Former Southfield quarterback Isaiah Marshall had the nation's attention for his second career start as the Kansas Jayhawks' quarterback in a primetime rivalry showdown against Missouri on Friday, Sept. 11.
But his dad, Birmingham Brother Rice football coach Aaron Marshall, had to divert his attention elsewhere as he coached his team in a top-15 showdown with Warren De La Salle
to open Catholic League Central play in Week 3 of Michigan high school football."He's always in the back of my mind, but he understands I put Brother Rice first," Marshall said Saturday, Sept. 12. "I trust Isaiah knows how to prepare. He's built for the game and is a student of the game. All week, I was focused on Rice. We had a great week of practice. We knew that first Catholic
League game against Warren De La Salle was going to be a heavyweight fight."
That expectation became reality.
Brother Rice and De La Salle traded blows for all 48 minutes, with the Warriors holding on for a 31-28 victory.
Brother Rice (3-0) built a 24-7 lead and had to withstand a furious fourth-quarter comeback from the Pilots and junior quarterback Grayson Thurston, whom Marshall described as "one of the best quarterbacks in the state, if not the best."
Thurston, whom the Free Press ranked as the No. 5 quarterback in the state entering the season, threw consecutive touchdown passes to cut Brother Rice's lead to 24-21 early in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Brother Rice quarterback Drake Martin, who stepped in as a starter after Sammy Eyde got dinged up in a Week 1 win over Macomb Dakota, marched the Warriors down the field for a touchdown to answer. He showed a strong connection with star junior receiver Tyler Trusel before Brandon Davison punched in his second rushing touchdown.
"We don't look at Drake like we went to our backup," Marshall said. "And that is the God's honest truth. We really have two starting quarterbacks. If he wasn't at Brother Rice, he would be starting somewhere else right now."
De La Salle (2-1) answered with a TD and got the ball back for one final drive. But five-star junior defensive end Jayden Bell called game with a sack while playing on a hurt ankle, putting him one closer to his preseason goal of 20 sacks.
"We knew it would be a heavyweight fight," Marshall said. "I think last year, we lost that game. We were in situations like that last year where we didn't come out on top. I think that was lack of experience but we have gained that experience now."
Northville ices up again
Northville has proven to be masters of the low red zone in crunch-time situations through three weeks. After pulling out all the stops in a back-and-forth, 38-31 double-overtime win over Lake Orion in Week 1, the Mustangs on Friday stopped a last-second 2-point conversion attempt from Brighton in a 35-34 win.
Brighton came out in a shotgun set and attempted a pass to the back of the end zone off a pick route concept. Quarterback Dom D'Agosta hit his target, but Northville senior defensive back Avery Caldwell – who did not play much as a junior – ripped the ball away for an incompletion. Northville recovered the ensuing onside kick.
"We are going to play for all 48 minutes," Northville coach Brent Luplow said Saturday. "It is going to be four quarters of resilient football."
Northville (3-0) jumped on Brighton (2-1), which came into Week 3 ranked at No. 15, with a 21-0 lead out of the gates. The Bulldogs recovered from the slow start with explosive plays, primarily from junior running back Dominic Nauss, a top-10 back in the state.
But, Northville had enough of a cushion and made enough stops late.
The Mustangs ran for 260 yards as a team after reshuffling the offensive line during the week, which included moving Chase Gilmartin from tight end to guard. Danny O'Neil led the way with 125 rushing yards and three touchdowns, while quarterback Braylon Brown topped 115 rushing yards in the first half.
"Playing three straight tight games and ending up on the winning side has the kids believing," Luplow said. "We want to be a tough out for anyone and the kids' confidence is sky-high."
GR West Catholic bounces back
Defending Division 5 champion Grand Rapids West Catholic lost its first game in over a year in Week 2 against Coopersville. As a reward, the Falcons had to face Grand Rapids South Christian, which came into the game ranked No. 2 in Division 4.
West Catholic fell into a 27-14 first-half hole Friday, but went on a 30-7 run over the final 27 minutes to down the Sailors, 44-34, in a shootout between two of the westside's best.
Senior Colin Abram had 21 carries for 199 yards, four touchdowns plus three sacks and a team-high 10 tackles on defense. Sophomore quarterback Will Smith was an efficient 15-for-20 for 195 yards. Seven completions went to Thomas Puksta, who finished with 111 yards.
"We scored 10 points in the final three minutes to get it to 27-24 before half," West Catholic coach Landon Grove. "After half, we got a three-and-out and a score to take the lead. From then on, we felt pretty good. And it was an unbelievable football game. Our kids played really well. They played really well."
West Catholic (2-1) lived by a simple "bounce back" mantra after the Coopersville loss. It hit another snag early while South Christian built a lead, but found a way.
"Our kids didn't flinch," Grove said. "They stayed in the fight the whole time and I am really proud of them for that. And that is a big-time win. [South Christian] is a really good football team and I expect them to make a run in D-4."
South Lyon Community Schools' big Thursday
South Lyon (2-1) and South Lyon East (3-0) both picked up massive LVC conference wins on Thursday.
South Lyon made a statement in D-2 with a 35-14 win over Walled Lake Western, which sat in the top five of D-2 after Week 2. The Lions dominated Western at the point of attack with a great offensive line performance across all five positions, clearing running lanes for Tyler Newton, Gannon Limotte and Jacob Stoyanovich.
"Our offensive line really dominated the line of scrimmage," South Lyon coach Jeff Henson said Friday. "They executed extremely well. And you know we don't throw the ball. I think we threw it three times last night."
South Lyon has won two conference games since losing in Week 1 to Clarkston at Michigan Stadium. That loss set a bar for the Lions, who have high hopes after going 10-1 last year.
"Even though we've had success and been a good program, it was eye-opening for the kids," Henson said.
Elsewhere in the LVC, South Lyon East traveled to North Farmington and took down the previously undefeated Raiders in a 35-34 win. The Cougars also stopped a North Farmington 2-point conversion attempt in the dying moments to remain undefeated.
"Their kids made a lot of plays throughout the night, and it was kind of a back-and-forth affair, and we were just fortunate enough to make one more play than they did," first-year South Lyon East coach Mark Nowicki said.
It was an all-around team effort that started up front. Junior quarterback Corbin Fox scored the winning touchdown, and Zach Clay, Anthony Shaieb and Ben Frazier all made big plays on offense.
South Lyon East is one win away from matching its 2025 total after a hot start to 2026. The Cougars have quickly taken steps under Nowicki, who previously served as a high school and college football assistant.
"It is a privilege, really, to work with these kids," Nowicki said. "And it is an exciting time. We are off to a good start and we are having fun along the way. It is a process of trying to get better every day, but I think I speak on behalf of our players and staff that we are enjoying that process together."
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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: MHSAA football: Brother Rice takes CHSL's first 'heavyweight' battle
