There's a buzz on the Birmingham Detroit Country Day campus heading into the 2026 football season.
Along with a complete renovation of Shaw Stadium this summer, the Yellowjackets will enjoy the camaraderie of being part of an athletic conference for the first time since 1985 after operating as an independent for the last four decades.
Country Day has joined the Catholic High School League for the 2026-27 school year, and will be in the AA division for the upcoming football season. The stadium renovations, funded by Country Day donors, began with a groundbreaking ceremony in May and are expected to be completed by the start of the school year. The renovations include a new track, new seats, a digital scoreboard and a "grand" pedestrian entrance,
according to a school release.
"There's some excitement about joining the Catholic League," Country Day football coach and athletic director Dan MacLean said at CHSL football media day on Thursday, July 30. "We are looking forward to some great competition. Some of these teams, we've already had a little bit of a rivalry with and we look forward to the formal engagement."
It has been a simpler summer logistically for MacLean, who only had to schedule three nonconference opponents rather than trying to fill all nine weeks as an independent. The trade-off, however, is joining a tough division in Michigan high school football's best conference in 2025.
Their new league schedule consists of games against defending Division 4 champion Dearborn Divine Child, four-time defending Division 6 and 7 champion Jackson Lumen Christi, Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard, U-D Jesuit and a division crossover game with Detroit Loyola.
"It is yet another good program that we have to bang heads with," said Lumen Christi coach Herb Brogan, who enters the 2026 season with a 432-96 career record. Brogan sits 11 wins behind former Farmington Hills Harrison coach John Herrington for the most career victories in Michigan high school football history.
Country Day has had longstanding relationships with its new league members in MacLean's 42 years at Country Day. That includes playing Divine Child, U-D, Loyola, Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett and Orchard Lake St. Mary's in 2025. MacLean said they have had plenty of playoff battles with Lumen Christi and used to butt heads annually with St. Mary's when their current coach, Jermaine Gonzales, was their quarterback in the late 90s.
Eyes on playoffs
The Yellowjackets have their eyes on getting back to the state playoffs after missing with a 4-5 record last year. They finished 41st in MHSAA Division 4 playoff points in 2025, leaving them out of the 32-team field.
Country Day is led by senior tight end/defensive end Anthony Cartwright III, an Oregon commit, three-year starting quarterback James Torain, running back/defensive back Jacob Patton, running back/receiver/linebacker LJ Lanier and offensive/defensive lineman Connor Dienes.
"To be the best, you have to compete against the best," MacLean said. "We played Divine Child last year. It was not a very representative game. We turned it over. But, if we play to our best, we have a chance. That's the way we want to approach it. Lumen Christi, we've had a great history with them and their great program."
Cartwright will move around the Country Day offense, defense and special teams units to maximize his impact. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound rising senior is healthy and having a good summer, MacLean said. Cartwright, a three-sport athlete, missed the Country Day baseball season in the spring with a foot injury that put him in a walking boot.
"I am always skeptical of that when you see someone in a boot," MacLean said. "But I think very quickly he will be full-go. We are going to need that."
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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: Birmingham Detroit Country Day ready for Catholic League gauntlet
