NOVI, Mich. — Detroit Catholic Central, the Novi, Mich., high school football power, rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit Friday night to beat Orchard Lake St. Mary’s 27-20 and extend a long winning streak in Week 7 of the Michigan high school season.
The Shamrocks, ranked among the state’s top Division 1 contenders, finished the comeback on the road after trailing 20-6 at halftime. Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, the defending Division 2 champions, built that early lead but missed all three of its extra-point or two-point conversion attempts.
Senior standout Gideon Gash, a Texas Tech commit, fueled the rally with an interception, a 6-yard touchdown run on a receiver sweep in a wildcat set, and a 50-yard sweep touchdown later in the fourth quarter. Catholic Central forced a late fumble that set up Ryan Jaafar’s 4-yard touchdown with about 10 seconds left.
Starting quarterback Duke Banta watched from the sideline in a sling after injuring his collarbone in the prior week’s win over Toledo Central Catholic. Peyton Sofran shifted from receiver to quarterback and kept the offense on schedule while dealing with his own leftover ailments from that game.
Coach Justin Cessante’s sideline celebrated when a last-ditch Orchard Lake Hail Mary fell incomplete. The win stretched Catholic Central’s streak to 21 straight games and kept the Shamrocks on track in the Catholic League Central Division race.
Catholic Central entered the night riding a long winning streak dating to late 2024 and leaned on turnovers from Gash and linebacker J.J. Chevalier, plus a pressure from edge rusher Josiah Neal, to keep the deficit manageable before the fourth-quarter surge.