Brother Rice Baseball, Lacrosse Standouts Live Out National Team Dreams
By
Steve Vedder
Special for MHSAA.com
October 23, 2026
Broder Katke sees it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a stepping stone and also a chance to showcase himself not only on a national level, but eventually an international one.
Not least of all, however, is the chance to represent his country.
When the Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice senior and Vanderbilt University commit found out he'd made the USA Baseball U-18 team for the recently commenced WBSC Americas U-18 Pan Am Championships in the Dominican Republic, he didn't dwell on the pressure and long odds he overcame, but instead on what a tremendous opportunity the selection offers.
"There are definitely a lot of ways to look at it," said Katke, one of three Brother Rice athletes selected to compete in select United States national competitions this fall. "I just looked at it like, don't press, don't make the situation bigger than it is. You just go about it like any other game, any other at-bat.
"It was super cool to make the team a cold-weather state. Putting that "USA" across your chest and representing your country is a big thing."
A senior catcher for Brother Rice, Katke made the U-18 team following tryouts at the USA Baseball facility in Cary, N.C., in late August. Eighty-eight players were invited including other catchers from California, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Indiana, Minnesota and Puerto Rico. Katke impressed a coaching staff comprised of predominantly former major leaguers by going 5-for-17 with two RBIs in eight games.
The Pan Am Championships are a qualifier for the 2027 U-18 World Cup in China. Katke is the first Michigan native to make the U-18 roster since Billy Killian of Remus Chippewa Hills in 2003. Just 10 Michigan high schoolers have made that team since its founding in 1981.
Recent graduates of the U-18 program include current major leaguers Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bobby Witt Jr., Riley Greene, C.J. Abrams, Corbin Carroll, Nolan McLean, Jackson Holiday and Dylan Crews. Among USA Baseball coaches at the tryouts were former big leaguers Brian Schneider, Rick Ankiel, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond and Brad Wilkerson.
Katke made Michigan's all-state Dream Team at Brother Rice last spring after batting .410 with 21 RBIs and 34 runs. In three seasons at Brother Rice, Katke has hit .371 with 78 RBI, 31 doubles and eight homers in 275 at-bats.
He knows the rarity of making a national team when 14 of the 20 players come from baseball-popular, warm-weather states California, Florida, Texas and Georgia.
"Michigan is a cold-weather state, but it doesn't get enough credit in baseball," said Katke, rated as the nation's 37th-best player by Perfect Game and 31st by Prep Baseball. "But (cold-weather) teams haven't faced some of the pitching we have. I was never stressed out at the tryout; I just wanted to compete and give myself the best shot at making the team. I thought of it as a chance to express myself rather than trying to impress.
"There are bigger and faster players than me, but I was there to do the best I could. It was nice to go there knowing you were representing your school, our coaches, community and state. If you go there thinking anything else, you're playing the wrong game."
Katke said one of his strengths as an athlete is the ability to put pressure aside. Katke followed up his performance at the tryouts by playing for the West team last month at the 2026 Dick's Perfect Game All-American Classic at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. He was the first Michigan player to make that game since Northville's Dante Nori in 2023.
"Pressure is a privilege," Katke said. "You feel intensity and you're excited, and there's a thin line between the two. You're going to have anxiety, but the preparation I had leading up to the event was some of the best I've ever had."
Katke is one of three Brother Rice athletes who have recently donned USA national team jerseys. Senior Ben Waechter made the USA Lacrosse U-19 team while junior Michael Burkhart made the U-17 team. The Brother Rice lacrosse players were the only Michigan players to make either team, both of which competed in the Sept. 27-29 Brogden Cup held at the USA Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.
Committed to continue at Duke, Waechter was all-state and All-American last season and scored the game-winning goal in overtime in the 2025 Division 1 championship game against Detroit Catholic Central. He was one of 85 players invited to the original tryouts who later were cut down to the final 25.
"Everyone dreams of having "USA" stitched across your chest," he said. "That's awesome. You're playing with some of the best lacrosse players in the country, which is always a goal you have in mind. Getting to the highest step you can make is great, something awesome to be part of."
