The Orchard Lake St. Mary’s football team celebrates Nov. 28 at Ford Field in Detroit with the MHSAA Division 2 trophy after its 51-14 win over Dexter.
By: Scott Bentley | West Bloomfield Beacon | Published December 2, 2025
DETROIT — Orchard Lake St. Mary’s won the MHSAA Division 2 state title in a 51-14 victory over Dexter on Nov. 28 at Ford Field.
The 51-point performance in the finals was the highest point total that the Orchard Lake St. Mary’s offense had scored all season. OLSM junior quarterback Jabin Gonzales led the team with over 100 yards rushing and 300 yards passing.
“It was good to be able to use my legs more,” Gonzales said. “I hadn’t been able to, due to some injuries earlier in the year, so I was glad that I could hurt the defense with my arm and my legs.”
The title capped off a dominant postseason run by the team. The closest matchup OLSM had in the playoffs was a 35-14 win over Brother Rice in the District Finals. Every other matchup, before the State Finals, was either a 42-7 final or a 35-7 final.
“The first time we played Brother Rice (this season) we lost. That was kind of an eye-opener for us,” Gonzales said. “From there we took off. We got so much better over the next couple of weeks. We had that momentum and kept it throughout the whole playoffs and into the championship.”
Gonzales, the son of OLSM head coach Jermaine Gonzales, is one of the premier quarterbacks in the state and led the team to an average of 37.5 points a game in the 2025 season.
“Offensively, we could do anything. We could beat you on the ground or beat you in the air,” Jabin Gonzales said. “It was our versatility. … Being able to adapt to any game plan or team is what really separated us this year.”
Gonzales, with still a year left in his high school career, said the locker room is already focusing on a three-peat, which Orchard Lake St. Mary’s hasn’t done since 2016 at the Division 3 level.
“We set the bar pretty high,” Gonzales said. “We got to win it again. … ‘State championship or bust’ is our mindset.”
The defense was also a focal point in this year’s state championship game and throughout the season. The team only allowed more than 21 points twice on the year and didn’t allow more than 14 the entire postseason.
“Our defense was up for the challenge,” head coach Jermaine Gonzales said. “We had a good week of practice going over what (Dexter) does well. … I thought our boys played well and made plays.”
The program ends 2025 with an 11-2 record, but a runner-up finish in the uber-competitive Catholic High School League Central Division. Detroit Catholic Central went a perfect 14-0 and won the Division 1 state title over Cass Tech on Nov. 30 at Ford Field.
The turnaround that OLSM has seen over the last two seasons has been phenomenal. The program went 3-6 in 2023, and before 2024 it hadn’t recorded even a seven-win season since 2019. Now, Orchard Lake St. Mary’s has state titles in 2024 and 2025 with back-to-back 11-win seasons.
“We made some changes in the staff after that year (2023),” Gonzales said. “I brought on some guys that really brought a lot to the table. … The boys bought into what we were trying to do and (the players) will only get better and better.”
This title is also special to Jermaine Gonzales because it’s the first year that every player has joined the program since his hiring four years ago.
“This group is definitely special for me because this senior class is the first class that came in with me,” Gonzales said. “They went through the ups and downs to get to this point. … To see our goals come to life is a great feeling.”
This is the eighth state championship in Orchard Lake St. Mary’s history. The program has won two at the Division 2 level, three at the Division 3 level, and another two as a Division 4 program.