With two year deals inked last year for  three  of the non-conference games, Brother Rice was able to finalize its schedule earlier than normal.  The schedule was completed with Detroit Martin Luther King filling the fourth non-conference game.  Rice will open the season against King at its new home field–Birmingham Seaholm.  It marks the return to the Birmingham field, long used along with Groves for the Rice home games.

The highlight of the season will be a Sunday afternoon game at Seahom vs. defending Division One State Champion Detroit Catholic Central.  The game will be part of Brother Rice’s 50th Anniversay Weekend, which features an all-class reunion.  A large turnout of former football players is expected at the de facto Boys Bowl game.   CC will play DeLaSalle in the “official” Boys Bowl game on Sunday, September 26.  But, make no mistake about it, the old-timers who remember the Rice vs. CC games at Wisner Stadium will revel in this new Sunday afternoon “instant classic.”

As usual, Rice has a very difficult schedule–arguably the most difficult in the state.  The four non-conference games are against King, Toledo St. John’s, Highland Park and Indianapolis Cathedral.  All but the Cathedral game will be home games played at Seaholm.  The Warriors travel to Indianapolis in Week Eight for the re-match with Cathedral.  The Fighting Irish were upset in last year’s semi-final by the ultimate state champion, Evansville Reitz.  Cathedral has a lot coming back, including two solid Division One candidates.  Rice will have its own returning Division One players, led by Tim Hamilton, Jimmy Pickens and Conor Hart.

In addition to the four tough non-conference games, Rice will play the usual suspects in the CHSL Central–as tough a league as there is in Michigan.   League games are vs. CC, DeLaSalle, OLSM and UD Jesuit.  Week Nine is the Prep Bowl or PSL Crossover.  Rice will not play Dearborn Divine Child this year as the Falcons are now officially in the lower Intersectional I Division.

Brother Rice Schedule:

August 27  Detroit Martin Luther King    Home

September 4  Toledo St. John’s   Home

September 10  Highland Park    Home

September 18  Warren DeLaSalle   Away

September 25  UD Jesuit   Away

October 2   Orchard Lake St. Mary ’s    Home

October 10  Detroit Catholic Central   Home

October 16  Indianapolis Cathedral  Away

October 23  Prep Bowl