By STEPHEN MONAHAN
Register Staff Writer
DURANT, Okla. — Former Gainesville High School Leopard Jerome Hewitt recently was named as a Daktronics first-team All-American for his stellar 2009 campaign.
Hewitt, a senior return specialist for the Southeastern Oklahoma State University Storm and graduate of Gainesville High School in 2005, rewrote the SOSU record books in 2009 and during his career.
The 5-foot-5 Hewitt broke 11 school records in his senior season as well as three Lone Star Conference return records.
The former Leopard returned a total of five kick and punt returns for scores, matching the Division II and all-division bests for the season.
Hewitt’s single-game records include seven kickoff returns for 201 yards against Eastern New Mexico and a 59-yard punt return average against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
For the season, Hewitt finished with school and conference records for kickoff return yards (975) on a record 32 returns. He also set a school record with 435 punt return yards on the year.
In his career, Hewitt was a force for opposing D-II special teams units, racking up 771 punt return yards, 2,488 kickoff return yards with 87 kickoff returns and 28.6 yards per return, all of which were new school records. His kickoff yardage and per return attempts also set new Lone Star Conference marks, accoding to the school’s athletics Web site.
Hewitt averaged 16.73 yards per punt return, good for fourth nationally. His 30.47 yards per kickoff return was second in the nation. The senior return man also was the only player to be ranked in the top five in both catergories.
Hewitt joins a short list of former Storm players who received All-America honors. The only other first-teamer was quarterback Drew Beard in 2004.
Hewitt was a member of the Leopards 2003 Class 3A Division I state championship team under then-head coach Jeff Cordell.
