Week 1 Takeaways: DeWitt Dominates Kenowa Hills 59-21 in Big Ben’s Game of the Week

Our Big Ben’s Comix Oasis Game of the Week saw the defending Division 3 champions, DeWitt, take on Grand Rapids Kenowa Hills. DeWitt was looking to replace several key players from last year’s championship team, while Kenowa Hills came into this one with a healthy amount of returners on both sides of the ball.

Could Kenowa Hills edge out a DeWitt team that was looking to replace several key players from that state championship team?

In the end, it was the defending state champs in DeWitt that were able to walk away with a 59-21 victory.

Kenowa Hills

The Big Three?

Kenowa Hills has a Big Three, but all three weren’t clicking at the same time in the loss to DeWitt.

Will Fussman looked like he had the ability to break out at any minute, but he had a few balls thrown his way that were just out of reach. The talent was there, though, as he finished the game with five catches for 54 yards and a touchdown.

Quarterback Grayson Fellows also showed spurts of being a great high school quarterback, and you could really see that in the second half. Fellows connected with Fussman on two beautiful passes, including what might have been his best pass of the night, which came on a 29-yard touchdown.

The biggest star of the night for Kenowa Hills was Michigan commit Lundon Hampton. He was able to show off his speed and football IQ in the loss, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying on his end. He finished the game with 78 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries, and he seemingly got stronger as the game went on.

DeWitt

Hard Hitting

One of the questions we had coming into this game was how the defense of DeWitt would be able to handle the Big Three of Kenowa Hills.

That was answered early and often as they laid the hammer down with big hit after big hit. If they can keep laying the big hits all season, it wouldn’t shock us to see them make it back to Ford Field for a chance to defend their title.

Quad Threat

You may have heard of the Triple Option in football or a triple threat anywhere else, but I’ll be willing to bet you haven’t heard of a quad option or a quad threat, and that is what DeWitt has.

Channing Ridley, Caedin Martin-Seymour, Donovan Hillard, and Griffin Braman are all a threat on the field with the speed all four of them possess. Braman opened the game with a 61-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game, and it was all speed from there.

Braman finished the game from the quarterback position going 8-for-12 for 106 yards while adding 129 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. Ridley had 65 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, Hillard added 52 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries, while Martin-Seymour added 92 yards on 10 carries.

All four of them were explosive when they needed to be, and that’s just on the ground.

Like we said, Braman was able to pass for 106 yards, and the receivers may be just as fast as the backs in this offense, which will give opposing defenses nightmares.

Bear’s Final Take

While Kenowa Hills didn’t get the win, they will be just fine this season, especially in Division 4, where it wouldn’t shock us if they made a run to the State Finals.

For DeWitt, even though it’s Week 1 and Division 3 is loaded with a lot of talent, the defense is there and so is the offense. The sky is the limit if everyone can stay healthy.