BEVERLY HILLS – Two state championship contenders did battle on the tennis courts at Detroit Country Day Friday afternoon.

Defending Division 3 champion Detroit Country Day came out with some fire and handled a Pontiac Notre Dame Prep team ranked second in Division 4 by a score of 7-1.

“It was good to see everyone come out with energy and be committed to cheering each other on. That was very nice to see,” said Country Day head coach Nick Fiaschetti. “I noticed we did a good job of dealing with adversity, because there were some moments that things could have gone really bad today.”

Karishma Vakhariya got a 6-2, 6-0 win in No. 3 singles, beating Ava Jarvis. Fiaschetti spoke about her performance as one that stood out to him on this day.

“She had a bit of a slow start and then just cruised after that,” Fiaschetti said. “She has had matches this year where it’s the complete opposite where she comes out hot and goes into a bit of a lull. Today she could have gotten herself into a scary situation, but she was smooth sailing.”

Elsewhere in the singles lineup, Country Day got a 6-0, 6-0 win from No. 2 singles Chloe Conniff, who beat Francheska Daugary. No. 4 singles Helen Benjamin got a good win over Lucy Silver as well, winning sets by scores of 6-3 and 6-1.

In No. 1 singles, Country Day senior Sophia Grzesiak, the defending state champ in D3 at that flight, beat Irish freshman Marissa Bitoni 6-3, 6-1.

Notre Dame Prep head coach Brandon Clayton complimented his top player, saying, “Marissa has been so good for us, and is just learning how small touch-ups make a big difference. She played a great opponent today, and that age difference can be tough to deal with.”

Clayton also talked about his No. 1 doubles team of Sophia Gust and Sara Okka that he felt put on an impressive display even in a loss.

“Our one doubles have really stepped up,” Clayton said. “Sophia and Sara have done a great job exceeding expectations. They were competitive for more than a set today. Those two have played Country Day before at lower positions and lost a lot worse than today. That shows their improvement.”

Country Day’s No. 1 doubles tandem is a state title contender and Quinn Norlander and Katie Han showed that with a 6-2, 6-1 win. Individually, Norlander made the finals last year in No. 2 singles and Han was the winner in the No. 4 singles flight.

Notre Dame Prep got its lone win of the day in No. 4 doubles as freshman pair Elena VanDieren and Vanessa Artinian came away with a strong 6-2, 7-5 victory over Katherine Chen and Grace Kalkanis.

“That is a team that does so well together. One can be a beast at the net, and one is so dangerous from the baseline. That is such a great combination especially at that spot in the lineup. If they can beat that team today, they’re capable of beating anyone in our division. Obviously we have a ton of good competition there, but they can do it.”

Country Day got good contributions from the rest of the bottom of their lineup. No. 5 doubles pair Zoe Bergg and Krya Zacharias beat Anna Kafarski and Tina Yeras 6-1, 6-1. Noor Mahmoud and Addie Grebinski got a 6-1, 6-3 win over Gemma Hofley and Regina Carpenese at No. 2 doubles, and at No. 3 doubles, Zoe Grebinski and Margaux Kohn won 6-3, 6-1 over Erin Delaney and Adriana Johnson.

Fiaschetti feels he has the right pieces throughout the doubles lineup, but the right combination may still be out there. “We know where we are right now, and we know where we are going to be,” he said. “We have maybe one question mark at the end of the lineup, but we have confidence in ourselves. The key is to continue working hard every day in practice, and we will be all set.”

Clayton praised his players for the rise of his program, which produced a runner-up finish at last year’s state tournament.

“Year-by-year, we keep getting better,” Clayton said. “The future’s so bright. We have never been competitive with a team like Country Day before, and now we are out there giving them tough matches around the lineup. As a coach I feel good about us being a school that good teams look at and want to play, and beat.”

Photos of Detroit Country Day vs. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep in girls tennis action

He added what facing a defending state champ in a higher division can do for his group.

“This is definitely one of the toughest challenges for us," Clayton said. "This is one of the best teams in the state, no matter what division. Playing them here is obviously less of an advantage for us, but I like the challenge. I love it for our girls. Today gave us so much to work on heading into our regional. I don't look at the final score on a day like today, us coaches will look at what we did to compete at this level and we’re learning that little things make a huge difference against elite competition.”

Country Day has a short turnaround for a highly competitive quad Saturday morning. The opposition includes last year's D1 runner-up Utica Eisenhower and three-time defending D4 champion Ann Arbor Greenhills. Fiaschetti broke down the day ahead.

“We are going to need our lower doubles to compete," Fiaschetti said. "We have big matches at our singles spots too, but we need to not overlook anything tomorrow. Maybe we can steal a few matches from Greenhills, Ike is one of the strongest teams in the state from top to bottom. So it will be tough.”

Detroit Country Day defeated Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 7-1 in the match played on Friday, May 2, 2025 at Country Day.

LAKE ORION – Five unanswered goals in the second half allowed Lake Orion to beat Rochester Adams 16-8 Friday night in a contest that earlier on was more competitive than the final tally would indicate.

Previously unbeaten, the Highlanders kept it to within two goals deep into the first half before the Dragons gradually pulled away and sealed the deal with those handful of goals without reply.

“I knew going into this it was going to be a challenging game for our girls,” Adams head coach Aly Hext said. “Unfortunately, it fell right after prom as well, and I have 16 seniors (laughs), so they were a little tired today. But I think they went out there and gave it their all. It was a tough game.”

Sophomore Brooke Bronczyk got the Dragons (7-2) on the board just 37 seconds in, then junior Lydia Shifferd scored and classmate Brielle Coventry put in two that gave the hosts a four-goal advantage within five minutes.

“From the start, we talk about playing Dragon lacrosse,” Lake Orion head coach Jason McElroy said. “We set a standard where we want to play a certain style no matter who we’re playing against. Adams is a big rival for us so we wanted to come out fast, put the pressure on, and our mids — Brielle, Amelia Guccione and Brooke — have been special all year.”

Following several Orion fouls up the field, senior attacker Lucy Lagman got the visitors their first goal with 2:38 left in the opening quarter, and despite a response by Guccione, junior Raegan Jerrell added two more for Adams just 43 seconds apart to make it 5-3 with the first 12 minutes in the books.

When Lagman scored inside the first minute of the second quarter, the Highlanders, down just one at that point, elected to slow the tempo and hold the ball for an extended period that turned out to be the longest stretch of the evening without scoring.

“One of the big things I tell the girls all the time is that we just need to play our game, which is to control the ball, have clear, open passes, smart passes,” Hext said. “I like them to slow it down and visualize their teammates working the field, so that’s just kind of how we play the game in general, slow it and set up something nice, don’t force anything, because that’s when we make turnovers or mistakes on the field.”

Orion ended the scoring reprieve with just under four minutes to go in the half with a flurry that included two more goals by Coventry, though Molly Snook’s buzzer-beater got the Highlanders to within four at halftime.

Following a goal by Jerrell with 7:25 left in the third quarter, Adams hit a scoring drought and wouldn’t beat Lake Orion goalkeeper Emelia Fiore again until Snook fired one in with 2:36 remaining.

Jerrell led the Highlanders (10-1), who came into the night as one of the final few teams left undefeated in Division 2, with four goals.

“Raegan’s been a great asset over the last three years, and I’m glad she’s just a junior,” Hext said.

