It’s playoff time. It’s title time. It’s the best time of the year for high school sports fans. And in Dearborn, although several high school teams have already lost their title shots, other teams and individuals are on their way up–or have already won. In Dearborn, there was a plethora of notable performances this past week, including a pair of state titles from the girls track squad at Divine Child and a Dearborn High School standout who shined at the state finals. Pioneer Feerooz Yacoobi’s throw of 59 feet, 4 inches was enough to earn him a state championship, while two relay squads from …

We’re going to keep this week’s edition of the Pick of the Week short and to the point. Why? Well, it’s because the forecast, for once this season, looks favorable and the state playoffs are about to get under way in both baseball and softball—the district round is slated to start with pre-district competition Tuesday, while the rest of the round wraps up on Friday (in a few cases) and on Saturday (in most cases). We don’t want to jinx the weather so let’s not spend a lot of time rambling about how teams may come in with fewer games than normal under their belts, thus tipping the scale to …

This past weekend, I was covering the track regional at a high school on the east side of town. It was hot, believe it or not, and the sun was relentlessly beating down on the athletes all day long. One of the final events of the afternoon was the grueling 3200-meter run, the metric two-mile run. It’s a true test of endurance and will for even the best athletes, and on this Saturday afternoon, with the heat and blazing sun, it was even more challenging. The girls went first and the race began without a hitch. Lap after lap, these incredible athletes pushed themselves and ran with great pride …

There’s little doubt the spring sports season is hitting its stride about now. The division races are shaping up. Players and coaches have shaken off all the rust and are in mid-season form. Teams, whether they like to admit it or not, are beginning to look ahead to the state playoffs just a few weeks away. This time of year is, for most prep sports fans, the start of a month-long stretch that includes league-title chases, state playoff runs and, in rare but celebrated cases–state championships. So, let’s not waste any time getting this exciting time of year under way. But wait–before I get …

Three days of good weather in a row! Perhaps now the joke Mother Nature has been playing on us has finally come to an end. In fact, we here in the Pick of the Week Department actually got a little too much sun this past week watching games. Our tomato-red cheeks, necks and noses are a sure-fire sign that the games are back on track. Of course, the massive amounts of rainouts have a positive effect on fans from this point: these teams have to make up the games over the next three weeks or so, meaning, an extraordinary amount of baseball, softball, soccer, track, lacrosse, rugby and golf for …

Well sports fans, the weather promises to be a touch better this week. So, working under that assumption, we here in the Pick of the Week Department are going to bring to you a slate of upcoming games with the hopes that you actually might be able to see them. The rain outs, delays and postponements have been nothing short of unprecedented and haven’t done much to get anybody fired up about the season.  That, however, changes this week (fingers crossed, anyhow).  But before we look ahead, we’re going to take a quick look back at some of the more notable happenings last week (of the few games …

Dear Mother Nature, This crazy-weather-thing you’ve got going on here in Michigan isn’t funny anymore. In fact, it’s making our job here at the Pick of the Week pretty difficult.  Fields are flooded, fans are frozen in the stands and games are getting cancelled left and right. If you could please wave your wand, wrinkle your nose or place an order with the sun (whatever it is you have to do) and send some spring-like weather our way, it would be greatly appreciated. This is getting ridiculous. Sincerely, John Well fans, I hope that does some good. Either way, we’ll continue to press on here …

Welcome to another installment of Patch’s Pick of the Week. With the weather still the biggest wildcard in the deck, local squads braved crisp temperatures and strong winds to compete this week. Knowing that, let’s take a brief look at some of the week that was in Dearborn prep sports. Dearborn High’s baseball team went 1-2 the past week, falling to Belleville, 14-4, then following that up with a win over Riverview, 10-4. The Pioneers capped off the week with a 10-3 loss to Woodhaven High. Kudos to the Thunderbirds ball club this past week, which out-slugged Romulus, 17-14, last Monday. …

Admittedly, the weather for the opening week of the spring sports season wasn’t ideal. In many cases, games were canceled and meets postponed. But let’s keep our fingers crossed for the upcoming week weather-wise. Here's a healthy selection of game possibilities that you can catch–if Mother Nature decides to cooperate. Dearborn High Tuesday at 4 p.m., the track teams play host to Fordson High, while the softball squad squares off against Riverview Community at the same time on Tuesday. The baseball team hopes to rebound from a tough 0-2 start to the season when they host Woodhaven on Thursday…

