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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
Joseph Ebmeier

Joseph Ebmeier, Staff Reporter

Joe is a senior at Millard West and is back for his third year on the staff of the CATalyst and MWHS Wildcat News. This year he looks forward to covering all the sports throughout Millard West. Outside of journalism, Joe enjoys playing baseball, running cross country, and hanging out with his friends.

All content by Joseph Ebmeier
Senior Sadie Millard celebrates after becoming the state champion of the 400 meter dash. Millard finished with a time of 56.80 seconds, and added to a strong showing from the girls team all around. “I couldnt be more proud of my teammates,” Millard said. “Each one of them came out and gave their all in each of their races. We have gotten super close this season and I will always be super proud no matter how they run or what place they get.”

State season

May 23, 2022

Picture perfect pancakes

May 12, 2022
The Wildcats celebrate a big win earlier in the season against Millard North. This year the Cats finished with a regular season record of 24-5, and they will be a number one seed in their District tournament bracket, however there is always room for improvement. “I think we need to score more runs in the middle innings,” senior Sam Novotny said. “We usually put up runs in the first and last couple innings but I think it would really help if we could put a few more runs on the scoreboard for the middle innings and put more pressure on the other team.”

Postseason bound

May 5, 2022
Freshman Brady Ferguson delivers a pitch in a game earlier this season against Millard North. On Tuesday, Ferguson tossed four innings, only allowing one hit and one earned run en route to the win. “I definitely could have done a better job with holding the runners on,” Ferguson said. “It [the win] gives me more motivation to keep earning starts and keep doing my thing now that Im finally getting settled in.”

The best of the West’s

April 28, 2022
Senior Dylan Driessen steps up to the plate in the first round game against Omaha North. Driessen totaled three hits in three at bats as well as four RBI’s. “We were able to put the ball in play, limiting strikeouts and giving us a good shot to get on base,” Driessen said. “We just need to continue to get better and learn from the few mistakes that we made in the Elkhorn South game.”

Millard West takes on Metro tournament

April 22, 2022
Senior Dylan Driessen delivers a pitch in the game against Millard South. Driessen worked through three innings on the mound, giving up eight earned runs, and striking out seven. Although the Wildcats could not come out with a win they will hope to put this loss behind them as they look to bounce back in the Metro Tournament. “Going into Metros we have to just forget about this game,” Driessen said. “We just need to focus on doing what we can to win games.”

Millard West can’t keep up with Millard South

April 14, 2022
Senior second baseman Drew Borner tosses the ball to the pitchers mound at the end of an inning against the Millard South Patriots. The Patriots won 9-5.

Millard West Baseball

April 13, 2022
Senior Dylan Driessen delivers a pitch to a Skutt hitter in the game against the SkyHawks. Driessen totaled seven strikeouts over five innings of work while allowing only two runs, both of which were scored off wild pitches. “Each run they earned was caused by a wild pitch,” Driessen said. “So what I can take away from this game is to get into the zone sooner and settle in right away.”

Skutt stifles Millard West offense

March 31, 2022
Senior goalkeeper Cody Fuller kicks a ball downfield in a game earlier this season. Millard West is now preparing to take on Gretna and have been working on new formations to take down the Dragons. We really focused on formation tactics and making sure everyone knew their role,” Fuller said. “The game against Gretna will be a good challenge of what we’ve been testing out.”

Wildcats hold Monarchs scoreless

March 28, 2022
Senior Johnson Lu works the ball up the field in a game last year against South Sioux City. This offseason Lu played on a club team to continue to stay sharp and improve his skills. “I play club so I don’t really have an off-season,” Lu said. “We won state in the fall and we’ve been traveling to places like Phoenix, St. Louis, and South Carolina to play better teams and get more exposure.”

New season, same goal

March 16, 2022
Senior Sam Novotny battles against Gretna in the Metro tournament last season. This off season Novotny worked on blocking out the noise and focusing while on the mound. “One of my biggest focuses this off season has been blocking out everything on the mound and really being able to zone in and focus for the whole time I’m on the mound.”

A fresh start

March 9, 2022
Sophomore Noah Blair comes out of the tunnel to compete in the State meet. Blair wrestled through four different matches en route to capturing the 182 pound weight class state title. “Yes, absolutely I was confident,” Blair said. “As a freshman I got third at the state tournament and won districts. Im always excited to compete and its a blessing to have the opportunity to even walk or breathe right.”

