Detroit Catholic League football welcomes three Toledo schools, Jackson Lumen Christi

The Detroit Catholic League just got better. Much better.

And not just in football.

But the subject was football Thursday night at U-D Jesuit when the Catholic League held its annual football media day and welcomed some newcomers.

Toledo Central Catholic — Ohio’s defending Division 2 state champion — St. Francis de Sales and Toledo St. John’s Jesuit are first-year members of the Catholic League’s Central Division.

Also signing on is defending Michigan Division 7 champ Jackson Lumen Christi with legendary coach Herb Brogan, who is the third-winningest coach in state history (395-94) — 48 victories behind Farmington Hills Harrison’s John Herrington.

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Brogan, who has led Lumen Christi to 10 state titles, is entering his 44th year as head coach and, in a way, is now the dean of Catholic League coaches as the Titans join the Double A.

Central Catholic coach Greg Dempsey has won four Ohio state championships in 24 seasons and is acquainted with his new leaguemates.

“I’m familiar with the tradition, the teams,” he said. “We’ve played Warren De La Salle. We’ve played (Novi) Detroit CC. We’ve even played (Birmingham) Brother Rice in some JV games. We know what Orchard Lake St. Mary’s has accomplished and their red football field.

“Everybody here has so much tradition and we’re so close to each other, it’s been tough not to follow them just as much as you follow Ohio schools.”

In fact, Toledo CC was the opponent in 2005 when Detroit CC played its first home game in Novi. Toledo CC won that game, 10-7.

St. John’s and St. Francis are all-boys schools while Toledo CC is co-ed. Also joining the league will be Toledo all-girls schools St. Ursula and Notre Dame Academy.

The Toledo schools became available when four public schools in their former league, the Three Rivers Athletic Conference, informed the Catholic schools they were joining a different league and the Catholic schools were not invited to join them.

Catholic League director Vic Michaels had been attempting to lure the Toledo schools to come on board for years — and suddenly the timing was right.

“Those schools will add to what we think is already the best football league in the state,” Michaels said. “We’re really excited to have them, not just in football, but in all of the sports. We feel they’re bringing to our league, which is already pretty rich in tradition, we’re getting some Toledo tradition and some Jackson tradition.”

The Toledo schools had few realistic options because joining a league in Cleveland would mean traveling an hour and 45 minutes, and Columbus schools are over two hours away.

The average time with the Detroit Catholic League is less than an hour.

“We got together and looked at all the options and we felt the invitation to join the Catholic League is what we felt was the best, not just for football but all our sports,” Dempsey said. “At the end of the day there were some things that being in different states don’t match up, but in terms of travel and proximity, this was the best choice for our students and their families.”

While Dempsey is also CC’s athletic director, his main emphasis at the moment is football and that part of the Catholic League especially intrigues him.

“In football, I’m really excited about the opportunities and challenges this is going to present,” he said. “We’ve played a few of the schools sitting in this room and there was nothing ever easy about playing them and now to schedule this league is going to be definite new challenge for us.”

With only 302 co-ed students, Lumen Christi will be at a disadvantage when facing U-D Jesuit (651, all-boys) and Dearborn Divine Child (723, co-ed).

But this is the best place for the Titans, who were members of the I-8 Athletic Conference but were running out of options.

“There were a couple of teams threatening to leave, and if we’d have stayed, I think one of them would have left for sure,” Brogan said. “Our athletic director, Jesse Browne, thought it was inevitable.”

Lumen Christi has played a challenging nonconference schedule for years. With games against Traverse City St. Francis, Gaylord and Harper Creek, it will be no different.

Then they throw in the Double A teams and it looks like a daunting schedule for a D-7 school.

“It will be fun, something different, something new,” Brogan said. “It will be something else for us to figure out how to win. I think we have a chance to be something similar to what we were last year.”

He did not say which part of last season they would be similar to. The Titans began last season 0-3, but wound up state champs.

This is Larry McDaniel’s eighth season at St. John’s and he knows the relationship the school has had with Michigan schools. In fact, in Week 9 this season, St. John’s will host Detroit Denby.

“We used to play Catholic Central and Brother Rice,” he said. “You’ve got two state champs in the same league. That’s pretty impressive. It’s going to be a very, very, very competitive league.

“I was being politically correct. It’s going to be hard.”

St. John’s was 5-6 last season and made the state playoffs. One of the big attractions to playing in the Catholic League is the Week 9 Prep Bowl championship, played in Ford Field.

“It is pretty cool,” McDaniel said. “The fact that this city does that is awesome. And just some of the perks that come with coming to a major city. Our AD was telling us there could be opportunities for our kids to come see a Lions game at a discounted price. When basketball season rolls around, there could be opportunities for kids to go so basketball at a discounted price.

“So those things are really cool, and we’re looking forward to it.”

Competing in the Central Division may prove to be a bit much for St. Francis, which is coming off a 2-8 season.

Charles Woolridge is St. Francis’ first-year head coach. He grew up in the Washington area and played at DeMatha Catholic High School before playing at Rutgers.

“It reminds me of home,” he said. “Coming from Maryland, I’m used to these kinds of leagues. This is what I’m used to.”

Woolridge did his research after taking the job, which is when he was told the school was moving into the Detroit Catholic League.

“After I looked at it and thought: ‘Oh boy!’ “ he said, laughing. “This is why I coach the game, this is why I played the game at the schools I played at. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I like playing big-boy ball, so let’s go.”

Away we go.

Mick McCabe is a former longtime columnist for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at mick.mccabe11@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @mickmccabe1. Order his book, “Mick McCabe’s Golden Yearbook: 50 Great Years of Michigan’s Best High School Players, Teams & Memories,” now at McCabe.PictorialBook.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Catholic League welcomes Toledo schools, Jackson Lumen Christi