SOUTHFIELD — “We're peaking at the right time, and that's what we wanted to see.”
Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice erupted from a halftime intermission with a five-goal barrage to claim its 24th Catholic High School League Bishop Division boys lacrosse championship, 13-8, against Novi Detroit Catholic Central on May 8 at Lawrence Tech University.
“Well, I think I've been seeing them all season, a very young team,” coach Ajay Chawla said, “and we just needed time, right? These guys are starting to play. We're starting to gel.”
The Warriors’ 10-7 record doesn’t sound impressive for the defending state Division 1 champions, nor has it apparently meant a lot to the state volleyball coaches association, which has not included Brother Rice on its top 10 list. However, five losses came from highly rated squads from Ohio and Illinois.
“Hey,” Chawla said, “we go out of state and play those tough games so we're going to be prepared for the playoffs, right? We don't care what our record is. We care what the final game says.”
It was two weeks ago that No. 10 ranked Catholic Central (10-5) whipped Brother Rice 14-4 in a Central Division clash. In this rematch, the Shamrocks led 2-0 halfway through the first quarter. Brother Rice responded for a 5-3 lead midway through the second quarter. Catholic Central tied the game 5-5 by the half.
It took just 55 seconds into the third quarter for the Warriors to settle the game’s outcome with five uncontested goals in a span of just over nine minutes: two by freshman Dan Skandalaris, a pair by junior Joe Lee (who had five for the contest) and sophomore Jacob Galacz.
“We had great defense,” Chawla said. “Our goalie (Ryland Parent) stood on his head today. He was awesome. He's a sophomore. All these young guys are just starting to get their legs. They're learning to play, and they're literally going to figure it out. We're jelling a little bit right now. And that's what we need to come into the playoffs.”
Also scoring for Brother Rice: two from Brennan Carmichael, and one apiece from Frank Balardi, Nate Kumar and Brady Salach. Scoring for the Shamrocks: Two apiece by Carter Stahl, Luke Kramer and Ryan Dye, and Sasher Miscovich and Nick Edwards each scored.
Brother Rice begins its quest for its 18th state championship when it plays North Farmington (0-11) in a regional contest May 15. Catholic Central meets Salem (0-13) in a regional date to be determined. The Shamrocks won state titles in 2018 and 2024.
Falcons blow game open in second half
Dearborn Divine Child trailed 5-3 after two quarters in a CHSL Cardinal Division Boys Lacrosse final against Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett on May 8 at Lawrence Tech University.
“We weren't playing good defense,” Divine Child coach Eddie Traub said. “We couldn't pick up a ground ball. We were making unforced errors, and I don't know if there were nerves, just emotion or what it was. Once they settled down, our defense stabilized. We picked it up.”
And how! The Falcons blew the game wide open in the second half, scoring eight goals in a row en route to a 12-6 victory and the school’s fourth lacrosse title.
Junior Brody McNamara drilled five goals past Liggett's goalie; Sully Levesque had three, Landon Pelty two, and one each from Frank Godi and Brody Scott.
Senior goaltender Ricky Stratton limited Liggett to six goals on 21 shots. Luke Slanec had two, while Mat Costanzo, Griffin Marchal, Niko Thanasas and Nick Gould all had one apiece.
“Yeah, it was a tale of two halves,” said Liggett’s coach Mike Costanzo. “In the second half, we got too many penalties and started throwing the ball away.”
The Falcons (15-3) open Division 2 state lacrosse playoff May 18 against Ann Arbor Greenhills (1-11), while Liggett (12-3) faces off against Grosse Pointe North (4-12) on May 15.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
