State Champ Brother Rice to Face Cleveland St. Ignatius at 2013 Prep Kickoff Classic

The Warriors will take on Cleveland St. Ignatius on the last day of the Detroit Sports Commission's Prep Kickoff Classic on Aug. 29 at Wayne State University.

  It's not even baseball season but many are already gearing up for football with the announcement that Division 2 football champions Brother Rice High School will open its 2013 season during the Detroit Sports Commission's Prep Kickoff Classic. Formerly known as the Big Day Prep Showdown, the Prep Kickoff Classic will be held at Tom Adams Field at Wayne State University Aug. 29-31. The Warriors, who won the Division 2 state championship for the second time in a row last fall, will face Cleveland St. Ignatius on the last day of the Kickoff Classic, which opens the high school football season every year. This year's program will feature the most comprehensive grouping of teams in the event's nine-year history, including back-to-back state …

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Photos from Brother Rice High School Signing Day 2013

Seventeen student athletes committed to compete in at their respective schools next fall.

Seventeen Senior student-athletes from Brother Rice High School formally committed to play college athletics at multiple schools next fall during a ceremony Wednesday that coincided with national signing day. Among those who announced formal commitments were: __________________ Of Interest: Signing Day — Lahser's Attenson, Gikas and Miller Make it Official __________________   According to a news release, Brother Rice also recognized all of its student-athletes who have committed to participate in athletics at the next level, and to promote the outstanding institutions throughout the country that their student-athletes will attend. “It’s important that we recognize these young men not just for their athletic accomplishments, but also for …

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Brother Rice Football Legend Fracassa, 80, Coming Back to Coach

55th season, 45 of those with the Warriors, will be his last.

Twice was nice for Brother Rice High School's Al Fracassa, who's now playing for three. WXYZ-TV reported the Warriors' legendary head coach who won back-to-back state championship games last month, announced plans to return for one final season at a team banquet on Sunday. A nine-time sate champion in his 44 previous seasons at Brother Rice, Fracassa, 80, won back-to-back titles for the first time Nov. 23 at Ford Field in Detroit. Among the graduates from that team were star linebackers Sergio Perkovic and Jon Reschke, and captain quarterback Cheyne Lacanaria. In his 54 years, Fracassa's teams have gone 416-121-7, making him winningest coach in Michigan high school football history.

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Did You Miss Brother Rice's Win in the State Finals?

Catch up with Patch's coverage of the Warriors' 35-28 win over Muskegon to clinch back-to-back Division 2 football titles.

Brother Rice's Alessi Caps Football Season with Touchdown for the Ages

Many Warriors have made memorable plays over the years, but the junior's 91-yard kickoff return — off a lateral pass — for the title-clinching touchdown may just be in a category of its own.

  The score was tied at 28-28 with just 2:31 remaining in a see-saw game for the Division 2 state title. Brother Rice's Jason Alessi, who appeared gassed after an afternoon of running down Muskegon ball carriers at free safety — including two touchdown-saving tackles, drifted a few yards behind fellow return man Delano Madison on the opposite side of where the ball was going on the field. He looked like he was out of play, like he wanted nothing to do with the Muskegon Big Reds kickoff-coverage unit headed in his team's direction at full speed, and with all the momentum after just scoring the tying touchdown. Not.  Madison caught the kick off at the 5-yard line and scampered to about the 10-yard line before firing the ball across the field…

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Brother Rice Wins Eighth State Football Title in a Thriller

Not one, but two trick plays for touchdowns in the final 3:29 secures the win against Muskegon in Division 2 high school football state final, 35-28.

DETROIT — Legendary Brother Rice High School football coach Al Fracassa proved that he still has a trick or two up his sleeve at age 80 with the Warriors' Division 2 high school football state championship win over Muskegon Friday. After a Muskegon touchdown tied the score at 28 with 2:13 left to play, Brother Rice junior kick returner Jason Alessi received an across-the-field lateral on the ensuing kickoff and ran 91 yards for the game-winning score.  The 35-28 win over Muskegon (12-2) gave Brother Rice (12-2) its first back-to-back state title in Fracassa's 44 years in Bloomfield Hills and the Warriors' eighth title all-time.  "When your back is up against the wall, you try it ... take chances sometimes. I thought the game was never …

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Brother Rice Advances to State Title Game After Dominating Wyandotte

Birmingham Brother Rice will take on Muskegon at 1 p.m. Nov. 23 at Ford Field for the MHSAA Division 2 state championship.

Birmingham Brother Rice earned its second consecutive trip to the state title game on Saturday with a 31-3 win against Wyandotte Roosevelt in the MHSAA Division 2 state semifinal game at Gibraltar Carlson High School. The Warriors (11-2) will play Muskegon on Nov. 23 at Ford Field and will be vying for their second consecutive state title, and eighth in school history. Leading the way for the defending state champions on Saturday were running backs Shon Powell and Brian Walker, who combined for nearly 200 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns. Powell said he is excited about the opportunity to play at Ford Field, which is something he has been striving for since he played Little League football in the Detroit Police Athletic …

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