No. 2 Novi Detroit Catholic Central coach Justin Cessante and the Shamrocks' sideline erupted onto the field as the Orchard Lake St. Mary's last-ditch Hail Mary fell to the turf.
Catholic Central rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit on the road with timely turnovers and a revived rushing attack for a 27-20 win over the No. 5-ranked Eaglets on Friday, Oct. 9, in Week 7 of the 2026 Michigan high school football season. The defending Division 1 champions made timely plays and answered every gut-check for their 21st straight win, this time taking down the defending Division 2 champions.
"We knew what we had inside of us and what we needed to do," Cessante said. "I don't really care what people think, but we wanted to prove and send a message
to the state that we are not going anywhere."
New QB? No problem for Novi DCC
Catholic Central rallied while their starting quarterback, senior Duke Banta, cheered from the sideline in a sling. Banta injured his collarbone in a win over Toledo Central Catholic last week, forcing Peyton Sofran to move from receiver to QB.
Sofran, dealing with his own ailments from last week, kept the offense on schedule and popped up after every big hit.
"I am just so proud of Peyton," Banta said, who added he hopes to return in the playoffs. "I am proud of this team and being a part of this community."
But CC's offense took three quarters to heat up. OLSM did well to stuff the run early while the Eaglets built a 20-6 lead by halftime. The Eaglets could have led by more, but missed all three extra point or two-point conversion attempts.
Texas Tech commit Gideon Gash hits on interception
OLSM marched right down the field for an opening-drive touchdown, which CC answered with a 40-yard Ty Goddard field goal, making it 6-3. CC star Gideon Gash jumped a route from his deep position in cover 3 for an interception on the next drive. But CC fumbled a punt snap, leading to a safety. OLSM added another touchdown and CC added a field goal, making it 14-6 at half.
Interceptions from Gash and linebacker J.J. Chevalier – aided on a pressure from edge rusher Josiah Neal – kept the deficit manageable.
"We knew we were going to face adversity and we were going to have to forget the first half and come out hot in the third and fourth quarters," Gash said.
St. Mary's pushed the lead to two touchdowns late in the third quarter on a 20-yard connection between Jabin Gonzales and tight end B.J. Adams. CC responded with a methodical 12-play touchdown drive, ending with a Gash 6-yard touchdown run on a receiver sweep in a wildcat set.
The Shamrocks forced its first three-and-out of the game on the ensuing possession, getting the ball back with 7:05 left. CC only needed five plays this time, with Gash taking another sweep 50 yards for a touchdown. St. Mary's safety D.J Taylor blocked the extra point, maintaining a 20-19 advantage.
"We had to realize that we were missing an important piece," Gash said. " We had to find out what kind of mentality our team had."
On the next drive, CC safety Aiden Kersey jarred the ball loose for a forced fumble, and sophomore linebacker Dylan Miller-Ramsey jumped on to recover it at the St. Mary's 45 in the final four minutes.
The Shamrocks burned up the rest of the clock before a Ryan Jaafar 4-yard touchdown with 10 seconds left put thems in the driver's seat to win the Catholic League Central Division title again.
"The offense depended on the defense and the defense depended on the offense," Miller-Ramsey said. "All of us came together. Teamwork, that's all I can say, and proper preparation. Our coaches know we are built for this moment and we know we are built for this moment."
For St. Mary's (5-2), the missed opportunities from penalties will sting. The Eaglets' first celebration penalty helped CC start with field position on the plus-side of the 50 just before halftime to add a field goal and make it a one-possession game at the break. The next penalty moved them back on an extra point, leading to a failed 2-point conversion attempt from 18 yards out.
"We beat ourselves with penalties," St. Mary's coach Jermaine Gonzales said.
For CC, it was an emphatic reminder they are still the team to beat in Michigan, even if they do not have Banta until midway through what the Shamrocks hope is another playoff run ending with a wooden mitten trophy at Ford Field.
"Peyton is only going to get better," Cessante said. "Our offense is going to get back into a groove. We are going to get Duke back. We are going to be better for this.
"I told them, we are going to water this adversity and we will be a better team for it. Whatever happened, happened for a reason so we can get to our ultimate goal, winning a state championship. But the Catholic League championship, to me, is as hard as anything to win."
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for theDetroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gideon Gash powers Novi Detroit CC rally over Orchard Lake St. Mary's