Both she and Lagman continue to climb the ranks of the record books. Following two goals on Friday, Lagman is just two more away from 250 career goals, while Jerrell broke the 200-goal barrier in an 18-6 win over Clarkston on April 23.

Coventry finished with a team-high five goals for the Dragons. Shifferd, Bronczyk and Guccione all scored three times and Abby Lee added two in Lake Orion’s win.

Of the Dragons’ two losses this year, one was a 15-8 defeat on April 16 at South Lyon (13-0), the only other team with a higher MPR (Michigan Power Rating) in Division 1.

“I think we’re really coming together,” McElroy said. “We’ve played some really tough opponents, but it’s made us stronger, forged us as a team. I think this group’s got a bright future. They’re a really fun group of kids to coach.”

Photo gallery of Lake Orion vs. Rochester Adams in girls lacrosse action

The Dragons and the rest of the field will learn more about their playoff paths when regional brackets are revealed on Sunday.

"We have a shot at picking up a 1 or 2-seed in the region," McElroy said. "It's all up to the math, but (the girls have) earned the ranking they have. They're a tough team and played a lot of tough opponents -- kind of the Tom Izzo style. That's what we wanted to do."

Adams has a quick turnaround in a make-up date with Troy on Saturday morning, while Lake Orion remains at home as it returns to the field against Lakeland on Monday.

Leading just 7-5 late in the opening half, Lake Orion hit for five unanswered goals to pull away in the fourth quarter and defeated Rochester Adams 16-8 Friday, May 2, 2025 in Lake Orion.

Dakota’s Angelo Plouffe and Brother Rice’s Bob Riker love to see the other man on the opposing dugout.

Because they know that, when their East Lansing-hopeful team is going against the other man’s, they’re going to be better off for it – and they know that neither of them is going to back down from the fight, either.

“We play everybody that we play every year, you know, whether we’re old or young, and they do the same thing to us too,” Riker said. “They come in and, you know, I think he’s (Dakota’s) got 14 or 15 seniors, but next year, he’ll be young like I am this year, and he’ll still come out and play us. And that’s why I love playing Angelo and those guys.”

Plouffe’s Cougars, ranked No. 4 in Division 1 by the MHSBCA, took down Riker’s No. 9 Warriors, 8-4, on Friday, May 2 at Warrior Park in Troy.

“We try to schedule the best teams around, so when a tournament comes, (we’re) ready to play,” Plouffe said. “So that’s why we’re here. That’s why we play these guys. That’s why, every year, we come here. Coach Riker does a great job with this program. (We) love coming here, and there’s a reason why.”

Brother Rice got on the board first when Tristan Turner doubled in Maks Neshov, but Dakota starting pitcher James Nuechterlein – traditionally a reliever – didn’t allow another runner to reach scoring position until the fifth inning.

Plouffe didn’t have to go to his bullpen a single time in the Cougars’ midweek series in which they run-ruled 10th-ranked Stevenson thrice, allowing him to reward Nuechterlein, who has been one of his best relief arms, with a start.

“Hey, go out there and throw 70 pitches because you’re in the right to, because you’ve been great all year,” Plouffe said of Nuechterlein. “You get to see him throw, and you get to see (Jacob) Gjonaj and (Jadon) Ford and guys who don’t get to throw much at all for us. They’re great arms. But we have a bunch of great arms, so that’s fun.”

Dakota got the one run back immediately in the top of the second inning when Gjonaj singled in Ford, but their best inning was the third: with one out, Evan Morrison was hit by a pitch. Singles by Evan Kavalick and Luke DeMasse eventually brought him in, then a walk to Ford loaded the bases for Gjonaj (1-run single) and Peyton Leon (2-run double) to clear them. Luke Kavalick’s RBI single capped the six-run frame.

And though they only added one more insurance run, it didn’t mean they were making good contact – Brother Rice’s defense made plays.

It continued a trend that the Cougars started in their first win over Stevenson and poured over into Friday: the bats are hot, with run totals of 10, 14, 14 and eight this week in their four top-10 victories in a five-day span.

“We swung it all week,” Plouffe said. “We even swung it today, I thought. It was right at people. It’s fun when you’re swinging it. It helps your arms, helps your pitching staff, helps your defense. Everybody can calm down for a second, but we were swinging it really well.”

Most Cougars saw a different pitcher each time up – Brother Rice deployed six arms, starting with Manny Simms into Grady Preston, then Ben Junga, Gavin McClelland, Freddie Beyer and finally Michael Stanton.

Stanton punched out all three batters he saw and McClelland had two scoreless frames.

Riker said that he had to be careful with how he used his pitchers on Friday due to a looming Saturday Catholic League doubleheader against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s.

The Warriors return just seven players from last year’s team that lost by one run in the state championship game. It’s why games like Friday’s against Dakota are so valuable.

“I just want our guys to compete, and they’ve done that,” Riker said. “They have a chemistry with the older guys, and the team’s kind of really coming together. I know the record doesn’t necessarily indicate that, but I’m very happy with where we’re at right now.

“The unique thing about our sport is everybody makes the playoffs, so it’s getting hot at the right time. It’s gelling at the right time, having health at the right time.”

Dakota’s Gjonaj threw 1.2 scoreless innings with four hits allowed. Ford allowed two runs in the seventh inning, including a two-run double by Neshov, but finished the win.

Photos from No. 4 Dakota’s 8-4 win over No. 9 Brother Rice on Friday

Neshov, a freshman, went 4-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.

Dakota’s Gjonaj went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and three stolen bases. Evan Kavalick had three hits and drove in one.

Dakota will be busy in the coming weeks as they continue to prepare for a potential East Lansing trip – they’ll play 18 games between May 3 and May 27.

“I told our guys (to) be ready to go, because when it’s nice out, we’re playing usually,” Plouffe said. “You have 38 games … we’re going to try to play them all here so we can be ready for the tournament.”

The De La Salle Pilots baseball team is having fun.

And why wouldn’t they? After a pair of 15-0 run-rule wins over Avondale on Saturday, the Pilots are 12-2 with 10 of their wins coming against Catholic League rivals Brother Rice, U of D Jesuit, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s and Detroit Catholic Central.

It’s been a striking difference from last season, when the Pilots finished 17-19.

So what’s changed?

“I think we all bought in this year,” said senior Mason Pilarski. “I mean, we kind of all came together as a group.”

The buy-in has circulated around new head coach Dan Cimini, who took the DLS head coaching job after winning the Division 1 state title last season as the skipper for Northville.

“‘Everything counts’ is his motto,’ Pilarski said.

“He’s instilled what he’s about – winning and everything like that. And he’s really put it there, and we’ve all bought in.”

Cimini is familiar with both De La Salle and the Catholic League – he won five state championships as the head coach at Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett, where he dominated the Catholic League and battled against De La Salle annually. He’s also an eastsider with friends who are Pilot grads.

It helps that there’s plenty of talent on the roster.

Pilarski, a Western Michigan commit, is the team’s top pitcher and is a fixture at the top of the lineup. His 17 RBIs are a team-high and he’s yet to allow an earned run in 18.1 innings pitched.

JJ Jurczyk leads off and is a rangy outfielder who is a soccer state champion with DLS.

Vito Zito is an anchor behind the plate, catching most of the team’s games. He’s hit four home runs and nine of his 14 hits have gone for extra bases, good for a 1.166 on-base plus slugging.

