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Detroit Country Day’s Keke Yearego (22) pursues into the midfield during last season’s Division 2 Final win over Ada Forest Hills Eastern.

Preview: Familiar Foes Meet Again in Ann Arbor for Boys Lacrosse Finals

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

June 6, 2025

Tonight’s MHSAA Boys Lacrosse Finals will be rematches both of championship games past and meetings this regular season.

In Division 1 at 4 p.m., Detroit Catholic Central and Bloomfield Brother Rice will meet in a Final for the 11th time – and third time this season, with DCC winning 10-9 and 12-11 in overtime.

Following in Division 2, Detroit Country Day will face East Grand Rapids in a championship game for the third time and first since 2011 – with the Pioneers winning their faceoff this March 25, 10-9.

Both games will be played at University of Michigan Lacrosse Stadium, and below is a glance at all four contenders. Rankings as part of “best wins” are based on the Michigan Power Rating formula. 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.

Division 1

BLOOMFIELD HILLS BROTHER RICE
Record/MPR: 18-5, No. 3
League finish: Second in Catholic High School League Central
Coach: Ajay Chawla, 12th season (191-48)
Championship history: 16 Division 1 titles, two runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 9-8 over No. 2 Rockford in Semifinal, 13-5 (Quarterfinal) and 9-4 over No. 9 Brighton, 15-6 over No. 11 Romeo in Regional Final, 9-6 over Division 2 No. 2 East Grand Rapids.
Players to watch: Theo Ley, sr. A; Hansen Polonkey, sr. A; Payton Fortino, sr. G.
Outlook: After missing the Division 1 championship game last spring for the first time since boys lacrosse became MHSAA-sponsored in 2005, Brother Rice is back in the season finale. Nine of the Warriors’ game this season were against out-of-state opponents, against whom Rice finished a combined 6-3. Ley made the all-state first team last season.

DETROIT CATHOLIC CENTRAL
Record/MPR: 23-0, No. 1
League finish: First in Catholic High School League Central
Coach: Dave Wilson, 20th season (293-100)
Championship history: Division 1 champion 2024 and 2018, nine runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 12-11 (OT) and 10-9 over No. 3 Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice, 22-4 over No. 5 Grand Ledge in Semifinal, 18-0 over No. 6 Ann Arbor Pioneer in Regional Final, 18-8 over No. 2 Rockford, 20-0 over No. 11 Romeo, 11-5 over Division 2 No. 1 Detroit Country Day.
Players to watch: Lachlan Moffatt, sr. A; Luke Zajdel, sr. M; Connor Lukas, sr. M. Outlook: Much of the nucleus that carried DCC to its second Division 1 championship last season came back this spring, with Moffatt, Zajdel and Lukas all returning all-state first-team selections from a year ago, senior defenders Luke Taylor and Joey Ramirez back after making the second team and senior attack Francisco Williams a third-team all-stater in 2024. The Shamrocks have won 33 straight games dating back to May 7 of last season and breaking Brother Rice’s record of 29 consecutive victories during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. DCC’s four shutouts also have tied an MHSAA single-season record.

Division 2

DETROIT COUNTRY DAY
Record/MPR: 20-3, No. 1
League finish: Does not play in a conference.
Coach: Chris Garland, sixth season (100-25)
Championship history: Four MHSAA titles (most recent 2024), three runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 20-11 (Semifinal) and 18-6 over No. 7 Mattawan, 19-1 over No. 4 Temperance Bedford in Quarterfinal, 15-2 over No. 6 Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 19-9 over Division 1 No. 8 Seaholm, 14-3 over Division 1 No. 9 Brighton, 15-3 over Division 1 No. 4 South Lyon East, 17-8 over Division 1 No. 10 Hartland, 14-13 over Division 1 No. 2 Rockford, 13-11 over Division 1 No. 5 Grand Ledge.
Players to watch: Keke Yearego, jr. A (93 goals, 13 assists); Mason Gal, jr. A (55 goals, 19 assists); Luke Fisher, soph. A (46 goals, 7 assists); Kellen Curby, sr. G (5.7 goals-against average, .580 save %).
Outlook: Country Day will be playing in its fourth-straight championship game, this time carrying a 14-game winning streak and having won its first five playoff games by an average of nearly 14 goals per game. Yearego has set the program’s single-season goals record at the end of May and made the all-state second team last season, while senior mid Joe Norton (45 goals, 22 assists) made the first team in 2024 as did Curby and junior defender Andrew Gryzenia.

EAST GRAND RAPIDS
Record/MPR: 19-3, No. 2
League finish: Second in Ottawa-Kent Conference Tier 1
Coach: Kyle Osipoff, fourth season (61-19)
Championship history: Six MHSAA titles (most recent 2021), four runner-up finishes.
Best wins: 10-9 over No. 1 Detroit Country Day, 20-7 over No. 8 Dexter in Regional Final, 13-7 over No. 6 Ada Forest Hills Eastern, 14-3 over No. 3 Haslett, 21-7 over Division 1 No. 10 Hartland, 17-3 over Division 1 No. 9 Brighton, 20-8 over Division 1 No. 5 Grand Ledge.  
Players to watch: Gavin Buck, sr. A (54 goals, 28 assists); Luke Starck, jr. D (4 goals, 3 assists); Bennett Winkel, sr. A (66 goals, 46 assists); Quinn Irwin, sr. G (6.19 goals-against average, .550 save %)
Outlook: East Grand Rapids has won Regional titles every season under Osipoff and is returning to the Finals for the first time since 2021. The Pioneers have won 11 straight games with its three losses by a combined six goals to Rockford, Brother Rice and Hamilton Southeastern (Ind.). Starck made the all-state first team last season, and Buck and Irwin made the second. Senior attack Oliver Owen (40 goals, 48 assists), junior attack Dylan Buck (40/12), junior mid Ethan Pfeiffle (39/11) and senior mid Owen Stropkai (24/16) are among others supplying significant offense.  

