Iowa High School Playoffs: Bishop Garrigan Rolls Into Finals

Woodbine will meet Bishop Garrigan in eight-player championship

Bishop Garrigan's Ethan Marso ran for over 100 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Golden Bears to a semifinal round victory in the eight-player Iowa high school football playoffs. / Iowa High School Athletic Association

Tate Foertsch accounted for six total touchdowns, leading Bishop Garrigan into the Iowa high school football eight-player championship for the second time in three seasons on Wednesday inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

With a commanding 60-36 victory over Audubon, the Golden Bears advance to play for a second state title under head coach Marty Wadle next week. They will face either Gladbrook-Reinbeck, the 2024 runner-up, or Woodbine.

Foertsch, a senior who has started each of the past three seasons at quarterback with a record of 35-2, completed 4 of 5 for 80 yards with three of those completions going for touchdowns. He connected with Michael Joyce from 38 yards out, Weston Meyer and Madden Miller.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” Foertsch said in an interview with High School on SI. “We are going to get healthy and work hard this week, but we know that winning in the semis is not the end goal. A win next Thursday is the goal that we have been working for, and we won’t take no for an answer.”

Six Turnovers Help Bishop Garrigan Run Past Audubon

Ethan Marso ran for 112 yards with two touchdowns, as Bishop Garrigan forced six turnovers, including the first interception of the season for Audubon sophomore Aiden Kjergaard.

Kjergaard, who directed an offense that averaged 68 points per game entering, ran in three touchdowns and finished with 151 yards on the ground. Carson Wessel added a rushing touchdown.

Foertsch picked off Kjergaard and Miller added an interception off Wessel. Marso had nine tackles and CJ McGregor 6.5.

Marso got the Golden Bears on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run after a fumble recovery, but Kjergaard answered, leading a 10-play, 60-yard scoring drive. The Wheelers took the lead, 8-6, and would again answer a Marso TD run with another Kjergaard score, this time from 44 yards out to tie it at 14-all.

Tate Foertsch: 'No One Wants To Get Hit By Our Guys Play After Play'

It was all Bishop Garrigan from that point, as Foertsch had a rushing touchdown and a passing TD to make it 30-14 at the half. Joyce caught his touchdown from Foertsch after the break off another turnover, as Audubon’s Jorgen Nowatzke returned the ensuing kickoff back to cut the deficit to 18.

Foertsch had two more short rushing scores, capping 10- and nine-play drives that took up over 10 minutes of the second half. 

“Our linemen up front are the center of wearing teams down,” Foertsch said. “No one wants to get hit by our guys play after play, and when it comes down to it, we win a lot of games in the fourth quarter because of that.”

Coming into the semifinals, Audubon was allowing just 11.5 points per game, as the most they had given up this year was 30 to Coon Rapids-Bayard in early October.

After winning the 2023 state championship, Bishop Garrigan returned to the semifinals last year. They lost a heartbreaker on a tipped pass in the end zone to eventual champion Remsen St. Mary’s. 

“We have been so locked in,” Foertsch said. “We knew it isn’t going to be easy, especially after the loss last year (in the semis to Remsen St. Mary’s). We just used the loss to drive us in the summer and all that work is hopefully going to pay off.”

Woodbine Knocks Off Gladbrook-Reinbeck, 38-30

Woodbine punched its ticket to the Iowa high school football eight-player finals with a win over Gladbrook-Reinbeck. / IHSAA

Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations, and that was the case for Woodbine on Wednesday.

Tied at 30 with Gladbrook-Reinbeck in the Iowa high school football eight-player state semifinals, Brody Pryor found four-star wide receiver prospect Landon Blum for the game-winning touchdown.

Pryor would run in the two-point conversion, leading the Tigers to the finals, 38-30. Woodbine will take on Bishop Garrigan next week inside the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.

The touchdown came after Treyvon Herron had recorded a 32-yard interception return to tie the game at 30-30 moments into the start of the fourth quarter. Pryor rebounded from the pick, directing a 16-play, 65-yard drive that took up over eight minutes of the clock, resulting in the TD strike to Blum.

Blum, held without a catch in the first half, had five over the final 24 minutes for 82 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He did end a deep drive by Gladbrook-Reinbeck in the final seconds of the second quarter with an interception at the end zone.

Pryor completed 13 of 21 for 231 and four passing scores, adding 31 yards rushing. Micah Moores had two receiving TDs and a rushing score, going for 102 yards on the ground and 77 in the air on four receptions. 

Herron caught two first half touchdown passes, finishing with 84 yards rushing and 46 yards receiving on four catches. Hudson Clark had five receptions for 63 and a score, as Trevor Mathern finished 9 of 18 for 109 yards and had 69 yards on the ground.

Woodbine is in the state finals for the first time since 1997 while Gladbrook-Reinbeck was looking to return to the championship round after falling to Remsen St. Mary’s last year for the title.

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