Highlight Reel: Area High Schools Produce Five District Titles, Three Regional Championships

It was a busy but successful week for Birmingham sports, as the district and regional tournaments for baseball, softball, lacrosse and soccer get into full swing.

Baseball Districts

Brother Rice

• The Brother Rice varsity baseball team did it again.
  
  The Warriors claimed their fourth straight Division 1 district title on Saturday. They beat Seaholm in the semifinals and won a close 3-1 game over Groves in the finals.
  
  Starting pitcher Nick Linnen held Groves scoreless for five innings. Brother Rice grabbed a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning and added two insurance runs in the seventh. Groves scored a run in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough to win.

Country Day

• Country Day varsity baseball won a Division 2 district title against the host team of its district in the finals on Saturday.
  
  The Yellowjackets started the day with a 12-2 win over Center Line in five innings. They scored 12 runs on 12 hits. Mike Azzopardi was 4-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs and also pitched a strong game. He only allowed two earned runs and struck out five.
  
  Lamphere was tougher competition in the finals, but Country Day was able to advance to regionals with a 6-5 win. Ken Conway struck out seven and pitched a complete game.

Softball Districts

Groves

• The Groves varsity softball team won the Oakland Activities Association Blue this season. The Falcons beat Southfield Lathrup 12-3 in the semifinals and then trounced rival Seaholm in the finals 11-2. The Maples advanced in the semifinals over Marian 9-6 to set up the final.
  
  Seaholm scored twice in the first inning, but those were the only runs Groves pitcher Keely Knowland would allow. Mamie Talty had four RBIs in the win to help the Falcons earn their first district title in eight years. 

Country Day

• The Country Day softball team also won a district title on Saturday. The Yellowjackets won the Lamphere district to advance to regionals for the seventh straight time.

Girls Soccer Districts

Seaholm, Groves

• Seaholm and Groves varsity soccer teams didn’t have any luck in the opening round of districts this week. On Tuesday Seaholm lost 4-0 to Walled Lake Central while Walled Lake Western beat 4-1 Groves in Division 1 action.

Country Day

• Country Day varsity soccer didn’t allow a goal in three games on its way to a Division 3 district title, shutting out Clarenceville 8-0 on Tuesday to kick off the district round at home.
  
  They came back on Thursday night and beat a solid Notre Dame Prep team 3-0. On Saturday, Country Day eliminated Clawson 1-0 in the finals. It was the fourth straight year Country Day eliminated the Trojans and third time it has ended Clawson’s season in the district finals.

Marian

• The Marian varsity soccer team provided the tournament its biggest news of the week. But it certainly wasn’t good news for its fans.
  
  Avondale upset the defending Division 2 state champions 1-0 in a shootout at the Ultimate Soccer Arena in Pontiac on Tuesday. The Yellowjackets scored four goals in the shootout while Marian scored only two.

Lacrosse Regionals

Marian

• Marian varsity lacrosse scored some revenge on Friday night. Last year the Mustangs lost to Birmingham United 16-13 in the opening round of regionals. Marian evened the scored with a 15-11 win over Birmingham at Troy in the district finals on Friday.
  
  It was the third straight close game for Birmingham United in the regionals and the girls ran out of comebacks. It won in the final seconds of the semifinals over Grosse Pointe South, but in the finals couldn’t overcome an eight-goal halftime deficit.

Country Day (girls)

• The Country Day girls varsity team lost 13-12 in Division 2 on Friday to Ladywood at Ann Arbor Skyline. The Yellowjackets came into the regional finals on a roll. They had scored more than 20 goals twice in three games and held opponents to eight goals or less in each game.
  
  But Ladywood was able to win the tight game. It’s the second straight year that Country Day will go home after a one-goal loss. The Yellowjackets lost to Cranbrook-Kingswood 24-23 (double overtime) in the regional semifinals.

Brother Rice

• The Birmingham area also produced two regional champions on the boy’s side – Brother Rice and Country Day.
  
  At Andover against Clarkston on Friday, Brother Rice won 18-5. The Warriors dominated by attempting double the number of shots, controlling the time of possession and getting out to a big 6-1 first quarter lead.
  
  Brother Rice didn’t score less than 18 goals in any of its three games in regionals and outscored its opponents 62-10.
  
  The team is the favorite in Division 1 to win the state championship and win their seventh straight title.

Country Day (boys)

• Country Day didn’t control its finals match in Division 2 like Brother Rice, but it still won. The Yellowjackets edged out Forest Hills Central 4-3 on Friday night to advance to the tournament semifinals.
  
  Defense has been the name of the game for Country Day. It allowed three goals or less in all three of its regionals games.