Wildcats wrestle in State

March 3, 2022
Sophomore Noah Blair wrestled his way to a second place in his District weight class. Blair also used his District loss as motivation throughout the State tournament. “Honestly, I was a little bit stunned at districts,” Blair said. “The loss stung a little obviously because I always expect to win when I step out on that mat, that was also my first high school loss ever that was by more than two points I believe and it was humbling.”

Wildcats wrestle their way through Districts

February 24, 2022
Junior Elizabeth Hoffman looks to find her open teammate. She helped the Wildcats capture their second straight win by notching eight points, four assists, and three rebounds. The Wildcats will look to continue their strong run tonight against Millard North. “We just need to continue to improve both our defense and offense,” Hoffman said. “Weve been doing a good job of knowing who we need to focus on defensively on other teams, and we also need to continue to figure out what kinds of offense will work against other teams defenses.”

Wildcats face off with Dragons

February 10, 2022
Senior Reese Kolar dribbles the ball up the court and looks for the open man. Although the Wildcats led after the first quarter, the team dropped their third consecutive game and will look to rebound against Westside. “As a team, we need to be physically and mentally prepared to have a solid start against Westside on Friday,” Kolar said. “We need to work together and manage their pressure to give us our best shot at getting the win.”

Titans shooting shines against Wildcats

February 4, 2022
Freshman Norah Gessert shoots a free throw late in the third quarter. Gessert totaled 10 points as well as a rebound and assist. The big win gives them confidence as they get ready for a big rivalry game against Millard South. “The girls know we can compete with anyone in the state,” head coach Marc Kruger said. “We just havent been able to break through and finish off a really good opponent. Hopefully this game can serve as a lesson that we cant take possessions off and need to be ready to play our brand of basketball for all four quarters.”

Wildcats battle the Bulldogs

January 27, 2022
Junior Peyton Moore(12) battles inside the paint as he was the Wildcats leading scorer in the game. Millard West utilized a fast offensive start and a lot of energy to boost them to a win over Roncalli, with a tough game coming up against Bellevue West they will need all the momentum they can get. “We really came out with energy after not playing on Friday,” Moore said. “We are going to try and carry this little bit of momentum we have got right now and have a great week of practice and prepare for Bellevue West.”

Wildcats roll past Roncalli

January 20, 2022
Junior Peyton Moore looks for a path to the basket, he totaled 11 points on two of three shooting from the field, as well as sinking seven free throws. Although the Wildcats offense was able to put up a decent amount of points, a tough third quarter both offensively and defensively hindered the Wildcats chances to come away with a victory. “They came out in the second half with a lot of energy and they used that to their advantage,” Moore said. “We also had some empty offensive possessions in the third and they also took advantage of that.”

Wildcats get caught in the Storm

January 13, 2022

History on the making

December 20, 2021
The Millard West Girls Wrestling team takes on a dual with Marian. With this being the first year of the team they hope to improve and better their skills throughout the season. “My goal for the whole team is to better themselves every day,” senior Macy Klein said. “Wrestling is demanding, physically and mentally, and I believe that it will make all of us exceptionally better people and leaders. It will show, and has shown, that each of us are strong, capable and resilient no matter the circumstances.”

Girls on the mat

December 14, 2021
Senior Reese Kolar dribbles the ball out the court. Kolar totaled 12 points on four for four shooting behind the three point line, however, with many new faces on the Wildcats team the win means more than personal stats. “For almost all of us, this is our first time playing real varsity minutes,” Kolar said. “It was important to get the first-game nerves out of the way. It feels great to be growing closer together as a team and to get a win. Were learning each others skills and its beginning to translate into success.”

Bouncing back

December 10, 2021

Burger Wars

December 2, 2021
The teams wait at the starting line for the gun to be fired. In such a big and competitive meet runners are dealing with a lot of emotions throughout the race. “It was a little nerve racking,” sophomore Jack Witte said. “It was a fun experience and I got to see competition from all over and got to see how I compared to lots of great runners. Overall it was a fun, different, and cool experience.”

