ROYAL OAK >> When asked a question about his program’s dominance in Catholic League play over the last decade, Clarkston Everest Collegiate head coach Michael Pruchnicki’s eyebrows rose a bit.
It’s as if the numbers surprised even Pruchnicki, who’s in his 12th year leading the Mountaineers.
“Really?” Pruchnicki said upon hearing that Everest is 37-3 in its last 40 Catholic League Intersectional 2 games. Clarkston Everest, fifthranked in the latest D8 AP poll, kept things rolling Friday night, taking it to Royal Oak Shrine, 42-3, to wrap up yet another undefeated league season. Senior running back James Nedwick scored three touchdowns for the Mountaineers, which overcame a slow start before turning up the heat on the host Knights with a strong finish in the first half — taking a 21-3 lead into halftime.
“We’ve been fortunate that the kids have been working hard, doing their job,” Pruchnicki said. “This was a really good Shrine team, and the game was very physical, which was good.”
That physicality allowed Everest to control the line of scrimmage, dominating the game in the trenches. Nedwick scored two of his touchdowns in the first half, helping his team out to a 14-3 lead. The Mountaineers took advantage of a Shrine turnover late in the first half to extend that lead.
Senior Wyatt Phyle intercepted a Jack Tisko pass with 31.9 seconds left in the first half, setting his team up with good field position. On the next play, senior quarterback Oliver Neiman scored from 18 yards out.
After forcing a Shrine 3-and-out to open up the second half, Everest marched right down the field — aided by a pair of first-down runs by senior Kevin Cronin — capping the drive off with a 15-yard touchdown run by Neiman.
The Mountaineers would score twice more in the fourth quarter. Neiman connected with senior Zachary Felix for a 25-yard touchdown, with Nedwick capping off the scoring with a 30-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the game.
Everest’s offensive and defensive lines dominated up front, allowing the Mountaineers to move the ball at will on offense while limiting the Knights when they had the ball.
“We feel the offensive line is the key to our offense,” said Paul Rotole, a threeyear starter up front. “Obviously, without an O-Line, a team is nothing. We make sure our guys are disciplined so we can run the ball hard.”
Pruchnicki said that although his team dominated in the run game Friday night, it’s a well-balanced group offensively.
“We do like to mix it up, spread the ball around a little bit,” the coach said. “We ran the ball a little more today than we have in the past just based on what they were giving us. But we try to stay balanced as an offense, do our best and take what the defense gives you.”
Everest’s defense forced three Shrine turnovers in the game. Sophomore Michael Gaglio had a fourth quarter interception for the back-to-back league champions.
“It’s awesome. That’s what you play for,” Pruchnicki said of his team’s seventh league title over the past eight years. “You set your goals as a team, and that’s a team goal. As a coach and as a player, you want to go play for a championship. It feels good and I’m proud of these guys.”
Shrine fell to 6-2 overall and finished 3-2 in league play. Junior Nick Shrake had a fumble recovery for the Knights. Sophomore Grant Poulton hit a 29-yard field goal for his team’s only points.
Everest (8-0, 5-0) outscored its five league opponents, 228-9, this fall. The Mountaineers are off to their best start since opening the 2020 season 10-0. That year, they reached the state semifinals. Rotole said this year’s team has big goals, too.
“We’re approaching every game this year like we’re playing for a state championship,” Rotole said. “We’re trying to win everything. We’re going for it all and we’re not going to stop until we get there.”