You probably saw the headline. Maybe you just scrolled past it while looking for something else. But if you're a Technicians fan or just someone who follows Michigan high school ball, that final cass tech football score from the Division 1 state championship hits a little different this year.
19 to 42. That was the number on the board when the clock hit zero at Ford Field on November 30, 2025. Detroit Catholic Central took the trophy. Honestly, it was a gut punch for a team that had looked essentially untouchable for three months. Cass Tech entered that game 13-0. They had the "it" factor. They had the history. They had Corey Sadler Jr., who basically spent the entire season playing like he was using a cheat code. But sometimes, even the best seasons have a weird, jagged ending that nobody saw coming.
The Game That Flipped the Script
Let's talk about that championship game because the score doesn't tell the whole story. If you were watching early on, it felt like a classic heavyweight bout. Detroit Catholic Central (DCC) took a 6-0 lead when Duke Banta found Gideon Gash. Cass was right there, though. They were grinding.
But then things started to slip.
By halftime, it was 13-0. Still manageable. But in the second half, the Shamrocks' defense just became a wall. Cass Tech, a team used to putting up 40, 50, even 70 points (remember that 71-0 blowout of Renaissance in September?), just couldn't find the end zone when it mattered. It wasn't just a loss; it was a physical statement by DCC.
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Beyond the Last Cass Tech Football Score: A Season of Dominance
You can't let one Sunday in late November erase what was arguably one of the most dominant runs in Detroit Public School League history. Before the state final, the Technicians were outscoring people by margins that felt almost disrespectful.
Look at the trail of destruction they left behind:
- A 61-0 shutout of Temperance Bedford.
- 48-8 over Dearborn Fordson in the districts.
- 42-28 against a very good Saline team in the regionals.
- 48-22 against Rochester Adams to punch their ticket to the finals.
The cass tech football score most people in the city are still talking about, though, is the 35-19 win over Detroit King at Ford Field back in October. That was for the PSL Blue Division Championship. King actually had a 19-14 lead in the third quarter of that game. It looked like the Crusaders might actually pull it off. Then Cass Tech did what they do—they scored 21 unanswered points. William Sykes Jr. basically sealed it with a 98-yard touchdown catch that was so open it looked like a blown coverage in a video game.
The Corey Sadler Jr. Factor
If you're looking for why Cass Tech was so dangerous, you start and end with Corey Sadler Jr. The kid was named MLive’s Michigan High School Football Player of the Year for a reason. He’s headed to North Carolina to play for Bill Belichick—yeah, that's a real thing—and he’s enrolling early.
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Sadler’s senior stats are actually kind of hilarious if you think about them. He had over 2,500 all-purpose yards and 32 touchdowns. He wasn't just a wideout; he was a corner, a returner, and occasionally the guy throwing the ball. In the PSL title game against King, he even threw a touchdown pass to sophomore Mylan Griggs on a reverse.
But it wasn't just him. Donald Tabron II, only a sophomore, stepped into the quarterback role and played way beyond his years. He's 6'3" and has the kind of arm talent that makes scouts drool. Then you have the big guys up front like Khalief Canty Jr., a 6'5" tackle who just signed his life away to a major college program. This team was loaded.
Why the Scoreboard Matters for 2026
So, where does that leave the Technicians now?
Even with Sadler moving on to the ACC, the cupboard is far from empty. If you’re checking the cass tech football score next season, expect to see some familiar names doing big things.
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- Donald Tabron II: He'll be a junior. With a full season as the starter under his belt, he’s going to be one of the top QBs in the Midwest.
- Mylan Griggs: He’s already shown he can handle the spotlight in big games at Ford Field.
- Marcus Jennings: A Pittsburgh commit who’s a nightmare on defense. They call him "Sharky Marky" because he's constantly in the backfield.
There's this misconception that Cass Tech is "rebuilding" because they lost their superstar. Honestly? They don't rebuild; they just reload. Coach Marvin Rushing has built a system where the next guy in line is usually just as hungry as the one who left.
Practical Takeaways for Fans and Recruits
If you're following the team or looking to catch a game next fall, here's the reality:
- Don't trust early-season blowouts. Cass Tech often plays a brutal non-conference schedule (like that 28-27 nail-biter against Toledo Central Catholic to start the 2025 season). These games are designed to expose weaknesses before the playoffs start.
- The PSL is still a gauntlet. While Cass Tech dominated most of the league, the rivalry with Detroit King remains the biggest ticket in the city. Any cass tech football score against King is basically a coin flip regardless of records.
- Watch the trenches. Everyone loves the skill players, but guys like Evan Gooden and Khalief Canty Jr. were the reason Tabron had time to throw those 80-yard bombs.
The 13-1 record from 2025 is impressive, but for a program like Cass Tech, the only score that ultimately matters is the one in the state final. They came up short this time, but the foundation for 2026 is already being poured in the weight room.
If you want to stay on top of the Technicians' progress, keep a close eye on the MHSAA rankings once the 2026 schedule drops in the summer. The road back to Ford Field usually starts way before the first whistle blows in August. Check the official MHSAA or MaxPreps pages for the finalized 2026 schedule, which usually gets posted in late spring. If you're a local, make sure to grab tickets for the Prep Kickoff Classic at Wayne State—it's usually the first place you'll see if the new roster lives up to the hype.