Everest Collegiate stays atop CHSL with 35-0 win over Richard
NOVI » Tic-toc, the Mountaineers cleaned a clock.
Clarkston Everest Collegiate continued its sheer dominance in the Catholic League’s lower division Saturday afternoon throttling Riverview Gabriel Richard 35- 0 for a third CHSL football title in a rowin a championship affair held at Novi Detroit Catholic Central.
“We believe in each other, we make a commitment to eachother and we’re winning because of it,” said Everest head coach Mike Pruchnicki of the string of crowns corralled by the Mountaineers program he has built from the ground up.
Everest (6- 0) started playing football as a stand-alone team in 2013. Every one of Pruchnicki’s squads have qualified for the postseason.
This is the third consecutive season Everest downed Richard in the CHSL finals. The last two title tilts took place at Ford Field, but the game was moved outside this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mountaineers’ star senior quarterback Giovanni Mast rom at te o’ s 28-yard touchdown strike to Joey
Thibodeau got the day’s scoring binge started. Jack Lasceski’s two rushing touchdowns (58, 1) in the second quarter placed the Mountaineers on top 21- 0 at the half.
In his third year under center piloting the Everest offense, Mastromatteo threw for 152 yards and ran for another 65 on the ground. Lasceski logged 135 yards rushing.
Slotback Jimmy Neme contributed a 50-yard rushing score for the Mountaineers in the third quarter and Nate Beggs finished off the onslaught with a 2-yard plunge across the goal line.
“You set goals for yourself, you do the work and hopefully, you’re on the other side of it with these kind of moments,” Pruchnicki said.
Richard lost its first game of the season Saturday, failing to find any momentum on either side of the ball. The Pioneers (51) havemade the playoffs the past three years and in five of the last six campaigns. In 2018, Richard captured a Division 7 district championship.
Pioneers head coach Tom Michalsen is only focused on pushing forward into next week’s playoffs.
“You move ahead, you don’t dwell on it and just stay positive,” said Michalsen of his approach.