11-07-1996.pdf

C2(PC) The Observer^THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1996
CC routs Rice to make playoffs
BY STEVE KOWALSKJ
STAFF WRITER
Just a month ago, a Catholic
League championship and Class
AA playoff berth appeared
remote for the Detroit Catholic
Central football team.
But on Sunday night, the
Shamrocks earned both with a
28-0 victory over Birmingham
Brother Rice in the Prep Bowl
championship game at the Pontiac
Silverdome.
The championship was the
ninth for CC coach Tom Mach
and the Shamrocks' fourth in the
last five years. This is the same
team that blew a 14-0 halftime
lead and lost to Rice, 21-14, in
overtime in the Boys Bowl on
Oct. 6.
But not really the same team.
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FOOTBALL
"We've been getting a lot better
in practice but I didn't know
the score would end up this
way," Mach said. "It seemed like
this year has been a "Must win'
game every week. It's been a
rough season and the kids have
held together. I can't say enough
about them."
Senior quarterback Greg Call
scored on a three-yard run and
threw an 18-yard touchdown
pass to junior tight end Don
Slankster. The Shamrocks also
scored on a 10-yard run by
senior tailback Greg Alcala and
a one-yard run by junior fullback
Chris Dueweke.
Placekicker Aaron Rock made
all four extra-point attempts.
Senior fullback Milam Brooks
led the Shamrocks with a careerhigh
144 yards in 10 carries.
Alcala had 75 yards in 11 carries
and Dueweke had 69 yards in 17
carries.
Brooks credited the blocking of
linemen Brian Douglas, Brian
Baaki. Chris Koss, Ben Herman,
Mike Bowen and rotating tight
ends Kurt, Camden, Jeremy
Jakary, Mike Danczak and
Slankster.
"I felt like I could drive a truck
through there," Brooks said.
The passing combination of
Call to Slankster proved effective
on the Shamrocks' first scoring
drive which covered 66
yards. Slankster caught a 19-
yard pass over the middle on
third down and 11 from the
Shamrocks' own 33. He capped
the drive with his TD catch after
getting wide open in the Rice
secondary with 3:15 left in the
first quarter.
"I came out and said to Don,
'You've got to make a big play
today' and he did," said Call,
who was three for five for 52
yards. "You could tell after that
TD catch, it loosened things and
opened up everything. We've
been playing better and better
each weeked and we topped it off
this week. I think we're going to
make another run."
The Shamrocks' had a huge
edge in time of possession, scoring
on drives of 66, 62, 72 and 75
yards.
Rice senior tailback Brian
Marshall was held to 67 yards on
15 carries. Twice, the Shamrocks
stopped Marshall for gains of
less than one yard on fourth
down and short plays in CC territory.
The Shamrocks preserved
their shutout when defensive
tackle Gino DiGiandomenico batted
down a pass by Eric Marcy
on fourth down and goal at the
CC 6 with 9:04 left in the game.
"The last game (against Rice)
was on our minds all week," CC
defensive end Brian Teefey said.
"We just wanted to come out and
beat them like they did in the
second half last time, let them
know we're back."
Last game
is decisive
Thinks U> Detroit Catholic Central.
Farmington ObMrvw a port*
editor Dan CM ear* was declared
the winner at the 1996 Grid Pkfca
column egeinet his collecfue Brad
Emons, Lironia-Weetland Sports
Editor.
The deciding game was the
Catholic League Prep Bawl in
which CC defeated Birmingham
Brother Rice. 28-0, Sunday night at
the Sihrerdoma.
O'Meara was 10-4 am the ftaal
weekend and 106-28 be the h ml
Emona, the defending champion,
finished 9-5 and 107-27,
O'Meara haa woo two at the laet
four years and hold* a 7-3 advantage
in the friendly, decade-long
rival 17.
No easy road
Shamrocks travel treacherous trail to meet Rockets
BY STEVE KOWALSKL
STAFF WRITER
of your
branch...
If you think Detroit Catholic
Central's scoring drives on the
football field are simple, you
should see how coach Tom Mach
gets to and from work.
Mach's coaching personality is
reflected in the car he drives: a
rusted-out 1977 GMC pick-up
truck. He bought it off his
father-in-law about 12 years ago
with 80,000 miles on it.
"Now it's got 82,000," laughs
his assistant coach Roy Dudas.
"He drives about two miles a
day, 2 1/2 when he gets gas."
Mach drove the pick-up Monday
night to an all-state meeting
where there was valet parking.
"I gave the valet guy $1 and he
gave it back," Mach said, laughing.
"He must have felt sorry for
me."
Like his beat-up old ride, his
football team usually makes it to
its final destination. The Shamrocks
are the defending Class AA
state champions and have
reached the finals four times in
this decade, winning three.
PREVIEW
The Shamrocks &on their final
four games to finish the regular
season as the No. 4 seed in
Region 3 with a 7-2 record.
Standing in the way of another
playoff run is Nq. 1 seed and
undefeated Westland John
Glenn, which hosts the Shamrocks
in a regional semifinal
game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Everyone who tfiinks of CC as
invincible forgets the Shamrocks
have had to sweat out several of
their victories during their fabulous
run in the '90s.
There was the overtime win
over Detroit King in the 1991
state semifinals.
How about 1992? There was a
late field goal to beat Troy in the
regional final, followed by the
overtime victory over Utica
Eisenhower and a comeback win
in the finals against Saginaw
Arthur Hill.
The Shamrocks didn't have it
easy last year either, holding on
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andV^i
• #
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I
to beat Livonia Stevenson 14-6
in a regional semifinal and rallying
in the fourth quarter to beat
Troy 21-14 in the semifinals.
The only close playoff game
the Shamrocks have lost in the
90s was the '91 championship
game won by Saginaw Arthur
Hill.
Mach thinks Glenn is as
formidable as any of those
teams.
"They have a good balance,
strong linemen and speed in the
backfield," Mach said. "Their
defense puts a lot of pressure on
you, has good pursuit and gets to
the ball well."
Glenn's 6-foot-6 junior quarterback
Justin Berent concerns
Mach. Berent also has a tall and
fast receiving group, led by 6-3,
195-pound wide receiver David
Jarrett, and 6-4, 217-pound tight
end Jon Becher.
"We're not going to bat a lot of
passes down," Mach said. "We
have to put pressure on him. He
drops back and sees the whole
field. He has a good, strong arm
and is accurate."
The Shamrocks have outscored
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their opponents, 201-74, including
89-13 the last three games.
The offense has come on, but it's
the defense that's been the constant,
recording 25 sacks.
Leading the way is 6-4, 260pound
all-state candidate Gino
DiaGiandomenico, a senior tackle,
with nine sacks. Senior Rich
Deptula, a 6-0, 235-pound senior
tackle, has 5 1/2 sacks, and 6-2,
195-pound senior end Brian
Teefey has two sacks.
The linebacking unit is led by
Milam Brooks, a 5-11, 215-pound
senior, who has two sacks and a
team-high 86 tackles.
Mach said losing starting twoway
lineman Dan Dominguez
early in the year to a leg injurytook
some adjusting. Putting 5-
10, 205-pound junior Chuck
Spolsky at nose guard on defense
and moving 6-2, 220-pound
senior Brian Douglas to right
guard on offense solved some of
their concerns on offense.
Seniors Chris Koss (6-2, 285),
Mike Bowen (5-11, 215) and
Brian Baaki (6-0, 215) have been
mainstays all season on the
offensive line.
"We finally have what we feel
is our best combination," Mach
said.
The Shamrocks have a shifty
tailback, senior Greg Alcala, who
has gained 663 yards in 114 carries