Running in Regionals

November 18, 2021
The Millard West Varsity Volleyball team came up just short of capturing the state title. Although they came up just short their season was nothing short of spectacular and many memories were made throughout it. “I am so grateful to have the season we did as a senior, this year by far was my favorite year out of my four years being on varsity,” senior Ella Hazen said. “All 12 of us girls bonded like no other and we always had the best time with each other on and off the court. Sad to say that it is over but I am super proud of each and every girl on the team. We couldn’t have accomplished what we did without every player.”

Coming up just short

November 11, 2021

Wildcats skate past ‘Stangs

November 4, 2021
Senior Chase Hultman rushes the ball late in the game. Hultman had a very solid game, totaling three touchdowns and 196 rushing yards on 25 carries. “I would like to think we have had success running the ball all year,” assistant coach William Sadowski said. “Coach Pete has done a good job calling plays and the offensive line has put forth work.”

Going out on top

October 29, 2021

Wing Wednesday

October 21, 2021
Coach Joe Wessel talks with his team after dropping a competitive third set. The Wildcats controlled much of the early part of the set while Marian seemed to turn it up as the set winded down and pulled away from Millard West, before the fourth set began the Wildcats discussed things that needed to be better. “During the break, we talked about how we need to stick to our game plan better and have our middle blockers get up quicker with their middles and make them hit to left back,” senior Ella Hazen said. “I think we adjusted to those changes and had a lot of energy and success on the court in set four.”

Wildcats rebound against Crusaders

October 6, 2021
Senior Ava Rongisch had a clutch two run single to tie up the game in the third inning. Although the Wildcats ended up losing this game, it taught them plenty of lessons they can use during the last few games of the season. “These last few games we can work on playing through adversity and when things aren’t going well, and how we respond,” Rongisch said. “The game is all about failure, but it’s what you do after that’ll make you better.”

Wildcats can’t keep up with Monarchs

September 30, 2021
The Millard West boys varsity team poses for pictures after bringing home first place in the meet. Each runner competed very well and all seven of them finished inside of the top 35. “We were very very happy with the win,” Fey said. “We beat regionally ranked teams that we had no clue about how good they were until the gun went off. We also know that we’re looking good to win the state championship and maybe finish top two team wise at Nike Cross Regionals to be the first Nebraska team to ever make Nike Cross Nationals.”

Success in the Heartland

September 23, 2021
Head coach Joe Wessel and his team pose for photos after winning his 100th career game. Win number 100 did not come easy as it was against a fierce rival and one of the top teams in the state. “It was a battle from start to finish,” Wessel said. “Our goal was to stay aggressive, follow the game plan and let things fall into place. We have to maintain confidence, grit and our mental game to continue on the path we set forth to accomplish at the beginning of the season.”

Battle of Q Street made 100 times better

September 16, 2021
Seniors Seth Fey and Sam Kirchner finished within two seconds of each other and ran with each other throughout the race. They pushed each other throughout the race and were determined to stay up front. “Sam and I don’t like to lose to other teams,” senior Seth Fey said. “When we are next to each other in a race we stick to one another and try to break away from the other teams.We always help motivate and push each other to achieve limits we couldn’t do before.”

Wildcats race to the finish

September 10, 2021

Taco Tuesday

August 31, 2021

News faces from different places

August 24, 2021

Juniors flock to Creighton

May 21, 2021

GoNuts for DoNuts

May 14, 2021
The Wildcats pose for a picture and celebrate their District Championship after the game. This advances the team to state and they enter in an underdog role but still have an opportunity to take home the title. “At State, anything can happen. Sometimes you go as the underdog and end up winning big,” Aguirre said. “We have to go one step at a time with faith and confidence and try our best, if you do that there will be nothing to regret.”

Wildcats win District soccer

May 7, 2021

Omaha Fries

April 29, 2021
As the Wildcats prepare for their tough close to the regular season there are many things they can work on. The team needs to learn from their mistakes in the seventh innings of this game and use them to improve. “We need to pitch well and play good defense,” Frey said. “Not give up free bases and make them earn their runs. We need to produce runs when we have runners in scoring position.”

