Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice has reached the state finals for the first time since 2005, and what a memorable season it's been. Every day leading up to Friday's 1 p.m. matchup against Lowell, Patch will take a peek back at a key moment during the season that helped get the Warriors to where they are today.
So far, we've recapped:
- The season-opening 28-21 win against Detroit Martin Luther King in the Big Day Prep Showdown.
- Orchard Lake St. Mary's wins defensive-minded battle in overtime 10-9 over Brother Rice.
Today's pick: Head coach Al Fracassa joined the coaching elite Oct. 21 by becoming one of only a handful of coaches in the country to reach 400 wins.
Big play: Hard to pick in a lopsided victory, but we'll stick with when the clock ran out. The victory proved to be a huge relief for the coach, who — in his 52nd year — is now No. 8 on the all-time win list among active coaches in America.
"It's been a long journey," Fracassa, 78, told maxpreps.com following the game. "I've been trying to do it for the last three weeks. I finally got that off of my back. We have lost three games by 4 points and one by a touchdown. It was driving me crazy."
The impact: In addition to ending the distractions that came with Fracassa's career achievement, the victory, in retrospect, was a pivotal point of this season. The Warriors snapped a three-game losing streak and have won five consecutive games for another deep playoff run.
Want to join the fun? Share your thoughts and memories of the season's key moments by adding a comment below or sending them to Art.Aisner@patch.com.
