Novi – Athletic Director Aaron Babicz knows full well the significant symbolism of the interlocking CC decal that athletes at Novi Detroit Catholic Central wear on their uniforms.
A 1993 CC graduate, he played football for the Shamrocks sporting the familiar logo on his helmet.
“We take great pride in awarding the decal,” he said during last night’s lacrosse game against Detroit U-D Jesuit, won by the Shamrocks, 18-7.
And so, when the team didn’t seem to be playing to its potential early in the season, he and Coach Dave Wilson conspired to have the decals removed from the players’ helmets.
VIEW A PHOTO GALLERY OF TUESDAY'S GAME
“They had to earn them. It didn’t take long before the kids got the message,” Babicz said. “They won’t come off again.”
It’ll take all the pride and bravado and skill that the CC squad can muster for the showdown facing them next Tuesday when they travel to Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice to take on the powerful Warriors for the Catholic League Central Division title.
Both teams are tied with 3-0 league records. Rice is 7-2 overall, CC 8-3 overall. All the losses have been dealt by out-of-state teams. CC has not lost to a team from Michigan this spring. The Warriors have not lost to a Michigan-based school since 2002.
Brother Rice is the defending Catholic League Lacrosse champion and the state Division I titleist, having defeated CC for both crowns. Odds are that the two archrivals will square off again in this year’s CHSL lacrosse title game on May 14. A rematch in the state finals is a possibility, too.
Wilson said the Shamrocks are “60-70%” where they should be at this stage of the season. “We have room to grow.”
The growth will come from within. “We have a large squad, 34 players,” he said. “We’ve created a cultural competition in practices where kids are hungry to get on the field. They’ve figured it out how hard to push and how much more they can give.”
CC gave it to U-D Jesuit right from the start, led by unstoppable senior attacker, Tim Urso. He netted CC’s first two goals within the game’s opening two minutes enroute to an outstanding performance of five goals and five assists.
Nearly two minutes later, U-D’s Tony Stempin responded with a 25-yard blast past goalie Bernie Eisbrenner to make it a 2-1 game, the closest the Cubs would get the rest of the way. The Shamrocks outscored U-D 11-4 in the first half and 7-3 in the second.
While CC dominated the game from start to finish, to their credit, the Cubs stepped up their intensity in the fourth quarter, matching the Shamrocks’ physicality.
In the final analysis , however, “we made too many mistakes,” said Cubs’ coach Sean Leary. “When you make them against a good team, then you’re not going to win.”
Rounding out the scoring for CC were Mitch Burgin, three goals and two assists; Mike Sullivan, three goals; Mike Birney, two goals and an assist; and a goal apiece from Nick Guerriero, Tommy Orr, Nick Gingell, Adam Findlay and Jordan Yono.
Bryan Neville’s three goals led the Cubs’ offense. Stempin finished with two goals and an assist, and Erik Rust had two goals.
