Before every Montezuma-Cortez High School football game, Dante Dennison can be heard shouting words of encouragement to his teammates. The senior lineman then tightens his chinstrap and wreaks havoc, opening holes for Panthers ball carriers and harassing opposing quarterbacks.
An anchor on the offensive and defensive lines, Dennison has enjoyed a solid senior season, amassing 59 tackles and leading the team with five sacks. The 6-foot-5, 260-pound lineman also serves as the Panthers long snapper.
“(Dennison) is the leader on the line,” said M-CHS line coach Dusty DeBoer. “When we go through drills, he’s always the one saying ‘Let’s be crisp, let’s be technical, let’s work hard.”
As good as Dennison has been this season, the senior’s football future was in doubt as recently as last year. After making 37 tackles and recovering one fumble recovery as a junior, Dennison struggled academically last winter, failed U.S. history and was declared academically ineligible for part of the spring track season.
Ineligibility proved especially discouraging since Dennison had set career bests in the discus (96 feet, 4 inches) and shot put (42 feet, 3½ inches).
Discouraged, skipping classes and at a crossroads, Dennison was forced to attend summer school. It was there that everything changed.
Enrolled in M-CHS social studies teacher Chris Kelley’s history class, Dennison was asked to write a five-paragraph essay detailing what he believed to be the three most important events in the history of the U.S.
Dennison turned in a nine-page essay focusing on the Civil War, World War II, and the Vietnam War.
“I thought if I rocked it, I would get out of summer school early,” said Dennison.
Accustomed to reading sub-par essays that are often turned in during summer school, Kelley was impressed by Dennison’s work. Almost immediately, the young teacher began to wonder why Dennison was in summer school at all.
“He turned in an essay that was on par with college,” said Kelley. “I was reading through it, and I was like, ‘wow, this guy has something going on up there.’”
After asking Dennison about his academic difficulties, Kelley ascertained that the lineman had given up during the second half of his junior year. Once Dennison’s football season ended, incentive for academic success disappeared.
“I was like, ‘this guy has a great opportunity,’” said Kelley. “He can have a really good life if he allows himself to.”
Benefiting from Kelley’s encouragement, Dennison completed summer school, hit the weight room hard and vowed to become more involved.
Dennison even wrote and signed a contract promising to maintain a 3.5 grade point average. He also promised to dedicate an average of two hours per week to scholarship applications after the end of football season.
Thus far, Dennison has upheld his contractual obligations, maintaining a 3.9 GPA and missing only two days of school.
“From the beginning of the school year, I’ve seen a huge increase in (Dennison’s) leadership, maturity, ownership and accountability, said Kelley.
“Mr. Kelley put a little faith in me and gave me encouragement to do better on and off the field,” said Dennison. “He encouraged me to become a better person.”
As far as Dennison’s future, the senior said that he would like to attend Northern Arizona University or the University of Arizona. Dennison said that he would be the first person in his immediate family to attend college. He would like to become a physical therapist, psychologist or teacher.
As for his future in football, Dennison said that he would consider long snapping for a college team, but does not want to play on the offensive or defensive lines. DeBoer said that college football programs have expressed interest in Dennison.
Before moving to the next level, the M-CHS senior will look to impact M-CHS’s upcoming playoff game against Kent Denver on Nov. 7. Dennison said that he will then continue working hard in the classroom.
Asked what advice he would give to fellow high school students who are struggling in school, Dennison offered the following words.
“I would just say believe in yourself,” said Dennison. “Everyone is going to doubt you at some point in your life. Sometimes it will be the people closest to you and that hurts the most. Just remember that high school is not the biggest problem you’re going to see in life. I would encourage people to weather the storm.”