Professional Athletes-Good Role Models?

"I AM NOT a role model! I'm a professional basketball player. I am paid to wreak havoc on the basketball court. Parents should be role models!" Carles Barkley uttered these words a few years back. It is not ever day that you see a high school or college student move on to become a professional in the sport they play. But have you ever wondered why? Some may say that students don't want to continue their sport career because they want to become something rather than, for example, a football or basketball player. Others may say it is because of the misconduct and the illegal activity the professional athletes perform today.

In my opinion, I believe that most young athletes do not want to become professionals because they see what the professional athletes go through no and they do not want to end up in the same position. This problem is not only controversial to the high school and college athletes, but also to the fans watching the professional athletes for entertainment. Someday, the professional athletes system will no longer exist because it will lost most of its high school players, college players, and their fans.

It seems as if athletes are signing their professional contracts and giving away more than a commitment to play for a professional team. They are surrendering their astute and common sense by being busted for acting unintelligently. Professional athletes are becoming worse role models over the years to, not only the people watching, but also to the high school and college athletes that want to be in the position of the professional athletes.

Where Do The Football Players Go From Here?

It has been a very long season for all of the football players at Whitmer High School. Even though some went through the season with minor and major injuries, Whitmer still finished the season as champions. Shane Brown, one of the Panther's linebackers, states "It sucks, you know, breaking your leg in the last game before playoffs; but all in all, I'm satisfied with the outcome of how I played this season." Ken Hayes, one of the Panther's defensive ends, and only a Junior, plans to attend Ohio State University in the Fall of 2011.

Each year, the coaches for the Panthers make their players fill out a form with all of their information on it and then they send them to the school that the player prefers. This gives the players, who have not yet been recruited, a chance to put their faces out there and possibly continue their football careers in college.

So far, there is no word on who else has picked a college to attend to play football. Hopefully, by December/January, recruitments will be known and word will be out on which players will be attending which college. Most of the football player say if they do not get recruited to a college, they will try walking onto a team; even if it means just watching for the first couple of years. Not only are all of the coaches proud of their players hard work and effort, but so are all of the fans that were in the stands watching and cheering on the Panthers every move.

Whitmer High School Hangs Up Their Playoff Coat

A playoff run was not in the cards for City League football champions Whitmer. Even though they were eighth-ranked and top seed in Region two, Canton McKinley would not let Whitmer have this game. Whitmer was at a disadvantage when they found out that two of their most valuable performers and team leaders would not be able to play in the playoffs.

Senior quarterback Joe Missler, who suffered a hip-pointer injury, managed to get one play in. Senior linebacker Shane Brown was not that lucky. In last weeks game against Start, Brown suffered from multiple leg fractures, ending his high school football career.

"It took away a big part of our game, but McKinley did what they needed to do to win. Wilder has speed, and he can cut on a dime. They have speed at almost every position, and they can take it the distance every time they touch the ball. For us, it just seemed like we misfired at the most inopportune times. Giving up the big play, or not finishing on offense," says Whitmer's head coach Joe Palka.

Senior Randall Kennedy completed 15 of 30 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown, plus he ran for 28 yards. Whitmer's touchdowns came from receiver Mike Pfaff on a 12 yard pass, 54 seconds before halftime and from running back Teryl Mershon on a 3 yard run with 4:51 left in the game.

Overall, Whitmer played a very good season. Canton McKinley defeated Whitmer 34-13. Whitmer is proud of what they accomplished this season and they are ready to come back and play twice as hard next season.

City Champions

Even though Whitmer went through some rough times this season, they took the city championship with a 9-1 record. In this past weeks game against Start, Whitmer gave Start a chance to take the lead 7-0 in the first half. One of Whitmer's strong linebackers, Shane Brown, was taken out within the first five minutes of the game, with a helment to his left calf. He broke both his tibia and fibia in half. Whitmer will miss their linebacker, but will be in high hopes for playoffs.

Randall Kennedy gained 130 yards in 17 carries and scored two touchdowns for the Panthers. Teryl Mershon contributed to the victory with a 12 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Mershon gained a 34 yards in 10 carries. After the game, Coach Palka thanked not only his players for a good season, but also the parents, friends, and other fans for their support that helped the boys make it past every game.

This Friday's competition for the first playoff game for the Panthers is Canton McKinley. By winning the city title, Whitmer got the chance on having their first playoff game at their home field; the Whitmer Statium. Whitmer has confidence that their will make it past game one, onto their next competition.

Whitmer Is Another Step Closer to the Championship

With Whitmer's win over Bowsher, 64-13, the Panthers set themselves one step closer to taking the title home. Joe Missler completed 9 out of 12 passes for 151 yards. Teryl Mershon scored a 50 touchdown pass from Missler in the first half. Mershon also scored on an 8 yard run in the first half, so Panthers take the lead 43-0. The Pathers rushed 294-yards on 47 carries.

