The Bear Facts - November 9, 2024

Good morning! I’m Molly Peterson!

I’m Brooke Ludwig!

And I’m Hanna Merron! Welcome to a special edition of the “Bear Facts”, where we’re celebrating our Golden Bears here at Bishop Garrigan High School.

The Bears are headed back to the Dome! After winning the 2023 state championship, the Bishop Garrigan football team was undefeated in the regular season and deep into playoffs. They beat Tripoli and Riceville in the first two rounds of playoffs and then took on Edgewood—Colesburg in the state quarterfinals. While the Vikings were undefeated going into the game, the final score was Bishop Garrigan 51, Edgewood Colesburg 36 and that means the Bears are moving on.

The state semifinal game will be next Wednesday at 10am in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. The Golden Bears will take on Remsen St. Mary’s in the state semi-finals, and a win would advance them to the championship game, which is Thursday, November 21. After twenty-three straight wins, the Bears are feeling a repeat, and we’re hoping they go all the way.

The Golden Bears have been blessed to have fourteen seniors on the football team. That’s nearly as many as some of their opponents had on their entire teams. They include Keaton Helleseth (who leads 8-man in sacks), Trayton Cink (who has had both big running plays and key tackles), and Andrew Lichter (who has been huge on defense).

Other key seniors include Wyatt Rosenmeyer and Owen Murphy (who have made big receptions), and Brady Galligan and Dan Meis (who have made awesome kicks), Isaac DeLange, Drew Muller, Benny Matthews, Thadd Kollasch, Nick Thul, Scott Bormann, and Nick Leerar. Congratulations to the seniors for leading the Bears to the Dome for the second straight year.

The younger players have also contributed to the Bears’ success. The offense has been led all year by junior quarterback Tate Foertsch. Other key players include juniors Ethan Marso, Carter Schwab, Kayden Graves; and sophomores Mike Joyce and Madden Miller. We hope all these players keep showing their skills in the Dome.

Last Saturday the Golden Bear spirit squad competed in the state cheer festival down in Des Moines. The girls had a wonderful day, and they ended up taking home the first place trophy. The competition cheer squad includes Zoe Montag, Reece Kemna, Ava Roethler, Ava Snider, Sacha Alesch, and Addison Kuper; as well as Aubrey Meyer, Harper Nelson, Kylie Capesius, Delaney Fessler, and Lilly Wickman. Congratulations to our state champion cheerleaders!

We also want to congratulate Bishop Garrigan freshman Julia Swift. She ran at the state cross-country meet last Saturday, and she finished the 5-K course in just 19 minutes, 40.7 seconds. That was good enough for 16th place statewide, out of 100 runners in the 1-A race. Her time was also second best among the freshman runners. Congratulations, Julia!

The Bishop Garrigan quiz bowl team is back in action today. They’re at the Algona High Invitational this morning, and eight Golden Bears are competing. The quiz bowlers include seniors Scott Bormann, Thadd Kollasch, and Trayton Cink, junior Tate Foertsch, sophomores Eva Kohlhaas and Marshall Bormann, and freshmen Weston Ehlers and Bryden Morse. Good luck, quiz bowl!

Tonight is your last chance to see the Bishop Garrigan fall musical. The final performance of The Drowsy Chaperone will be this evening at 7pm in Friedmann Auditorium. In the show Griffin Geving plays a drama critic who imagines a show being performed in front of him while he plays a record. The play focuses on the misadventures of people who are invited to a wedding—which ends up being a bigger wedding than was originally planned.

Other actors in the show are Sacha Alesch, Cora Deardeuff, Kayden Graves, Amaury Thomas, Tate Foertsch, and Matt Besch; as well as Shiloh Trainer, Spencer Doerning, Leo Snyder, Aidan Deitering, Izzy Waechter, Alice Casey, and Madelyn Tigges. The musical ensemble features Lily Wickman, Kylie Capesius, Stormi Larson, Addison Kuper, Henry Bode, Gabe Swift, Addison Laubenthal, and Rose Curtis. 

The tech and stage crews are also important at every show. This year’s tech crew features Julia Swift, Adrienne Kuper, Gabby Penton, Alaina Bormann, Addison Kuper, Molly Peterson, Ava Roethler, Hanna Merron, Gabby Buscher, and Alec Deitering; and the stage crew includes Eli Casey, Dalton Klenz, Aiden Lichter, Alyssa Haugland, Carly Nielson, Bree Ludwig, Joey Lallier, Dawson Lappe, and Drew Muller. Best wishes to everyone involved in the musical!

This past week Garrigan’s DECA students began their season by taking tests in various business-related fields, and tomorrow they’ll be competing at district DECA in Gilbert. Students who tested this week include Brooke Ludwig, Molly Peterson, Thadd Kollasch, Sam Greteman, Daniel Meis, Reece Kemna, Shiloh Trainer, Aiden Lichter, and Harper Nelson.

Others in DECA are Matt Besch,, and Jaelyn Antoine; as well as Jenna Peterson, Cate Birkey, Noah Schafer, Brooklyn Berte, Gabbie Penton, Alec Deitering, Gage Meyer, Delaney Fessler, Cora Deardeuff, and Kylie Capesius. Rounding out the DECA group are Hailee Reutzel, Ava Snider, Kayden Graves, Amaury Thomas, Aidan Deitering, Henry Bode, Max Buscher, Bryden Morse, Joey Lallier, Gabby Buscher, Lilly Wickman, Carter Cink, Ivorie Jones. Good luck, DECA!

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Nick Thul. Here to tell you about him is Drew Muller.

Nick Thul is a football player who also enjoys golf and trapshooting. He is an honor society member, and he also works with the Bishop Garrigan maintenance crew. Away from Garrigan he is employed by CB Grain Solutions. In the future Nick plans to attend Iowa State University to major in mechanical engineering. Good luck, Nick!

Thanks, Drew! On this week’s Golden Bear calendar, there’s quiz bowl today at Algona High. The girls swim team will also be swimming in the state qualifying meet at Mason City High School.

Tonight at 7:00 will be the final performance of The Drowsy Chaperone. Tomorrow there’s district DECA in Gilbert. Then tomorrow night St. Cecelia’s will host their fall dinner.

Monday practices begin for both girls basketball and boys swimming. Then on Wednesday at 10am the Bears will play Remsen St. Mary’s in the state football semifinals at the UNI-Dome.

State girls swim starts next Friday. Also that day many Garrigan students will be helping out with the Stuff the Trailer food drive at the Chrome Kitchen.

That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. We’ll see you in the Dome next Wednesday and then we’ll be back next Saturday with more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.

GO BEARS!