In the fall of 1926, a pair of Detroit west side high schools battled for the distinction of being the first Catholic High School League football champion. Holy Redeemer persevered, 14-9, over St. Leo.

The following spring, St. Leo won the first CHSL basketball title. (Anyone out there know who the opponent was?)

The academic year of 1926-27 marked the formal organization and birth of the Detroit Parochial League (renamed the CHSL in 1948) with about two dozen high schools in its fold.

Quick math: Happy 90th anniversary to the CHSL!

In its heyday, the league governed the sports programs for more than a hundred schools. Today, director Vic Michaels, in his 15th year, is in charge of 26 schools participating in 14 sports for boys and 16 for girls. Still, the CHSL ranks among the state’s most competitive; since 2000, boys teams have won 94 state titles in 14 sports, the girls 72 championships in 11 sports.

Against this backdrop, the league held its annual media day three weeks ago for fall sports: football, cross country, soccer and tennis for the boys, and cross country, golf, swimming and volleyball for the girls.

While the other sports are already in action, football doesn’t kick off until Thursday, Aug. 25 — and with a bang!

Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, two-time defending Division 3 champ, travels to Macomb Township to take on powerhouse Dakota High.

Eaglets coach George Porritt sat next to Mike Giannone at the media day event. Giannone coached Dakota for 18 seasons (Div. 1 champs in 2006 and 2007) before coming over to Warren De La Salle this fall.

“Do you have any tips for George?” I asked Giannone.

“Yeah, get there early. It’ll be a full house,” he quipped. Kickoff is 7 p.m.

Giannone starts his career at De La Salle with a tough opener the next night at Lowell, 18 years in a row qualifying for the state playoffs. Remember last November when the Red Arrows lost the Division 2 crown to Detroit King on the last play of the game?

On the same Friday night, Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice will play at Birmingham Seaholm and Detroit U-D Jesuit will be at Mumford.

Tom Mach enters his 41st season coaching Novi Detroit Catholic Central. The Shamrocks will play their season opener at the University of Michigan’s “Big House” at 1 p.m. Saturday against Sterling Heights Stevenson.

According to a poll of the coaches, St. Mary’s and CC will tie for first in the Central Division. De La Salle was ranked third, Brother Rice fourth and U-D Jesuit fifth.

In the AA Division, the coaches voted Detroit Loyola first, Dearborn Divine Child second and Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard third.

In the Intersectional 1 division, the coaches like Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood first, followed in order by Macomb Lutheran North, Riverview Gabriel Richard and Allen Park Cabrini.

Madison Heights Bishop Foley was the coaches’ choice to win Intersectional 2 ahead of Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, Royal Oak Shrine, Clarkston Everest Collegiate and Marine City Cardinal Mooney.

Michaels made two other announcements:

• For the first time, associate members Cranbrook-Kingswood, Lutheran North and West Bloomfield Jewish Academy will be eligible to play in the CHSL season-ending playoffs.

• In 2017, the CHSL will welcome two new members: Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett and Ann Arbor Greenhills.

As we say in Polish, “Sto lat, CHSL!”

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Don Horkey may be reached at [email protected].