“I keep telling these guys, you know, care about the guy next to you,” Cimini said. “Maybe it’s not your day, someone else will pick you up, and that’s what we’re doing, passing the baton to whoever that day is going to be helping us.”

It’s not just the top of the lineup that opponents have to sweat, either. In their second win over Avondale on Saturday, their 7-8-9 hitters – Mason Stempin, Mark Gerardi and Pashk Daka – went 5-for-5 with two doubles, both by Girardi, and a no-doubter home run by Daka.

On the mound, Dylan Leupke’s ERA is a minuscule .545 in 25.2 innings of work with 38 strikeouts. Jurczyk’s is 2.58 with a team-high 45 punchouts in just 21.2 innings.

All of those guys are returners. Clearly, the talent has been there – Cimini is unlocking it. And it starts with belief.

“He (Cimini) instilled confidence on us,” Zito said. “Last year was hard for us, losing a lot of games. We came in here, he kind of set the standard for us, and we’ve just been playing to it now and having fun.

“It’s a great feeling. I mean, since day one he was saying this is a spot we’re going to be in. And I mean, he spoke into existence, great guy. He’s always picking us up.”

The state is taking notice. In the recent MHSBCA statewide poll, the Pilots were ranked as the best of the best, the cream of the crop – the No. 1 team in Division 1 – just a few weeks into the season.

“(I expected it) Maybe not this early, but I mean, we all knew that we had something special here, especially with them coming in,” Pilarski said. “I wasn’t really expecting it this early, but it’s pretty cool.”

De La Salle, Romeo ride strong starts to rise in new Macomb County baseball rankings

An emphasis on “doing the little things” has made waves for the team. It’s not just about hitting the ball hard and throwing strikes – they work counts, go first to third on hits, field the ball cleanly and hammer the details that other teams don’t.

For Cimini, who is one of the most accomplished baseball coaches in Michigan across the last two decades, it’s something he knows sets the good teams apart from the great ones.

Photos from De La Salle baseball’s 15-0 win over Avondale on Saturday

“I just really wanted them to understand that, you know, with hard work and preparation and do the little things that we talk about – the little things are, what win championships and what win games,” Cimini said. “And I don’t know if they did a lot of that stuff last year. I mean, they did some of it, but now they’re doing it all.

“Our goals are (to) win a Catholic League championship, and then, you know, see what we can do in the playoffs and hopefully be at Michigan State again. That’s my goal every single year as a coach, and I think these guys now believe that they can do that same thing, so that’s cool.”

The Pilots last won a state championship in 2016.

Listed as a 6-foot-4, 245-pound two-star prospect on his high school recruiting profile as a senior at Birmingham Brother Rice, Luke Newman made himself into a pro offensive line prospect.

Newman was selected in the sixth round by the Chicago Bears, taken with the 196th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The 6-foot-4, 315 pound offensive guard, who played last season at Michigan State after four successful seasons at Holy Cross, will join former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson in the Windy City, part of the crew — along with former Lions guard Jonah Jackson — protecting last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams.

Newman started 49 consecutive games over his final four seasons of college ball, including 37 at left tackle for Holy Cross, and 12 for Michigan State last season, as a grad transfer. He led MSU with 739 offensive snaps, and earned honorable mention All-Big Ten, grading out as the No. 9 offensive guard in the league by PFF during the regular season. Earned FCS All-America honors from different publications each of his final three seasons at Holy Cross.

The Bears have had some experience with Brother Rice players along the line. A fifth-round pick out of Missouri in 2021, Larry Borom played four seasons for the Bears — starting 27 of 47 games — before signing with the Miami Dolphins in March.

Local players who could hear their name called in NFL Draft

Buffalo Bills draft West Bloomfield grad Maxwell Hairston in first round of NFL Draft

TROY – Rivals Troy and visiting Athens got in just enough softball Friday evening for the Red Hawks’ 9-3 victory to go into the books.

The first game of the planned doubleheader may not have even counted, but the pitching settled in and allowed both teams to roll through the fourth and fifth innings before lightning was registered, and the monsoon followed soon thereafter.

A less experienced Colts team did well to hold their rivals off the board in four trips to the plate, but the Red Hawks feasted for all of their runs in the third inning after Delilah Warlick doubled, then scored off an error to initially put Troy ahead in the bottom of the first.

Addison Pokley legged out a triple to get the big third started for Athens, then Angie Leonard singled in Pokley prior to an inside-the-park home run by Leah Dahlerup, giving the Red Hawks a 3-1 lead. Later in the inning, Dahlerup hit a two-out, bases-clearing double that scored Pokley, Casey McCoy and Addison Cosgrove. Between the pair of extra-base hits by Dahlerup, Cosgrove also had a single to left-center that drove in Sommer Swanson and Molly LaBay.

Following nearly three full frames thrown by Kylie Zoll, Athens turned in relief to Angie Leonard, its ace who the Red Hawks relied on in their run to a district title last season, and she struck out four in her 2 2/3 innings of scoreless work.

“Angie’s just a really consistent pitcher, and Kylie started off the game game really well,” Athens head coach Alina Kirtland said. “(Kylie) put us in a good position where Angie could come in and finish strong for us, so both of our pitchers did a great job of taking care of business.”

Dahlerup, just a freshman, finished just a triple short of the cycle, while Swanson drew three walks and LaBay ended 2-3 at the plate for the Red Hawks, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

“It’s just being aggressive and looking for specific strikes that we like, making sure that we’re swinging at our ideal pitches,” Kirtland said. “The girls have been working on discipline at the plate, as well as throwing their hands at the ball, and I think that they’re progressing with that real nicely.”

Warlick finished with two of the Colts’ three hits, improving her team-best average to .600 on the season.

“Delilah’s a tremendous athlete, one of our best players,” Colts head coach Laura Guzman said. “She’s a captain, same thing with Emily Bultynck, she’s starting to come alive, too, and we kind of go as they go.

“This year has definitely been a rebuilding year. We have girls, you know, our skill levels are all over the place. It’s pretty much half my basketball team playing softball. I think they came out with a lot of energy. We were able to score first, we were chipping away at it. The effort was good. But Athens is good. Their pitching is decent, Pokley’s fantastic, (Cosgrove) is good. But I thought we did OK.”

The Red Hawks are now 4-7 in their first year under Kirtland, herself a standout first baseman less than a decade ago for Athens. “It’s amazing, super humbling, and I’m glad they trust me with the program,” she said.

Kirtland confirmed that she and Guzman had plans to reschedule the second game between the teams somewhere down the road.

Until then, the Colts have a pair of games Monday in Pontiac against Notre Dame Prep, while the Red Hawks travel for a doubleheader with Farmington the day after.

The very best thing about high school sports is making memories that last for years, and the very best games are the ones that come up in conversation, over and over again down the road.

The 2019 season opener between then-No. 1 West Bloomfield and No. 3 Oak Park was one of the latter: It may have been sloppy at times, and mistake-filled as openers often are, but it was also a classic defensive slugfest between two behemoths, one where the difference might have been a star play made by one of the star players.

West Bloomfield’s Donovan Edwards broke free for an early 60-yard touchdown run on his third touch of the game — using the breakaway speed that the world would see over and over again in later years, during his years at the University of Michigan — setting up an eventual 20-14 win by the Lakers.

But he was hardly the only star in a game chock full of them.

And, five years on, a ton of those players — coveted by college recruiters and scouts back then, and NFL personnel nowadays — will be some of the same names called during next week’s NFL Draft.

