Rick Samuel
Special to the Michigan Catholic
Detroit — As high schools head into their Christmas breaks, here’s a look at some of the Catholic League storylines to watch for during the coming months.
Boys basketball
De La Salle Collegiate of Warren won the last two Catholic League championships. The Pilots (22-5 last year) have already revved up for another big year, starting with four consecutive victories. Connar Tava (6-foot-5) is smooth for his size and can score inside or outside. Veteran Sterling Johnson, Brad Law and Vaughn Avecilla can all hit the triple, while Bryan Mitzner (6-5) is a load in the post.
Individually, Cameron Fowler (University of Detroit Jesuit), Darren Washington (Fr. Gabriel Richard, Ann Arbor), Kellen McCormick (Notre Dame Prep, Pontiac) and Kyle Cooper (Catholic Central, Novi) are among the players to watch this season.
Girls basketball
The team to beat should be Divine Child, Dearborn.
The Falcons (17-7 last year) have a good combination of skills. Malaysha Cammon (6-4) and Hayley Stempien (6-0) provide a strong inside presence, with junior Rosanna Reynolds and sophomore Morgan Blair good in the backcourt. Junior transfer Cara Miller (6-0) provides a big boost to the offense.
Along with the usual strong teams, there are some individual standouts to watch for outside of the Central Division, including Halle Wangler of Shrine, Royal Oak, Lauren Robak of Our Lady of the Lakes, Waterford and Lauren Henderson of Gabriel Richard, Riverview.
Boys swimming
It wouldn’t be going out on a limb to expect a lot from Brother Rice, Birmingham. The Warriors have been league champions every year since 1993.
The top returning Warriors are seniors Peter Palmer, Rob Kamenec and Andrew Acosta; juniors Carlos Diaz, Josh Murrell and Michael Jennings; and sophomores Ryan Grady, Logan Dankovich, Patrick Nodlund and Drake Michalzuk.
DeLaSalle has the top two returning divers in the league in juniors Jimmy Spatafora and Eric Provencher. Five teams offer swimming, including newcomer Cabrini, Allen Park (which swims as a co-ed team this season).
Competitive cheer
Divine Child is ranked No. 2 in the first Division 2 competitive cheer weekly rankings of the season. DC had three all-state performers last season — Amber Gniewek, Kelly Gardner and Nina Cataldo. Also, Notre Dame Prep is ranked No. 8 in Division 3
Boys hockey
The top teams in the Catholic League (including Cranbrook Kingswood, Bloomfield Hills, a first-year associate member of the league) comprise the majority of the Michigan Interscholastic Hockey League, one of the top leagues in the state.
Although the two-time defending state champs in Division 1 and Division 3 are Catholic Central and Cranbrook, respectively, watch out for DeLaSalle and Brother Rice.
De La Salle has reeled off a long winning streak after losing its season opener to Rice (3-2).Shane McKenna, Matt Smartt and Austin Hibbner are the team’s top scorers so far. Rice, with its only league loss coming to Catholic Central, has been led by John Hickman, Eric Dibble and Mackenzie MacEachern.
Wrestling
Catholic Central began the year as the state’s top-ranked team in Division 1. Not surprisingly, the Shamrocks are also the team to beat in the Catholic League.
So far this year, they’ve won every tournament they entered, including the recent Oakland County tournament. The Shamrocks are led by defending individual state champion Alec Mooradian, who’s wrestling at 135 pounds this season. Evan Toth, Malick Amine and Miles Trealout were also champions in the county meet. Trealout and Mooradian are joined by fellow 2010 state placers T.J. Fagan, Ken Bede, Nick Mason and Kevin Beazley.
Bowling
In boys’ bowling, Divine Child is led by Joe Juszczyk, who has already rolled a high game of 268 this season. Catholic Central’s Dan St. Peter has registered a 451 two-game series.
