Sacrifice for success

Lakeview’s boys soccer team is doing plenty of things on paper this season that jump right off the page.

The Huskies have beaten a pair of schools about twice their size that are traditional soccer powers (Utica High and Clinton Township Chippewa Valley). They’ve gone 6-0 in the MAC Blue. Three players are averaging nearly a goal a game. They are well on track to earn their first division title under fifth-year coach Nick Spano and have to be considered a favorite to win their third straight district title. They've even crept into the statewide rankings as an honorable mention squad in Division 2.

But perhaps the most impressive thing about the team can’t be found on paper. There are no statistics to describe what Kris Trombley is doing for the team.
Trombley, a senior, is the team’s goalkeeper — a position he didn’t expect to play entering his third year on the varsity.

“All our goalies left, and I was like a last resort,” Trombley said. “Coach Spano decided to try me in goal one day, and I guess I did pretty well.”

The tough, athletic Trombley — who plays rugby in the spring for Lakeview’s club team — had minimal experience in net. He said he occasionally played the position when his travel soccer team would need someone to fill in.

“I’ve never actually gone to any goalie camps or anything like that,” Trombley said.

Trombley’s experience as a field player was evident in his goalkeeping style Sept. 26 when the Huskies hosted Fraser High. Often standing more than a dozen yards off his line, Trombley was able to clear a handful of potential Ramblers breakaways with his foot, rather than sit back in the net and make saves with his hands. Fraser tested him often, with quick counterattacks throughout the game, but he was able to turn back everything the Ramblers threw at him. The Huskies won the crucial division contest, 2-0.

“I enjoy it when it comes to games like this,” Trombley said. “I can’t stand being in goal when I don’t get any action.”

While most coaches may want to avoid the ensuing ulcers of a goalkeeper who lives near the edge of his box, rather than under the comforts of the crossbar, Spano is simply happy he’s found a solid player who was willing to sacrifice the action on the rest of the field.

“That’s not his preference to play goal, but he knows that he’s my best option,” Spano said. “He flat out said, 'I don’t love it, but it’s for this team and I’m going to do it.' That’s kind of the attitude that everyone has taken. They do what it takes to help the team, and obviously, so far it’s been successful.”

Trombley’s teammates have also taken notice of his sacrifice and solid play in net.

“It was a great surprise knowing that he could (play well in net),” senior midfielder Greg Norrod said. “It’s good knowing that we have that ability to throw him in there. It’s great that he’s willing to come in and play anywhere just to see this team become successful.”

Thanks in part to Trombley, it appears that Lakeview will at least clinch a share of the MAC Blue title. Yet there are key upcoming games that will play a major part in deciding who will be raising banners by season's end in the other divisions. Here are some can’t miss crucial approaching contests:

Utica Eisenhower at Utica Ford II, 5:30 p.m. Oct. 1. The Eagles have a tight, one-point lead over the Falcons and Utica Stevenson atop the MAC Red standings. Ike won the division last year, but Ford knocked the Eagles out of the playoffs, so this one should be tense.

Grosse Pointe South at Utica High, 7 p.m. Oct. 8. Each team still has a couple games to get through before this MAC White clash, but the Blue Devils and Chieftains are well out in front of their division foes. South, the defending champions, hold a one-game lead over Utica.

South Lake at Lake Shore, 6 p.m. Oct. 10. Again, both Shores schools have a handful of games to get through, but by the time they face off for this grudge match, the MAC Silver title will surely come into play, just as it did last year when South Lake edged Lake Shore in an all-or-nothing match. The Shorians got the last laugh, though, as they knocked the Cavaliers out of the playoffs. Lake Shore ended September in first place in the division at 5-1-0, while Marine City sat in second at 4-1-1 and South Lake was in third at 3-1-2.

The Metro Conference, home of Macomb Lutheran North, Grosse Pointe University Liggett and Harper Woods, begins its tournament Oct. 4. Warren De La Salle, meanwhile, will look to defend its Catholic League tourney title when action begins with semifinals on Oct. 8.

Sacrificial Lamb

This year, the Oakland Activities Association changed the football divisions from a tiered numerical system — with Division I being the best teams, D-II the next, and so on — to a colored system, with the D-III teams now making up the Blue Division and the D-I and II teams being split evenly into the Red and White.

The idea behind the change was to create balance by separating the top four programs — Rochester Adams and Farmington Hills Harrison were put in the White, and Lake Orion High and Clarkston High in the Red. The others were separated with the intention of making the two divisions equal in strength.

