Gideon Gash's first two touches of the 2026 Michigan high school football season showed the defending Division 1 champions didn't miss a beat over the summer.
The Novi Detroit Catholic Central star senior set the tone Thursday, Aug. 27, in the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State
with a 30-yard punt return down the sidelines, running through a half-dozen Clinton Township Chippewa Valley defenders before getting pulled down.On his second touch, Gash had an overthrown pass drop into his lap for an interception, and the Texas Tech verbal commit crisscrossed around the field for a 50-yard return for a touchdown.
Gash finished his day with just one offensive touch – a 27-yard reception on a screen – but found the end zone a second time on a 45-yard
punt return just before halftime, giving the Shamrocks a running-clock-level winning margin heading into halftime.
The big plays were early and often for No. 2 Catholic Central, which dominated Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, 55-0, for the program's 15th straight win after a 14-0 season in 2025 ended as Division 1 state champs.
"We have been practicing that for months in the summer just to set those opportunities up," Gash said of his big returns. "I'm blessed that I have great blockers."
Catholic Central jumped on Chippewa Valley from the opening snap. Junior defensive end Josiah Neal recorded a tackle for loss and a pressure to force an incompletion on the first two snaps.
Chippewa Valley did not record a first down until its fourth offensive possession and had at least one play going backward on each drive of the first half.
The Shamrocks, who only returned two defensive starters from the state title squad, were dominant defensively.
"We have so much confidence that he has a lot of potential to execute at a high level," Catholic Central coach Justin Cessante said of Neal. "For him to come out and make some plays and get some confidence is really important for our defense."
Jalen Montlouis, verbally committed to Grand Valley State as a linebacker, did a little bit of everything on both sides of the ball in the first half. Defensively, Montlouis shot into the backfield for two tackles for loss immediately after the snap. On offense, Montlouis punched in a two-yard touchdown run and caught a 22-yard touchdown from quarterback Duke Banta, who escaped a blindside sack and rolled out to hit his wide open target.
"This is a good start," Montlouis said. "I'm happy with how we prepared for this game. We have 13 more weeks, God willing, to finish it out."
Banta completed six of eight passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns. Montlouis scored twice, Aiden Kolchuk had a rushing touchdown, Aiden Kersey had a 14-yard touchdown catch on a screen, and Gash scored twice on defense and special teams. Catholic Central built a 41-0 halftime lead and coasted with their second units gaining experience in the second half.
"I'm always hoping to play a full game," Gash said. "But I love seeing some of the other guys get in."
Outside of three penalties on the opening offensive drive and a few small details, it was the perfect start to the state title defense for the Shamrocks. Catholic Central dominated in all three phases in a lightning-quick opener on a sunny Detroit day.
"Very happy with how our starters played and supported our second [unit]," Cessante said. "Our defense played really well. We scored on defense. Gideon is obviously a weapon. Ryan Jaafar, our running back, it was good to see him get going. Just really proud of our team and how we came out."
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Jared Ramsey covers high school sports for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at jramsey@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gideon Gash shows why he's a star in Detroit Catholic Central blowout