While Katke competed against well-known southern and western baseball players, many of lacrosse's top high school-age players come from the East. The talent level at the tryouts was an eye-opening experience, Waechter said.
"It was definitely hard because the East has so many players, but I've always had good coaches who do the same things that coaches in the East do," he said. "It just comes down to how much you want to put into it."
The USA U-19 team defeated Canada 8-7 in the final to go undefeated in three games.
Burkart lettered for Brother Rice as a junior last season. He went through a Regional qualifier and then 100-player combine to make the U-17 roster.
"It was an amazing experience," he said. "You have to go out there level-headed and not wanting to get out of yourself and play badly. I felt I was pretty composed and not overconfident, and that worked for me."
Like Katke and Waechter, Burkhart was aware there are limited chances to impress coaches at tryouts. He credits the national team coaches, however, for giving all players an equal shot at making the roster.
"I thought we had a lot of chances to make plays," he said. "Things move pretty fast. You do drills and technical stuff, but there is an opportunity to be seen. That's what you want."
The U-17 team beat Canada 16-3 in the final to earn a gold medal.
PHOTOS (Top) At left, Broder Katke heads to first base while playing for his national baseball team. At right, Michael Burkhart and Ben Waechter pose for a photo together. (Middle) Katke waits on a pitch during an at bat for USA Baseball. (Below) Waechter launches what would become the game-winning shot for Brother Rice in the 2025 Division 1 Final. (Katke photos courtesy of USA Baseball.)
Preview: Power-Packed Rematches to Decide 2022 Boys Lacrosse Champions
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
June 10, 2022
There can’t be many secrets left between opponents competing for MHSAA boys lacrosse championships Saturday.
The Division 1 Final is a rematch of last season’s title-deciding game, won by Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 14-9 over Hartland. Those two faced off again this spring with Brother Rice winning 15-11.
In Division 2, Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central and Detroit Country Day have faced each other the last three regular seasons. The Rangers have won all three of those recent matchups, including 18-10 this March 30.
Below is a glance at all four teams playing at Howell Parker Middle School. Statistics are through Regional Finals unless noted. Rankings are based on the Michigan Power Rating formula used for postseason seeding. The Division 2 Final is set for 2 p.m., with Division 1 following at 5 p.m. Tickets cost $11 and are good for both games, and may be purchased online only at GoFan.
Both games will be broadcast and available with subscription from MHSAA.tv, with free audio broadcasts on the MHSAA Network.
Division 1
BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/ranking: 15-6, No. 1
League finish: First in Detroit Catholic League Central
Coach: Ajay Chawla, ninth season (139-34)
Championship history: 15 Division 1 titles (most recent 2021), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 13-6 over No. 10 Grandville in Semifinal, 15-11 over No. 4 Hartland, 14-11 and 10-5 over No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central, 15-12 over Dublin Jerome (Ohio).
Players to watch: Ben Eck, jr. M (28 goals, 11 assists); Christian McNulty, jr. A (54 goals, 11 assists); Luke Washe, sr. M (34 goals, 6 assists); Sam Klein, jr. M (32 goals, 19 assists). (Statistics through 17 games.)
Outlook: Brother Rice is seeking its third-straight Division 1 championship (not counting the COVID-canceled 2020 season), and lost only one game in-state this spring, its regular-season finale against East Grand Rapids. The Warriors were 4-5 playing top out-of-state competition, but won their other 11 games against Michigan teams. Total, nine players had either double-digit goals or assists through 17 games; in addition to those listed above, freshman attack Hansen Polonkey (12 goals, 20 assists) also starts. Junior goalie Cam Sims helps key a defense that has given up five or fewer goals in eight games. Senior long stick midfielder Nate Schultz made the all-state second team last season.
HARTLAND
Record/ranking: 18-4, No. 4
League finish: First in Kensington Lakes Activities Association West
Coach: Nick Levanti, third season (39-5)
Championship history: Division 1 runner-up 2021.
Best wins: 8-7 over No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central in Semifinal, 18-8 over No. 9 Brighton, 18-7 over No. 6 Midland, 17-16 over Division 2 No. 2 Detroit Country Day.
