The merger of Toledo's five Catholic high schools into Detroit's Catholic High School League was made to accommodate all boys and girls athletic programs from the schools involved.
But, many would agree the most intriguing initial elements of this affiliation — when it begins in the fall of 2023 — are how the football season schedule will be set up and what level of competition can be expected.
According to CHSL director Vic Michaels, the existing members from his league and the three Toledo football programs at Central Catholic, St. Francis de Sales, and St. John's Jesuit, will decide between two options.
OPTION 1
They might form an eight-team division that would include the three Toledo teams, plus Detroit Catholic Central, Warren De La Salle, Bloomfield Hills (Birmingham) Brother Rice, and Orchard Lake St. Mary's for the league's current Central Division, and University of Detroit Jesuit from the CHSL's current AA Division.
In that format, each team would have seven league games between Weeks 3 and 9 of the Ohio football regular season (Weeks 2 to 8 in Michigan), with the top two teams meeting again in the CHSL's traditional Prep Bowl championship game at Detroit's Ford Field in the final week of the regular season.
The other six schools would have pre-determined crossover matchups in Ohio's 10th week (Michigan's ninth week).
“We ask all of our schools to help because I try to find games for all of them that last week,” Michaels said. “We ask them all to get an opponent and, if they get one, they just need to know that if they're in the Prep Bowl, that team would have to play somebody else.”
OPTION 2
The other possibility would be two five-team divisions, and conclude with a final week Prep Bowl matchup involving the winners of each division.
In this format, the eight schools included in the first option would be joined by the other two teams currently playing in the AA division — Detroit Loyola and Dearborn Divine Child.
These two divisions would not just separate the five bigger schools (enrollment-wise) from the five smaller ones, but instead feature two competitively balanced groupings.
The top two of the four Michigan schools from the current Central Division would be placed on opposite sides, as would the other two Central teams. One of those pairs of teams would joined, most likely, by Central and St. John's in one grouping, probably with U of D Jesuit. St. Francis would be assigned to the other side, likely along with Loyola and Divine Child.
The exact mix of teams in the second option, however, has yet to be determined according to Michaels, who said the the three Toledo schools would always play each other every year, regardless of which division they are assigned to. The director said two crossover games between teams in the two divisions would allow the schools to retain rivalry matchups.
Whichever option is agreed upon will create an intriguing race to reach Ford Field.
“I’m thankful for our leadership at St. Francis, that they took the time to research the move and did what’s best for our program,” said Knights head coach Bruce Gradkowski, a former University of Toledo and NFL quarterback. “I’m excited for us to compete in a good league with great competition.”
THE PREP BOWL
The Prep Bowl has been in existence since 1973, when the Detroit area's top two Catholic-school football teams first played at the Silverdome in Pontiac, the prior home of the NFL's Detroit Lions before Ford Field.
The championship game for the top high school teams from the Central and AA divisions has been the finale of a day-long event at Ford Field that begins with two CYO elementary-school titles games in the morning. It continues with scholar-athlete awards and dance-team performances in the afternoon, and a title game involving the smaller-school divisions from the CHSL.
That earlier high school matchup is between the winner of the CHSL's Intersectional 1 division (currently Macomb Lutheran North, Madison Heights Bishop Foley, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood, and Riverview Gabriel Richard) and the Intersectional 2 division (Clarkston Everest, Royal Oak Shrine, Marine City Cardinal Mooney, Allen Park Cabrini, Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, and Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett).
“Our Prep Bowl is more than just a couple football games,” Michaels said. “It is a celebration of Catholic schools. It's on a Saturday and starts at 8 a.m. We have a series of CYO events all day, and the high school games and events in the afternoon and evening.
“Throughout the day we get about 25,000 people come through. Our Central Division matchup will be a great game no matter what.”
The Prep Bowl serves as a carrot to chase during the regular season, in addition to a postseason playoff berth.
“This league definitely does some things that are pretty special,” Central Catholic coach Greg Dempsey said. “On the football end, what kid wouldn't want to play at Ford Field, especially at the end of October when the weather is cold?
“Getting to play where the Detroit Lions and the rest of the NFL plays, that is definitely a goal that any team would want to shoot for. That is a goal our kids will have, for sure.”
Added Gradkowski: “I like the possibility of playing for a league championship at Ford Field, and the additional media market exposure for our players for additional recruitment opportunities. I also like the ability to establish new relationships and rivalries.
“The competition level will prepare us for high-level OHSAA playoff football. It’s exciting for the kids to have a conference championship game to strive for.”
CHAMPIONSHIP TRADITION
As they prepare to join the Detroit-area teams in the CHSL in 2023, the Toledo-area teams bring a football resume that includes Central Catholic’s three Ohio state championships won in 2005, 2012, and 2014, along with a state runner-up finish in 2015, and semifinal advancements in 1977, 2016, 2018, and 2019.
It also includes two state titles won by St. Francis in 1984 and 2001, a runner-up finish in 1982, and a semifinal run in 2002. St. John's deepest postseason run was a Division I semifinal in 2003.
These achievements will be fused with a much more extensive list of playoff accomplishments by the four current members of the CHSL's Central Division.
“The football traditions of these schools are strong, and the schedule would be difficult,” Gradkowski said. “But, iron sharpens iron.”
Detroit Catholic Central is the king on this resume, with 10 state championships, seven runner-up finishes, and four other state-semifinal runs. The Shamrocks have made 30 postseason appearances since Michigan established a playoff format in 1975, and have a 91-20 record all-time in postseason play.
Their last title came in Michigan Division 1 in 2009, and since have been runners-up four times (2011, 2012, 2013, and 2016). Detroit CC's earlier state crowns were won in 1979, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1997-98, and 2001-03.
The other CHSL teams aren't far behind in football acclaim.
Brother Rice is a nine-time state football champion, has been state runner-up four times, and reached three other semifinals. The Warriors have played in the Michigan postseason 33 times with an all-time playoff record of 77-24.
Their most recent titles came consecutively in Division 2 from 2011-13, and Brother Rice also won championships in 1977, 1980, 1983, 1990, 2000, and 2005.
St. Mary's has won eight state championships, ended as runner-up six times, and reached one other state semifinal.
The most recent state titles for the Eaglets came consecutively from 2014-16 in Division 3, a span in which they were 34-6 overall. Prior state titles came in 1977, 1994, 1999, 2000, and 2011.
De La Salle is coming off a perfect 13-0 season capped by a a 41-14 victory of Traverse City Central in the Michigan Division 2 state championship game at Ford Field.
For good measure, on Saturday, the Pilots' boys basketball team won Michigan's Division 1 state championship by knocking off defending champion Grand Blanc at Michigan State University.
The Pilots' football team also won D-2 state titles in 2014, 2017, and 2018, and were runners-up in 2006, 2008, and 2020.
“This is definitely going to be a great competitive league that is going to test you every week,” said Dempsey, whose Fighting Irish are 4-0 versus Detroit CC during his tenure. “On the football end, that's part of the fun of it — going against some of these tradition-rich programs that are going to test you. That's for sure.
“That will also be some good exposure for kids, playing in a league that has this much to offer.”
From the current CHSL's current AA Division, U of D Jesuit reached D-2 state semifinals in 1999 and 2001. Loyola won a D-7 state title in 2014 and was D-7 runner-up in 2012, 2013, and 2016. Divine Child won a Class B state title in 1985, and was the Class B runner-up in 1982.
“We like the opportunities to compete against some of the finest tradition rich parochial programs in the state of Michigan,” St. John's head coach Larry McDaniel said.
First Published March 28, 2022, 1:00 p.m.
