May 23, 2015

Good morning! I’m Maddie Sullivan!

I’m Joseph Espinosa!

And I’m Danielle Plathe! Thanks for joining us for the “Bear Facts”, where this week we’re wrapping up the school year here at Bishop Garrigan High School.

The state track and field championships are happening in Des Moines this weekend, and we’re proud to say Garrigan has twenty events competing at state. On the girls side freshman Caitlin Thilges qualified in both the shot put and the discus, while junior Johanna Vaske was a state qualifier in the long jump. Alisa Altman was state-bound in the 200-meter dash, while Emily Riesenberg qualified in both the 1500 and 3000-meter runs.

The Golden Bear girls also qualified three relays for state. The shuttle hurdle relay includes Avriel Miller, Livia Miller, Olivia Hall, and Johanna Vaske; the 4 by 200 features Taylor Frideres, Johanna Vaske, Livia Miller, and Alisa Altman; and the state qualifiers in the distance medley are Taylor Frideres, Gracie Behr, Kaitlyn Fogarty, and Emily Riesenberg. Cassidy Vitzthum, Morgan Frideres, Olviia Vakse, Emory Miller, Isabelle Davis, and Sam Bormann are alternates at state.

On the boys’ side eleven events qualified for state. Tony Kollasch is a state qualifier in both the 800 and 1600-meter runs, while Gibson Behr qualified in the 200-meter dash. Tyler Schnurr ran at state in the 400-meter hurdles, Cameron Langerman threw the shot put, and Zac Kibby qualified for state in the long jump. 

Five boys relays qualified for state. Among them were the 4 by 200 with Ben Vaske, Tyler Schnurr, Patrick Marlow, and Gibson Behr; the 4 by 400 with Patrick Marlow, Tyler Schnurr, Zach Kollasch, and Will Kellner; and the 4 by 800 with Patrick Marlow, Will Kellner, Tony Kollasch, and Zach Kollasch. Rounding out the state qualifiers were the distance medley relay with Ben Vaske, Zac Kibby, Patrick Marlow, Zach Kollasch and the shuttle hurdle relay featuring Logan Rosenmeyer, Devin Degen, Zac Kibby, and Tyler Schnurr. Congratulations to Coaches Marty Wadle and Greg Ahlers and all the state track qualifiers!

Next Wednesday nine Garrigan students will be headed for the Washington, D.C. area as they compete in the 2015 National Academic Championships. The Bears are traveling to Alexandria, Virginia, and they’ll face teams from as far away as New York City and Washington state. The team includes national veterans Hannah Bernhard, Zach Kollasch, Tony Kollasch, and Taylor Illg; plus Mark Fakler, Dorothy Kirsch, Joseph Espinosa, Noah Buscher, and Ben Degen. David Burrow is the BGHS quiz bowl coach.

The team will play six preliminary games next Friday and Saturday, and they’re hoping to make their second straight playoff appearance next Sunday. In addition they’ll see many of the sights of the Washington area. Highlights of this year’s trip include a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and a trip to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The team leaves Wednesday morning at 7am, and they’ll return Tuesday evening, June 2nd.

Summer sports are here. The Golden Bear baseball team begins their season on Memorial Day, with a home game against Estherville. After having no seniors a year ago, this year the team has four talented senior veterans: Reece Wadle, Tyler Schnurr, Andrew Miller, and Ben Vaske. Juniors in baseball include Zach Boelter, Alex McGuire, Zac Kibby, Devin Degen, James Quinlin, Michael Condoleon, Will Kellner, and Logan Besch.

Sophomores Andrew Meister, Joel Vaske, Chase Hatten, and Grant Buscherfeld are also out for baseball; as are freshmen Drew Bacha, Drake Buscherfeld, Tommy Kolalsch, Jackson Rosenmeyer, Sam Trainer, and John Zeimet. Rounding out the team are eighth graders Gabe Trainer, T.J. Schnurr, Brad Capesius, Sam Vaske, Alec Studer, Luke Bormann, Billy Erpelding, John Meis, and Tristan Ferguson.

The softball team begins their season with a game at Pocahontas on Tuesday. Betty Straub and Kaitlyn Fogarty are the returning seniors on this year’s softball team. The juniors on the squad are Johanna Vaske, Nicole Zeimet, Kelsey Hovey, and Avriel Miller. Also out for softball are sophomores Gracie Behr, Sam Bormann, Megan Brown, and Courtney Kirsch; plus freshmen Alisa Altman, Jenna Boelter, Gigi Byrkeland, Whitney Hovey, Gracie McGuire, Emory Miller, Livia Miller, and Caitlin Thilges. Rounding out the team is eighth grader Carolyn Bradley.

A highlight for summer sports will be the CYO tournament June 6 and 7, the Newman softball tournament on June 20, and the baseball team’s trip to Principal Park in Des Moines June 16, when they’ll take on Central Springs. Good luck to Coaches Rob, Gene, and Wendi Meister and everyone on the baseball and softball teams!

We’ll wrap up our school year with a quick look at the calendar for summer. State track wraps up in Des Moines today. Tomorrow is Pentecost Sunday, and Monday is Memorial Day. 

The band will play in the Algona Memorial Day festivities that day, and Monday night the baseball team hosts Estherville.

Softball season starts on Tuesday with a game at Pocahontas, and Wednesday morning the quiz bowl team leaves for Washington, D.C. The boys state golf tournament will be in Marshalltown next Friday and Saturday.

In mid-June a group of Spanish students will be heading for Spain. We’ll also have the official opening of the new gym and office space at the south end of our Garrigan building.

School will start slightly later next fall. The first day for Garrigan and Seton will be Wednesday, August 25. Even before school starts we’ll have our first cross-country meet of the season, and the first football game will be Friday, August 28—when the Bears host St. Edmond.

That wraps up our twenty-third season of the “Bear Facts”. We want to thank KLGA for carrying our program all those years and also all the sponsors who keep us on the air. Thanks to our faculty producer, David Burrow, and to all the students who have served as reporters.

Thanks also to you for tuning in. We hope to be back in the fall with more news from Bishop Garrigan High School. Until then … Have a great summer!