Ex-Warhill star extends his stay with CFL squad
DeVonte Dedmon, arguably the greatest male athlete Warhill High has produced, ensured his future this week by re-signing with the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Redblacks for two more years.
Dedmon, 26, a 2014 Warhill graduate, is a threat as a receiver and kick returner. After being a three-time All-Colonial Athletic Association receiver and the 2015 CAA Special Teams Player of the Year with William & Mary, he became the fastest CFL player to score five return touchdowns.
In 22 CFL games in 2019, ’21 and ’22, Dedmon returned 83 punts for 1,250 yards and three touchdowns along with 73 kick returns for 1,947 yards and two touchdowns. As a receiver, he has 23 receptions for 219 yards, 148 of those after catches.
In 2022, after trying for an
NFL job and being released by the Miami Dolphins, the 5-foot10, 200-pounder went back to Ottawa. The Redblacks view him as a part of improving on their 4-14 record in 2022.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. This is home,” Dedmon said on ottawaredblacks.com. “I’m excited to be back with my teammates and to have the opportunity to learn from this great coaching staff. I believe in this group. This is my family.”
Barefoot’s book: Karen Barefoot, who starred as a Christopher Newport player and was the head women’s basketball coach at five colleges, including Old Dominion, recently noted via Twitter that she’ll be publishing her first book this summer.
Her website, barefootmotivation.com, details a lot of her plans. She plans to host a signing on North Carolina’s Outer Banks on July 7.
Barefoot, a Menchville High graduate, was the first NCAA men’s or women’s basketball player to accumulate 2,000 points and 1,000 assists, earning three All-America honors with the Captains.
In order, she was the head coach for Apprentice School, Lenoir-Rhyne, Elon, ODU and UNC Wilmington. Then in June 2022, she joined the leadership team of Industrial Reliability and Repair, headquartered in Chillicothe, Ohio. IRR is a group of manufacturing businesses located at seven sites in Ohio, North Carolina and Tennessee.
Bull market: There’s a lot of bull coming to the Hampton Coliseum next month.
A drive down Mercury Boulevard revealed that the Hampton Classic is coming to Hampton at 7 p.m. Feb. 25. It’s part of the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour, a high minor league for the Professional Bull Riders..