The River Rouge Panthers are coming off of a down year by their standards at 5-5, but with eight returning starters on offense and six on defense, the Panthers will look to regain their form this season.
Of the returners for the Panthers this season, none are as big as Senior Receiver Nick Marsh. However, there is more than one person on the team, and everyone knows that. Also returning for the team on offense are Junior Quarterback Mckale Mcdowell and Junior Lineman Jaylen Pitts. On defense, they return Senior Linebacker/Safety Leonardo Garcia and Sophomore Cornerback Dijon Wilson.
Coach Eric Pettway talked about Mcdowell at length, calling him a “Program Kid.” Pettway would say that this is very special and important to Mcdowell and that he is going to take a step up as a leader this year. Mcdowell started in the program as a ball boy, and as his coach put it, “He’s waited for his time since he was five or six years old to take over, and it’s 100 percent his job now.”
As for a guy to watch for this year is Senior Receiver Daniel Rucker. His teammates each talked highly of him as a perfect complement to Marsh. Although he played last year, Senior Running Back Cameron Broadnax is another guy to watch. Broadnax said he wasn’t 100 percent last year, so now that he is running at 100 percent, he feels he has more speed and agility.
River Rouge opens on August 25 at 7 pm against Belleville at Wayne State University. They will have their home opener two weeks later, on September 8, as they welcome in Toledo St. John’s Jesuit.