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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
Garrett Wilcoxen

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter

Garrett is a senior and this is his third year on the Millard West Journalism staff. He enjoys writing sports stories and covering events happening around the school. His favorite things to do outside of school are playing basketball, golfing and spending time with his friends and family.

All content by Garrett Wilcoxen
This could have been the last game of the season, so the Wildcats made sure to step up their level of play. They made a goal, and delivered on that quickly. “Our main goal was to play team ball and work together, which we did very well in this game,” senior Asher Thomas said. “I think we came out with a win because we had a good game plan and worked together.”

West takes quarters

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
May 23, 2022
Millard West had a great showing this weekend. Although they came out fast and shut out both teams, they always have ways to improve. “Our team overall can work on feeding off each other’s energy and keep the offense going when there are runners on base,” senior Andrew Tauber said. “I think we all expected to play the way we did Saturday. We all came ready to play and ready to win.”

West sweeps in Districts

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
May 11, 2022
Millar West had a hard fought game, although there's room for improvement. They will look over these details and adjust for next week. “Well it was a very tough game, and Lincoln was a well disciplined team,” junior Josh Mclure said. “I think the best take away would be that we need to be more prepared for games and practices.”

Lincoln comes out on top

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
May 9, 2022
Millard West has had a great season thus far, and learned a lot better as a team. Although they have had a steady level of play, there are always things to improve. “One thing the team needs to work on is reading the game better and anticipating where the ball is going,” senior Johnson Lu said. “A lot of the time we’re too slow to react when we know a pass is coming.”

The battle

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
May 3, 2022
The Wildcats had a close win against Westside. Although they came out on top this week, they are now in focus to take on the next team. “We're doing everything we can to keep the energy up,” freshman Jack Fedde said. “Our main focus is to win at home on Friday against Creighton Prep.”

Wildcats outplay the Warriors

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
April 25, 2022
Although the Wildcats played hard all weekend, they still have some things to work on. They look to fix these and get them figured out by the following game against Cobra. “We need to work on our clears and not losing the ball,” Christensen said. “A way we can do this is by getting more open and being better outlets.”

West travels to Des Moines

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
April 21, 2022
The Wildcats stepped up their offensive game and were able to take a big lead on Grand CIties. Although the defense let up some shots, in the end they stepped up to bring home a win. “We played a lot better in this game, compared to games earlier in the season,” senior Nathan Kozisek said. “Although it wasn’t a perfect game and we need to work on some things, I feel I played a lot better team defense.”

West faces off against Grand Cities

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
April 15, 2022
Coming out of the game, the team's main goal was to stay strong throughout all four quarters. If they played at the same level of intensity throughout the whole game, they could be unstoppable. “I think one thing we need to work on moving forward is having more composure in the games,” Straley said. “We need to really work hard for all four quarters of the game and not just a couple of them.”

A shot at redemption

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
April 1, 2022
Millard West lacrosse has been working on some key skills to try and put into their games. Aside from all the plays and formations they also continue to work on basics. “We have been working on those essential fundamentals during practice and slowly transitioning them into the games,” sophomore Drew Holdsworth said. “I believe I did well on my face-offs and did my part in getting the ball to my shorty or LSM."

Wildcats start out on top

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
March 17, 2022
Millard West had a tough game the previous day. They were less concise and not as swift with their dodges. “We were able to talk before the game on the stuff that needed to be worked on from Saturday's play,” senior Nathan Kozisek said. “After that we were able to pick up pace and play much better.”

LAX travels to KC

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
March 10, 2022
Although the outcome wasn’t what the Wildcats hoped, they still fought all game and tried their hardest. They had some issues to work out, but the team mostly did all the right things. “The team did an excellent job looking for the weak guy,” sophomore Bryce Kriha said. “This would allow us to break out the puck, and cause a turnover. We also had great communication and stayed hyped up all game.”

Exhilarating ending

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
March 3, 2022
The first half of the game was slower paced for the Wildcats. Many of the players recognized this and immediately changed their game play. “At halftime we talked about trying to apply more pressure,” coach Marc Kruger said. “We tried to speed up the pace of the game and we needed to do a better job of rebounding the ball on both ends.”

West keeps winning

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
February 23, 2022
Throughout the game the Wildcats tried to keep a positive mind. Although they were down, many players tried to build up their teammates and create opportunities. “I was keeping them positive and tried to get the scoring going early for us,” junior Peyton Moore said. “We needed to work on how we were defending some of their good players.”

Wildcats battle Gretna

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
February 23, 2022
The Wildcats had a fast start to the game. They came out with confidence and ready to play. “Going into this game we were all ready to play,” junior Grace Kelley said. “Since this game had previously been postponed and rescheduled, we had a lot of time to prepare for this team. We felt confident in our scout and game plan.”

Wildcats fall short

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
February 3, 2022
The Wildcats had a rough start at the beginning of the game. Although they struggled early on, they were able to still battle it out for the win. “At the start of the game we definitely could have limited the amount of threes and open looks they got and made,” senior Cole Kirschner said. “We did a good job making free throws but that's about it. I personally think it was an ugly game for all of us but we still came out on top.”