Granted, the OAA is going to realign again next season and look to improve on this system, but unfortunately for this year, Bloomfield Hills Lahser has basically been sacrificed.

Coach Dan Loria has done a great job creating a successful program — when it plays against schools its own size. The Knights won D-III two seasons ago, finishing 12-1 and advancing all the way to a D-3 state semifinal game. Last season, Lahser was bumped to D-II and finished 7-4, just behind Royal Oak High, eventually falling in the second round of the D-3 state playoffs.

At this moment, Lahser is 1-4 overall, and its chance of making the state playoffs is pretty much gone. Lahser has 1,076 students in its school and has lost to Royal Oak (1,977 students), West Bloomfield High (2,162), Lake Orion (2,376) and Southfield-Lathrup (1,961).

And the rest of the schedule doesn't offer much relief.

I'm betting that if the Knights were able to play in this year's playoffs, they would do well. But that's not going to happen because of the OAA's decision. I do believe this problem will be remedied for next season, but for this year's seniors, like captains Zakk Cummings, Cameron Pinnock, Tyler Gust and David Burnle, that can't be much comfort.

Positive-ly Cheer-ful

One of the great things about my job is that it never ceases to surprise me.

With slightly less than five years covering preps under my belt, there are plenty of folks who have been involved in high school athletics longer than myself, but every once in a while I fall into the trap of thinking I’ve seen it all. That is until something like the Sept. 19 Oakland Activities Association Division I volleyball match between host Bloomfield Hills Lahser and Birmingham Seaholm.

Knowing it was a match that could help decide the regular-season league title, I decided to cover it for our Web site as well as a feature for the Sept. 27 issue of the Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle, but what I didn't expect was a number of firsts, including an atmosphere that lent itself more toward a playoff basketball game than a regular-season volleyball match.

Never had I seen an official ask an athletic director to quiet down a volleyball crowd, but the Lahser gym was plenty raucous as the fans' section called "The Positive Cheer" made sure everyone knew they were there. That, coupled with the strong play by both teams in five games, gave the match a postseason feel. The Positive Cheer fans even rushed the court following the Knights' 25-15, 25-22, 12-25, 12-25, 15-9 win.

Be cool, stay in school ... then play pro football

Remember “Be cool, stay in school”? The All American Football League has picked up the old saying, dusted it off and shined it up something fierce.

The AAFL, which plans to kick off its inaugural season in April, has a requirement that every player has not only exhausted their college football eligibility, but that they also have earned their undergraduate degree.

Led by a former NCAA president, various athletics directors and conference commissioners, the AAFL wants to stress the importance of academics and doesn’t wish to serve as a destination for players who drop out of college early in hopes of making it big in the NFL.

“You go to school to graduate,” Team Michigan president and former University of Michigan fullback Chris Horn said. "For the first time in history — no American sports league, no professional sports league — has had the requirement to graduate from college."

“We think that’s a great niche,” Horn continued. “I look forward to the day (University of Michigan President) Sue Coleman calls me and says, ‘Congratulations guys, because you stand for the values for what we stand for.’ We are going to keep pushing those values. That’s our story, and we’re sticking with it.”

With so few pro football leagues, especially after the recent scuttling of NFL Europa, student-athletes need to focus on the first part of that description just as much as the second.

And the AAFL payoff appears to be a solid reward for players who get their diplomas but want to try their hand at a playing pro football.

How does minimum compensation at $50,000, “plus an attractive benefits package,” sound?

That’s according to a league press release. Not bad considering the job market, economy and the fact that it’s for playing football for about for about four months.

Some players, who will work year-round for the league making public appearances and things of that nature, will make up to $100,000 a year.

Now that’s cool.

For more on the AAFL, including some prospective players and its recent combine at Ford Field, where Team Michigan will be playing, check out the Sept. 26-27 issues of all the C & G papers or the league’s Web site at www.allamericanfootballleague.com.

Other thoughts:
Maple-syrup covered kudos go all the way out to Vermont, where freshman Brendan Symington was named America East Men’s Soccer Co-Rookie of the Week. Symington, a Grosse Pointe North graduate, notched his first career goal and assist over the weekend for the University of Vermont Catamounts. His goal couldn’t have come at a better time — Symington scored with 14 seconds left in the second overtime of the Catamounts' 1-0 win over Sacred Heart Sept. 14. The win snapped a four-game losing streak. Symington then picked up his first assist as he set up the tying goal in a 2-1 win over Central Connecticut Sept. 16, allowing the Catamounts to capture their fourth straight Nike Fall Soccer Classic in New Hampshire.
For more on how Symington’s 625-mile trek from Grosse Pointe Woods to Burlington, Vt., check out the Sept. 26 edition of the Grosse Pointe Times or our Web site.

