30 | JULY 15 • 2021 

Can anything stop Coach 
Barry Brodsky and his 
Birmingham Marian High 
School girls soccer team 
when they set their sights 
on a state championship?
Apparently not.
The Mustangs won their 
fourth straight state title — 
and ninth since Brodsky 
became coach in 2001 — 
when they defeated Spring 
Lake 3-0 last month at 
DeMartin Field at Michigan 
State University.
No girls soccer team 
other than Marian has won 

a Division 2 state champi-
onship since 2016. 
Marian rolled to three 
consecutive Division 2 
state titles from 2017-19, 
then didn’t play in 2020 
because of the COVID-19 
pandemic.
The 2020 spring sea-
son was shut down by 
the Michigan High School 
Athletic Association after 
Marian had four days of 
tryouts.
This season didn’t start 
out well for the Mustangs.
They got in only two 

days of tryouts, then went 
into quarantine for 10 
days because of positive 
COVID-19 tests.
“Then we had spring 
break,” Brodsky said. “So 
we had about a month off 
and began playing games.”
It showed. Marian had a 
tie and a loss in its first two 
games.
But the Mustangs recov-
ered quickly and finished 
the season 13-3-1, rolling 
through the postseason 
without giving up a goal.
Among No. 12-ranked 

Marian’s state tournament 
victims were No. 1 DeWitt 
and No. 6 Bloomfield Hills 
Cranbrook-Kingswood.
The Mustangs had expe-
rience on their side this 
season despite not playing 
in 2020.
“We were lucky,” Brodsky 
said. “My four captains 
all got considerable play-
ing time when they were 
sophomores in 2019. There 
were two other seniors 
who also played a lot when 
they were sophomores.”
Brodsky also won state 
titles at Marian in 2003, 
2004, 2009, 2010 and 
2012 and the Mustangs 
lost in the state champi-
onship game in 2013 and 
2014. They’ve made 14 
trips to the Final Four since 
Brodsky became coach.
When he’s not winning 
state championships, 
Brodsky is a certified 
public accountant with an 
office in Farmington Hills. 
He’s a 1973 Southfield-
Lathrup High School grad-
uate. 

sports HIGHlights

One of Schon’s passions was 
making sure every league player 
received a trophy. Another pas-
sion was making sure everyone 
played regardless of a family’s 
finances, and whatever money 
was left over went to charity.
Those passions have con-
tinued, although there may 
not trophies this year because 
the league season was put 
together so late.
“My dad always made sure 
the trophy was something that 
was popular at the time, like, 
for example, a bobble head,
” 
Furman said.

Schon took over the league 
in its second year (1985) when 
only 20 boys played.
The owner of Schon 
Packaging in Southfield grew 
the league to as many as 180 
boys and girls, and remained in 
charge until 2015.
The league was first called 
the Young Israel Softball 
League. It had other names 
until it took on its current 
name a few years ago.
League games were played 
for many years at Schoenhals 
Elementary School in 
Southfield.

League coaches are all vol-
unteers. Seligson said spon-
sors play a big role in helping 
cover league expenses, which 

include a cap and T-shirt for 
each player. 

Please send sports news to 

stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

Caps worn this season by Detroit Jewish Youth Softball League 
players include the initials “LS” in honor of Larry Schon.

DOVID SELIGSON

continued from page 28

quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN 

Soccer Season Begins with a Quarantine,
Ends with Another State Championship

BARRY BRODSKY

Coach Barry Brodsky (back row right with 
his hand in the air) celebrates a fourth 
straight Division 2 state championship 
with his Birmingham Marian High School 
girls soccer team.

