Detroit Catholic Central High School

Through unwavering perseverance and dedication, the 1998 Catholic Central (CC) Varsity Football team was ranked number one all season. It etched its name as one of the finest teams in the nation and in the illustrious history of CC.
 
The team, led by captains Justin Cessante, Dave Lusky, Casey Rogowski, and Lou Willoughby and guided by the coaching staff of Tom Mach, Rick Coratti, Roy Dudas, and George Kunec made history by becoming the first to repeat as state champions in Class AA.
 
CC began the year with a victory over Ann Arbor Pioneer and never looked back. They rolled over Brother Rice 35-14, new Boys’ Bowl opponent St. Martin DePorres 40-14, Notre Dame 42-0, Divine Child 21-0, DeLaSalle 41-13, and U of D 40-0.  CC beat Orchard Lake St. Mary 22-15 in an exciting finish. The defending champions defeated Dearborn Fordson 12-7, Troy 22-19, and Sterling Heights Stevenson 35-21.
 
CC then faced the challenge of playing Rockford for the State Title. Like many times this season, the Shamrocks emerged victorious in an exciting manner, utilizing fourth-quarter drives and a rock-solid defense to defeat the Rams 27-23.
 
The 1998 Varsity team once again solidified CC's position as the number one team in the State. This victory gave the Shamrocks their fifth State Championship of the decade and Tom Mach’s 201st victory. Mach reached this achievement faster than any other football coach in Michigan High School history. Spectrum
 
Several players received All-State Recognition:  Casey Rogowski, Brocc Naysmith, Nick Brzezinski, and Dave Lusky.
 
 
 
First Row (L to R):  Nicholas Kato, Brian Beardsley, John Abshire, Casey Rogowski (Capt.), Justin Cessante (Capt.), Lou Willoughby (Capt.), Dave Lusky (Capt.), Kyle Entsminger, Nick Brzezinski, Brian Parent
Second Row (L to R):  Derek Andersen, Doug Duncan, Eric Lehr, Marc Frohm, Ryan Zajdel, Nick DiBella, Jason Woehlke, Brian Farkas, DeVere Vennix, Miguel Martinez
Third Row (L to R):  Brocc Naysmith, Aaron Griffin, Ryan Romanczuk, Steve Dominguez, Mike Wilk, Tom Alberty, Jeff Potts, Matt Loridas, Steve Ivy
Fourth Row (L to R):  Mike Morris, Mike Geney, Eric Tessier, Scott Primeau, Chris Ford, Nick O’Keefe, Eric Meyer, Mark Gursky, Mike Sgroi, Chris Gonzalez
Fifth Row (L to R):  Michael Dewicki, Phil Lowman, Kevin DeGrood, Jim Jolly, Paul Schultz, Shaun Zmuda, John Hill, Brian Cox, Charlie Rozum
Sixth Row (L to R):  Tom Bradley (Trainer), Adam Pourcho (Mgr), Brian Gregory, Jeff Moore, Jeremiah Hicks, Jeff Wheeler, Brian Paruch (Mgr), Chris Paruch (Mgr)
Seventh Row (L to R):  Joe Herman ‘93 (Asst. Coach), Todd Lackey (Asst. Coach), Mark Gagnon (Asst. Coach), George Kunec ‘64 (Asst. Coach), Rick Coratti ’69 (Asst. Head Coach) • Tom Mach (Head Coach), Roy Dudas (Asst. Coach), Jack Davidson ‘91 (Asst. Coach), Chris Johnston ’89 (Asst. Coach), Aaron Babicz ‘93 (Asst. Coach)
Eighth Row (L to R):  Dave Lewis ’79 (Asst. Principal), Rev. Ken McKernan CSB (Moderator), Robert Santello ’58 (Athletic Director)