Whitmer High School opened its doors in the fall of 1924, and in the nearly 100 years since, its football team has come to represent the Washington Local Schools community in a way few programs across state of Ohio do.
With a history of success that dates back to the 1950s, the Panthers have become one of northwest Ohio’s most prominent football teams, bolstered by a base of support that rivals some of the best in the state.
“From my perspective, that’s what Whitmer is — it’s community,” said Chris Wormley, a 2012 grad and former All-Ohio defensive end for the Panthers who later starred at Michigan and is now playing for the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. “Families grow up there and then raise their own children there.
“People have so much invested in Washington Local and, in turn, invest on the football team. It made you feel like you lived in a small town.”
The crowd for a Friday night home game at Memorial Stadium on campus is much more than a student section and a collection of the moms, dads, and grandparents of current varsity players.
A substantial portion is composed of loyal alumni who return, year after year, to cheer on their Panthers. Many still live in the WLS district, and their children are the second, third, or fourth generations of the family to attend Whitmer, one of Ohio’s larger schools in terms of enrollment.
“You’ll find me up there every Friday night,” said Steve Zuber, a 1965 Whitmer grad who ran track for the Panthers, served 20 years with the Toledo Fire Department, and was a WLS board member for 17 years. “It’s really good, and Central’s got a heck of a following too.”
WATCH: 1965 Whitmer grad Steve Zuber on football Friday nights
Zuber, 70, is referring to Three Rivers Athletic Conference rival, Central Catholic, which will visit Memorial Stadium on Friday.
“We have two of the best traveling teams with the fans,” Zuber said. “When we go to Central, we pack their visiting side, just like they do with ours.”
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Chuck Steele is a 1978 grad who played three varsity football seasons for the Panthers. He has missed only three of Whitmer’s games since 1980, and his 94-year-old father just stopped attending three years ago when he was no longer able to climb the stadium steps. Chuck’s wife, Kelly, has been a cheerleading coach since 1982, and their son, Jason, played football (2004-05).
“They all get involved,” Steele said of his family and the Whitmer faithful. “It’s a close community with great fan support. When we play an away game, most of the time, we have more fans than the home squad.
“I just like to see the young fellows play. High school football is different than college or the pros to me. It’s more pure. They’re out there to have fun, and I enjoy going to it.”
Sandy and Candace Schultz, better known as “Sandy and Candy,” have been married for 50 years and have long occupied seats 1 and 2 in Row M at Memorial Stadium, “right on the aisle,” Sandy said.
A 1963 graduate of the old Sylvania High School, Sandy, 73, was converted into a Panthers fan by Candy, a 1965 Whitmer grad who worked 32 years as a secretary for WLS.
“We enjoy going,” Sandy said. “I’ve sold the 50-50 tickets for a lot of years, and I’ve gotten to know the parents of the kids as we we’ve gone on. It was fun to watch the kids grow up and start playing football, and then graduate. It’s a good night out on a Friday night to watch the kids and stay interested.
“Like they say, once you’re a Panther, you’re always a Panther.”
This support has not gone unnoticed by some of the program’s top players of recent years. After starring on Whitmer’s 2012 team that reached the state championship game, the Holley twins, Nate and Nick, excelled at Kent State University, and recently each went through training camp with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams before being cut before the start of the season.
Awaiting their next NFL opportunity, the Holleys have recently been attending Panther practices to help coach the players.
“What makes it the most special is that it’s a family,” Nick Holley said. “It’s a community that is backed up by family. Everybody is supportive and shows up for the games, and the atmosphere is indescribable.”
Kevin Koger was a key member of the 2006-07 Whitmer playoff teams, and started on the Panthers’ 2008 basketball team that reached the Division I state semifinals. He later started at tight end at Michigan and is currently an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky University.
“It was incredibly special because of the tradition behind it all,” Koger said of his Whitmer experience. “One thing that’s unique about the Whitmer community compared to Central is that, at Whitmer, you come up through the system.
“At Central, they’re pulling kids from all over the city as opposed to Whitmer, where you grow up and go to Washington Local Schools.
“You go to one of the grade schools, then the middle school, and you go to the games and you look up to those kids that are 200 yards away from you. When you finally get there, it’s kind of surreal. I had been looking up to these kids at that school for my entire upbringing, and now I’m one of those people.”
Contact Steve Junga at sjunga@theblade.com, 419-724-6461, or on Twitter @JungaBlade.
First Published September 27, 2018, 7:53 p.m.