Lastly, if you’re looking to catch some soccer action this weekend, Sept. 22 is chock full of what should prove to be some competitive non-league clashes.

-Troy High at Utica Stevenson, 11 a.m. It might be early in the day, but a meeting between these two regional powers is tough to pass up.

-Fraser at Macomb Lutheran North, 12:30 p.m. The defending MAC Blue champs visit the defending Metro Conference champs.

-Rochester Adams at Utica High, 1 p.m. The Highlanders should be a handful for the Chieftains, as Adams has received honorable mention votes in both of the season’s first two Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association rankings.

Where have all the stickers gone?

Think back to when you were a kid.

Think back to when mom or dad strapped in you the back of that 1987 Aerostar for a dreaded trip to, yes, the doctor’s office!

You just knew that, no matter why you were at the doctor, you were in for one of those dreaded shots.

Of course, once a bandage of some sort was placed on your arm and most of the tears had dried the thing that made this all worth it, for me anyway, was when the nurse came back with a sheet of stickers — and I got to pick one.

That's right, a sticker took away my pain and brought a smile to my face.

OK, I know, a lot of set up to get to this, but while there may not be as many shots or waiting rooms anymore, am I off base in suggesting that high school football players still enjoy getting those little stickers and stamping them on the back of their helmets?

Good plays, big hits, touchdowns, interceptions, fumble recoveries — any type of individual play that was made for the betterment of the team — was rewarded with a small sticker, or decal if you will, the next day at practice and instantly placed on the helmet.

Is it just me, or are fewer and fewer teams doing this now days?

Maybe it has a lot to do with the “team concept” so many coaches swear by now days.

Maybe it has something to do with the way society has developed.

You know, the same society where schools across the country are outlawing playing tag or kickball because they can be too physical or too selective to less athletic kids.

Maybe the notion of one player having more noticeable individual awards than another is just not accepted anymore.

The way I see it, though, it's tradition.

Having decals and stickers on your helmet is one of the cool things about high school football. You’ll never see a professional team do it, but you’ll never see a professional team have a game and a homecoming dance or drive in an old school bus two hours to get to a field for a Friday night in front of 700 fans. You’ll never see it done by the pros because they are staples of high school football and just a few of the great traditions of the game.

Just eight or nine years ago, when I was going to homecoming dances, riding old buses and playing in front of a couple hundred people, I did so with decals on my helmet. Some teammates had more than me, some had less. Come to think of it, that’s why they looked so cool.

Maybe it’s a sign of change, where flashier uniforms and more arm bands and spatted cleats are the things to do. Maybe, although tough to admit, traditions have a way of changing.

After all, I still go to the doctor. And once in a while, I still need a shot. But I can't remember the last time I was offered a sticker.

Mr. Basketball

It seems like all we hear about these days are the bad boys of professional sports. Gambling, dogfighting, take your pick.

Last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing one who — with dignity and humility — redeemed the failing athlete image in my mind.

On Sept. 11, while the nation acknowledged and mourned the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day recognized the day in another way — honoring 1997 alumnus and NBA star Shane Battier by retiring his high school basketball No. 55 jersey.

Battier is best known for his exploits on the basketball court — he was 1997's "Mr. Basketball," led the Yellowjackets to their best-ever record of 26-1 and to three state championships (1995-97) — but few know of his accomplishments in the classroom where he graduated summa cum laude.

“Shane is the epitome of the scholar-athlete tradition,” said DCDS Upper School Athletic Director Kurt Keener, who is also the varsity basketball coach.

Keener said Battier was "never one to toot his own horn."

Faculty member Carol Keeler said he "never got caught up in all the bravado." Instead, was nurturing and empowering of the people who surrounded him.

In person, Battier personified all these things, and more. Namely, he was humble and modest about his accolades — he made you nearly forget that he's an NBA player. His unpretentious demeanor is something you don't find in many athletes, let alone professional athletes, and he had an uncanny way of making everyone around him feel exceptional.

In short, Shane Battier is a true role model and an inspiring athlete.

