Hematites still riding a wave of community support
ISHPEMING — It may have been over a week ago that the Hematites beat Pewamo–Westphalia to take the Division 7 state football championship, but the community is not done celebrating.
Monday night, the Jasper Ridge Brewery invited the team out to have a little dinner and meet their supporters. Hematite fans could come down for a meet and greet with the players and coaching staff and offer their congratulations.
“We’re a part of the community here and obviously the school is a big part of that community. It’s very easy root a team like this on and a program like this on,” said Pat Beyer, General Manager for the Jasper Ridge Brewery.
“Like my mom said today, this is my 20 minutes of fame that everyone gets. It’s really humbling to see everyone uplift us so much and [be] so proud of us for all our hard work,” added Jesse Laurin, who plays Offensive Lineman and Defensive Nose Guard for the Hematites
Ishpeming has participated in five state championship games since 2010 and has won three of the last four.