RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesGoing into last season, it certainly was easy for Detroit Catholic Central to be driven and motivated through offseason workouts.
After suffering a heartbreaking loss to Detroit Cass Tech in a 2024 state semifinal, Catholic Central returned a senior-laden team that was beyond hungry after that loss, and it played out perfectly with Catholic Central finishing unbeaten, winning its first state title since 2009 and beating Cass Tech in the Division 1 state championship game .
It might seem impossible for Catholic Central to duplicate that level of hunger and motivation heading into its title defense this fall, but head coach Justin Cessante insists there has been no letdown in the months since Catholic Central left Ford Field as champions and started its offseason program.
“I think we’ve had one of our best offseasons as far as efficiency and hard work,” said Cessante, who along with other coaches and players spoke Monday at the media day for the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State on Aug. 27-28.
Despite the graduation of a stellar senior class that included Samson Gash (Michigan State) and Ben Eziuka (Virginia Tech), the cupboard is hardly bare for Catholic Central entering a season that will begin on Aug. 27 against Clinton Township Chippewa Valley at Wayne State.
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Senior Gideon Gash (Texas Tech) is one of the state’s best overall athletes and a top-100 recruit nationally, while senior Duke Banta returns as the team’s starting quarterback for an offense that has nine starters back.
The defense might be a work in progress initially with Gash one of just two starters back, but one thing Cessante and Catholic Central want to make known is that basking too much in last year’s glory won’t be an issue.
“We’ve worked really hard to put that behind us,” Cessante said. “Everybody wants to keep talking about it. I feel like the undertone of our team is that we don’t really care much about last year and what happened. These seniors really want their own identity and legacy left at the end of the day.”
Cass Tech seniors hungry to prove their worth
The team that lost to Catholic Central in last year’s Division 1 championship game, Detroit Cass Tech, also will be playing its first game at Wayne State, doing so against Michigan City (Indiana) at 7 p.m. on Aug. 28.
This year, a lot of the focus for Cass Tech will be on a ballyhooed junior class, which has seven players ranked in the top-20 of Rivals’ state rankings for the 2028 class.
With much less fanfare, this year’s senior class at Cass Tech is determined to prove their worth and leadership, led by senior linebacker Collin Sumpter (Miami Ohio).
“This senior class doesn’t have a lot of hype, but it has some underdogs,” Sumpter said. “Dogs who want this and might not have a lot of offers, but guys who love this team and believe in it and will do anything to win. Do anything to help our staff, help our players and help everybody around it. Guys who want to be great. It’s more than offers and stars.”
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Running back De’Mari (Curly) Hendrix and lineman Martez Livingston are two other notable seniors that will be big contributors for Cass Tech.
“This class isn’t the biggest class, but it’s starting to remind me of two years ago when they gave themselves to help the team succeed,” Cass Tech head coach Marvin Rushing said. “If you want to win a state championship, it rests and lies with your senior class.”
Chippewa Valley hoping good ending to last year is a springboard
Chippewa Valley obviously hopes this season’s opening matchup against Catholic Central at Wayne State goes a lot better than last year’s season opener, which Catholic Central won 41-7 on its home field in Novi.
Chippewa Valley started last year 0-7, but finished with wins against Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse and Southfield A&T, and head coach Terry Wilson feels that provided the program with some good vibes going into the offseason.
“We used the momentum with the way we ended last season to spearhead our offseason program this year,” Wilson said. “We changed up some things in the weight room and just in our football discussions with the kids. I think we’ll be competitive in the (Macomb Area Conference). We always are. I don’t pay too much attention to the teams we are playing on our schedule until it’s that week. My biggest concern is getting our kids ready for Game 1.”
North Farmington, Groves to play each other, but as non-league opponents
Neighboring schools North Farmington and Birmingham Groves will open the season at 4 p.m. on Aug. 28 in the third game of the Prep Kickoff Classic, but it won’t be an all-OAA matchup.
North Farmington is entering its first season as a member of the Lakes Valley Conference. Farmington went with North Farmington and also will be competing in the LVC for the first year.
“It will be a new opportunity and a good opportunity for our guys to showcase what they are about,” North Farmington head coach Jon Herstein said.
Keith Dunlap is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit Catholic Central not resting on laurels of state title
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