“I was just talking about that game the other day … (Tyrone) ‘Rudy’ Broden has been home, working out in the weight room almost every day, you know, getting ready for the Draft and stuff. And I was talking to him about that game, and he said, ‘No, coach, I was gone that year,’” said Zach Hilbers, then an offensive assistant for the Lakers, and now the head coach at his alma mater.

“I guess, like, if you think back to that game, we knew they were really good. And you know, a lot of our attention went to (Justin) Rodgers, but they had some other D-linemen that were really good, too. … We just knew it’d be a battle, and it was a really close, low-scoring, just back-and-forth battle. If I remember right, Maliq Carr caught like a third-and-15 plus — we blew a coverage and he caught like a 85-yard touchdown, and we got lucky. It got called back because they had an alignment penalty or something that had nothing to do with the play, you know, and that was kind of like a springboard for us to take the lead after we got the ball back after that. But it was just, it was a good game, like, a really high level, good game.”

Broden (No. 49 in Michigan’s class of 2019 per 247Sports, signed with Bowling Green) is indeed one of the top-level recruits who missed that game by a smidge — along with Oak Park’s D’Wan Mathis (No. 9, Georgia), and West Bloomfield’s Lance Dixon (No. 5, Penn State) and Tre Mosley (No. 14, Michigan St.) — graduating the year before.

But there was still a megaton of talent left on the field for that Aug. 30 meeting, a lot of which helped the Lakers to the 2020 Division 1 state title a year later, a ton of which made impacts at the college level.

And a ton who you could quite conceivably hear announced as draft picks next week, or see in training camps as undrafted free agents.

“Surreal. It’s more than cool. And it’s l surreal because it’s why you get into teaching and coaching is to see kids reach their dreams. And in this case, as we’re talking football, this is the pinnacle, the ultimate of it,” Hilbers said. “I don’t know, it’s almost overwhelming. So I’ve been trying to reach out to all of them and talk to them. And Rudy’s been to the school a ton, which is makes it easier. But like, you know, it’s nuts, it’s crazy, especially when you — I have a cool picture of Max (Hairston) and Donovan from middle school basketball that’s hilarious. It’s just hilarious how little they look.”

Rogers was the No. 1 player in the state’s 2019 recruiting class, landing at Kentucky before finishing his college career at Auburn, taken in the seventh round of last year’s NFL Draft by the Cowboys.

Oak Park’s Carr (Purdue) and corner Enzo Jennings (Penn State) were ranked Nos. 3-4 in the 2020 class, followed immediately by Lakers safety Makari Paige (Michigan). The Lakers also had linebacker Cornell Wheeler (No. 22, Michigan), DE Sterling Miles (No. 44, Cincinnati).

Edwards (Michigan) was the No. 1 player in the state’s 2021 class, while corner Maxwell Hairston (Kentucky) was No. 19. Oak Park countered with Rayshaun Benny (No. 7, Michigan), Davion Primm (No. 26, Michigan State), Jaylin Mines (No. 30, Toledo) and Marlon Dawson (No. 39, Miami, Ohio) in the 2021 class.

All of them played in that 2019 opener.

Now most of them are preparing for a shot at the NFL.

—————

2019 Oak Park-West Bloomfield game

(All rankings from 247Sports)

WEST BLOOMFIELD

Maxwell Hairston (No. 19 player in MI in class of 2021) — CB — Kentucky (2025 draft eligible)

Donovan Edwards (No. 1 player in MI in c/o 2021) — RB — Michigan (2025 draft eligible)

Makari Paige (No. 5 player in MI in c/o 2020) — S — Michigan (2025 draft eligible)

Cornell Wheeler (No. 22 player in MI in c/o 2020) — ILB — Michigan/Kansas (2025 draft eligible)

Sterling Miles (No. 44 player in MI in c/o 2020) — DE — Cincinnati/EMU

CJ Harris (No. 50 player in MI in c/o 2020) — QB — Ohio/California

Beau Davis (No. 87 player in MI in c/o 2020) — DE — Southeast Louisiana

Jordan Hoskins (No. 80 player in MI in c/o 2021) — LB — Missouri St./E. Tennessee St./Lincoln University

Gavin Hardeman (No. 89 player in MI in c/o 2021) — S — Air Force

Travis Reece (No. 92 player in MI in c/o 2021) — LB — Davenport/Central State

OAK PARK

Justin Rogers (No. 1 player in MI in c/o 2020) — DT — Kentucky/Auburn (2024 draft, Cowboys, pick 244)

Maliq Carr (No. 3 player in MI in c/o 2020) — TE — Purdue (2025 draft eligible)

Enzo Jennings (No. 4 player in MI in c/o 2020) — S — Penn State

Tremayne Oliver (No. 65 player in MI in c/o 2020) — DE — Northwood

Rayshaun Benny (No. 7 player in MI in c/o 2021) — DL — Michigan

Davion Primm (No. 26 player in MI in c/o 2021) — RB — MSU/Morehead St.

Jaylin Mines (No. 30 player in MI in c/o 2021) — S — Toledo/Iowa Central CC

Marlon Dawson (No. 39 player in MI in c/o 2021) — LB — Miami (Ohio)/Iowa Central CC

ROCHESTER – The girls lacrosse game between the Rochester Adams Highlanders and Troy Colts was postponed with 4:06 remaining in the second period and the Highlanders leading 8-4.

At the time of the postponement, the teams had already waited out one weather delay earlier in the second period.

Lucy Lagman, Raegan Jerrell, and Molly Snook each scored twice for Adams. Troy got a goal each from four different players – Chase Duncan, Keira McComb, Maddie Sutton, and Teagan Pafford.

At this point, there is no official make announcement of when the game will be completed, though the teams are trying to work out the details.

ROCHESTER HILLS – The Troy Athens Red Hawks dominated possession and rolled to a 4-1 league win over the host Stoney Creek Cougars on a cold, windy Tuesday evening.

The Red Hawks opened the scoring just over 17 minutes into the game when Lulu Thaqi crossed a ball for Lauren DeJonckheere who hit a one-time volley that went in off the left post. Just over six minutes later, Lily Greaves banged in a rebound to make it 2-0 in favor of Athens.

Overall, Athens dominated possession and the stat sheet. The Red Hawks were able to connect passes and move the ball between levels, which created many offensive chances in both the first and second halves.

“We’ve been working on the possession piece, and then finding forwards has been the key piece yet. (Retaining possession) while going forward has been really important for us,” Red Hawks head coach Jason Clark said. “They worked well today,” he added.

The Red Hawks added on a pair of goals in the second half – one each by Emily Mendrick and by Thaqi – to stretch the lead to 4-0 with 22:15 still to play.

Still, the Cougars’ back line – featuring two sophomores and a freshman – held up pretty well given the amount of pressure they were under. But eventually, Athens just had too much possession and too many forward pushes, and the Red Hawks were able to find a few goals.

Stoney Creek would have a late push. Led by Gianna Kay, the Cougars kept organized and remained fighting.

“Gianna is a captain, a leader,” Cougars head coach Bryan Mittlestadt said. “Any coach would enjoy having several players with that kind of leadership, and the grit and that talent.”

Eventually the hosts pulled a goal back when Emma Norred popped a ball up in the air and behind the Troy Athens defense. Lauren Ziehm won the race to the ball and slotted it home past the charging netminder for a consolation goal.

