Samson Gash show catapults DCC to 31-14 win over Warren De La Salle in Boys Bowl

NOVI — The Sunday crowd for the 80th annual Boys Bowl between Warren De La Salle Collegiate and Detroit Catholic Central was in for quite the show.

Two storied programs faced off to see if the Shamrocks (5-0) would take sole possession of first place in the Catholic High School League Central division, but all anyone could talk about prior to Catholic Central’s 21-0 halftime lead was the dominant first half performance by junior wide receiver Samson Gash.

Gash had already tallied six touchdowns in four weeks, so why not add two more in the first half against your biggest rival.

Already leading 7-0 late in the first quarter after a methodical offensive drive was capped off by a 6-yard rushing touchdown by senior running back Jaden Pydyn, Gash took matters into his own hands.

Gash swung around on a reverse and jetted upfield for a 37-yard score and followed up his dynamic run with a 16-yard touchdown on a jet sweep just before halftime.

“Everytime I touch the ball, I have this mindset that I’m going to score this no matter what and no matter who is in front of me,” Gash said.

De La Salle (3-2) senior quarterback Sante Gasperoni was sidelined the second half due to a shoulder injury as junior Anthony Bitonti took over under center.

Bitonti got the Pilots down the field, making throws when needed and barreling Catholic Central defenders up the middle, and put the Pilots on the board with a 1-yard rushing touchdown.

Just when De La Salle would put together a drive, Catholic Central would answer as senior quarterback Skyler Hunter found Gash on the screen with the junior playmaker doing the rest, making De La Salle defenders miss and hugging the left sideline for a 51-yard score.

“That hurt us,” De La Salle head coach Dan Rohn said. “The big plays hurt us, the turnovers hurt us, and giving them great field position in that second quarter really kind of changed the situation. They didn’t hurt us through the air except for the quick game a little bit, so I was proud of the secondary at the back end. I wasn’t proud of the way we tackled. We have to tackle better, but they got guys that can make plays.”

Bitonti would put the Pilots’ offense on his back on the ensuing drive, breaking a 59-yard run and finishing it off with a 4-yard rushing touchdown to put De La Salle back within two scores.

Rohn said he was pleased by Bitonti’s ability to run the offense in the loss.

“Anthony (Bitonti) is a dynamic football player,” Rohn said. “We did some things with him. We limit the package a little with Anthony, but we’re going to have to take the gloves off and open things up. We got a bye week this week, so that will give us an opportunity to do that.”

Bitonti would provide the only offensive firepower the Pilots could put together as Catholic Central’s defensive effort was steady all game.

Pydyn had an interception in the win while junior Hunter Stokes, senior Jack McHugh, senior Danilo Guberinich, and sophomore Ryan Richardson brough pressure up front. Pydyn, sophomore Gideon Gash, and junior Luca Genrich were efficient in the Shamrocks’ secondary.

“We knew they had a running quarterback, great running backs, and a great offensive line, but it just came down to who wants it more,” Pydyn said. “We told ourselves that we were going to out-physical them and hit them every play.”

Pydyn is part of a 2025 senior class who had never defeated De La Salle, who Catholic Central last beat in 2020.

Now in sole possession of first in the league and a Boys Bowl win under their belt, Pydyn said this was a big win for his team, including for Hunter, who previously played for De La Salle.

“As a captain, talking to the team all week, especially with a player like Skyler (Hunter), we knew it was really personal for all of us,” Pydyn said. “At halftime, my main message to the team was "we haven't beat them in three years, we got to go deep and win this game.’”

Catholic Central will face Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice (2-3) next week while De La Salle will enjoy a bye week before taking on Brother Rice themselves.