The New Haven Rockets rolled to the Class B State Basketball Championship yesterday beating Ludington 45-36 capping off another great season.
Head Coach Tedaro France may emphasize defense as much as any coach in high school basketball.
France who was a multiple sport star including a football standout first at New Haven and then as a as a four year starter at Central Michigan. A defensive back for the Chippewas France was twice named all Mid American Conference.
France’s defensive attitude has carried over to his basketball teams which have won MAC Division titles in each of the last three years and going back five seasons winning 4 district crowns and three regionals titles before winning yesterday’s State Championship. France who just completed his ninth season at New Haven has compiled an amazing 105-19 record the last five years.
That’s just the beginning of the story as I first reported here back on February 14 th that Rockets had hired former Detroit Loyola Head Football Coach John Callahan as their new Football Coach.
Callahan had great success in nine seasons at Loyola with eight playoff appearances, four trips to the title game and winning the Division 7 State Championship in 2014.
With a basketball team returning some great athletes and a coach like France who played football at a high level it could bring more kids out including basketball players and add that tough winning defensive attitude to the football field.
Callahan became the Rockets ninth head coach in nine years at the school which surprised many, but perhaps Callahan was looking beyond all that realizing with athletes in the building and a basketball coach with a great football mind the chance to build the football team into something special is a very good possibility.
Winning a basketball championship was a tremendous accomplishment Saturday for coach France and New Haven with one of the states best players sophomore Romeo Weems coming back the future is bright.
Could this be the start of more as we see a lot of great athletes these days playing multiple sports which makes winning contagious.
New Haven has struggled the last decade in football, but could the school and Callahan be onto something that could really put the Rockets football program into orbit?
Just taking a step back and looking at the big picture,yesterday’s basketball Class B Championship could be just the beginning at New Haven High School.
Just for fun if you’re a Rockett fan and superstitious the number here is nine. France in year nine as head basketball. Callahan with nine seasons at Loyola and now the ninth football coach in nine years at New Haven.
The basketball team may have done much more than win a title yesterday they may have lit the fuse for future Rocket programs including football.
Having said that congratulations to Head Coach France and the New Haven Rockets