THE ROAD TO REPEAT BEGINS: IRISH EYE BACK-TO-BACK TITLES

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October 30, 2025

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

As the Fighting Irish football team prepares for the first round of this year’s state championship playoffs, we review Notre Dame Prep’s regular season, beginning with its most recent big win over Hudsonville Unity Christian.

Defending Division 5 state champion Pontiac Notre Dame Prep (7–2) enters the first round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association playoffs with a home game against Hazel Park High School (6–3). Hazel Park is making its second consecutive postseason appearance and will travel to face the Irish, who concluded their regular season with victories over Traverse City St. Francis, Marine City and Hudsonville Unity Christian. The winner will advance to face either Detroit Denby or Southeastern in the next round.

 

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Hudsonville Unity Christian, Oct. 24

On the road, Notre Dame Prep stunned previously unbeaten Hudsonville Unity Christian, 34–25, ending the Crusaders’ 17-game regular-season win streak. Coach Pat Fox remarked, “Our guys embraced the challenge of facing an undefeated team on their turf. It was a complete team effort and I’m proud of how they executed.” Senior leader Lucas Kattula added, “We knew we had to come out strong and set the tone early. This win gives us great momentum heading into the playoffs.”

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Marine City, Oct. 17

Notre Dame Prep improved to 6–2 by holding off Marine City, 21–12. Quarterback Sam Stowe completed 18 of 22 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns, while Drake Roa caught six passes for 124 yards and a TD. Running back Ben Liparoto added 48 yards on the ground and a score. Defensively, Henry Ewles had five tackles and a sack; Brody Sink and Lucas Kattula also collected sacks. Coach Fox noted, “After a slow start, our defense stepped up when needed. This win shows our resilience and ability to adjust.”

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Traverse City St. Francis, Oct. 10

In a landmark offensive display, Notre Dame Prep smashed Traverse City St. Francis, 63–38, setting a school single-game scoring record. Quarterback Sam Stowe threw for 391 yards (a school mark) and six TD passes, plus a rushing score. Receiver Brody Sink hauled in nine catches for 203 yards and three TDs; Drake Roa had three TDs and 86 receiving yards. Ben Liparoto ran for 117 yards including an 80-yard touchdown, and Anthony Tartaglia added 59 rushing yards and a score. On defense, Tartaglia had nine tackles, Sink had six and Lucas Bigelow had five plus a sack. Coach Fox observed, “When everything clicks — quarterback, receivers, running backs, defense — we’ve seen how dangerous we can be. The challenge now is to sustain it into the playoffs.”

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Oak Park, Oct. 3

Notre Dame Prep pulled out a tight 20–19 victory over Oak Park. The win demonstrated the Irish's ability to secure close games under pressure. Coach Fox commented, “Winning tight games like this builds character and prepares us for the challenges ahead.”

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Detroit Country Day, Sept. 26

The Irish moved to 3–2 with a 41–26 victory over Detroit Country Day. Sam Stowe completed 12 of 15 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns and added a rushing score. Ben Liparoto ran 22 times for 124 yards and a TD. Drake Roa led receivers with 93 yards and two scores; Brody Sink added a TD. On special teams, Lucas Bigelow returned a blocked punt for a touchdown and the Irish blocked an extra-point. On defense, Bigelow, Kattula and Tartaglia all had sacks; Bigelow and Henry Ewles recorded 10 tackles each; Tartaglia had nine; Chris Artinian had eight. Coach Fox said, “This win came down to doing the little things — special teams, defense, turning pressure plays our way.”

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Waterford Mott (Homecoming), Sept. 19

On homecoming, Notre Dame Prep defeated Waterford Mott, 53–19. Sam Stowe threw for 199 yards and four touchdowns, and added a rushing score. Drake Roa caught nine passes for 81 yards; Anthony Tartaglia carried 16 times for 90 yards and three touchdowns; Ben Liparoto also had 90 rushing yards. Roa had an interception; Sink recovered a fumble; Bigelow was involved in a blocked punt. Henry Ewles had a sack and two tackles for loss; Lucas Kattula had two tackles for loss. Coach Fox called the performance “a proud night for our program — for the players and our community” and noted the team “showed depth and versatility.”

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Gibraltar Carlson, Sept. 12

Notre Dame Prep lost its home opener, 42–21, to Gibraltar Carlson. Sam Stowe threw for 126 yards and a touchdown; Ben Liparoto ran for two TDs; Brody Sink had five catches for 97 yards and a TD and added three tackles and 10 assists defensively; Anthony Tartaglia had 11 tackles; Lucas Bigelow had a sack and 12 tackles; Lucas Kattula had a sack; Owen Fulsher recorded an interception; Chris Artinian made six solo tackles. Coach Fox reflected afterward that the loss was a “wake-up call” and that the team “needed to use it as motivation to improve in all phases.”

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Jackson Lumen Christi, Sept. 5

Notre Dame Prep dropped to 2–2 after a hard-fought 54–34 loss at Jackson Lumen Christi in a matchup of defending state champions. Quarterback Sam Stowe threw for 217 yards and four touchdowns — connecting with Ben Liparoto, Drake Roa, Brody Sink and Lucas Kattula — and added 49 rushing yards. Liparoto led the ground game with 107 yards on 14 carries, while Roa paced the receiving corps with seven catches for 86 yards. On defense, Sink tallied 10 solo tackles, eight assists and a sack; Anthony Tartaglia added six solo tackles and Kattula had four. Coach Fox said, “We battled through adversity against a strong team. The effort and fight were there — we just need to finish drives and get key stops.”

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Detroit Central, Aug. 28

The Irish opened the 2025 season in dominant fashion, shutting out Detroit Central, 55–0. Sam Stowe led the way with three touchdown passes — two to Drake Roa and one to Brody Sink — as the offense rolled up points early and often. Roa caught five passes for 107 yards, while Anthony Tartaglia, Ben Liparoto and Isaac Jacob each added rushing touchdowns. The defense was relentless, limiting Central to just 81 total yards and scoring twice on a 33-yard interception return by Josh Laura and a 60-yard fumble return by Chris Artinian. Coach Fox said, “It was a complete team win — offense, defense and special teams all executed. That’s how you want to start a season!”

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Outlook for the Playoffs

As the Irish head into the postseason, Coach Fox emphasized that past success adds expectation — but that the real focus remains on execution. “We’ve done the work. Now it’s about finishing,” he said. With a five-game winning streak entering the bracket, they show both the explosive potential to light up scoreboards and the maturity to win tight games. They’ll need both against Hazel Park. If Notre Dame Prep brings the balance they’ve displayed in the last month — record-setting offense, opportunistic defense and special-teams plays — they are clearly poised to make a deep run again in Division 5.

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.