Metro Area — Life for Catholic High School League student athletes in the month of May will become more hectic.
In addition to final exams and preparations for graduation, boys and girls will be competing for championship honors in seven sports as the CHSL concludes its 2010-2011 calendar.
In addition, two CHSL schools will be vying for the state rowing championship, another will be celebrating its centennial anniversary of baseball, and the baseball championship title will be decided under the lights where the Detroit Tigers play — but preceded by two afternoon games featuring four out-state Catholic schools.
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The early spotlight will shine on Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice seeking its ninth consecutive (and 14th in the last 15 years) CHSL boys lacrosse title. Coach Rob Ambrose’s Warriors have dominated the sport as few teams have, also claiming the state Division I crown the last six years.
Here’s the lineup of championship finals. Log on to www.chsl.com for starting times.
Saturday, May 14 — Boys and Girls Lacrosse Championships at Pontiac Notre Dame Prep.
Brother Rice will probably face its sternest opposition from Novi Detroit Catholic Central, whom the Warriors beat last year in both the CHSL Division A and state finals. Notre Dame will be trying to win its fourth Division B title in a row.
On the girls side, Bloomfield Hills Marian is the defending Division 1 champ, winners of four in a row, while Notre Dame will try to make it three in a row in Division 2.
Saturday, May 14 — Girls Tennis Championships. Division 1 will be played at Bloomfield Hills Sacred Heart, Division 2 at Allen Park High School. Marian is the defending Division 1 champ, and Notre Dame, in Division 2.
Tuesday, May 17 — Boys Golf Championships at the University of Michigan course. Catholic Central has won the Division I title the last three years. Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard will be seeking its sixth straight trophy in Division 2.
Friday, May 20 — Baseball Championships at Comerica Park. The C-D title game will begin at 5 p.m. and the A-B game following at 7 p.m. Fr. Gabriel Richard is the defending C-D champ, and Rice, the defending A-B champion.
Saturday, May 21 — Girls Soccer Championship at Livonia Ladywood. Marian has won the A-B title eight years in a row. Riverview Gabriel Richard is the defending C-D champ.
May 23 — Softball Championship at U-D Mercy.
Allen Park Cabrini won last year’s A-B championship in a 21-inning marathon for the Lady Monarch’s third straight title. Marine City Cardinal Mooney is the defending C-D titleist.
Tuesday, May 24 — A-B Boys and Girls Track Championships at Ladywood. Catholic Central is the three-time A-B defending champion, while Dearborn Divine Child is the defending A-B girls champion.
Wednesday, May 25 — C-D Boys and Girls Track Championships at Ladywood. Fr. Gabriel Richard won both C-D titles last year, the boys for the second year in a row and the girls for the sixth consecutive time.
Sept. 20: ‘Sharing the wealth’ at Comerica Park
The CHSL has invited four out-state teams to play at Comerica Park ahead of the league championship games. “We have Comerica Park the whole day,” explained Mike Evoy, Assistant Director. “So we thought why not share the wealth and make use of the park while we have it.”
At 12 noon, Lansing Catholic Central meets Flint Powers Catholic, and at 2 p.m., Gaylord St. Mary goes up against Traverse City St. Francis.
Evoy added “it’s been a while” since the league played its championship games under the lights.
Sept. 21: OL St. Mary’s celebrates 100 years of baseball
A century ago, in the spring of 1911, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s blanked Pontiac, 26-0, the first of seven consecutive victories and the start of at least five seasons in a row without a loss.
One of those wins, 7-3, occurred on May 30 against the University of Detroit.
St. Mary’s and Detroit U-D Jesuit High will play a CHSL doubleheader at Orchard Lake beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 21. In between the games, players and fans will be treated to a free picnic of food and refreshments.
Robin Goddard, director of sports facilities at St. Mary’s, explained that way back then both schools’ rosters were a combination of college and high school players. St. Mary’s was founded in 1885 on Detroit’s east side, more commonly known then as the Polish Seminary that also contained a college and preparatory component.
U-D Jesuit was known as Detroit College at its founding in 1877. The name was changed to University of Detroit in 1911.
Sept. 28: 2 CHSL crews to vie for State rowing championship
St. Mary’s and Wyandotte Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the only CHSL schools with rowing teams, will be among the 30 schools from around Michigan competing for the state championship on Saturday, May 28, on the Grand River in Grand Rapids.
Coaches formed the sport’s own association a year ago to hold such an event, St. Mary’s coach Mike Pricer said. “The sport has grown so much in last few years that we thought it was time to do it.”
The Eaglets won last year’s inaugural state meet.
