Smith Comes from Championship Moxie

Lumen Christi Catholic High School hockey player Conor Smith is a captain for the Titans this season.

By Jeff Steers
JTV Sports

(December 18, 2022 8:07 AM) Lumen Christi Catholic High School hockey player Conor Smith said he used to get so mad when his brother or sister beat him on the basketball court, it ruined the rest of his day.

That competitive spirit – especially in the Smith family – is what drove Smith to get better at whatever sport he was competing in.

That culminated last month into a Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 7 football title for the Titans.

Lumen Christi came back from an 0-3 start to begin the season to win the state title.

They scored 15 points in the final quarter to pull out a 15-12 win over Traverse City St. Francis.

“This year in football we were not the most talented team, but we won because our love for the sport of football,” Smith said of the Titans. “After the slow start, we started coming together as a team and owning up to our mistakes.”

Smith comes from a family of state champions. Brother Keegan was a starter on three LCCHS teams that won football titles between 2016-2018 and sister Taylor won a state singles title in 2017.

His mother, Marcy, was also a state champion tennis player who moved on to play at Marquette University. He also has two aunts who played Division 1 tennis at Michigan State and Eastern Michigan universities.

“I come from a very competitive family who wants to win,” Smith said.

But tennis wasn’t in the future for Conor or Keegan at Lumen Christi.

“When you go to Lumen Christi you see all of those (state title) banners up there,” Smith said. “ This year we had to find a way to come together.”

Smith recorded nearly 90 tackles his senior season and scored a team-high seven tackles in the championship game against St. Francis.

He also caught 15 passes and two touchdowns for the Titans.

Smith has signed to play for Grand Valley State University next fall as an H-back – tight end position.

The senior has hockey on his mind during the winter – a sport he has played since age three. Smith is a captain for the Titans, a title he takes seriously.

“It means a lot to me to have the “C” on my jersey,” Smith said. “I don’t care about the points or goals; I just want to win.

“At the end of the day it is all about the wins.”

Which brings him back to the Smith household and the competitive nature.

“If I didn’t have that competitiveness, I probably wouldn’t be as good (in sports).