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The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
The Student News Site of Millard West High School

The Catalyst
Freshman Lilian Headley has dealt with other lacrosse teams and coaches; however, Millard West did not fail to stand out. Now her team is fighting for the State Champions. The Cats’ first game was against Omaha Central, which ended with a crushing victory. “I have in past experiences, but with this team we always believe in ourselves and work hard,” Headley said. “Our coaches lead our practices and always strive for us to be better as a team.”

Winning from the beginning

Brooke Samson, Staff Reporter
May 14, 2025
Jumping for joy, junior Leah Pugliese celebrates as the Wildcats defeat the Papillion-La Vista Monarchs in the A-7 district final. The Wildcat’s knew they needed to bring their A game to have success throughout the game. “We were so happy with the performance that we had for the game,” Pugleise said. “We just want to keep our season going so the seniors get more opportunities.”

Prevailing to state

Landen Swift, Staff reporter
May 12, 2025
The Wildcats come into this year’s state tournament on an incredible six game winning streak. “Having won six of the last seven games we’ve played gives us so much momentum and motivation to keep working hard,” senior defender Kennedy Moore said. “We have proved so many people wrong in the last couple of games, so we are ready to make a statement in the state tournament.”

Start of the ride

Jacob Larson, Sports Director
May 12, 2025
Checking out, senior guards Neleigh Gessert and Norah Gessert leaves a legacy on the basketball court not only for Wildcat basketball but for female athletes as she shows playing at the highest level is possible. “It definitely is difficult at times being a female athlete just for the fact that we don’t get as big crowds as men's sports do,” Neleigh Gessert said. “The level of respect that we get compared to men is different too because people look down on women's sports even though we put in as much hard work and effort as men do.”

Leveling the playing field

Landen Swift, Staff reporter
May 9, 2025
Junior Carter Chapp takes a shot on goal from beyond the box. The midfielder is a multiple sport athlete and plays midfield for the wildcats. “When I scored in the game, I was very excited and was happy to get on the scoreboard in the game,” Chapp said. “I like playing in the midfield because it gives me the opportunity to play on the defense and attack and also control the flow on the game with passes and through balls.”

Senior night success

Wyatt Carmichael, Staff reporter
May 9, 2025
Taking a swing, senior infielder Landon Horst puts a charge into a ball against Elkhorn South. The senior credits a large part of his hot hitting and production to playing summer baseball in Atlanta while also keeping a clear head in the box. “When I go up to hit, I try not to think at all,” Horst said. “I feel I am more successful when I have a clear head rather than trying to do something and having that take focus away from the actual pitch coming at me. I’m looking for pitches that I can handle, especially early in counts like anything belt high and middle in."

Crowned in Papillion

Sam Whittaker, Editor-in-Chief
April 30, 2025
Taking a shot behind his back, senior David Finnestad goes airborne to take the lead against Grand Cities. Finnestad’s four-goal, four-assist day propelled the Wildcats to a 14-5 win over the Predators. “It was important to take that lead into half,” Finnestad said. “It gave us the momentum going into the second half that we needed after being on break. Having that coming out of half allowed us to cruise to a win.”

Wildcats surge past Predators

Sam Whittaker, Editor-in-Chief
April 18, 2025
Pitching an outstanding game on the mound, senior Brady Ferguson stares then fires the ball down for a strikeout. The Cats traveled to Kansas to play two out of state teams at the beginning of the season. “Being a pitcher I have to help guide the team and if I’m not doing well then it will affect everyone,” Ferguson said. “All of us seniors try to stay positive and remain calm, hoping it wears off on the others.”

Champions play here

Corgan Perry, Staff Reporter
April 18, 2025
Despite improving to 5-5, coach Jacque Tevis-Butler does feel like the record represents the level of her team. This is because of the fact that the team has faced one of the toughest schedules in the state. “We don’t feel our record, nor many scores of our games, is indicative of the quality of our team,” Tevis said. “We’ve played an extraordinarily tough schedule in a short period of time with very few practices to address some of the weaknesses we’ve seen. Frankly, what we’ve experienced would have ‘ended’ the seasons for most teams, but we view it as our beginning.”

Clawing from behind

Jacob Larson, Sports Director
April 18, 2025
Talking to the players as the new head coach, David McEnaney set’s the vision and standards he is looking for. He has an all in mentality for the new job he is taking on. “Together we H.U.N.T is the big thing I am implementing which makes the players better not only on the field and sets standards for them but also in the classroom,” McEnaney said. “I really want to try to make these young men great people and along the way there may be challenges but that’s part of the process.”

Leading the charge

Landen Swift, Staff reporter
April 4, 2025
Pressure was the privilege

Pressure was the privilege

Corgan Perry, Staff Reporter
March 27, 2025
Leaping above two defenders, senior Luke White fires a shot on goal. White’s multi-goal performance helped lead the way for the Wildcats to overcome an early deficit against the Westside Warriors. “We just weren’t playing our game early on,” White said. “We were playing sloppy and slow and that is what was holding us back. After a couple goals in the second quarter, the ball started rolling and it was wraps from there. This win shows that even after being down a couple goals, we can still come back with ease, as long as we give the effort and put forth the energy needed. This offense is so dangerous, being down couldn’t matter less.”

Wildcat comeback crushes Warriors

Sam Whittaker, Editor-in-Chief
March 21, 2025
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