‘Twas the week before Halloween, and this writer was hearing things in the stands and along the sidelines at last Saturday’s 43rd CHSL Prep Bowl at Ford Field. Oooo, scary! (No, I’m not talking about the Lions.)

“WHY DON’T THEY?!?” — That’s the question Jeffrey Harris wanted Detroit Loyola head coach John Callahan and his staff to answer: “Why don’t they throw the ball more to (his son) Hunter (a senior wide-out)? He runs the hundred in 10.9. He’s the fastest on the team.”

Almost on cue, there was Hunter in the clear along the left sideline, clutching a pass from quarterback Nicholas Lee, and racing 33 yards untouched to the end zone.

That was the Bulldogs’ only score through the air in a 40-10 win over Pontiac Notre Dame Prep for the intersectional trophy. The other six TDs came on the ground, which pretty much reflects Callahan’s preference for a grind-it-out offense.

“HE’S A STUD!” — Speaking of speed, that blur scoring touchdowns on runs of 91, 56 and 58 yards for Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes was identified as senior Chris Cartier.

“He’s a stud,” said head coach Josh Sawicki. “He was a wide receiver, but we switched him to running back to see what he could do.”

What he “could do” was rack up 286 yards on 16 carries, creating a powerhouse punch for the Lakers offense, combined with the arm of quarterback Clay Senerius, who surpassed 2,000 in passing yardage in the 49-28 conquest of Riverview Gabriel Richard for the C-D championship.

“HE’S BUMMED.” — In 10 seconds, Jalen Watts-Jackson became a legend who will be remembered forever in Michigan State’s football lore for his rumble with a fumble in the Spartans’ astonishing win over Michigan. He suffered a fractured hip in the process.

Watts-Jackson graduated from Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in 2013, where he was an all-state cornerback.

“He’s bummed out about what happened,” said Jeff Phillips, a 1998 OLSM alum and assistant football coach and history teacher there for 14 years. “But he said he’d do it again. Jalen faces seven months of rehabilitation. He’s hoping to be back in time for MSU’s opener next year.”

The Eaglets, spurred by the memory of a 31-8 shallacking by De La Salle a month ago, took control from the get-go for a 38-0 pasting of the Pilots to claim the A-B championship.

“I LOVE CATHOLIC EDUCATION” — Gretchen Seurynck was one among a line-up of teachers recognized at the Prep Bowl for their years of service to Catholic schools. Seurynck has been at St. Sebastian School in Dearborn Heights for 40 years.

“I taught seventh- and eighth-grade history for 30 years and now 10 years in administration,” she told me.

She used her degree in psychiatry from Marquette University to work in child welfare, but switched to teaching “because I wanted to work with kids before they might become delinquents.”

Her three children attended St. Sebastian. She also has 10 grandchildren. “I love Catholic education for the faith and the quality it promotes of holding students accountable,” she said.

“A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR KIDS” — Watching Bloomfield Hills St. Regis defeat Plymouth Our Lady of Good Counsel, 28-16, for the CYO championship, Vivian Szakacz vowed: “We have a strong, unified seventh-grade team. Put it down: we’ll be here next year.”

The “we” is Holy Family Regional School in Rochester Hills, where she is the assistant athletic director.

“We participate in all 21 sports that the CYO sponsors,” Szakacz said. “We have five football teams (grades 4 through 8) that involves 117 players and 27 coaches, all of whom are volunteers.”

In the coming basketball season, Holy Family will field 13 teams each of boys and girls in grades 5, 6, 7 and 8.

AND NOW, SEASON TWO: Eleven schools from the CHSL and Archdiocese of Detroit kick off the MHSAA playoffs this weekend. Consult MHSAA.com or foxsportsdetroit.com for the roster of who, when and where they are playing.

---

Don Horkey may be reached at [email protected].