MACOMB TOWNSHIP — If you’re a fan of Catholic school football, you’ve got it made.
Halfway through the post-season tournament, there are still 11 area teams actively seeking state championships. That’s the highest number of area Catholic squads participating in the regional round since the Michigan High School Athletic Association adopted its present tournament format in 1999.
Collectively, area Catholic schools have won 26 of 33 playoff games so far. With eight teams left per division, there is at least one Catholic contender in nearly all of Michigan’s eight classifications. The only exception is Division 3 — normally the domain of Orchard Lake St. Mary’s Prep, which opted up to play in Division 2 this fall.
“It’s just a testament to the Catholic League. We can sit here and argue about what the best division in the state is, but in every division, 1 through 8, it seems that Catholic teams are making runs,” Macomb Lutheran North head coach Garrett Wenzelburger said.
His Mustangs — who stand 10-1 and have set a program record for wins in a season — are one of those Catholic High School League teams still alive, after eking out a thrilling 43-42 overtime victory against Croswell-Lexington. With the win, Lutheran North advances to the Division 4 regional to play defending state champion Harper Woods this Friday.
Against Cros-Lex last Friday, Wenzelburger said his team was able to stay level-headed right through to the pressure-packed conclusion, and credits Lutheran North’s Prep Bowl win over Clarkston Everest Collegiate two weeks earlier — another overtime battle.
“We’ve had a couple of games that have come down right to the end, and that one prepared us for this one,” he said. “This one was a similar feel because we had the lead and gave it up.”
Early in the second half, the Mustangs were rolling with a 27-7 advantage, and almost sealed the deal with an interception. But Cros-Lex got the ball back and converted a fourth-down-and-six play, which seemed to give them fresh energy. Not only did the Pioneers score on that drive, they added three more scores late to take a 35-27 advantage by the time three minutes remained in the fourth quarter.
“I’m sure people in the stands felt the wheels were coming off, but this team was still plugging away,” Wenzelburger said.
Lutheran North had to mount a desperation 94-yard drive, and ultimately tied the game at 35 with 15 seconds to play. On a play-action call, quarterback Cam Kubik didn’t find his primary receivers open, but after scrambling, completed a 9-yard pass to Jack May in the back of the end zone.
Vinnie Campisi ran in the two-point conversion for the tie — a play made even more thrilling because the officials had to discuss whether Campisi had broken the plane to get into the end zone.
“Both teams called a couple of timeouts before that play. In real time, it was probably 3 to 5 minutes before we snapped the ball,” Wenzelburger said. “We saw a formation we felt good about, and we gave it to Vinnie Campisi, and the refs had to come together, but when they signaled (good), it was a big exhale.”
Lutheran North was on defense for the first overtime series and slowed the Pioneers’ progress before they punched it in on fourth down and kicked the extra point to go up, 42-35.
“When that happened I told my coordinator, ‘Get your two-point play ready,’” Wenzelburger said. “When we score, we’re going to go for two.”
The Mustangs didn’t gain any yards on their first two overtime snaps, but on third-and-10, the option pitch went to Campisi and he rambled the rest of the way, getting into the end zone just inside the right pylon.
That was Campisi’s 12th rushing touchdown of the post-season, and fifth of the night. He had scored seven times in Lutheran North’s 48-30 district semifinal win over St. Clair the prior week.
Figuring the Cros-Lex defense would key on Campisi for the do-or-die two-point conversion, Kubik faked the handoff and instead passed to tight end Nate Nazarko. That was Nazarko’s only catch of the game, giving Lutheran North the exciting win.
“We hadn’t thrown it to the tight end all night, we had been running the ball efficiently, but we noticed he had been getting open,” Wenzelburger said. “He wasn’t wide open, but he was fairly open, and Nate catches it in the end zone, and it’s ballgame over.”
Wenzelburger, in his seventh season coaching Lutheran North, says he sees a bit of improvement each year.
