PONTIAC – His players were on the field celebrating, but a few steps away, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep coach Pat Fox said there’s nothing good in it for him when his team beats Frankenmuth.
“It’s the hardest week I’ve had. It’s just hard. I don’t like playing against them; I’m sure (Frankenmuth coach) Phil (Martin) doesn’t like it either,” Fighting Irish coach Pat Fox said. “Last year, there were a lot of reasons why we won, and it was difficult. Everyone knows where I live. It’s a hard week, but I’d rather it be a hard week and win, than be a hard week and lose.”
Notre Dame Prep won the regional title last Friday over the visiting Eagles, 42-28, causing more anguish and heartbreak for the rabid football fans in the town where Fox was raised and still resides.
This was after Notre Dame Prep defeated Frankenmuth, 42-7, to win the 2024 MHSAA Division 5 state championship in 2024, so Friday’s game carried extra weight as the only rematch of a state final anywhere among the playoff brackets.
“We knew at the start of the year that there were four teams and a couple outliers that were going to make a push to Ford Field. We knew that Frankenmuth, Notre Dame Prep, (Grand Rapids) West Catholic and Grand Rapids Catholic (Central) were going to be the favorites to go, and there was going to be some outlier team that was going to emerge ─ a few years ago it was Gladwin, it was Corunna a few years ago ─ Monroe Jefferson possibly.”
Now, Notre Dame Prep (10-2) is just one step away from returning to the state championship, needing to get past that outlier, Monroe Jefferson, in the Division 5 semifinal next Saturday at Westland John Glenn. The Bears (11-1) have made a dramatic and inspiring turnaround after going 1-8 in 2024.
And Notre Dame Prep will have plenty of Catholic company – all eight schools of interest playing this past weekend won their games to advance to the semifinals (quarterfinals for Toledo Central Catholic).
Unlike in last year’s championship game, Notre Dame Prep had to erase an early deficit. After coughing up the ball via fumble on their third play from scrimmage, Frankenmuth capitalized soon after with a 12-yard touchdown run by Cash Tedford.
The Fighting Irish answered by scoring the next 28 points. First, Anthony Tartaglia ran for a 1-yard touchdown. On the ensuing possession, Ashton Gust blocked a Frankenmuth punt and returned the loose ball 7 yards.
Early in the second quarter, Ben Liparoto burst loose on a 53-yard touchdown run and scored six minutes later on a 10-yard swing pass from Sam Stowe.
Frankenmuth cut the gap on the very next play, on Tedford’s 70-yard touchdown reception, and inched to within a touchdown, 28-21, when Cade Olgine scored on a fourth-down rush from the 1-yard-line four minutes into the second half.
But Stowe hooked up with Brody Sink to put the game out of reach, connecting on passing plays which covered 25 and 55 yards for touchdowns. Notre Dame Prep then had to play uncharacteristically slow in the final eight minutes, in order to eat up the remaining time without giving the ball back to Frankenmuth.
Fox said Gust’s special-team touchdown – which gave Notre Dame Prep the lead for the first time – was the turning point.
“We pride ourselves on being a punt-pressure team,” he said. “I think we’ve blocked nine this year, along with eight extra points. Special teams are huge. Ashton blocked his second punt of the year and it was huge for us.”
Gust said, “I’ve set up on the edge, I’ve been getting close, I’ve blocked a few earlier in the season, but this one just felt different because I was untouched all the way.”
It was the senior’s first varsity touchdown. He nearly got one following a turnover on a kick return against Hudsonville Unity Christian, but the loose ball went out of bounds.
“This one, I knew I had this chance one more time, so I ran as fast as I could, was very careful to scoop it with both hands and just run to the corner as fast as I could,” Gust said. “I guess I was in the right place at the right time and I was so blessed with that one.”
Stowe threw for 210 yards and 3 touchdowns. His favorite target was Sink, who caught 7 passes for 128 yards. Tartaglia led all rushers with 129 yards on 20 carries.
“We’ve seen (Frankenmuth) three, four times in the past few years, we know what to expect. Coach Fox put together a great game plan and we just executed,” Stowe said. “We knew to stay the course. Our defense put us in great positions, and our offense just pounded it on the ground, we just kept running the ball. We trusted each other. We knew we had things.”
Catholic teams survive regional weekend
With two weeks left in the football season (three in Ohio), eight local Catholic teams of interest are still alive in the brackets. Besides Notre Dame Prep, Catholic League schools will play on in six other Michigan Divisions and one in Ohio. All Michigan games will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, while Ohio plays at 7 p.m. Friday. Here’s the rundown:
DIVISION 1: Novi Detroit Catholic Central (12-0) jumped out to a three-touchdown lead in the first half and rolled Clarkston, 42-13. Duke Banta threw three touchdown passes. The Shamrocks will play East Kentwood (10-2) in the semifinal at Jackson High School’s Withington Stadium.
DIVISION 2: Defending state champion Orchard Lake St. Mary’s (9-2) scored the first six times it had the ball in defeating Midland Dow, 42-7. Brannon Hardy ran for a 51-yard touchdown on the Eaglets’ first play from scrimmage. St. Mary’s will play Portage Central (11-1) in a semifinal at Haslett High School.
DIVISION 3: Warren De La Salle (6-6) now has as many playoff wins as its regular-season total after downing Detroit Martin Luther King, 38-20. Jackson Tur caught two touchdown passes, and kicked five extra points and a 39-yard field goal. De La Salle plays DeWitt (12-0) at Grand Blanc High School.
DIVISION 4: In perhaps the weekend’s biggest upset, Dearborn Divine Child (11-1) knocked out top-ranked Harper Woods, 10-6. Marcello Vitti rushed for Divine Child’s lone touchdown, and the defense did the rest. Next, Divine Child squares off against defending state champ Goodrich (12-0) at Rochester Stony Creek.
DIVISION 6: Jackson Lumen Christi (9-3) is moving toward a possible fourth straight state championship after it defeated Ida, 24-7. The Bluestreaks scored first, but Wes Learned’s touchdown reception put Lumen Christi in control the rest of the way. In the semifinals, Lumen Christi will face undefeated Almont (12-0) at Novi High School.
DIVISION 8: Winning a regional championship for the first time in school history, Allen Park Cabrini (11-1) won a back-and-forth battle at Madison High School, 34-32. Logan Emerick caught the winning touchdown pass from Evan Bergdoll. Cabrini will play undefeated Hudson (12-0) at Adrian College.
(OHIO) DIVISION III: Toledo Central Catholic (9-4) dominated previously-unbeaten Wapakoneta on the road, as Jeremiah Fuller rushed for three touchdowns in the first quarter. Next, Central Catholic will take on Rocky River (11-2) at Clyde High School.
