Battle Creek -- Catholic High School League powerhouse Dearborn Divine Child returned to the top of the mountain in dominating fashion on June 14, beating No. 1-ranked and defending champion Mt. Pleasant 14-3 in five innings to win the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 2 title at C.O. Brown Stadium.

   The Falcons collected 14 hits, scoring three runs in the first, six in the second, four in the third, and one in the fourth before the game was called after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule. It was the Falcons third championship in the past five years.

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   Junior shortstop Stephen Claypool had a double and two singles, two runs, and four runs batted in on the day. Senior catcher Jonathan Ponte had three hits and three RBI. Senior right fielder Alex Ruff added two hits and three RBI. Junior centerfielder Patrick Biondi had a triple, two singles and scored four runs.

   Senior Jeremy Gooding went the distance, striking out three and allowing only one earned run for the win on the mound. Gooding added one run and two RBI at the plate.

   "Mount Pleasant is an outstanding team," said Divine Child Head Coach Tony DeMare said. "We talked about them probably being the best in the state, so you never expect to put up the numbers we did. But, we've been swinging the bats well now, and all we've been doing is scoring runs."

   The Falcons started off the season slowly going 5-7 after 12 games. But Divine Child (32-10) went 27-3 the rest of the way, including a 7-3 win over Division 1 champion Brother Rice to win the Catholic League Championship atComerica Park.

   "Since the 5-7 start, the kids have been dynamite," said DeMare. "They've responded well. We've been blessed with some good kids. Not only are they talented but they work awfully hard.

   DeMare has had incredible success with the Falcons since taking over the program in 2000. He has guided the team to district championships each year and won back to back state championships in 2004 and 2005. Divine Child has averaged 28 wins a year under DeMare. After the championships in 2004 and 2005, the Falcons fell in regional play in 2006 and 2007.

   The Falcons powered through the 2008 playoffs, winning games by an average score of 14-2. After shutting out Carleton Airport 12-0 in the quarterfinals, Divine Child needed a comeback win in the semifinals to advance to the championship game. Down 3-0 to Goodrich after one inning on June 13, the Falcons took charge after a nearly four-hour weather delay. Divine Child scored twice in the fourth inning and twice in the fifth, taking the lead on a two-out single by Gooding.

   Mt. Pleasant finished their season at 35-4.