Wildcats take a devastating loss

April 23, 2021

Best pizza in Omaha

April 15, 2021
Senior Corbin Hawkins had a big game against Skutt; he went 2-3 on the day with a stolen base and two runs scored. “I’ve just been trying to have competitive at bats,” Hawkins said. “Winning those 1-2, 2-2 and 3-2 counts, to apply pressure on the pitcher and defense.”

Soaring past the SkyHawks

April 2, 2021
Sophomore Piercze Marshall (lane one) awaits his leg of the 4x400 relay. There was fierce competition in this event and it took a lot of preparation. “I put in countless hours over the winter training for track, and during the spring, Ive been training even harder,” Marshall said. “Having goals and benchmarks set for each week leading up to this meet allowed me to place as well as I did.”

Off to a fast start

March 26, 2021
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most sports were forced to play games with empty stadiums to keep all players, coaches and staff safe. The atmosphere from the time we came out of the tunnel was unlike anything any of us have felt, said New England Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty. “You cant really envision what an NFL game is like without fans. This felt more like a high school scrimmage.”

A year to remember

March 19, 2021

Double-Masking PSA

March 10, 2021
The team played one of the best teams in the state, Lincoln Southwest, and they provided lots of problems for the Wildcats. When the Wildcats were able to play in the half court they were successful but the Silver Hawks pressure got to Millard West. “We were able to keep the tempo slow and play five on five in the half court where we have a chance,” Kruger said “But when they stepped up the pressure that led to too many easy scoring opportunities.”

Wildcats struggle against Silver Hawks

March 4, 2021

Wildcats fall to the Tigers

March 1, 2021
Noah Blair for Millard West wrestled hard against his opponent Angel Mejia from Fremont. Blair was able to pin Mejia for the win, adding to the Wildcats success throughout the dual. “Overall I think our team performed great, we won our last dual of the year and I cant wait to see what districts hold for us this weekend followed by the state next week. Of course we were happy in the moment with our win, but we came back with that winners mentality the next day, there’s always room for improvement and we all know it.”

Wildcats take down the Tigers

February 19, 2021
Sophomore Libby Hoffman dribbles past a Lincoln east defender. Hoffman had six points, as well as one assist throughout the game. “Ive been successful scoring the ball this season because my teammates are always able to find me when Im open, which allows me to get more shots up to score,” Hoffman said. “Ive also spent a lot of time outside of practice trying to perfect my shot to make it more accurate.”

Spartans defeat the Wildcats

February 5, 2021
Alabama is pictured celebrating after a perfect season capped off with a National Championship victory. “I’m so happy for the team,” Saban said. “Their will, their spirit and their willingness to compete and do the things they needed to do to be the kind of team they could be.”

Alabama does it again

January 29, 2021
Nosal (left) is pictured wrestling his round two opponent Blake Baker (right). “Overall the team did alright,” Nosal said. “We had some issues, one of our studs missed weight, and some of the younger kids gave up pins they can’t. Other than that, we did pretty well.”

Wildcats wrestle in home invitational

January 15, 2021
Kirk gets set for his next turn to bowl. He competed in game one and scored a 149, as well as helping the team to a combined score of 172 in the Baker game. In the Baker game the team was able to work well together giving them the final points they needed to secure the victory. “Our teams work really well together,” Smith said. “They cheer each other on when theyre bowling well, and they encourage each other if someone is struggling. Their attitudes are a big factor of their success.”

Dominating down the lane

December 17, 2020

Hockey celebrates Senior Night with a win

December 11, 2020

Battle of Q Street takes to the ice

December 2, 2020
The 2020 MLB MVP awards went to José Abreu(left) and Freddie Freeman(right). Both guys had incredible seasons and put up incredible numbers. They were well deserving of the award and their names will be cemented in history as the Most Valuable Player.

Elites of the year

November 19, 2020
The Millard West Unified Bowling team had a great start to the season last Saturday. They were able to wrap up a third and fifth place finish. They have big aspirations for the season and believe they can achieve a lot.

Wildcats roll into first invite

November 12, 2020
When Novotny committed to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to play college baseball, he knew it would be one of the biggest decisions of his life. He wanted to go to a college where he would be able to grow as a baseball player as well as a student as well. “Picking my college was definitely a big decision,” pitcher Sam Novotny said. “I think that I like Nebraska so much because I like the big campus. I also like their business building and program.”