Players to watch: Bo Lockwood, sr. A; Luke Bulloch, jr. D; Joey Mattord, jr. M; Sam Ralston, jr. D. (Statistics not submitted.)
Outlook: Hartland is making its second-straight Division 1 championship game appearance, with three of its losses by two goals apiece and its only in-state defeats among them to Brother Rice and Division 2 top-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central. Lockwood and Bulloch made the all-state first team last season; Lockwood’s career stats will have him listed all over the MHSAA and national record books after this season concludes. Mattord and Ralston made the all-state second team last season, and junior goalie Evan Phillips made the third team. The Eagles have five shutouts this season and didn’t give up a goal during their three Regional games. Total, they have held teams to five or fewer goals in 13 games.
Division 2
DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/ranking: 19-2, No. 2
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Coach: Chris Garland, third season (42-16)
Championship history: Three Division 2 championships (most recent 2014), one runner-up finish.
Best wins: 12-10 (Semifinal) and 13-6 over No. 4 East Grand Rapids, 18-1 over No. 7 Okemos in Quarterfinal, 17-5 over No. 10 Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood in Regional Final, 18-7 over Division 1 No. 10 Grandville, 18-5 over Division 1 No. 9 Brighton, 21-5 over Division 1 No. 8 Saline.
Players to watch: Parker Yearego, sr. A (89 goals, 47 assists); Caiden Ramos, soph. M (45 goals, 45 assists); Caden Dailey, soph. A/M (62 goals, 22 assists); Cormac Scane, fr. A (57 goals, 28 assists).
Outlook: Garland brought two decades of coaching experience to Country Day when he took over the program in 2019, and he’s brought the Yellowjackets from 10-10 that first season to a combined 32-6 over the last two. Country Day twice defeated East Grand Rapids, the only in-state team to defeat Brother Rice this season, and the Yellowjackets’ only losses were to Forest Hills Central and Hartland – the latter by just a goal. Yearego and senior defenders Ryan Lyngklip and Luke Grove (33 goals, 44 assists) all made the all-state first team last season, Grove at midfield, while Ramos made the second team. Junior Talon Garn and sophomores Will Thompson and Oliver Aaron all have at least 20 goals as well, and senior goalie Max Kunnath is giving up only 5.9 per game.
GRAND RAPIDS FOREST HILLS CENTRAL
Record/ranking: 20-0, No. 1
League finish: First in Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 1
Coach: Andy Shira, fifth season (77-7)
Championship history: Four Division 2 titles (most recent 2019), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 20-7 (Semifinal) and 15-7 over No. 5 Grand Rapids Catholic Central, 19-2 over No. 6 Portage Northern in Quarterfinal, 21-12 over No. 7 Okemos, 12-5 over No. 4 East Grand Rapids, 18-10 over No. 2 Detroit Country Day, 15-2 over No. 8 Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, 9-6 over Division 1 No. 3 Detroit Catholic Central, 16-3 over Division 1 No. 2 Clarkston, 10-8 over Division 1 No. 4 Hartland, 16-6 over Division 1 No. 9 Brighton, 10-9 over Division 1 No. 6 Midland.
Players to watch: John Tomscheck, sr. A (72 goals, 48 assists); Jonah McConnell, jr. A (75 goals, 20 assists); Miles Duiven, sr. A (30 goals, 1 assist); Crandall Quinn, jr. G (5.2 goals-against average, .690 save %).
Outlook: A scheduled game against Brother Rice was canceled, but Forest Hills Central has defeated the next three ranked teams in Division 1 in addition to six of seven teams ranked between Nos. 2-8 in Division 2. Tomscheck, Quinn and junior long stick midfielder Sam Sneider made the all-state first team last season. The defense has been incredible; only Country Day and Okemos scored double-digit goals on the Rangers. Five more Forest Hills Central players have scored double-digit goals, including sophomore Nolan Hartl (16, 18 assists), seniors Jack McNamara (14/12) and Nathan Sarjeant (11/9), and juniors Jake Koning (14/9) and Magnus Salmon (16/3).
PHOTO Brother Rice and Hartland face off during last season’s Division 1 Final.