Micah Merritt opened the game with a plunging effort in the endzone after he picked up three yards, making the score of the game 7-0. Fllowing the first touchdown he got, he returned with a 29 yard touchdown.

Panthers defense trapped Bowsher offense inside there own 5 yard line, giving Chris Wormly a good chance to block the punt. It also gave Nigel Hayes a chance to recover it in the inzone for a touchdown, which they did. Missler found Mike Pffaf for an 18 yard touchdown pass.

In the second half panthers put there 2nd and 3rd strings in the game, giving Bowsher's Leonard Brown a chance to score on a 10-yard run. Also in the 4th quarter Justin Gasten hauled in a 30 yard pass from Alonzo Lucus.

With the win over Bowsher this week, it gave Whitmer an opportuinty to have their first playoff game at home. If they get the win over Start next week, they will have the chance to have another home game during the playoffs. Hopefully, Whitmer keeps up the good offense and defense to bring the title home.

Whitmer's Defense Traps Central

After two years of losing to Central Catholic, Whitmer was not going to let it happen again. With their strong defense and hard effort, the Panthers will take the win 14-7 against Central. With 8,000 fans as their witness, Whitmer takes eighth place in Divison I in the state. Central is now ranked ninth place in Division II.

Whitmer had two big plays that enabled them to take the lead in the first half 14-0. With 31.7 seconds left in the first quarter, running back Teryl Mershon ran 53 yards to a touchdown. Randall Kennedy threw a pass over the middle to Tevin Boykin for a 47 yard touchdown. As the first half ended, Central had only earned one first down and 10 total net yards. There were four straight plays with turnovers, one funble for both teams, and one interception each.

Even though Whitmer failed to score when they blocked Central Catholic's punt at the 32 yards line, the Panthers still gave the Irish a run for their money. They held Central's offense to only one touchdown. After the Irish scored their first touchdown, they never got passed Whitmer's 39 yard line the rest of the way.

"This is a really special win, not just for me, but for our players and our whole community. We played lights-out on defense. We knew they'd be good on defense, and I didn't think 14 points would be enough, but obviously it was tonight." Says Whitmer's Coach Joe Palka.

Whitmer's competition for next week is Bowsher at Whitmer's home field. Whitmer has high expectations for next game. Win or lose against Bowsher, Whitmer still has Start High School as their competition, which is only two weeks away.

Should the Price of Game Tickets Be Lowered?

Currently, at Whitmer High School, tickets rage between $4 to $7. For a student ticket it is $4, for a regular ticket it is $5, and for reserved tickets it is $7. So, are these prices too high? Some believe they are decent prices, while others think the total opposite. Of course people still pay the ticket prices because people know Whitmer has the potential to take the championship home.

So many people come to the games, but so many more would come if the ticket prices decreased by $1 or $2. Buying one ticket may not be that expensive, but when you have more than one, that's when tickets get a little high. For example, a family of four, two adults and two children, would cost that family approximately $18-$22.

It's obvious that schools make alot of money off fotball games. But is the money more important than the fans? The boys on the field do a lot better knowing that they have so many people cheering them on, then to know how much money they are making the school. The school could find better ways to make the school money.

In conclusion to this proposal, I would love to see the ticket prices lowered or even deals when you buy more than one ticket. Even though it may lose the school a chunk of money, it would bring more fans to watch the Whitmer football team.

Panthers End Clay With A Shut Down

The Whitmer Panthers won their six in the seven games and moved slightly a game back of the league-leading Central Catholic in the city league. The Panthers had an impressive performance with the score board on their side, beating the Clay Eagles 38-0.

The Panthers lead with 180 yards passing and 217 running. Their overpowering defense limited the Eagles to only 12 passing and 40 running yards. With the help of Randall Kennedy running 40 yards, Tevin Boykin getting a pass to score a 74 yard touchdown, Mike Pfaff with a 44 yard touchdown catch, Micah Merritt running 4 yards into the endzone, Austin Sweeney kicking a 36 yard field goal, and Georgio Armour completing the Panthers score with a 44 yard touchdown run. The Whitmer Panthers have a good view of the City League playoffs. Whitmer is 3-1 in the city league and 6-1 overall.

The upcoming week is a big Friday for Whitmer. With Central Catholic as their competition, the Panthers have alot of hard falls and hard work to look forward to. Hopefully, the weather will be to Whitmers advantage, with no rain or wind in the forcast. With Central and Whitmer both having the overall record of 6-1 this weeks game should be a eye-opener for everyone watching. Hopfully Whitmer will pull all their loose ends together and give their fans what they want to see.

Whitmer Defeated

Whitmer put up a big fight in the last few minutes of this past Friday's game against St. Francis. Whitmer drove 58 yards against St. Francis' 13 yards in the last four minutes of the game. It was no help that St. Francis ran the clock down because Whitmer had no time outs left over. With the Knights up 14-0, Whitmer answered with an 80 yard touchdown at 31.5 seconds left until halftime.