Clash of the Titans, games to catch

As division play for most Macomb Area Conference boys soccer teams gets fully under way this week, I figured it was time to check in on how a couple of last year’s top squads looked in preparation of their title defenses.

Utica Eisenhower, which went undefeated en route to taking the MAC Red last year, hosted reigning MAC White champs Grosse Pointe South last Friday (Sept. 7). The Eagles appeared to have plenty of energy at the start and eventually wore down the Blue Devils' backline, which was missing a key player to injury, taking a 1-0 lead after speedy senior sophomore midfielder Raoul Fulgos scored with 17:13 left to play in the first half.

South looked stronger and began to posses the ball more in the second half, but the Blue Devils couldn’t deliver the tying goal. Instead, Ike finished the scoring when Cory Wheeler slotted home a shot from a tough angle to the side of the net with 6:17 remaining in the game to seal a 2-0 victory.

Both programs lost key players from their title teams last year, and both coaches noted their teams still needed to work out a few kinks as their non-league schedules wrap up.

“We’re getting a lot of guys playing time and getting used to each other still, so we’re starting to develop more as a team,” Ike coach Josh Van Houten said.

Van Houten added that he was impressed with the defensive effort, but wanted to see the offense make more of its chances, especially with MAC Red play looming.

“We really wanted to work for that shutout,” the coach said. “We’ve, unfortunately, given up some pretty bad goals lately, and we wanted to make sure our defense was playing solid.

After calling his team’s first-half effort against Ike “mediocre,” Grosse Pointe South coach Gene Harkins said he plans to bring up a couple JV players to solidify his lineup heading into division action. Harkins said he essentially treated the non-league schedule like a preseason, rotating players in and out of the lineup.

“They know as the year goes on my lineup tightens and gets a lot shorter,” the Blue Devils coach said. “We’re really looking to jell stronger as a team. We’re geared up for the MAC White, that’s going to be a big thing for us.”

One thing is for sure, both teams will be in for a battle every league outing as the MAC Red and White divisions appear to have more parity from top to bottom this year.

Several teams will take a quick break from their division schedules Sept. 14 to face rivals in what should be exciting, tightly contested games. So if you’re looking to kick off your weekend with some solid soccer action, check out one (or more) of these MAC crossovers:

-Macomb Dakota at Clinton Township Chippewa Valley beginning at 3 p.m. (The Big Reds won an earlier meeting, 3-1).

-St. Clair Shores Lakeview at St. Clair Shores Lake Shore beginning at 4 p.m. (The Huskies could be the team to beat in the MAC Blue, while the Shorians could be the cream of the crop in the MAC Silver).

-Warren Cousino at Warren Woods Tower, 4 p.m. (This intracity matchup includes a pair of programs that pride themselves on defense).

-Warren Mott at Sterling Heights at 5:30 p.m. (Teams with talented offensive playmakers collide in what could be a high-scoring affair for these Warren Consolidated Schools rivals).

-Roseville at East Detroit at 5:30 p.m. (The Shamrocks will be intent on winning the Friendship Cup from the Panthers after losing their ‘SLED Trophy’ to St. Clair Shores South Lake).

Instant "Cliche´"

By now you've probably heard about Appalachian State University beating Michigan.

If you haven't, then you probably don't like sports.

Fan or not, it was a gigantic upset that has already entered its way into the land of "cliché."

Last week, I spoke with four different prep football coaches from seperate teams. Three of them just so happened to be preparing for games against opponents that they should beat.

Instead of the "we can't look past anybody" or "take it one game at a time" answers, it became, "well, we all saw what Appalachian State did" and "if Appalachian State showed us anything ..."

We'll see how long it lasts and how many more coaches invoke the name of the Mountaineers.

This Friday, I'm heading to see Rochester Adams against Southfield-Lathrup. Both teams are undefeated and this potentially could be for the Oakland Activities Association White Division championship. My guess is Adams is the favorite after already beating Lake Orion High, Farmington Hills Harrison and Southfield High.

Lathrup has beat Birmingham Groves, Farmington and North Farmington. No offense to those teams, but they're not the caliber of Lake Orion and Harrison, even though Lake Orion may be having a down year.

Still, anything can happen, which is why I'll be at the game. After all, if Appalachian State ...

Oh, Brother

In the final leg of my Catholic League Central Division football preview tour, I stopped in and spoke with Birmingham Brother Rice coach Al Fracassa Sept. 6. With the Warriors coming off an 11-1 2006 seasn and having to replace seven players currently on Division I college rosters, the 2007 season should be interesting for Rice.

