After a state-championship winning 2023 season, the Bishop Garrigan Golden Bears returned to the UNI-Dome in 2024, although their season was cut short of a state title, losing in the state semifinals in a 22-20 slugfest against eventual eight-player champion Remsen St. Mary’s to end the season 11-1. As the 2025 season begins, the Radio Iowa preseason number one ranked Golden Bears will look to get back on top of the eight-player class.
Golden Bear Head Coach Marty Wadle was pleased with the turnout in the weight room over the offseason.
Bishop Garrigan brings a stable roster into the season, with quarterback Tate Foertsch entering his third season as the starter under center. Foertsch has thrown 37 touchdowns compared to three picks over the past two seasons, helping lead the Golden Bears to a 23-2 record as the starting quarterback.
The running game of Bishop Garrigan has shown the ability to pack a punch, as the Golden Bears rushed for over 268 yards per game last season as a team on 7.1 yards per carry. Although 1200 yard rusher Trayton Cink is now graduated, the Golden Bears have plenty of faces to turn to in the running back room. Senior Ethan Marso scored 17 touchdowns on the ground, going for over 600 yards while primarily serving as the fullback on offense.
Marso was also a first team-all state selection as a linebacker last season making 59.5 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss.
According to Wadle, there are a lot of different options to potentially join Marso in the offensive backfield.
Two of three starters return on the offensive line for the Golden Bears, with center Kayden Graves and all-state guard Carter Schwab. Junior Nate Leerar is slated to replace Keaton Helleseth on the Golden Bear offensive line, with sophomore Karson Kramer providing depth.
Another weapon in the arsenal of the Bishop Garrigan offense that scored over 53 points per game in 2024 is junior wideout Michael Joyce. Joyce caught 18 passes for 268 yards and 6 touchdowns last season.
Plenty of starters return on a defense that allowed under 17 points per game last season and held opponents to less than three yards per rush. Ethan Marso and Madden Miller, two of the top three Golden Bear tacklers last season, return to lead the linebackers. Joyce will once again be a big factor in the secondary after picking off five passes last season. Although the Golden Bears lost their sack leader in Helleseth, who got the the quarterback 14 times last season, Schwab returns as a starter along the defensive line. Wadle feels Bishop Garrigan is strong at all three levels of the defense.
The season gets underway on Friday, August 29th, as Bishop Garrigan hosts Kingsley-Pierson.