Overall, the Athens defense turned in a very strong performance. Anchored by Abby Waldron and Annie Lawson, the Red Hawks’ backline held Stoney Creek to just three shot attempts all night as the Cougars struggled to find production in the attacking third.

Photo gallery of Stoney Creek vs. Troy Athens in OAA Red girls soccer action

With the win, Troy Athens (6-1 overall) levels its record in league play at 1-1.

“Anytime you get an OAA Red win, it’s a positive note,” Clark said. “I thought the girls played really well today, and especially for the conditions, I thought we did well.”

Stoney Creek (2-2-2 overall) is 0-2-1 in the OAA Red.

“We’re a little bit young. We’ve got some kids who are getting their first experience in the OAA, and we’ve just got to keep working,” Mittelstadt said. “We’ve got kids that care and work hard. There’s no doubt that we’re working hard. We’ve just got to play a little bit better soccer and get things going."

Both teams have tough non-league matchups on Thursday when Troy Athens travels to Grosse Ile to take on the Red Devils while Stoney Creek hosts Utica Eisenhower.

Troy Athens opened up strong, controlled the play and cruised to a 4-1 victory over Stoney Creek Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in Rochester Hills.

The OAA produced a pair of regional finalists last season in Seaholm and Rochester.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the conference produce more district champions this spring after several of the OAA’s top programs ran into other top state contenders early on in the postseason. Pitching remains strong amongst some of the best teams within the county.

Here’s a look at the OAA programs heading into the 2025 season. (Note: Some information was provided by coaches, and not all coaches submitted.)

Avondale

Head coach: James Swanson

Last year’s record: 8-26

Overview: First-year head coach Swanson brings youth and excitement to the program. He’s aiming to leverage the team’s speed. Top talents for the Yellow Jackets include Rochester College commit Joseph Arends (SS/P, Sr.), Braylin Grandberry (CF/P, Jr.), Avery Prentice (IF/P, Jr.) and Natheer Huskic (1B/P, Sr.).

Berkley

Head coach: Todd Dunfield

Last year’s record: 18-17

Overview: The program turns to Dunfield after Matt Rawlik stepped back to take on the role of AD at Berkley. A Seaholm grad who played at Albion in college, the biggest players Dunfield will have to replace are Logan Field and Ben Streetman (Henry Ford CC). Reed Reynolds and Brayden Kubicki are among the starting arms the Bears will count on this spring. Spencer Bajcz is one of Berkley’s best bats within the heart of the order.

Birmingham Groves

Head coach: Shawn Morrison

Last year’s record: 25-14

Returning starters: Returning starters: Johnny Bedell (IF/P, Sr.), Tyler Bronczyk (OF/P, Sr.), Benji Cook (OF/P, Sr.), Josh Gibson (OF, Sr.), Xan Scheinfield (OF/P, Jr.), Sebastian Shorter (SS/P, Jr.), Carlos Smith (C/P, So.), Jack Stillwagon (1B, Sr.), Hunter Tengler (IF/P, Sr.), Michael West (IF/P, So.)

Overview: Speedy Steven Whitted (Wayne State) and Jake Rossenwasser are several of the key players to replace for the Falcons. Just a sophomore, West already looks to be one of the team’s better bats, and should lot his share of important innings, along with Bronczyk and Tengler. “I think we’ve got guys that really have taken ownership of the team this year,” Morrison said. “Their heads are where their feet are, and I think overall that’s going to put us in a pretty good position to battle for a league and district championship at the end.”

Birmingham Seaholm

Head coach: Steve Oshinski

Last year’s record: 24-11

Overview: Oshinski will rely on a new batch of players after graduating a nucleus that won a combined 50 games the past two seasons. That new group includes Ozzie Borman (2B), Ryan Pfeiffer (P/OF), Steve Schneider (OF), Myles Henderson (1B), Cobie Early (INF/OF) Shawn Moore (P), and “No. 1 hype man” Owen Tyranski. Otherwise, infielder Brandon Gottesman should step in as an impact bat, and the tandem of Patrick Hughes and Dylan Layer will be counted upon by the Maples on the bump as well.

Bloomfield Hills

Head coach: Greg Fettes

Last year’s record: 18-17

Overview: The good news was that the Black Hawks had home field advantage in districts last season. Unfortunately, the opened the postseason against Brother Rice. More good news is that Bloomfield Hills has a new head coach with a winning pedigree in Fettes, who led Bishop Foley to a state title not so long ago. He’ll have a good staff to work with in senior Sawyer Cooney (Xavier), junior Hunter Farbman and senior Tyler Marx. Fettes has a couple of good bats that will be around for a couple of years also in junior 3B/OF Drew Harst and sophomore IF Ethan Franklin.

Clarkston

Head coach: Addison Turk

Last year’s record: 13-22

Overview: Dylan Johnston and Camden Williamson combined to throw over 11 scoreless innings last postseason for Clarkston, who won a playoff game against Fenton before bowing out against Oxford. Johnston, who hit a walk-off single in that district win, is back as one of the Wolves’ top arms with Chris York, TJ Hyde and Gavin Bond. Along with Lucas DeBell, Paul, Johnston and York will try to provide Clarkston with offense at the top of the lineup.

Farmington

Head coach: Charles Colding

Last year’s record: 13-20

Returning starters: Vincent Pesci (SS, Jr.), Andrew Pahnke (1B/P, Jr.), Jayden Essary (3B/OF, Jr.), John Lynem (OF/P, Jr.), Brady Irvin (1B/P, So.), Carter O’Driscoll (P, So.), Ben Holmes (P, Jr.), Carson Drake (P, Jr.)

Strengths: Hitting

Overview: Speedy infielder Owen Matteson is one of the key players Farmington will have to replace. The Falcons return another key middle infielder in Pesci, an All-OAA Honorable Mention, while Essary will be one of the team’s other best bats. Pahnke is one of the team’s best arms; he struck out 59 batters in 41 frames as a sophomore. It’s a young team (one senior) that will add some more talented youth in sophomore SS/OF JJ Dail and freshman 1B/OF/LHP Anderson Axe and to help Farmington take a step forward.

Ferndale

Head coach: Christopher Bailey

Last year’s record: 2-16

Overview: It’s nowhere to go but up for the Eagles and their first-year head coach in Bailey. They return their top hitter in senior Jaylin Dennard, who batted .429 with four doubles and triples each last season, all team-highs. Senior Cullen Hock also returns as one of the team’s main threats on the base paths. Dennard and Mason Shaltis, another senior, started the majority of games in 2024, so continuity will help.

Lake Orion

Head coach: Andrew Schramek

Last year’s record: 23-12

Overview: Southpaw Kael Gahan mowed down batters last year for the Dragons and is now off at Duke, while Ryan McCartan (Saginaw Valley State) is also a loss to graduation. Still, Lake Orion returns four starters, as well as a handful of pitchers that include Jackson Gilbert and Sam Beemer, who should keep the Dragons in plenty of games against some of the league’s top teams.

North Farmington

Head coach: James Malkovich

Last year’s record: 5-27

Overview: The Raiders should approach or surpass double-digit wins after a tough 2024 campaign. They lose Josh Brenner to graduation, but bring back juniors Rashad Travis and Josh Shelby as well as sophomore Jayden Glinz. Infielder Kyle Pierce was a good bat at the top of the order as a freshman last season and will attempt to set the table along with junior catcher Amare Christian, and senior Seth Cohen, who will also throw for North Farmington.