Not far from home

November 6, 2020

A Rival of a Lifetime: Nebraska Huskers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

October 26, 2020
This year the Lincoln skies will not be filled with balloons after Nebraska scores its first touchdown of each home game. There will only be family members of the players allowed to attend the game but fans will still be supporting the Cornhuskers in any way they can.

Nebraska football takes the field

October 23, 2020
Senior Dekyan Behrens works up a hilly portion of the course enroute to a second place finish. He was proud of the way he competed and the race he had. “It was also a great day personally, finishing second place was amazing although it wasnt a P.R. (personal record) it was an overall great experience and a great memory made with the XC (cross country) team,” Behrens said.

Tournament Season begins

October 19, 2020

ACT taken during senior year

October 9, 2020
Evans drives the ball onto the fairway. Although it wasn’t her best round she believes she will be able to perform better. “I think to improve overall I will have to make sure I can strike my clubs pure a majority of the time,” Evans said. “I cant be making silly mistakes that cost me too many strokes.”

Girls Golf begins Tournament season

October 8, 2020
The Millard West boys varsity team starts the race out strong. The Wildcats’ were able to start this race strong which allowed them to stay up front the entire race. “The start is one of the most crucial parts of the race, and could be argued the most important part,” Marshall said. “A good start is needed in order to get a good placement because being out in the front of the pack allows for better pacing, and it is easier to pass people ahead of you when you arent in a large group.”

The strong run continues

September 21, 2020
The time has come and gone for Rob Manfred to be the MLB commissioner. For the good of the game, the teams need to get together and vote this man out of the league before he ruins the sport forever.

Manfraud

September 10, 2020
Junior Sam Kirchner(left) and sophomore Joey Hartnett(right) are coming up the final stretch of the course. They ran with each other throughout the race, pushing each other to go faster and stay up front. “I think we had a nice pack,” Kirchner said. “Our top 5 were within 7.99 seconds of each other, and our goal was 15 seconds. I am very happy with that.”

Covid conference meet

September 4, 2020
On Tuesday August 11, Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports broke the news that the Big 10 was to cancel the fall sports season and they would attempt to play the season in the spring.

Trouble without Big 10

August 28, 2020
The Wildcats hype up their teammates before they take the court. Conway (42) ran through his teammates tunnel onto the court before the game. The Wildcats have great team chemistry and work well as a group and that leads to a successful turnout on the court.

Wildcats pounce on Panthers

December 19, 2019
Bowen is pictured getting ready for her next turn to bowl in a meet. The team is behind her, cheering her on and hoping she does well.

Wildcats strike again

December 13, 2019

Racing to the finish line

December 6, 2019
Nebraska is pictured running out after the tunnel walk. Scott Frost leads them onto the field to take on their next opponent. The team hasn’t been playing the greatest but the tunnel walk always gets everyone pumped up.

A Frost-y topic

November 26, 2019

Semi-Final Football Playoff Preview

November 14, 2019

State Football Playoffs: Round 2 Preview

November 7, 2019
The Washington Nationals are pictured dog-pilling on the mound after winning their first World Series championship in team history. From now on, they will be called the best team of the 2019 MLB season.

Fall Classic

November 1, 2019
The varsity boys team gets a great start and runs together as a pack. “The team goal was definitely to get first overall,” Kirchner said. “We also all wanted to PR (personal record).” The Wildcats needed to get a great start to succeed in the meet. They also know the importance of running in a pack, because this allows them to push each other to run faster.

Wildcats Win

October 11, 2019
Netflix has chosen to cancel over ten of it’s most popular shows and this has fans cancelling subscriptions.

Cancelled

October 3, 2019
These are the looks of the Iphone 11(top) and the 11 Pro(bottom). It’s easy to see why I’m hating the camera design, right?

Time to upgrade?

September 25, 2019
Overflowing trash cans is one of many problems that the current companies neglect to change. With the FCC’s new plan hopefully overflowing cans along with all the other issues will go away.

Trash talk

September 16, 2019

Wing Stop Review

September 6, 2019
Sophomore Evan Vaslow flies by as he works through the race. Vaslow is pictured here about half way through the race, right at about the five mile mark. “The race was a challenge,” Vaslow said. “But I was able to push through it and take it down.”

Summer runner

September 5, 2019

Flying High

August 26, 2019
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