“We got our first Intersectional-1 title in 2023, played at Ford Field, won the district championship, and got to nine wins,” he said. “For this year, it was ‘Can we now win a Prep Bowl?’ Check that box. We moved up from Division 5 to Division 4; it was ‘Can we win another district?’ Check that one.
“Next on our list is a regional championship. We hope we can get that done this week.”
Playoff games abound for area Catholic schools
Three of Lutheran North’s divisional foes are also still playing.
Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard defeated Romulus, 35-12, to win its first district title since 2012. Liam Distelzwieg gave the Fighting Irish an early lead with a pick-six, while Matt Hoban rushed for two scores and Ian Everts added another. Fr. Gabriel Richard (7-4) will play at Flat Rock at 7 p.m. Friday in a Division 5 regional.
Detroit Loyola won a 60-40 barnburner at Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest. The game was tight until Loyola scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Antonio Vazquez and Emeri Beard returned interceptions for scores, and Eric Jones ran a kickoff back for another touchdown. Loyola (5-6) next travels to Riverview Gabriel Richard (9-1) in a Division 8 regional Friday. Gabriel Richard defeated Manchester, 44-28, to defend its district title. The winner of the Loyola-Gabriel Richard game will advance to the state semifinals.
In Division 7, Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central remained unbeaten following its 41-30 home-field win over Clinton. The Falcons had five touchdowns covering 40 yards or more, highlighted by Drew Harris’ 67-yard run and Cole Reinhard’s 61-yard pass reception from Ian Foster. SMCC (11-0) will host Leslie in the regional on Friday.
Jackson Lumen Christi took another step toward defending its 2023 state championship with a 49-28 home-field win over Ida. Kadale Williams scored four touchdowns, rushing for 296 yards on 25 carries. Amarion Clay (57 yards) and Isaac Rehberg (1 yard) also scored on the ground. Lumen Christi (10-1) will host Constantine in a Division 6 regional at 1 p.m. Saturday.
In Division 5, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep avenged its district-round defeat to Corunna from 2023, beating the Cavaliers 56-7. The Fighting Irish, who scored all their points in the first half, got a rushing and a receiving touchdown from Joey DeCasas. Notre Dame Prep (9-1) will host Armada in a regional game on Friday.
St. Mary’s Prep continues to cruise through the bracket. The Eaglets won their district on the road with a 51-0 shutout of Farmington — the first meeting between the two teams in a football history that goes back over 100 years. St. Mary’s, which has outscored its two playoff foes 93-7, plays a Division 3 regional at Gibraltar Carlson on Friday night.
Warren De La Salle ended previously unbeaten Grosse Pointe South’s season, 35-21. Anthony Bitonti scored three touchdowns for the Pilots (8-2), who will now face another undefeated team, Birmingham Groves, in a Division 2 regional Friday.
In Division 1, Novi Detroit Catholic Central toppled West Bloomfield, 41-14. The Shamrocks were buoyed by touchdowns from Samson Gash, Jaden Pydyn, Lee Krueger and Cedric Williams. Next, Catholic Central (11-0) faces a big test by hosting No. 1-rated Belleville on Friday.
In Ohio, Catholic League member Toledo Central Catholic (11-1) advanced to the next round by shutting out Revere, 48-0. Central Catholic, a two-time defending state champion, will face Lexington on Friday night.
Catholic League teams that fell out of the bracket last weekend included Dearborn Divine Child (downed by Harper Woods, 40-21), Toledo St. Francis de Sales (defeated by Highland, 49-20), Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett (nipped by Leslie, 23-21), and Clarkston Everest Collegiate (which fell to Harbor Beach, 37-7).
In all, 18 Catholic teams from the area qualified for the post-season, and 11 still retain their championship hopes.
“These are some of the best teams in the state in any division,” Wenzelburger said. “We’re proud to be a member of the Catholic League, and proud of the accomplishments that the teams in this league are showing.”
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