Iowa high school football 8-player state championship: Alogna Bishop Garrigan wins first title since 1985

The Golden Bears handed Bedford its first loss of the season Thursday morning

CEDAR FALLS – Bishop Garrigan’s senior running back Caden Roethler couldn’t believe it. 

Roethler accepted the Iowa high school 8-player football championship trophy for Bishop Garrigan at the end of Thursday afternoon's 39-30 victory over previously unbeaten Bedford inside the UNI-Dome. This title completed an impressive rise for a program that had endured three consecutive losing seasons.

Roethler, who rushed for 106 yards, was joined by quarterback Tate Foertsch (11 carries, 82 yards) and fullback Ethan Marso (8 carries, 28 yards) as rushers who found the end zone behind a line that blocked for 223 rushing yards and an eight-plus minute advantage in time of possession. The Golden Bears (12-1) had faith this season would be different than the previous three, but Roethler admits Marso was the only one who dared to envision that it would end with a win and trophy.

“It’s a surreal feeling,” Roethler said. “I’ve never had anything like that. I’m just so proud of our boys and what they’ve accomplished this year.

“We have one guy, Ethan Marso, he’s about the only one that knew we were going this far. He knew from day one. We rode his back, and he took us there.”

Members of the Bishop Garrigan football team are pictured after winning the 8-player state title

This title game marked the culmination of breakthrough seasons for each program.

Bedford hadn’t reached the playoffs since 2016. Silas Walston led the Bulldogs (12-1) with 105 yards on 15 carries. Quarterback Conner Nally added 52 rushing yards and two scores and passed for 92 yards and another touchdown.

“They did a great job on the defensive line (in the second half) and stopped our runs and we got down a couple of scores and had to start passing it,” Nally said. “My freshman year we were 1-6 and my senior year we ended 12-1 and state runner-up. It shows how much pride everyone has in our program, and we do in all sports. Everyone is behind us.

“There’s nothing to hang our head on. Last year was the first year since 2016 we made the playoffs. This year everyone got in the weight room and did their thing. That’s the reason we got here.”

Bishop Garrigan’s veteran head coach Marty Wadle credits buy-in from his group of seniors as key to the championship transformation within a program that switched over to 8-player football three years ago. Wadle coached Garrigan’s 1999, 2005 and 2016 teams to the finals, but this championship ended a drought that dated back to the Golden Bears’ 1985 title 38 years ago to the day on Nov. 16. Neither Bishop Garrigan championship team was ranked all season.

“This group of seniors bought in, and they didn’t waiver,” Wadle said. “They kept working hard and pulled everybody else right along with them.

“For all the kids that played in ’99 and ’05 and ’16 that were close and didn’t win a state title, I told these kids this is absolutely for them, too. We were playing for them today.”

Each team’s defense made yardage difficult to find Thursday on the shortened 80-yard, 8-player field.

Bedford’s Walston sprinted through a hole up the middle for a 40-yard touchdown run for the game’s first big play with 6:16 left in the opening quarter. Bishop Garrigan quickly countered when Foertsch connected deep with Justin Bauer along the sideline for a 40-yard touchdown pass.

Each team came up with a pair of fourth-down stops and the scoring didn’t resume until after four minutes of game clock expired in the second quarter.

Foertsch bounced outside for a 24-yard touchdown run to give Bishop Garrigan its first lead. Bedford used a pair of fourth-down conversions to answer 13 seconds prior to halftime but missed the conversion and trailed 16-14 at the break.

Bishop Garrigan sustained drives of 12 and 13 plays, each covering more than 60 yards, in the second half to build a 31-14 lead with 9:08 remaining.

Following a timeout Foertsch located Drew Lappe over the middle in the end zone from 16 yards out on third-and-goal. The Golden Bears added a 2-yard touchdown run by fullback Ethan Marson at the end of another lengthy series of rushes.

Bedford took three drives to move the chains with a first down in the second half. Nally scrambled and broke a pair of tackles on a 22-yard rush to Bishop Garrigan's 11 before connecting with Motsinger in the corner for the end zone, cutting the deficit to 31-22 with 7:08 to play. Bishop Garrigan took advantage of a 15-yard targeting penalty on the ensuing kickoff and drove 31 yards on eight plays to go back up two scores before Bedford tallied the final touchdown with 1:44 remaining.

Foertsch, a sophomore who made steady progress throughout the season, finished 7 of 10 passing for 109 yards to go with his rushing contributions.

“I just got patient,” Foertsch said. “First game I was struggling to be able to play football like I normally can play football. These guys calmed me down, the seniors especially. Those captains, they’re amazing guys. Through practice they really let me control the offense and do what I do.”

Senior running back Caden Roethler (20) accepts the championship trophy following Bishop Garrigan's 39-30 win over Benford. 

Over the final two quarters, the physical rushing attack that has been a signature of Bishop Garrigan football throughout the past four decades allowed the Golden Bears to prevail.

“We like to run the football and we like to run the power game,” Wadle said. “I thought our offensive line once again did a great job with that. Caden ran the ball hard. Ethan ran the ball hard. Tate had a couple of huge runs and a score and we still mixed in the pass.”

Added Foertsch, “That’s Garrigan football and the tradition we’ve built. We run the ball and we’re going to pound it down their throats.”

Scoring Summary

BISHOP GARRIGAN 39, Bedford 30

Bishop Garrigan;8;8;8;15 - 39

Bedford;8;6;0;16 - 30

Bedford – Silas Walston 40 run (Garrison Montsinger run)

BG – Justin Bauer 40 pass from Tate Foertsch (Caden Roethler run)

BG – Tate Foertsch 24 run (Benjy Trainfer pass from Sam Plathe)

Bedford – Conner Nally 1 run (run failed)

BG – Drew Lappe 16 pass from Foertsch (Lappe run)

BG – Ethan Marson 2 run (Drew Lappe kick)

Bedford – Garrison Motsinger 16 pass from Nally (Cal Peterman pass from Nally)

BG – Roethler 5 run (Bauer pass from Foertsch)

Bedford – Nally 1 run (Brody King pass from Nally)