A few notes from my time spent with the Warriors:

Michigan State University fans will be happy to know that even though they missed out on Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day running back Jonas Gray, who chose the Nebraska Cornhuskers instead of the Spartans, coach Mark Dantonio and the Spartans received a verbal commitment from Warriors running back Caulton Ray IV.

According to Rivals.com, Ray is the second-ranked running back in the state behind Gray. While he's a little smaller than Gray, Ray is very quick, and at 5 feet 9 inches with moves in the mold of Barry Sanders, he can be a very tough man to tackle.

"I found out Michigan State offered him a full scholarship, so he’s going to Michigan State," Fracassa, a Spartan alum, said. "He doesn’t have to worry about where he’s going, so hopefully he’s settled and he’s just now focused on football.

"He’s a smaller type of runner. This guy likes to do a few juking moves before he gets some yardage, and he’s very good at it."


The Warriors are also welcoming back a familiar name to the roster as freshman Jimmy Pickens joins the varsity ranks.

He's the youngest of the group of three Pickens brothers. The eldest brother, Doug, is currently the catcher for the University of Michigan baseball team. The middle brother, Matt, was a key piece of the Warriors' 2005 Division 2 state title winning defense and is currently on the Western Michigan University football roster. Jimmy Pickens is the first-ever freshman to start for Fracassa.

"Jimmy Pickens is good enough to be on the varsity," Fracassa said. "Physically, he looks a little older than the other guys. He runs better than most upperclassmen. He’s a good baseball player, and I think he plays basketball, but he plays football and does a great job for us."

Sports helped guide us back six years ago

Believe it or not, and it can be tough to grasp, but it’s been six years now since an ordinary Tuesday morning became a living hell on earth for so many Americans.

Six years since the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked. Six years since some ordinary people became heroes by crashing a plane in Pennsylvania, instead of its intended target, whatever that may have been.

Six years since two numbers stood for more than a date, but a change in history.

For many of us, for many of our own reasons, it’s a day that will never be forgotten.

For me, the afternoon of Sept. 11, 2001 was spent on the football practice field at Albion College. It was as eerie of a feeling as you could imagine. The sky above, as blue and clear as could be, was simply quiet. Usually a plane of some sort made its way past, but not on this day.

Talk at practice, while limited, had little to do with our scheduled game that weekend. As a matter of fact, we didn’t even know if we’d be playing.

Plays at practice, while still executed, carried less weight than they usually did. Incomplete passes, missed tackles and dropped balls were just mistakes, nothing more.

It was the first time in a long time that sports for me, and the rest of the country, were put on hold.

Instead, it was phone calls home, prayers in church or just watching the news unfold.

If we think back to that awful day and the weeks following, after a few days off games at all levels resumed, but the meaning of the games changed a bit.

Instead of wins and losses, just playing the game was celebrated. Being in the stands with strangers, having the ability to cheer and boo, having that freedom slowly restored.

Never did I think sports could bring a country together in the small ways that it did. Never did I think I could watch an entire Yankees game and spend more time watching the crowd than the actual game itself. Never before did I think that the playing and singing of the national anthem could, all by itself, force me to stand in front of my TV with tears in my eyes.

Think about those days this week and this weekend. Think about that as you sit in the gym cheering on your volleyball team, or when you crowd into the bleachers around the football field.

Get caught up in the game. Celebrate the good plays, go nuts for victories. It’s our freedom as Americans to get worked up over something as trivial, yet important, as sports.

A freedom that couldn’t be stopped, not even six years ago.

Yellowjackets get swarmed

As I walked up the bleachers at Bloomfield Hills Andover, I watched the boys in white practice corner kick drills and the team in blue fire off shots on net from near midfield. I could tell right away it was going to be a battle between Andover's and Beverly Hills Detroit Country Day's boys soccer teams.

I kept my eye on senior forward Abe Fadel and midfielder John Rogers of the Yellowjackets — they're the two that drive the Country Day offense. As the game got under way, the Yellowjackets put a lot of pressure on the Barons' defense, which eventually broke down and let a goal slide in.

“They put a lot of pressure on you not to make mistakes, and they punish you if you make them," Andover coach Geoff Parkinson said. "That’s how that goal came about."

