Warren

Champs of Silver and Bronze

By Mike Moore
C & G Staff Writer

Warren Lincoln, Fitzgerald football back on top

WARREN — To say it had been a long time since Warren Fitzgerald or Warren Lincoln had won a Macomb Area Conference football division title would be a very accurate statement.

 “Wow, it’s been a great year,” said Lincoln coach Mike Bainbridge, whose team claimed the MAC Bronze title. “I think this season has gone as we expected it would at times, but to see the reward from all the hard work we put in is pretty special.

“There’s been a new commitment to football here over the past few seasons, and we saw that all pay off this year.” 

Lincoln, which hadn’t won a division title since the 1993 season, had a 7-1 record at press time and took home the Bronze title with a perfect 5-0 division record.

“A lot of people may look at this as no big deal, but it means a lot to us,” said Bainbridge, the team’s acting head coach all season while Jon Moher recovers from complications from a hip replacement.

And the Abes certainly aren’t done.

While playoff pairings weren’t available at press time, Bainbridge said winning the first postseason game in program history was the next goal.

“That’s a big hurdle we want to climb,” Bainbridge said. “It’s time for us to get a win in the playoffs, get past a district and see what happens. We’re ready to get rolling.”

Not to be outdone by its neighbors, Fitzgerald grabbed a share of the spotlight, as well.

A program that had not celebrated a league title since 1998, the Spartans claimed a share of the MAC Silver title with Marysville after posting a 4-1 record.

“What great thing to do,” said coach Jason Byers, whose team was 7-1 overall heading into an Oct. 24 crossover game against St. Clair Shores South Lake to close out the regular season. “One of the main goals we had coming into the year was this, and we accomplished it.”

Excited, yes. Surprised, not entirely.

“We knew with the group of kids we had coming into the year that we could at least compete for a championship,” the coach said. “Who knew if we’d win or not? But we have five kids with three years of varsity experience who really helped lead us. There was a very solid foundation here, and we just built on it.”

Much like Lincoln, Fitzgerald plans to ride this wave of success for as long as the playoff season will allow.

And the success of the Spartans is even more impressive considering that they were 0-9 in 2006.

“We’re real excited to get rolling in the playoffs,” Byers said, as the Spartans are making their first playoff appearance since the 2004 season. “Along with winning a division title, making the playoffs was something the boys have wanted too. Now we have a great opportunity to go after.”

You can reach C & G Staff Writer Mike Moore at mmoore@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1038.