Don HorkeyThe demolition last Saturday at Troy Athens High School of archrival Novi Detroit Catholic Central by a 23-7 score for the Warriors’ 10th consecutive Division 1 state title is just the most recent display of how great their lacrosse program is — and has been since the MHSAA sanctioned lacrosse in 2005.
Brother Rice’s overall decade-long record of 205-23 breaks down to 145-1 against Michigan schools and 60-22 against schools outside the state. The lone in-state loss, 8-7 in overtime in April, was administered by Detroit Country Day, snapping a 133-0 streak.
The Warriors are 73-0 against fellow Catholic League members, including 24-0 versus Detroit U-D Jesuit and 23-0 against Catholic Central.
Coach Ajay Chawla, who this year succeeded Rob Ambrose, the architect of Rice’s lacrosse dynasty, and who served as one of his assistants for 11 years, credited an “awesome team effort,” a “great game plan” conceived by his assistants who scouted the opposition “so that we knew what they were going to do,” and a “lot of dedication” by the kids who started the first couple of weeks of practice in the beginning of the season at 5 in the morning.
And then there’s the talent, led by seniors Jason Alessi (4 goals) and Morgan Macko (6), and three scores apiece by Joe Dudley, Liam Reaume and Dan Lunghamer. Evan Dennis, only a sophomore, won more than three-fourths of the face-offs. “He was unbelievable,” Chawla said.
Season-long superb goaltending by senior Chris Lievois rounds out the picture.
In spite of all of these positives, Chawla expressed concern about the Shamrocks. “We faced some easy teams in the tournament, while they had a tougher path.”
Following Catholic Central’s lacrosse team can be an exasperating experience.
CC downed fourth-ranked Clarkston, and followed that up with a stunning 15-14 sudden-death overtime victory over third-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern-Northern — who had trounced the Shamrocks in early May — to earn their ticket to the finals.
Against Brother Rice, the Shamrocks were a completely unrecognizable team, falling behind 4-0 within the first nine minutes and 16-3 at halftime when the pumped-up Warriors scored a dozen goals to have the running (mercy) clock in play for the second half.
Senior goalie Joe Williams personified his teammates’ frustrations when he banged away at the net’s post with his stick after one of Macko’s shots that Williams had partially blocked still squirted in for a score.
A subdued Coach Dave Wilson, in his ninth year, told reporters afterward that he thought “we had our state championship game (three days earlier) against Forest Hills. We kind of left it all on the field in that game. The locker room didn’t feel good today, the bus ride didn’t feel good. I just thought there was a lack of energy.”
Still, Wilson called the season “exceptional” and getting to the state championship (for the fourth time) a worthy accomplishment. He added: “I have been working on a culture change and working hard in the offseason so we could get back to this point.”
Athletic director Aaron Babicz found a silver lining in a near-cloudless, sunny sky. “The players worked hard. It was a great journey.”
But a journey that hasn’t yet reached its final destination, a state championship.
Don Horkey is a freelance writer. He may be reached at [email protected].
