Catholic Central welcomes more than 1,000 students back to its Novi campus Monday, Aug. 17.

Freshmen got their first look at the all-boys school at orientation Friday, Aug. 14, and the Shamrocks are ready to build on a historic year.

Catholic Central captured 10 state championships during the 2025-26 school year across football, hockey, wrestling, golf, lacrosse, rugby, baseball, academic team, esports and fishing, one of the most successful runs in program history.

The opening-week buildup included a Back-to-School BBQ on Thursday, Aug. 13, where faculty and staff gathered on campus with their families for lunch, a bounce house and games. Social Studies instructor Russell Facione, who also coaches Debate & Forensics and moderates Model UN, provided live music for the afternoon.

The football program headlines the fall outlook. The Shamrocks went 14-0 during the 2025 season and beat Detroit Cass Tech 42-19 at Ford Field to claim the MHSAA Division 1 state title, the program's first since 2009 and 11th overall. Wide receiver Samson Gash, who hauled in 58 catches for 997 yards and 14 touchdowns, was named Boys Athlete of the Year at the Detroit High School Sports Awards in June. Gash has since graduated and is committed to Michigan State.

Hockey won its seventh consecutive Division 1 state title, beating Northville 6-0 at USA Hockey Arena for the program's 24th championship. Wrestling took its fourth straight team state crown, 43-16 over Hartland, the 19th in school history.

The biggest date already circled on the fall calendar: Saturday, Oct. 24, when Catholic Central faces Birmingham Brother Rice at 7:30 p.m. in the CHSL Prep Bowl at Ford Field. The game anchors the Catholic High School League's centennial celebration. The league, founded in 1926, plans to unveil its 100 greatest male and female student-athletes on-field before kickoff.

"When you have Super Bowl champions, World Series participants, Olympic participants, it's a pretty impressive list," CHSL executive director Mike Evoy said in a July 29 interview with Detroit Catholic about the centennial plans.

Catholic Central, located at 27225 Wixom Road, added six new faculty members on Aug. 10 as it prepared for the year. The first full day of classes is Monday.