Oak Park

Head coach: Darryl Allen

Last year’s record: N/A

Overview: Freshman Rashad Palmer looks like he’ll get one of the trusted arms for Oak Park. He’ll be a top bat in the order, as is senior Tryce Davis, who can mash as well. Other senior starters include Omari Pointer, along with Darian and Dorian Moss.

Oxford

Head coach: David Herrick

Last year’s record: 20-17

Returning starters: Parker Bennion (P, Sr.), Eli Carpenter (OF/P, Sr.), Jack Hendrix (IF, Jr.), Max Lovins (C, Sr.), Dean Rice (OF/P, Sr.)

Overview: The Wildcats got right at the end of last year and ran off a win streak of 11 in a row, including a district victory over Clarkston. Hendrix is one of the leading returning hitters after a .378 average with 15 RBIs as a sophomore. Carpenter, Hendrix and Rice (29 IP, 3.37 ERA) were among the top handful in innings-getters for Oxford last spring.

Rochester

Head coach: Eric Magiera

Last year’s record: 24-16

Returning starters: Sean Fox (3B, Sr.), Dominic Gadlage (IF/P, Sr.), Andrew Scott (OF, Jr.), Jacob Scott (OF, Jr.), Jake Norton (SS, Sr.)

Overview: Don’t pay too much attention to Rochester’s record from last season. The Falcons got healthy late, then went on a seven-game winning streak that included a district championship and resulted in a run to the regional finals. The JTs (Sawyer and Youngblood) graduated, but talent remains. Fox, an Ohio U commit, set the school’s single-season home run record last year with nine. Gadlage (Kalamazoo Valley CC) is a top hitter, and like Norton (Lansing CC), he provides good defense. The Scott twins are base-stealing threats that can cause havoc, too.

Rochester Adams

Head coach: Andy Lamkin

Last year’s record: 13-15

Overview: A competitive schedule that included non-conference games against Brother Rice, quarterfinalist Okemos and semifinalist Bay City Western paid off for Adams, though the Highlanders fell short in the district final to rival Rochester. Ryland and Flip Watters can swing it, as can Matt Toeppner and Luke Borowski. That football arm of Ryland will be used on the hill, where he’ll be joined by starters Jack Durand, Drew Szymanski and Drew Stitzel. Expect the Highlanders to improve on their win total from last spring even with a similarly competitive set of opponents.

Royal Oak

Head coach: Brett Borrocci

Last year’s record: 16-10

Overview: This will be the first year Borrocci with the Ravens, whose moderate successes included winning three league series last spring. A number of Royal Oak’s top arms and bats graduated, but junior Jack Groya is one of the arms that comes back and he should help contribute when he steps in the box, too. Senior infielders Silas Burbridge Parker Lassner appear to be two of the better bats back for the Ravens.

Southfield A&T

Head coach: Jamal Womble

Last year’s record: 5-19

Overview: Pitching was a struggle for the Warriors last season, but they ended the year on a high note by scoring a 17-2 win over Renaissance in the playoffs. Derrick Lee and Kevin Hanyes, who tied for tops on the squad in average at .364, have both graduated, but junior Kaleib Norman (.312 BA in ’24) led the team in RBIs with 20 as a sophomore. Some good news for the pitching is that Norman also boasted the second-best ERA of all the Warriors’ arms last year.

Stoney Creek

Head coach: Paul Diegel

Last year’s record: 17-19

Overview: Diegel takes over for Clint Rodger this season. Evan Woodard graduated and moves on to hurl innings at Saginaw Valley State, but juniors Anthony Voikos and Caleb Helms will look to pick up where he left off. Outfielder Jacob Champine and catcher Collin Lott will be several of the key bats for Stoney.

Troy

Head coach: Joe D’Orazio

Last year’s record: 25-9

Returning starters: Cam Adams (IF/P, Jr.), Miles Carter (OF, Sr.), Davey Crockett (OF, Sr.), Gabe Geisner (C, Jr.), Ethan Hucal (1B/P, Sr.), Trevor Marshall (P, Sr.), Carson Noon (SS/P, Sr.), Jack Sobotka (IF/P, Jr.)

Overview: Jon Whiteside, who pitched a complete game shutout in the playoffs last season and threw in Troy’s other postseason win, has graduated. But Sobotka is the Colts’ other primary returning arm, and he’ll be complimented by others, including Nick Aretha and Adams. Carter brings XBH power in the order, as do Noon and Sobotka. Additionally, a solid freshman class should aid the Colts in their OAA White quest.

Troy Athens

Head coach: Mike Morris

Last year’s record: 25-7

Returning starters: Macklin Ciurla (OF/P, So.), Sam Link (1B/P, Sr.), Cole Cosgrove (2B/P, So.), Derek Smith (3B/P, Jr.), Nick Rossi (OF/P, Sr.), Joe Morelli (OF/P, Sr.), Andrew Cermak (C, Sr.) and Matthew Schriber (1B, Sr.)

Strengths: Deep pitching staff and strong senior leaders

Overview: Brody Fahnestock (Oakland) and Joel Botardo (Kalamazoo Valley CC) are key players that Morris has to replace, but at least in the case of Fahnestock, the Red Hawks have a ton of arms left in the tank. They’ll look to replicate the good runs of form they put together from last season, including a 13-game winning streak early in the slate, as Athens competes in the OAA Red.

West Bloomfield

Head coach: Josh Birnberg

Last year’s record: 32-8

Returning starters: Brody Pikur (OF/P, Sr.), Logan Scheidt (C, So.), Stevie Fountain (1B/P, Sr.), Cam Laflamme (OF/P, Sr.), Slade Moore (OF/P, Sr.), Brady Scheidt (SS/P, Sr.)

Strengths: Pitching staff

Overview: Someone had to come out of last year’s district between Brother Rice and West Bloomfield. The Lakers won’t have that problem this season (and host their district), but they’re just as well-equipped to emerge regardless. The team might be able to claim the best starter duo in the state in LHP Moore (Michigan) and RHP Fountain (Michigan State), while Laflamme and Brady Scheidt are real good arms behind those two, also. Fountain and Pikur have long-ball potential in their sticks, while LaFlamme and Logan Scheidt should help fill out an order that has some production to replace. There’s potential for this team to make a deep run.

BLOOMFIELD HILLS – It’s not often you will find the Detroit Catholic Central boys lacrosse team overly critical of a win over Brother Rice.

Similarly, you won’t typically find the Warriors encouraged in a loss to the Shamrocks.

But, that’s the way things seemed to play out on Tuesday, when Brother Rice nearly overcame a four-goal deficit in the fourth period before ultimately suffering a 10-9 loss to Catholic Central.

“It’s a win that kind of felt like a loss a little bit because we didn’t finish the way we wanted. (Rice) is always tough, but I think we are pretty tough, too,” Catholic Central coach Dave Wilson said. “It’s early in the season, so I think we will find out a lot more about ourselves in the weeks ahead. But, we’re playing winning lacrosse right now and can still get better in a lot of areas.”

Catholic Central (6-0) is coming off a Division 1 state championship in 2024, the second in program history. Brother Rice (6-2) is coming off missing the MHSAA state championship game for the first time in program history.

Despite that, Tuesday marked the first time since 2018 that the Shamrocks defeated the Warriors in their first encounter of the season. Still, Brother Rice coach Ajay Chawla likes what he is seeing from his team, especially Tuesday’s strong finish, as the Warrior players are motivated to get back to the top of the state.

