Devin Church Runs into Record Books in Final Game

The senior running back leads the way for the Warriors in school's run to a seventh state title.

DETROIT – Devin Church might have saved his best for last. In the Division 2 state finals on Saturday, the Brother Rice senior running back torched the Lowell defense for 244 yards on the ground and three touchdowns in his team’s 24-14 win.  “Pretty darn impressive,” Lowell head coach Noel Dean said. “ I don’t want to belittle what they do as a team, but No. 1 is a fantastic football player and I’ve seen some pretty good ones.”  Dean’s defense came into the game having given up only 995 yards on the ground all season. The Northern Illinois University-bound back had more than 150 yards by halftime. He scored on a 7-yard run to give Brother Rice an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter. He added a 54-yard touchdown run before the half and then…

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Football Semifinals to be Battle of the Backs

Brother Rice running back Devin Church and Detroit Martin Luther King’s Dennis Norfleet will challenge defenses on Saturday in Division 2 showdown.

If the Brother Rice High School varsity football team is going to win this weekend, it’s going to have to stop Dennis Norfleet. Or at least try to slow him down. The Warriors (8-4) play Detroit Martin Luther King (9-3) at West Bloomfield High School at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Division 2 semifinals. Norfleet is the University of Cincinnati-bound running senior that has racked up nearly 2,000 yards this year and 25 touchdowns.  Brother Rice head coach Al Fracassa knows first-hand how dangerous Norfleet is. The Warriors coach has seen the back run over his defense twice. “We got to stop Norfleet,” Fracassa said. “He’s a Barry Sanders (-type running back). He’s only 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds, but he runs like the wind.” Last year to open the …

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Marian Volleyball Falls in Regional Semifinals to Lake Orion

Defending champs Mustangs can’t close out pivotal second set and fall 3-1 on the road Tuesday night.

LAKE ORION – The Marian High School volleyball team won’t be sleeping tonight. In a regional semifinals game featuring two of the top 10 teams in the state, the Mustangs won the first set against Lake Orion and were one point away from taking the second. Marian had a 24-19 lead, but failed to close out game point five straight times. The Dragons won the pivotal second set on Tuesday night and went on to beat the two-time defending Class A champions in four sets (22-25, 27-25, 25-16, 27-25). “That’s when we lost,” Mustangs head coach Irick Gardner said. “We had three or four chances to win in that second game. They had what? 19? We have to be able to get that one point. Players have to step up to get one point. We have junior varsity …

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Miss the Prep Soccer Finals? Catch The Games on TV This Sunday

Locally, Country Day, Andover and Canton all captured state titles; you can watch a broadcast of the action this weekend.

If you didn't catch the boys high school soccer finals live, FOX Sports Detroit is airing the games this Sunday, so fans can relive the excitement. Auburn Hills Avondale and Country Day both captured their respective state titles on Saturday.  The finals will air Sunday on FOX Sports Detroit PLUS (check cable and satellite station numbers) on the following schedule: These games will then air on Comcast Channel 900 beginning the following week.  Here's the schedule:  

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Brother Rice Upsets Harrison in Football District Finals

The Warriors avenge last year’s playoff loss to the Hawks with convincing 30-7 win on the road Saturday night.

FARMINGTON HILLS – It was clear from the minute the teams stepped on the field Saturday night that Brother Rice hadn’t forgotten about its loss in pre-districts to Harrison last season. Revenge helped motivate the Warriors to a stunning 30-7 win over the defending Division 2 state champions in the district finals. “That was a tough one last year,” Brother Rice head coach Al Fracassa said. “I think I got up every day thinking about that game for the last year. It was kind of nice that we won tonight.” Last season, the Warriors had a five-point lead heading into the final two minutes of the game. The Hawks came back by returning two turnovers for touchdowns and escaping with a 37-27 win. This week at practice, the players talked about the …

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Detroit Country Day Soccer Wins State Division 3 Title

Yellow Jackets emotional after beating Hudsonville Unity Christian 2-1 in the state finals on Saturday.

TROY – The west side of Michigan shut out the east side in high school soccer last season by winning titles in all four divisions.  On Saturday, Country Day made sure that wouldn’t be the case again this year with a 2-1 win in the Division 3 state finals over Hudsonville Unity Christian at Troy Athens High School. It was the fifth soccer championship in eight years for the Country Day Yellow Jackets, but the first without Paul Bartoshuk on the sidelines. Bartoshuk, the team’s longtime head coach, has been in and out of the hospital since August with undisclosed medical issues. “We played this game for our head coach Paul Bartoshuk,” assistant coach Bob Bukari said. “We won it for a very special man.” Bartoshuk suffered a heart attack last …

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OAA Sideline Report

Sideline Report Playoff Edition: Thrillers, Blowouts in First Round

Late field goals doom Athens and Lake Orion, while Seaholm and Groves can’t keep pace with their OAA White opponents.

There wasn’t a whole lot of middle ground for Oakland County teams in the first round of the high school football playoffs. Local teams either lost big or battled it out until the final seconds. Which side was your team on? Here’s a recap of all the action: Quote of the Week: "My challenge for you is to handle yourself with the same class and dignity tonight after a loss as you have after victory,” Lake Orion head coach Chris Bell said to his team after Friday's 20-17 loss to Walled Lake Central. Stat of the Week: five That’s how many lead changes there were in five overtime periods between Troy Athens and Romeo on Friday night. The teams combined for only 14 points in regulation and then the game turned into a shootout. Both schools …

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Groves Ends Football Season with 53-7 Playoffs Loss to Southfield

The Falcons are eliminated from the post-season, finishing 6-4 overall.

Groves High School’s season came to an end Saturday night as the Falcons lost at home to Southfield, 53-7, in the first round of the state football playoffs. Senior running back Keon Collier had another solid game for Birmingham  Groves (6-4), rushing for 128 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, but it was not enough for the Falcons to overcome a talented Southfield team. Collier’s 68-yard touchdown run in the third quarter were the only points for Groves in the game. Southfield (7-3) scored on all six of its first-half possessions, as the Groves defense was unable to slow down a potent offense led by quarterback Justin Danzy and running back Brandon Watkins. The Bluejays led 46-0 at halftime. Despite Saturday's loss, Groves had one of its…

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