Lansing Catholic football captures second state title in three years

DETROIT, Mich. (WILX) - Lansing Catholic played down at Ford Field Friday evening for the Division 6 state championship against Warren Michigan Collegiate. A game of all defense kept the Cougars in this one, leading the team to victory 16-6. This is now two state championships in three years for Lansing Catholic. Both were special, but to win this one as a father and son duo, words just can’t describe it.

“I credit Jim Ahern for bringing this system and credit to these guys. These guys are all like my sons. I mean, I’ve coached them since basically kindergarten. They’re all my sons,” head coach Jim Baker said. “Him (son Joey Baker) being the quarterback... I mean I love all these guys to death and it’s special just being a head coach of these unbelievable men.”

“It truly is a dream come true. I mean, I keep saying it, but it honestly is. I never thought in a million years he’d be head coach and I’d be quarterback and varsity and we’d win a state championship,” senior quarterback Baker said. “But, it happened that way and I love it and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“You know our defense just stepped up big time all in the playoffs and our offense hasn’t been clicking lately. To see the defense that the coaching staff put together, that was special the last three or four weeks,” Jim Baker said. “I’m really proud of the coaching staff, proud of the kids who really executed what they had to do, and I love playing physical football and that’s what we did.”

“Our defense is just something special. It’s a true brotherhood. We just really started clicking as the playoffs went on,” linebacker Mason Knippen said. “Going into the season, we wanted to be a physical defense. We preached that through camp and I think we really stepped that up as we progressed through the playoffs and we really were physical with the run and everything.”

“For us in the playoffs to step up defensive wise and offensive wise, it feels great to end like this,” receiver and safety Alex Watters said.

Copyright 2021 WILX. All rights reserved.

Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning.