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9/15/05-Football
Six Catholic League teams to face off at Ford Field
No. 1 Brother Rice faces Catholic Central in the featured game of triple-header Sunday
By Tom Markowski / The Detroit News
For the first time, the best teams in the Detroit Catholic League will play on one day, at one site, for one price.
The Central Division season kicks off at Ford Field on Sunday, featuring all six division teams, four of which are ranked in The News' top 25.
The first game is the Boys Bowl between top-ranked Birmingham Brother Rice (3-0) and Detroit Catholic Central (2-1) at 1 p.m.
Next is Orchard Lake St. Mary's (3-0), ranked No. 8, against Dearborn Divine Child (2-1) at 3:30 p.m. The final game is Warren DeLaSalle (3-0), ranked No. 9, against No. 2 U-D Jesuit (3-0) at 6.
The cost is $7, which is a bargain considering the price of one game anywhere else is $4.
According to league director Vic Michaels, it's a win-win situation for the league. For the Prep Bowl -- the league's annual championship extravaganza -- the cost of renting Ford Field is $50,000. Michaels said the league's cost for this event is minimal.
"It's their event," Michaels said. "The people associated with Ford Field have been good to us (in the past). They called us wondering if we'd be interested in playing there. They asked about Week 1 but it was too late. Our schedule was set.
"They're paying for security, ushers, everything. They want to see it (Central Division matchups) every year. If it isn't the first week we could do week two, three or four."
Michaels said the league is responsible for paying for officials, chain crew and the scoreboard. In return, the league will receive a percentage of tickets sold. Michaels said he's expecting a crowd of 10,000 or more.
The marquee game is the opener, but the St. Mary's-Divine Child game could be the most entertaining. Divine Child has the league's top quarterback in Matt Forystek, and St. Mary's has junior Justin Siller.
The finale should be low-scoring. U-D Jesuit has allowed just 33 points and DeLaSalle six, the fewest of any team in Metro Detroit.
The picks ... Brother Rice by 8; St. Mary's by 9; DeLaSalle by 3.
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