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Valid at The Maple & The Riviera Expires 1/31/17 *Small bag of popcorn 44 December 29 • 2016 sports » Technology Helps Groves To Best-Ever Season Steve Stein | Contributing Writer J osh Lebovic played a big role this fall in the best season in the his- tory of Birmingham Groves High School football. Lebovic is the team’s director of football operations. Translated, that means he’s in charge of the technology that helps coaches and players prepare for a game and make stra- tegic adjustments during a game. Lebovic made sure his team’s cameras, iPads, a big-screen television and headsets were working, got to the stadium on game day, and were packed up and put away after the game. During the week, he made sure coaches Josh Lebovic and players had access to game and practice films on a hosting website. This was the first season Lebovic, 32, was the director of football operations. He was an assistant coach at Groves the previous five seasons. Groves coach Brendan Flaherty said Lebovic’s behind-the-scenes work was crucial to the Falcons’ unprecedented suc- cess in 2016, calling him a tremendous asset to the team. “Teenage boys are visual learners,” Flaherty said. “As coaches, if we can show these guys what they’re doing right and wrong on the field, that builds confidence in our relationships.” Flaherty said technology came into play early in the season when Groves had tough games against Oak Park and Southfield. “We were the underdog in both games, but we won,” he said. “One reason is we changed how we covered their receivers, thanks to our technology.” Groves finished 11-2. The Falcons made their deepest run ever into the state playoffs, advancing to the Division 2 semifinals before losing 14-7 to eventual state champion Detroit King on Nov. 19. After being bumped up to the Oakland Activities Association White Division from the OAA Blue Division following a three-year run that saw the Falcons go 24-8 overall and win the OAA Blue title in 2015, Groves won the White Division title with a 6-0 record. There’s more. Groves beat rival Birmingham Brother Rice 24-0 on Nov. 4 in a district cham- pionship game. Besides being only the second district title in team history, it was just the third ever win for Groves over Brother Rice in 11 games. The last time Groves defeated Brother Rice was 1963. Brother Rice had beaten Groves eight straight times since then including twice in district title games. A 44-10 win over Grosse Pointe South on Nov. 11 gave Groves its first regional championship. The Falcons had played for a regional title only once prior to this season, losing 32-6 to Orchard Lake St. Mary’s in 2004. “Our motto this season was ‘14 in 16,’“ Lebovic said. “That meant we wanted to play 14 games and play for a state cham- pionship. This was a special group of kids who loved competing. They had a chip on their shoulder because nobody outside our program thought we’d do well in the OAA White.” Lebovic made the switch from assistant coach to director of football operations for personal reasons. He got married July 9. He and his wife, Laura, live in Berkley. And he was a student teacher this fall at Groves, completing his requirements for a bachelor’s degree in social stud- ies/secondary education from Eastern Michigan University. He graduated Dec. 17. Being the director of football opera- tions meant Lebovic attended Groves games, but did not need to be at practice. The West Bloomfield High School graduate didn’t play football in high school. He was an avid hockey player when he was younger, competing with the Southfield Hockey Club from ages 6-18. But he loved football and wanted to coach in the sport someday. “Josh had a football bug,” Flaherty said. A chance meeting with a fellow student in a coaching theory class at Oakland Community College led to Lebovic get- ting a volunteer job working with Groves football players in the weight room. Flaherty liked Lebovic’s work ethic and how he communicated with players and hired him for the coaching staff. “Being at Groves has been a great expe- rience for me,” Lebovic said. “Brendan [Flaherty] is a great person and this is a great staff. They’ve taught me so much.” Lebovic is looking for a full-time teach- ing job, preferably at the high school level. Where he lands that job will determine whether he’ll return to the Groves football staff next season. * Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.