The Bear Facts
November 16, 2024

Good morning! I’m Thadd Kollasch!

I’m Molly Peterson!

And I’m Trayton Cink! Welcome to another episode of the “Bear Facts”, the radio show where each week we keep you up to date on all the news from Bishop Garrigan High School.

Last Wednesday the Golden Bear football team played Remsen St. Mary’s in the state semifinals at the UNI-Dome. The two teams could not have been more closely matched. In the game stats St. Mary’s and Garrigan had almost identical stats. The Bears took the lead in the fourth quarter, but St. Mary’s answered back and left Garrigan with just half a minute. The difference in the game came down to a single two-point conversion, and unfortunately the Bears came up short 22 – 20.

In the game Tate Foertsch ran for two touchdowns, while Ethan Marso ran for one and also caught a conversion pass. Foertsch, Marso, and Trayton Cink each rushed for more than forty yads. Owen Murphy caught four passes for 76 yards; and Michael Joyce, Wyatt Rosenmeyer, and Nick Leerar also had pass receptions. On defense Andrew Lichter and Carter Schwab had five tackles each, Keaton Helleseth added another sack. Other solo tackles came from Ethan Marso, Michael Joyce, Tate Foertsch, Trayton Cink, and Madden Miller; and Thadd Kollasch, Nick Leerar, Isacc DeLange, and Carter McGregor all got defensive assists.

While nobody is happy that the season is over, the Bears can look back on an outstanding year, and the seniors can reflect on a great football career. This year’s seniors were freshmen when Garrigan made the switch to 8-man football. The Bears got just three wins in both 2021 and 2022. They turned things around in 2023, though, when they won the state championship. They extended their winning streak to 23 games, continuing into 2024—winning the district and advancing in playoffs all the way to the state semifinals. Congratulations to our seniors for turning the football program around.

Last Sunday Garrigan’s DECA students went down to Gilbert for the regional competition. Thadd Kollasch and Sam Greteman took first place in the Sports and Entertainment Marketing division, and Brooke Ludwig was first in Hotel and Lodging Management. Reece Kemna finished third in Human Resource Management. Eleven Golden Bears earned honorable mentions at district DECA: Jaelyn Antoine, Shiloh Trainer, Harper Nelson, Gabe Swift, Kayden Graves, Matt Besch, Amaury Thomas, Jenna Peterson, Brooklyn Berte, Carter Cink, and Dan Meis. Congratulations, DECA!

There was more good news last weekend for Garrigan senior Brooke Ludwig. Brooke is part of the Algona High swim team, and at the regional meet last Saturday she broke three different school records. She swam the 100-meter backstroke in just 1 minute, 7.08 seconds, and she was also part of teams that broke records in the 200-meter medley and 200-meter freestyle relay. Congratulations, Brooke!

The girls swim season is over, but practices have just begun for boys swimming. This year Garrigan is sponsoring our own Golden Bear swim team, though a few Algona High boys will also be part of the team. Swimming for the Bears are sophomores Matt Besch, Aidan Deitering, Sawyer Herrick, Dalton Klenz, Aiden Lichter, and Leo Snyder; and also freshman Alec Deitering. The first meet will be December 3rd in Spencer. Good luck, boys swimming!

Garrigan sophomore Rosanne Curtis—Ricke is part of the Golden Bear danz squad, and she’s also studied dance on her own since she was very young. Her efforts paid off when she recently competed at the Surge Tapfest in Orlando and won a full scholarship to next year’s tap-dancing festival, which will be in Savannah, Georgia. Congratulations, Rose!This morning Bishop Garrigan is hosting the annual Top of Iowa Conference Quiz Bowl Tournament, and teams will be coming from as far away as Nashua—Plainfield. Garrigan has three teams entered in today’s competition. Competing for the Bears are Sam Greteman, Thadd Kollasch, Amaury Thomas, and Tate Foertsch; Brooke Ludwig, Scott Bormann, Hannah Merron, and Aubrey Meyer; and Eva Kohlhaas, Marshall Bormann, Weston Ehlers, and Bryden Morse. Good luck to Coach David Burrow and the quiz bowl team!

Our Senior Spotlight this week shines on Sam Greteman. Here to tell you about them is Drew Muller.

At halftime of the state football game last Wednesday Sam Greteman won a T-shirt for kicking a field goal. While the sport Sam is best at is golf, you can find him in the crowd at every other Golden Bear sport. Sam is one of Garrigan’s top quiz bowl players, and he’s also won awards in DECA. He challenges himself with lots of college-credit courses, and when he’s away from Garrigan you’ll probably find him cheering on the Iowa State Cyclones. We know Sam will have a great senior year, and we wish him all the best in the future.

Thanks, Drew. On our Golden Bear calendar, there’s quiz bowl today—with Garrigan hosting the Top of Iowa Conference tournament. There’s also a junior high honor band at Clear Lake.

Boys basketball and wrestling practices start on Monday. Then Tuesday morning we’ll have a special assembly to learn about the problems with vaping.

There’s a school board meeting next Thursday. Finally Thursday and Friday Addison Kuper, Aubrey Meyer, and Reece Kemna will be at the UNI-Dome, where they’ll be part of the All-Iowa honor cheer squad.

That’s the “Bear Facts” for this week. Thanks for joining us, and be sure to listen again next week for more news from Bishop Garrigan High School.