"That was tough because we had put drives together in the second half," Whitmer coach Joe Palka said. "That's our MO - we always come in and score late to win games. But it's not going to happen 100 percent of the time, and it didn't happen tonight. We came up a little bit short."

Joe Missler threw a 13 yard completion to Mike Pfaff which landed Whitmer fourth and seven on the Knights' 29. Missler ran the ball for the next 14 yards and Micah Merritt finished with a one yard plunge. This was Merritt's 14 touchdown of the season. The only points scored in the third quarter was by Austin Sweeney with a 42 yard field goal at 56.5 seconds left in the game. Whitmer topped the Knights 376-292 in their total offense. Missler was 8 of 20 for 89 yards with two intercepts.

Whitmer still has high hopes for making it to playoffs. They are still a big talk for the whole city and the news stations. One person had to lose that game. Whitmer has confidence that this is not a loss for them. They plan to pick up their slack next week with Clay as their competition. Whitmer still has a good chance to make it to playoffs. It's their performance that will prove how bad they want the championship.

For the Love of the Game

You can hear the fans cheering a mile away from Whitmer High School's football stadium. Being a senior Whitmer football player, Georgio Armour has high hopes for his school work and his football career. Growing up, Georgio had his cousin, JoJuan Armour, to look up to. JoJuan currently plays in the Canadian Football League (CFL). The most significant part about this scenario is that Georgio has the same head football coach as JoJuan did in high school; Coach Joe Palka. "JoJuan taught me the true meaning of dedication and hard work. Coach Palka has influenced me to follow in JoJuan's footsteps and make it to the NFL," Georgio states anxiously.

Georgio is a running back, which is one of the hardest positions on the offense because he has to know how to play every position on the field. He is also a kick returner, which is when the opponent kicks the ball to the other team who tries to return the ball up field as many yards as possible. Georgio recaps, "I remember the first time I caught a kick return. I was so nervous and I had butterflies before the ball was in the air. My fellow team mate, Jacob Noon, encouraged me and told me, 'Lets go Georgio.' That's when I knew I had to return the ball up field."

Between school and football, Georgio makes time to look for a job. Currently unemployed, he hopes with the closure of football season, it will being a minimum-wage paying job. In his free time, Georgio keeps in touch with his close friends and family. Without any work of whom the scouts are looking at, Georgio hopes for the best. If college football is not an option for Georgio, he still plans to continue his schooling at a college close to home and study construction. "Hopefully, as the years go on, my success in football will prosper. If not, life goes on. you only live once, so live your life with the appreciation of what gifts and paths God gives you."

5-0 Undefeated

With Whitmers win over St. John's, Whitmer continues to stay undefeated. In week one, Whitmer defeated Tiffin Columbian 35-7. In week two, they defeated Fremont Ross 25-9. In week three, the Panthers defeated Fostoria 48-12. In week four, they defeated Rogers 43-20. This past Friday, week five, they continued their winning streak with St. Johns, in an ending score of 20-7.

By having four turnovers, fans worry about the end of the road for Whitmer's winning streak. With the help of senior quarterback Joe Missler, his two interceptions, his completion of all ten other passes for 148 yards, and his 78 yards on 18 carries, Whitmer recovered their mistakes. Missler was not the only recovery for the game. With the help of Teryl Mershon and Randall Kennedy, Tevin Boykin scored the tying touchdown in the last three minutes of the first quarter.

"There were no big chunks," Coach Palka said of his team's ball control. "They played good defense, and they're a real physical team. But we had some long drives, and we really just had to take what they were giving us. We had too many turnovers, and our defense really stepped up and bailed us out. We were good enough on offense when we had to be. This was not our best performance, but you can attribute that to St. John's."

Next week, being Whitmer's homecoming game, everyone has high expectations for the Panthers. As Whitmer's rivalry, St. Francis is currently 5-0 also. The fans are getting themselves prepared for this very important determination of who will walk away with another week of success. The Panther's have to put in another week of hard work and effort to prove to hundreds of people that they deserve the city league title and the possible state title.

Introduction

I'm Danielle Jacobiak and I will be the author of the blogs about high school football. When I first introduced myself to this topic, I planned to write about several high school teams. Whitmer, being my alma mondern, changed my mind. Throughout high school, I always followed the football team. I had my cousins, my boyfriend, and my friends to cheer on. Since I still have people to cheer on, I still follow high school football.

Football can mean a lot to some people, and nothing to other. But to the boys/men who play it, it could mean their future. Some go to college and continue to play. Some even make it to the pros. Some play for fun, while other play because it's more to them then just a game. Sometimes high school football can become intense in some scenarios. That's why I'm here.

I decided I would write about the Whitmer High School football team; their success and standards, their starting line up and star players, and I will include details about football after high school for select players. If you are not interested in football, by the end of each blog, you will be. I would appreciate feedback on how you think Whitmer is doing in your own perspective, who you think will be recruited by a college, and/or any disputes you have with some of my statements. Please, do not hold anything back. My blogs will be open for discussion.