It’s in full swing now! The spring sports season is under way for just about every squad beginning Monday afternoon, and after nearly a month of calm, the hectic pace of a prep sport is back in action. With the Detroit Tigers home opener looming at the end of this week, it’s only natural for us to have baseball on the brain. Let's take a quick moment here to give fans a glimpse at one of the area’s local ball clubs, as well as one of the top players in the state this season: Divine Child and senior Eric Haase. The Ohio State-bound catcher is currently ranked as the No. 2 senior in the state …

Admittedly, it doesn’t feel much like spring outside. Mother Nature is still up to no good, but soon enough the weather will break and the subtle rush of a swirling, chilling wind will be replaced by the sharp pinging of a baseball against a bat, or the swooshing thud of a golf club cutting through the air. With that in mind, it’s time for Patch's Pick of the Week once again. Our recap of the end of winter sports is pretty straightforward, and can be summed up in one word - “Congratulations!” Congrats to the boys basketball team from Divine Child for advancing all the way to the state …

It’s a crazy-busy stretch here for the Pick of the Week staff, with all kinds of playoffs underway and a slew of seasons coming to an end.  That said, it’s also an exciting time for prep sports fans.  With that in mind, let’s take our weekly look back at the week that was, and the week that lies ahead. The season came to a close for a handful of local girls hoops teams this past week, with Edsel Ford, Dearborn High, and Fordson falling in district play. Hats off to the girls at Divine Child, who captured a district title with a 56-40 win over Melvindale in the title game. Congrats to Edsel …

This week begins a very exciting stretch in high school sports: the basketball playoffs. Dearborn High, Fordson and Edsel Ford's girls hoops teams will take the floor beginning Monday evening with the hopes of making a run at the game’s ultimate prize–a state championship. What each of these local teams did in the regular season means little at this point, and with the one-and-done format of the state tournament, there is no room for a bad game. I can’t stress to you enough how much fun it is to get out to one of these postseason ball games. The intensity is wonderful, the atmosphere is …

For starters, thanks to everyone who chimed in last week about the new format of the Pick of the Week. I was glad to see so many great responses. Keep the comments coming, please. This week, many local districts have some time off for Mid-Winter Break. Dearborn Public Schools isn't one of them, but it does mean that events have slowed down. Either way, the sports don’t stop–so we don’t either. Here's what went down last week in Dearborn sports. Kudos to the parents and supporters and fans of the sideline cheer team at Dearborn High. Now I know why the squad did so well: they’ve got an awesome…

First of all, let me start out by saying a big "thank you” to everyone who e-mailed in response to last week’s column. The response was really great, and as a result, this little column is going to be better. Please keep these comments, suggestions and ideas coming. This week we’re going to take a few moments to look back at some of the week’s highlights, as well as look forward to some of the events you might want to catch over the next week or so. A Look Back Kudos to the Dearborn High sideline cheer team for its third straight Spirit Shine Celebration title. Way to go, girls! Wrestling …

Well, it was bound to happen, wasn’t it? My ADD kicked in, and now I feel this unrelenting urge to tweak, improve and upgrade the Pick of the Week column. Now, I know what you’re thinking: John, wasn’t the Pick of the Week (I like to call it the “POW,” for short) already perfect? I mean, how could it ever be improved upon? Well, you’re right, the POW was pretty darn good–and yes, it did give fans a head's up on some of the more intriguing prep sports contests in and around town. But, there's room to grow, to expand, to make this little space even better. So, that’s what we’re going to do–make…

Dearborn Unified  vs. Divine Child boys hockey    When: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 5    Where: Redford Ice Arena It doesn't get much better than this one in the realm of high school hockey. The Mayor's Cup, as it's called, is an all-out frozen battle between Dearborn Unified (formed by players from both Edsel Ford and Dearborn High schools) and Divine Child, with the cup and bragging rights on the line for both teams. The Falcons have been in possession of the prize for the past three years but recent struggles defensively, as well as on special teams, have the squad reeling and trying to …