“I am really happy with what I see right now,” Chawla said. “We came into the season pretty young, so we needed some guys to step up, and a lot of them are. Guys are working together and things are looking good. We are a little like the 2004 Pistons. We don’t have any superstars right now, but hopefully by the end we will have five Hall of Famers. We have a lot of guys that have a lot of grit and work well playing together.”

Both teams relied heavily on defense and goaltending for most of the first half.

The score was tied 2-2 late in the second period when the Warriors had a goal negated by a crease violation. The Rice bench received a penalty for their reaction to the call, which set up a Catholic Central man advantage that led to a go-ahead goal from senior Connor Lukas. The Shamrocks would score again seconds later on a goal from junior Ryan Dye to take a 4-2 lead into the break.

CC carried that momentum into the second half, scoring the first two goals of the third to establish a 6-2 advantage. While the offense picked up, senior goalie Matthew Cranston was dominating in net, picking up nine saves in the opening half alone.

“I have a great defense to work with and I think we all came into this game really wanting to get this win,” Cranston said. “We communicated well, made a lot of good decisions and just worked well together to get stops.”

The Shamrocks led 8-4 going into the final period, a score that held for the first five minutes of the fourth until Brother Rice finally broke through with a scoring burst. The Warriors tallied three goals in about two minutes of play, two from junior Frank Baiardi and one from senior Dany Holt.

“We just had to settle in a little bit. (CC) is a good team and we have some guys in new roles that just needed to settle in,” Chawla said. “We needed to control possession in this game and we did a good job of that, we just weren’t finding the net early on. But, we were playing really well at the end.”

Rice was controlling the ball for most of the game, something Wilson was hoping he’d see change late in the contest when the Shamrocks had possessions.

“It would have been nice to get some longer offensive possessions, especially in the fourth, but we kind of rushed through things and that’s not achieving our objective in those situations,” Wilson said. “(Brother Rice) was earning the ball through faceoff play and I thought we gave them a few (possessions) on ground balls that we didn’t pick up that we should have. That just made for us spending a lot of time on defense. From there, it’s about mathematical probability that (Rice) was going to find ways to score.”

After trading goals in the closing minutes, CC looked to put the game away with 24 seconds to play when senior Lachlan Moffatt scored on an empty net to make it 10-8.

However, Rice quickly scored off the faceoff, as junior Brady Salach found the net to make it 10-9.

The Warriors then won the ensuing faceoff and used a timeout to set up an attempt at tying the game with only 10 seconds on the clock. Chawla went back to Salach out of the stoppage.

“Brady is a great player and he is really fast and shoots the ball well,” Chawla said. “We felt like he was the best option in that circumstance and he got a good shot off.”

Photo gallery of Detroit Catholic Central vs. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in D1 boys lacrosse action

Salach did get a good look at the net, but Cranston made one final save, as the ball deflected off his leg for his 17th save of the contest to preserve the victory.

“I knew I had to make a stop. With just 10 seconds left, I wanted to take away the bottom side. He had beaten me about 30 seconds prior, but I got to see the shot. So, when I saw him dip his hands, I went low and managed to make the stop,” Cranston said.

Dye finished with four goals to lead the Shamrocks, while Moffatt scored twice, and Francisco Williams had three assists.

Rice was led by three goals each from Baiardi and Theo Ley, while Salach had two. Warrior goalie Payton Fortino added 10 saves.

Detroit Catholic Central defeated Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 10-9, in a MHSAA boys lacrosse game at Brother Rice on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

LAKE ORION – The Lake Orion Dragons fended off a fourth-quarter rally by Oxford to defeat the Wildcats 11-8 in an OAA crossover matchup Tuesday night.

Trailing 9-5 entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats scored three straight goals – one each by Brayden Hering, Payton Scott, and Caden Rhoades – to get within a goal with 2:42 left to play. But the Dragons cut Oxford’s comeback off from the ensuing faceoff by winning it, racing down the field, and Parker Gannon set up Jack Parillo as he was coming down the middle, allowing Parillo to rip a shot home that doubled Lake Orion’s lead just nine seconds after Rhoades had cut it to one.

That killed Oxford’s momentum, and the Wildcats never got another shot on net.

Earlier on, Oxford led for much of the second period. The Wildcats scored three goals in a span of less than three minutes to take a 5-3 lead that would last until the final two minutes before the half.

At that point, Lake Orion switched goalies, putting in Landon Westby, and the team settled down. Westby played well the rest of the way, but for a while, he didn’t have much to do as his team started to get control of the ball and once again began to dominate possession as it had in the early part of the first period.

“We put Westby in goal, made a switch, and he was very good, and the defense gradually got a little bit better,” Dragons head coach Ron Hebert said.

From there, Lake Orion got a late power play and cashed it in for three goals in a span of 86 seconds, including two by Jackson Vasquez that allowed the Dragons to take a one-goal lead into halftime.

The Dragons then came out and dominated the third period defensively, winning ground balls and forcing turnovers, and that resulted in them extending their lead to four goals by the end of the quarter before fighting off Oxford’s rally deep into the contest. The Dragons had been in a similar position against Dearborn Divine Child last Friday, and in that game had been unable to hang onto the lead, eventually losing in overtime. But this time, they found a way to secure the win with some big plays down the stretch.

“This is really a very inexperienced team,” Hebert said. “They hung in there. We got most of the guys in. We have a lot of athletes and stuff. We just don’t have good lacrosse players that are lacrosse-wise yet,” he added.

Photos of Lake Orion vs. Oxford in OAA boys lacrosse action

Overall, Vasquez and Coby Narloch paced the offense for Lake Orion. Vasquez racked up four goals and three assists, while Narloch had three goals and three assists. One or both of them factored into nine of Lake Orion’s 11 goals.

Oxford, meanwhile, got a hat trick from Payton Scott and two goals from Caden Rhoades.

Both teams open up divisional play on Thursday. Lake Orion (3-1) travels to Seaholm to take on Birmingham United in OAA Red play. Oxford (1-3) will look to get back in the win column on the same evening when the Wildcats dig into OAA White play against Rochester.

“The momentum swung their way. Lacrosse is a game of runs. We started picking that up in the fourth (quarter), and I’m super proud of our guys. This is a tough battle,” Oxford head coach Noah Grove said. “I think that we’ve got a bright future for us, and this is one of those stepping stones in the right direction.”

Lake Orion and Oxford renewed their boys lacrosse rivalry in a back-and-forth affair that saw the Dragons come out on top 11-8 Tuesday, April 8, 2025 in Lake Orion.

ALLEN PARK — The softball teams from both Royal Oak Shrine Catholic and Allen Park Cabrini braved the chilly and windy weather elements to play a doubleheader on Tuesday at Cabrini.

Both teams have been going in opposition directions to start the season.

Both respective trends ultimately continued by day’s end.

Shrine, who fell to Cabrini five times a season ago including in the Catholic League St Anne Division title game, left town with a doubleheader sweep and outscored the Monarchs, 27-9.

Tuesday was the only scheduled regular-season meeting between Shrine and Cabrini. This season’s realigned Intersectional Division of the CHSL features seven teams with each school playing one doubleheader against the other six schools.

A year ago, the Intersectional housed only five teams with each team playing four games against each other, two home and two away.

