1998 Detroit Catholic Central
Season
In 1998 the academic team continued its fourteen year history of unbroken success. The 1998 team consisted of thirty-two players divided into a varsity team, a junior varsity team, and two novice teams. The teams entered a total of thirty-six competitions and won 261 games or 81.5% of those played. Even more impressive, the four teams brought home a total of thirty-seven trophies and awards including fifteen for first place finishes.
At the novice level, Susan Leninger joined the coaching staff. Entered as two teams, the novice players of coaches Sroka and Leninger played in nine competitions and won a total of 85 games. The novice division captured twelve trophies including seven for first place finishes. The team ended the season ranked 13th in the nation.
Led by Coach Tislerics, the junior varsity team played in seven competitions and compiled an overall record of 51-8. The junior varsity won a total of seven trophies including three for first place finishes. Most encouraging of all, the team won each of its last three competitions.
In 1998 the varsity team faced the unenviable task of replacing the entire squad which had won the 1997 state championship. Most teams would need a year to rebuild. However, Coach Weinberg’s team merely reloaded. The varsity team entered twenty competitions in Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. While compiling an overall record of 133-34, the squad won five tournament championships. With remarkable consistency through a long schedule, the team brought home eighteen trophies and awards in its twenty competitions.
In post season play, the team finished third in the Michigan Class A State Championship Tournament in Port Huron. Added to its five previous championships, the third place finish continued the team’s impressive record in the eleven year history of the state tournament.
At the national level, the team posted eight victories to finish sixth in the National Scholastic Championship Tournament played at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. The 1998 competition marked the sixth time that the team finished sixth or higher in a national tournament.