Throughout the game, my eye was on Fadel, waiting for him to head in a goal like he did in the Fenton High game Aug. 28. But the Barons must have had their eyes on him, as well, keeping him silent the entire game. For an athlete who is normally a playmaker, the Barons were able to keep him under control by putting two defenders on him at all times. Smart move by Andover, but too bad for the fans in the bleachers who were looking for another highlight-reel goal.

Country Day coach Paul Bartoshuk urged his forwards to hold the ball more and create counterattacks, but they spent so much effort trying to hold off Andover that they weren't much of an threat offensively. In the end, Andover rallied for a goal and tied things up, 1-1, and that's the way it ended. Overall, it was a hard-fought game on both sides.

Watch for the Yellowjackets — who ended last season ranked No. 3 by the Michigan High School Soccer Coaches Association — to host Southfield Christian, which was ranked No. 4 Division 4 at the conclusion of 2006, at 7 p.m. Sept. 18. It could be a very entertaining game.

Stick-to-itiveness

As volleyball teams across the state continue to make adjustments from competing in winter to fall, interesting little tidbits pop up here and there.

At a recent Clawson High practice, coach Jenny Brown talked about adjusting to humid gyms and the unfortunate times when her players are forced to dive for balls with what she called, "a little bit of burnt skin."

Diving on the hardcourt has always been something that made me cringe, and is probably part of the reason playing basketball never crossed my mind, but to hear Brown and players like Clawson senior Sarah Edwards describe the difference between a summer volleyball practice and a summer basketball practice by saying, "(The floor is) harder to slide on because instead of sliding, you stick," put things in context.

While volleyball players adjust to playing and conditioning during a Michigan summer, it begs to question what it's going to be like as girls basketball coaches and players have to adjust to the winter and its long, break-filled schedule. You can only imagine what kind of practices and drills veteran coaches like Grosse Pointe North's Gary Bennett will be able to come up with to fill those long winter breaks.

Goals galore, Spartans pride

How do you replace a superstar goalkeeper? Easy, you score five goals.

That’s what Utica Ford II did against Fraser in a Macomb Area Conference crossover game Aug. 30. I had barely settled into my seat at the Ramblers’ stadium before the Falcons began lighting up the scoreboard.

Ford senior forward Ionut Simon opened the scoring just two-and-a-half minutes into the contest after an impressive buildup by the Falcons. Junior midfielder Jimmy Lawson doubled the lead five minutes later to put the Falcons up, 2-0.

The game's tempo then took such a drastic change over the next 60 minutes. The ball remained mainly in the midfield, but Fraser finally got on track when senior midfielder Cameron Holloway surprised Ford with a low, hard shot to the opposite corner to cut the lead in half, 2-1, with 10:57 to play before halftime.

But the Falcons regained their golden touch from the opening minutes as the game wound down. Senior midfielder Dominic Troia found the back of the net twice in the final 10 minutes, and senior forward Lukas Dreser closed out the scoring when he took advantage of a stunned Ramblers team with a well-aimed shot from a long way out with 4:58 remaining.

“All game long we played them tough,” Fraser coach Norm Lentine said. “It was a 2-1 game for the majority of the game, then all the sudden, with 10 minutes left, we just imploded and fell apart.”

The scoring outburst relieved a lot of pressure from Ford senior goalie Alex Forton, who, along with senior Brett Sowers, must replace the graduated Jeremy Clark, who is now competing for time at Michigan State after being named a second-team All-State selection last year.

“You don’t replace Jeremy Clark, you can't, ” Ford coach Dave Crawford said. “But I have two good goalies, and I’m very comfortable with the goalie situation.”

While we’re on the topic of the Michigan State soccer team, I’d like to point out that former Warren De La Salle stars Spencer Thompson (Shelby Township) and Josh Rogers (Sterling Heights) both started MSU’s first two games of the year — a 1-0 win over Oregon State and a 2-0 victory over Western Kentucky. The Spartans' next home game is at 1 p.m. Sept. 23 against Penn State.

And speaking of area Catholic League standouts at MSU, if you diverted your eyes for a few seconds from the debacle in Ann Arbor Sept. 1, you may have noticed Jon Misch making a tackle or two in East Lansing. The former Orchard Lake St. Mary’s star led the Spartans' defense in their 55-18 win over Alabama-Birmingham with a team-high nine tackles.

Misch, a redshirt freshman, started at strong-side linebacker for the Spartans — who host Bowling Green at noon Sept. 8 at Spartan Stadium. Former Detroit Country Day star Deon Curry, a junior wide receiver at MSU, also had three catches for 21 yards during the season-opening victory.