ORCHARD LAKE — The Catholic High Schools League’s version of March Madness — “February Frenzy” — is under way.
The “frenzy” centers around the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in the crowning of champions in eight sports: wrestling, skiing, competitive cheering, dance and pom-pon, girls hockey, girls and boys basketball, bowling and boys swimming.
Here’s the lineup.
Champs have already been crowned in two sports.
WRESTLING: Novi Detroit Catholic Central won the title last Saturday for the 30th year in a row going back to 1995. Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, who won in 1994, placed second, Warren De La Salle third and University of Detroit Jesuit fourth.
BOYS & GIRLS SKIING: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s won the boys crown for the third time in the last four years, while Bloomfield Hills Marian won the girls trophy for the third consecutive year.
CHEER, DANCE & POM-PON: Those competitions are being staged Feb. 7. Defending champions are Wixom St. Catherine of Siena and Dearborn Divine Child in cheer, and Divine Child and Farmington Hills Mercy in dance and pom-pon.
GIRLS HOCKEY: The championship game will take place Saturday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. between defending champion Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (14-0) and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s/SCA (14-4) at the Big Boy Ice Arena in Fraser.
BOYS BASKETBALL: The action kicks off with quarterfinals this Saturday, Feb. 10, with four games at Bloomfield Hills Marian.
Game 1: At 10 a.m., St. Mary’s Prep (10-1) vs. Toledo Central Catholic (0-9). Game 2: At 11:30 p.m., Detroit Catholic Central (4-6) vs. Toledo St. John Jesuit (5-4). Game 3: At 12:30 p.m., Toledo St. Francis deSales (2-7) vs. Brother Rice (7-4). Game 4: At 2 p. m., Warren De La Salle (5-6) vs. University of Detroit Jesuit (7-4).
The semi-finals will be played on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Oakland University’s O’Rena. The winners of Games 1 and 2 will tip off at 5:30 p.m. and the winners of Games 3 and 4 at 7 p.m.
The semi-final winners will meet for the Bishop Division championship at 7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17, at the University of Detroit Mercy's Calihan Hall.
St. Mary’s Prep’s high-flying Eaglets — rated No. 1 in the state by the Associated Press — come into the playoffs with a 12-game winning streak, 16-1 overall, and 10-1 in the league, after a pair of dominating performances within 24 hours, including last Friday evening (59-41 over Brother Rice for the Central Division title) and the next evening at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, 56-37, over No. 2 rated East Lansing.
The AA Division opens its quarterfinal playoffs on Friday, Feb. 9. All games start at 7 p.m. Game 1: Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood (0-8) at Jackson Lumen Christi (9-1). Game 2: Detroit Loyola (6-4) at Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard (6-3). Game 3: Dearborn Divine Child (1-8) at Riverview Gabriel Richard (8-1). Game 4: Macomb Lutheran North (3-6) at Ann Arbor Greenhills (6-3).
The semifinals will be played Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Marian between the winners of Games 1 and 2 at 5 p.m. and winners of Games 3 and 4 at 7 p.m.
The semifinal winners will advance to the Cardinal Division championship game at 2 p.m., on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Calihan Hall.
The Intersectional 1 and 2 semifinal playoffs begin on Tuesday, Feb. 13, at Warren Regina. The brackets are still to be determined. The St. Anne Division championship will be played at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Calihan Hall.
GIRLS BASKETBALL: The Central Division playoffs will begin with quarterfinals at Brother Rice High School on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Game 1 is at 11 a.m. between Toledo St. Ursula (0-8) vs. Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard (12-0). Game 2 at 12:30 p.m., Marian (6-5) vs Farmington Hills Mercy (6-5). Game 3 at 2 p.m., Divine Child (0-10) vs. Toledo Central Catholic (7-1). Game 4 at 3:30 p.m., Regina (3-8) vs Toledo Notre Dame Academy (6-3).
The semifinal will be held at Detroit Catholic Central on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Games 1 and 2 winners at 5:30 p.m. and Games 3 and 4 winners at 7 p.m.
The winners will meet for the Cardinal Division championship at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18, at Calihan Hall.
AA Gabriel Richard is enjoying a spectacular season: a No. 1 rating in Division 2 and a spotless record of 18-0 overall, 12-0 in CHSL.
The AA and Intersectional 1 and 2 divisions will hold their playoffs next week.
BOYS AND GIRLS BOWLING: The championship games will be played starting at 9 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 17, at Oak Lanes in Westland. The boys defending champs are University of Detroit Jesuit (Bishop Division) and Madison Heights Bishop Foley (Cardinal Division).
BOYS SWIMMING: The championship meet will be held starting at noon Saturday, March 2, at Waterford Kettering High School. U of D Jesuit is the defending champion.
Contact Don Horkey at [email protected].
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