DEWITT, MI (11-06-26) – DeWitt continued its postseason run Friday night, defeating Coopersville 54–21 to capture the Division 3 district football championship.

Quarterback Griffin Braman (#9) accounted for five touchdowns, giving the Panthers production through the air and on the ground. He rushed for 129 yards and two touchdowns and passed for 63 yards and three scores.

The 54-point performance carried DeWitt to its third consecutive district championship and its 10th district title in 11 years. The Panthers improved to 9–2 and advanced to a regional meeting with Mount Pleasant.

Coopersville’s season ended at 9–2. The Broncos put 21 points on the scoreboard, but DeWitt’s offense produced too much for the visitors to match in the elimination game.

The result extended a familiar November tradition for the Panthers: turning a district appearance into another week of playoff football. Braman’s five-touchdown effort provided the centerpiece of a victory that kept DeWitt in contention for the Division 3 state championship.

Mount Pleasant advanced with a 56–41 win over Cadillac, setting up the Panthers’ next postseason test.

The final margin concealed a competitive opening half. Coopersville remained even at 14 late in the second quarter before Braman broke the tie with a 12-yard touchdown run with 1:21 remaining before halftime. That score began a stretch of 28 consecutive DeWitt points, transforming a close district final into a game controlled by the Panthers.

The timing mattered. DeWitt entered the break with momentum and extended the separation after halftime, forcing Coopersville to chase a growing deficit. The Panthers’ scoring run supplied the decisive answer to a Broncos team that had matched them through much of the opening two quarters.

Landon Kurncz (#8) caught three passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns, while Donovan Hillard (#20) added 87 rushing yards and a touchdown. Their contributions complemented Braman’s production and gave DeWitt multiple ways to finish possessions. Kurncz accounted for two of the quarterback’s three passing scores, while Hillard added another scoring option on the ground.

Coopersville had arrived in the district final after eliminating East Grand Rapids 24–14 in the first round. DeWitt advanced through its own opener with a 50–14 victory over Lowell, meaning Friday’s matchup brought together teams that had each begun the postseason with a convincing result.

The regional pairing now carries an additional layer of history. DeWitt and Mount Pleasant met in last season’s Division 3 state championship game, and their upcoming meeting sends that matchup into an earlier round of the tournament. Mount Pleasant enters the regional at 10–1, giving the Panthers another opponent with a strong season behind it.

For DeWitt, the route forward begins with building on the stretch that decided Friday’s game: productive possessions paired with stops that prevented an opponent from answering.