Clarkston — “Whaddya think if Everest starts up its own football program?”
Last year about this time, that’s the question Everest Collegiate Athletic Director Ann Lowney posed to students, faculty, administrators, parents and alumni.
Since the Collegiate’s opening six years ago, student-athletes from EC and nearby Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes played on a co-op basis under each other’s banner with the exception of boys and girls basketball and competitive cheerleading.
EC going on its own in football means the loss of 13 Everest football players and leave a significant hole in the Lakers roster. Officials, however, at Our Lady of the Lakes had no objection.
“They said that was the understanding all along,” Lowney said.
The Decision — Lowney made the announcement in December, buoyed by the overwhelming positive response she received to the idea. Students were excited because “they could have their own homecoming now” (which, by the way, is scheduled for Sept. 28).
Lowney consulted with each of the boys who had played at Lakes. Senior co-captain Noah Beauchamp, who played football at Lakes since his freshman year, said he’d miss the friendships he made, but “I thought about the bigger picture, an opportunity to start something here.”
The Coaches — “That was the easy part,” said Lowney. She was aware of the background of Mike Pruchnicki, the academic coordinator of the middle school. He was a three-sport star at Flint Powers Catholic and a walk-on quarterback at Michigan State University.
“It’s an opportunity to coach,” he said.
His father, Joe, 66, who has 48 years of coaching football, became one of Mike’s assistants. “I encouraged my son to take the job to put his stamp on the program.”
Voluntary conditioning started almost immediately in early January. Beauchamp said four or five guys showed up at first, then as many as a couple dozen later. Two sessions started at 6 a.m. A typical routine for Beauchamp and others who play another sport such as he does basketball was early morning workout, day of classes, basketball practice and homework.
The Community — Several fundraising events were held to chip away at the “huge expense” of a football program, Lowney said. A family foundation donated a “large chunk of money.”
“A bunch of dads” built a press box. Randy Marcial, owner of Gethsemane Landscaping, carved out a seating section from the hillside that surrounds the football field with eight 1,900-pound slabs of stone to accommodate about 100 spectators.
The Mersino family donated the use of eight portable lights, vital because the field is used from morning to night for Everest Academy’s half-dozen youth soccer teams and three youth football teams, in addition to the Collegiate’s varsity teams.
The Traditions — On the eve of the first game, the team assembled in the locker room to receive their uniforms. Fathers were invited, unaware that they would make the presentation of jerseys along with a few words about their sons.
“It was an awesome experience for both fathers and sons,” Pruchnicki said. “It isn’t often that a father tells his son he loves him, is proud of him.”
The uniform jerseys worn for the first game had the player’s name on the back. The boys can keep the jerseys as a souvenir. Regular jerseys will have the athletic department’s slogan, “All for Him,” imprinted on the back.
The team gathers for Mass before home games, and recites the rosary on the bus en route to away games. After home games, the squad sings the school’s fight song, “Go, Everest !” to the crowd.
Let the games begin! — More than 700 spectators witnessed the inaugural football game Aug. 31, a pleasant summer evening made all the more memorable by a 31-0 victory against Oakland Christian. The Mountaineers are 2-1 after their first three games, losing to Riverview Gabriel Richard, 33-13, bouncing back to beat Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook, 31-6.
Don Horkey is a freelance writer residing in Shelby Township. He may be reached at [email protected]
