DETROIT — Ten Catholic League teams accounted for 15 state championships in the recently concluded 2022-2023 academic year.
Four were repeat champs.
Since 1926-27, when University of Detroit Jesuit won a state title in golf, the CHSL has celebrated 517 Michigan High School Athletic Association championships.
Here’s the rundown:
FOOTBALL — Coach Dan Rohn’s Warren De La Salle squad won its second consecutive Division 2 title in the same dominating fashion — 52-13 over Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central — as they did, 41-14, against Traverse City Central in 2021. The Pilots also were champs in 2014, 2017 and 2018.
BOYS GOLF — Clarkston Everest Collegiate fired a 10-stroke lead on the first day of the Division 4 boys final and increased the margin to 17 strokes on the second day for the Mountaineers’ third state championship.
BOYS HOCKEY — Two champs: Novi Detroit Catholic Central in Division 1, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice in Division 2.
In beating Brighton 3-0, Catholic Central became the first team in the 49-year history of the MHSAA tournament to not surrender a goal during the playoffs, outscoring five teams by a combined score of 30-0. The previous record for the fewest goals allowed in the postseason was two, achieved by the 2009 Catholic Central team over six games. It was the Shamrocks’ third straight title and 15th in its history.
Brother Rice trailed 2-0 heading into the third period but rallied with four goals for a 4-2 victory against Byron Center. The Warriors have won seven state crowns.
BOYS LACROSSE — Brother Rice has dominated this sport like no other has since the MHSAA sanctioned lacrosse in 2005. The Warriors beat Catholic Central 14-11 for its 16th championship in 18 years.
BOYS SWIMMING — Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood handily won the Division 3 title by 90 points for the fifth championship in its history.
BOYS TENNIS — Ann Arbor Greenhills won Division 3, and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett took Division 4.
Greenhills won half of the eight flights for a two-point win over Cranbrook and the school’s 13th state title.
Liggett won the 28th championship in school history.
BOYS WRESTLING — Catholic Central had seven individual champions in winning the Division 1 state title. Senior Dylan Gilcher won at 150 pounds to go along with previous wins at 112, 135 and 140 to join an elite group of 35 wrestlers in MHSAA history who have won four titles. Catholic Central has 16 state titles in its history.
GIRLS GOLF — Farmington Hills Mercy won Division 2, and Macomb Lutheran North Division 3.
Mercy won its third state championship by eight strokes. Coach Vicky Kowalski, in her 45th year, has also won Division 1 titles in 1999 and 2001.
Junior Lauren Timpf (70-72, two-under par 142) was medalist for the second year in a row to lead the Mustangs to the school’s second state championship.
GIRLS SWIMMING — Division 3 Bloomfield Hills Marian won its fourth championship in school history.
GIRLS TENNIS — Cranbrook Kingswood won Division 3 for the seventh time, and Ann Arbor Greenhills won Division 4 for the fourth time.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL — Bloomfield Hills Marian (49-1) won the Division1 title for the third year in a row, 3-1, beating Northville, avenging its only loss of the year, and recording the Mustangs’ fifth title in history.
8 CHSL teams finalists in 10 games
Cranbrook Kingswood was a finalist in three MHSAA championship contests. The Cranes were six strokes behind Macomb Lutheran North for the Division 3 girls golf title, shut out 1-0 by Richland Gull Lake in Division 2 boys soccer, and two points behind Ann Arbor Greenhills in Division 3 boys tennis.
Ann Arbor Greenhills lost 1-0 to Muskegon Western Michigan Christian in Division 4 boys soccer.
Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart lost by nine points to Greenhills in Division 4 girls tennis.
University of Detroit Jesuit lost Division 2 boys swimming by seven points to Birmingham Groves. It was the second year in a row the Cubs were finalists.
Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett lost the Division 2 baseball title, 2-1, to Grand Rapids Christian.
Brother Rice failed in a bid to repeat Division 2 boys golf by two strokes to Grand Rapid Christian.
Catholic Central lost 14-11 to Brother Rice in the Division 1 lacrosse title game.
Clarkston Everest was blanked 5-0 by Kalamazoo Christian in Division 4 girls soccer.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