PHOTO Detroit Country Day’s Keke Yearego (22) pursues into the midfield during last season’s Division 2 Final win over Ada Forest Hills Eastern.

News 2023

Lacrosse Finals Move to U-M Among Headlines as Spring Sports Ramp Up

By Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor

April 9, 2024

The Girls & Boys Lacrosse Finals will be played at University of Michigan Lacrosse Stadium for the first time, one of the most notable changes for this season as sports ramp up for more than 100,000 athletes anticipated to participate this spring for Michigan High School Athletic Association member schools.

The MHSAA sponsors postseason competition each spring in baseball, girls and boys lacrosse, girls soccer, softball, girls and boys track & field, boys golf (Lower and Upper Peninsula) and girls golf (UP), and girls (LP) and boys (UP) tennis.

The U-M Lacrosse Stadium opened for competition in 2018 and seats 2,000 spectators. The Girls Lacrosse Finals will be played Friday, June 7, with Division 1 at 4 p.m. and Division 2 at 7 p.m. The Boys Lacrosse Finals will be played the following day, June 8, with Division 2 at 11 a.m. and Division 1 at 2 p.m.

Girls lacrosse also has a significant format adjustment this season, as games will be played with four 12-minutes quarters instead of the previous two halves, in part to allow coaches more opportunities to provide direct instruction during a game. Two more rules changes are expected to improve flow of play – players awarded a free position outside of the critical scoring area no longer must come to a stop and settled stance before self-starting, and false start penalties outside the critical scoring area have been eliminated.

Several more rules changes will be noticeable this spring:

In boys lacrosse, a change was made to enhance player safety. Play will stop immediately any time a player’s helmet comes off, and that player may not return until the next dead ball after play continues.

Fair and legal starts are a continued emphasis for track & field, and a rule change will allow for movement before the start of the race as long as a competitor does not leave their mark with a hand or a foot after the “set” command, or make forward motion before the starting device is activated.

A significant rule change in softball alters pitch delivery mechanics. The pitcher may now have both feet off the ground at the same time when releasing the ball as long as both feet remain within the 24-inch width of a pitching plate and the pitcher does not replant the pivot foot before delivering the pitch.

Another change in softball requires that a playbook/playcard be worn on the wrist or kept in a back pocket to reduce distractions. If worn by the pitcher, the equipment must be worn on the non-pitching arm. Similarly in baseball, a wristband with plays or instructions will be permitted but must be a single, solid color, and for pitchers may not contain the colors white or gray or be otherwise distracting. Baseball players must wear this wristband on the wrist or forearm, and pitchers may wear one only on their non-pitching arm.

Also in baseball, a rule change allows for one-way communication devices worn by the catcher to receive instructions from the dugout while on defense, for the purpose of calling pitches. The coach must be inside the dugout/bench area to use the communication device.

Golfers now are required to participate in at least four competitions for the high school team prior to representing that school team in an MHSAA Regional or Final. Those four regular-season competitions may be 9 or 18-hole events.

In tennis, for the first time in Lower Peninsula play, a No. 1 doubles flight from a non-qualifying team will be able to advance from its Regional to Finals competition. To do so, that No. 1 doubles flight must finish first or second at its Regional, and the No. 1 singles player from that team also must have qualified for the Finals individually by finishing first or second in Regional play.

On the soccer pitch, two officiating-related changes will be especially noticeable. Officials now may stop the clock to check on an injured player without that player being required to leave the match – previously that player would have to sub out. Also, categories for fouls have been redefined: careless (which is a foul but does not receive a card), reckless (a foul with a yellow card) and excessive force (foul with red card). 

The 2023-24 Spring campaign culminates with postseason tournaments, as the championship schedule begins with the Upper Peninsula Girls & Boys Golf and Boys Tennis Finals during the week of May 27 and wraps up with Girls Soccer, Baseball and Softball Finals on June 15. Here is a complete list of winter tournament dates:

Baseball
Districts – May 23-June 1
Regional Semifinals – June 5
Regional Finals, Quarterfinals – June 8
Semifinals – June 13-14
Finals – June 15

Golf
LP Boys Regionals – May 28-June 1
UP Girls & Boys Finals – May 29, 30, 31 or June 1
LP Boys Finals – June 7-8

Boys Lacrosse
Pre-Regionals – May 10-15
Regionals – May 16-29
Quarterfinals – May 31 or June 1
Semifinals – June 5
Finals – June 8

Girls Lacrosse
Pre-Regionals – May 16-18, or May 20
Regionals – May 22-June 1
Semifinals – June 5
Finals – June 7

Girls Soccer
Districts – May 22-June 1
Regionals – June 4-8
Semifinals – June 11-12
Finals – June 14-15

Softball
Districts – May 23-June 1
Regionals – June 8
Quarterfinals – June 11
Semifinals – June 13-14
Finals – June 15

Tennis
LP Girls Regionals – May 15-18
UP Boys Finals – May 29, 30, 31 or June 1
LP Girls Finals – May 31-June 1

Track & Field
Regionals – May 16-18
Finals – June 1