on a post route for a 35-yard touchdown.
DeWitt’s Traverse Moore scores 4th TD of first half
DeWitt 33, Mt. Pleasant 7, 8:57 2Q.
Traverse Moore has turned Ford Field into his personal track. The DeWitt senior has run all over Mt. Pleasant early on. He started DeWitt’s fifth drive with a 44-yard run to reach plus territory instantly and finished the drive with a 13-yard rushing touchdown on a keeper up the middle. Moore completed DeWitt’s first pass, a 9-yard completion to Jadon Bender, to convert a fourth down and keep the drive alive.
Moore has 11 carries for 219 yards and four touchdowns in the first 15 minutes of the state title game.
Channing Ridley scores 13-yard DeWitt TD
DeWitt 26, Mt. Pleasant 7, 0:42 1Q.
DeWitt’s offense has reached the end zone four times on four drives. This time, the Panthers went 68 yards in six plays. Ridley scored on a 13-yard run off a pitch to the left. Ridley broke a 34-yard run and a 13-yard run earlier in the drive to help set up the touchdown.
Traverse Moore breaks 74-yard DeWitt TD
DeWitt 19, Mt. Pleasant 7, 5:31 1Q.
Traverse Moore scored his third touchdown of the first quarter on his fifth rushing attempt. On the first play of DeWitt’s third drive, the Panthers’ offensive line opened a big hole in the middle, and Moore exploded through for a 74-yard rushing touchdown. Moore has 141 yards and three touchdowns on five carries. DeWitt kept the offense on the field for a 2-point conversion attempt, but Mt. Pleasant stuffed the run to keep DeWitt at 19 points.
Riley Olson makes diving catch for Mt. Pleasant TD
DeWitt 13, Mt. Pleasant 7, 5:47 1Q.
The Oilers are on the board thanks to a spectacular individual effort from star receiver Riley Olson. On third-and-12 from DeWitt’s 31, Xavier Cregeur rolled to his right on a play-action, and threw back left to Olson on a deep post. Olson laid out and caught the ball while diving into the end zone. Mt. Pleasant started its drive at the DeWitt 42 thanks to a big kickoff return by Olson.
Traverse Moore scores again for DeWitt 13-0 lead
DeWitt 13, Mt. Pleasant 0, 8:40 1Q.
On the first snap of DeWitt’s second drive, Moore found the end zone again with a 33-yard touchdown run off a direct snap. He quickly got to the right edge of the field, and made one cut inside to get past Mt. Pleasant’s defenders for his second touchdown of the first four minutes. Mt. Pleasant blocked DeWitt’s extra point attempt.
Mt. Pleasant went three-and-out on its first offensive possession. The punt went out of bounds at the Oilers’ 33-yard line, setting DeWitt up in prime real estate.
DeWitt takes lead on 30-yard Traverse Moore TD
DeWitt 7, Mt. Pleasant 0, 9:47 1Q.
It did not take long for the Panthers to find the end zone after a big return had them starting at Mt. Pleasant’s 49. Traverse Moore took a snap and started up the middle, before bouncing to the left sidelines and outrunning the defense for a 30-yard touchdown run.
Kickoff has arrived
The official start time for the Division 3 championship is 12:58 p.m. DeWitt received the opening kickoff.
DeWitt to receive opening kickoff
Mt. Pleasant won the coin toss and elected to defer. DeWitt will receive the opening kickoff starting on the East end of Ford Field.
Division 3 game to start at approximately 12:55
Due to video reviews during the Division 7 state title game between Menominee and Schoolcraft, the start time for the Division 3 title is slightly delayed. The game clocks inside of Ford Field indicate the game will start just after 12:55 p.m. DeWitt and Mount Pleasant are both going through warmups on the field.
DeWitt vs Mount Pleasant stream live, start time
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com; Follow Jared on X or Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MHSAA football: DeWitt runs over Mount Pleasant in D-3 state final
Reporting by Jared Ramsey, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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