ISHPEMING, MI-- The Ishpeming High School football team won not only the Division 7 State Championship this week; the story of one of its football players has won an online contest sponsored by Sports Illustrated.
SI profiled ten high school football “underdogs” and asked people to vote for their favorite. Officials announced Tuesday that Eric Dompierre and the Hematites won.
Dompierre is the 19-year-old with Down syndrome who—with his family—battled to win approval from the Michigan High School Athletic Association to play past the age of 18 in his senior year.
With the win Ishpeming’s athletics program will receive a $25,000 grant, and team members will travel to New York to attend the annual Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award event.