GAME ONE | Shrine 10, Cabrini 2

A strong pitching effort coupled with a pair of crooked innings offensively helped Shrine earn a game one victory over Cabrini.

After a scoreless first couple of innings, Shrine opened things up considerably with a four-spot in the third before Cabrini got one back in the home half of the frame. That scoring trend was matched by both teams later on in the sixth before Shrine capped things off with two more in the top of the seventh.

The Knights tallied their 10 game one runs on just five hits as they were also aided by 10 walks issued by Cabrini pitcher Catherine Schumm. The top four in the batting order for the visitors — Samantha Swanek, Jenna Rhule, Summer Smith, and Madeleine Doud — combined to go 5-for-13 with six runs scored, seven stolen bases, and three runs batted in.

Doud reached base safely three times with two hits and a walk, as did Natalie Lanfear with three walks drawn. Smith meanwhile drove in her team-high two RBIs with a two-out double in the third.

The early offense proved to be more than enough run support for Shrine starting pitcher Elizabeth Beaudoin, who allowed just one run and struck out 11 over four hitless innings before giving way to Swaneck.

For Cabrini, Clara Bondareff drew two walks, stole three bases, and scored a run out of the leadoff spot. The sophomore was one of three Monarchs to reach base safely multiple times, along with Jodi Browning and Faith Sterling.

GAME TWO | Shrine 17, Cabrini 7

Both teams saw an uptick in runs scored in the back end of the double dip. However, Shrine — who was the home team for game two — needed just four innings to dispatch Cabrini and earn the sweep.

After keeping Cabrini off the scoreboard in the top of the first, Shrine picked up where they left off in game one offensively but putting up four runs in the second.

Cabrini answered with its best inning of the entire afternoon, a six-run second to take its first and only lead, only to see the Knights tie things back up at 6-6 in the ensuing home half. The ‘visiting’ Monarchs scratched across one more run in the top third before seeing their true visitors close the game with 11 unanswered runs.

It was many of the same players coming through again for Shrine in game two. The trio of Rhule, Smith, and Doud each turned in two-hit games while combining for five runs scored and five runs batted in. Their efforts in the third and fourth innings proved to be key after Cabrini had taken the lead in the second.

That was in large part due to Beaudoin suddenly losing the command she had in game one. After a clean first inning, he senior walked seven of the first eight batters she faced in the second before handing the ball off to Swaneck again.

Swaneck surrendered a two-run single to Cabrini’s Elena DelCotto but eventually settled things down for Shrine, yielding just one run on three hits over the final 2.2 innings.

DelCotto was one of two Cabrini batters to register multiple RBIs in the loss. In addition to a bases-loaded walk, Browning delivered an RBI single in the third.

Schumm ended up tossing all 10+ innings between the two games for the Monarchs.

UP NEXT

Shrine (6-1, 4-0 CHSL-Intersectional) will continue conference play on Thursday, April 10 when they return home and welcome in Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes. That will be the first of four straight home games for the Knights, who will then host another CHSL foe in Marine City Cardinal Mooney on April 15.

Cabrini (0-7, 0-4 CHSL-Intersectional) will visit Our Lady a day after Shrine plays them on Friday, April 11. That will be the first of five consecutive road games for the Monarchs, who after visiting Dearborn High in non-conference action on April 14 will play two against CHSL foe Detroit Cristo Rey on April 15.

PHOTOS: Softball – Royal Oak Shrine Catholic vs Allen Park Cabrini

TROY – The newly opened complex with turf fielding at Troy allowed the Colts and Dakota to get in a nine-inning contest Saturday afternoon that the Cougars took, 13-3.

Dakota improved to 3-0 on the early season thanks a quartet that produced quality innings and two big frames of offense.

“We had a plan going in about who we were gonna throw and play, and got it worked out where everybody a little playing time, got some swings and some pitching,” Cougars head coach Angelo Plouffe said when asked about how the plan changed when the teams opted for a longer game over the originally scheduled doubleheader due to a delay with rainfall. “We’ve got a lot of good arms and we’ve got to get them throwing, and it waws fun to watch them throw today.”

The Cougars deployed Josh Geill, Chase Thornton, Landon Leidlein and James Neucterlien, who all tossed at least two complete innings and combined for 17 strikeouts.

“I thought our pitchers competed,” Troy head coach Joe D’Orazio said. “A lot of young guys, first time throwing today for varsity experience. Some of them did compete, we’ve just got to learn that against really, really good teams, one pitch can make the difference. And I think overall, too, a lot of it was guys not being aggressive enough up there hitting-wise. I thought we didn’t swing the bat that well today at all, so that’s probably where most of the frustration comes in. Because some of these guys are getting some opportunities to kind of showcase if they want to be in that lineup in (league play), and some of them kind of didn’t swing the bat much.”

Dakota’s bats got off beginning with Andrew Borowicz’s RBI single into left with runners at the corners to open the scoring in the top of the second, and Evan Morrison drove one in as well in the third inning to make it 2-0. But the Cougars began to break it open in the fourth as Jacob Gjonaj and Borowicz walked, then Luke Kavalick was hit by a pitch before Braylon Ryan stepped up and drove a 1-0 offering over the fence in right field for a grand slam that made it 6-0.

“Honestly, I was just looking for the ball up in the zone,” Ryan said. “He was throwing a lot of off-speeds, changeups, curveballs. I got a fastball that I could drive, and that was it. It was gone. It was actually my first home run on varsity. Very exciting.”

Colts junior Jack Sobotka pulled it back to 7-2 with a two-out, two-run single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth that helped give the home side a chance, but Troy remained behind by five going into a ninth inning that Dakota’s bats made another long one. Leidlein, Dylan Beitelshees and Michael Ross all drove in runs in the final frame to help the Cougars seal the deal.

Morrison ended the day with a team-high three hits for the Cougars, who had a dozen on the afternoon.

Coleton Steward, Carlos Aguierre and Noah Ordway had the other hits for Troy, who came into the day 4-0. Their 5-4 win over Utica to open the season back on March 19 also served as the Colts’ first game in their new digs.

“We had a bond pass about two years ago, and this is all brand new and the first year on turf, so that’s kind of why we had to push back (the start) a little bit,” D’Orazio said. “This morning, we weren’t really sure how it would handle all that rain, but it’s done a pretty nice job. We’re pretty blessed to have this.”

Photos from Macomb Dakota vs. Troy in D1 baseball action

Despite some frustration with the bats Saturday, D'Orazio still welcomed the challenge that the Cougars, a regional finalist last year and a Final Four team the season before, brought. "They're a very good team, probably one of the better ones in the state, and it's what we're about here, trying to play the best competition," he said. "It's a great task for us, especially going into next week against a tough West Bloomfield team. That's why we had it on the schedule. Kids battled today, but we came up short."

A stellar staff that includes arms like Luke DeMasse and Ryan Petrovich believing that the Cougars can get back to East Lansing at spring's end. If they do, Dakota will also be tested by seeing some of the state's best. After already beating West Bloomfield, some more top arms should be on deck when the Cougars face Brother Rice and Novi in the coming days.

"You want to see the best pitchers," Plouffe said. "Last year, we lost (in regionals) to one of the better pitchers in the state, Brennan Hill from Grosse Pointe North, and he's going to Michigan for a reason. The more kids we see that are plus arms, it's going to make us better. Win, lose or draw, we see those guys, and at the end, we have to learn how to beat them when the tournament comes."