West has a comeback

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
January 27, 2022
The Wildcats had a big win for the night, but they have many tougher ones coming up. In order to stay ahead in their season, they will need to continue the high pressure style of game, and keep forcing turnovers. “We have many tough games coming up,” junior Grace Kelley said. “We need to make sure that we keep the pressure up on defense to get the steals and turnovers that we caused against Grand Island.”

Wildcats control the Islanders

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
January 20, 2022
Millard West put in hard work throughout the whole game but after halftime they excelled. They were quick, motivated, and came out ready to play. “The third and fourth quarters we used our coaches' motivation to help us take chances on defense and go to the rim with confidence to help put us ahead,” sophomore Max Froloff said. “The best thing we did well in the game was realizing the opportunity we were missing out on by not playing hard and fixing that in the second half.”

West on point

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
January 13, 2022

LAX to the max

Reece Straley and Garrett Wilcoxen
December 17, 2021
Millard West got to take a midseason break with the Ram Relays. Although these races were not counted, the team still looks at things to improve. “This meet was much different than the others because it was more for fun,” senior Miguel Paredes Reyes said. “It was a time to let loose and bond more as a team early in the season. Even though it wasn't a big meet the guys still competed and put in the effort.”

A nice break

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 14, 2021
This is a survey I took that shows students are constantly off task in CCR. This shows 7% of students in the sample actually find it useful.

No more CCR

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 14, 2021
Both Varsity bowling teams had a tough fought day at Western Bowl. They both went home 1-1, and are ready to pick back up next week. “For our first duel we did really well, considering we bowled a couple tough teams,” coach Megan Smith said. “Through this, we were able to keep our spirits up, and I’m looking forward to a great season.”

Rolling to a win

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 9, 2021
Millard West pushed themselves all season to make it to the championship. Although they took a hit once they got there, the team is happy with their performance. “It was so cool to be only the second ever Millard West volleyball team to make it in the state finals,'' senior Eluria Ahl said. “We are so proud of everything we accomplished this season.”

A long fought battle

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
November 17, 2021
College football playoffs could be a whole new experience with an expansion. It would bring upon more intensity and give teams who deserve it a chance at the title.

NCAA playoffs need a change

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
November 11, 2021

Cookies for a cause

Braden Stueve and Garrett Wilcoxen
November 3, 2021
On top of trying to run their best, the team tries to build each other up during the meets. Their main goal is to finish first, but they also have a goal to support their teammates. “The team chemistry we had with each other was unmatched to any of the other seasons,” Marshall said. “We always had each other's backs and built each other up for each race no matter the circumstances. We worked with each other to better ourselves and improve during each practice and race.”

Wildcats take on State

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 27, 2021
Although Millard West lost, they still have been putting in work for tonight's game. They have watched film and corrected some errors from last week in preparation for today. “This is the final game of the season, and I know the players want to send the seniors out on a win,” coach Seth White said. “They will need to match their execution with the great effort they will bring to the game this week.”

Wildcats lose a close game

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 22, 2021
Although the Wildcats were down by 31, they still played with speed and kept pushing. They were able to stop the pass game near the end of the third quarter and kept it that way. “The game was out of reach by the start of the 4th quarter, but you have to take advantage of the game reps and try to get better and continue to compete,” coach Seth White said. “I think our players kept competing in the 2nd half and played much better.”

Wildcats take another hit

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 6, 2021
The game was long fought and the pace was changed many times throughout. Although Millard West took a loss, they don’t look back and keep their heads up for next week. “I like to think our team takes on the personality of our head coach,'' assistant coach William Sadowski said. “I don't think we ever feel out of a game. We don't hang our heads, and we keep grinding away.”

Wildcats come up short

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 30, 2021
The Wildcats were able to secure a big win early on in the season. Even though they won, the players and coaches appreciate Kearney and their program. “Our program has a great deal of respect for Kearney,'' coach Seth White said. “Their teams always have speed and they always play hard. From a defensive perspective, they do multiple motions and shifts so it requires being prepared for a variety of different things.”

Wildcats prevail against the Bearcats

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 23, 2021
The Wildcats were able to maintain a close game before halftime. Their goal coming out of the locker rooms was to start fast and stop the patriots opportunities. “I thought we tried to make a few adjustments at half, but obviously it did not work,” assistant coach William Sadowski said. “Every week we try to get better. Every day we try to get better. That is the goal.”

Wildcats fall to the Patriots

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 15, 2021
Millard West fought hard to keep their lead throughout the match. Although this got more tough as the game went on, they still managed to smoke Omaha Northwest in the third set. “Into the last set of the game my mentality was just not to make any mistakes and play as a team,” sophomore Lauren Jones said. “I think that our biggest challenge moving forward will be playing more of the highly competitive teams. We haven’t had too much competition starting this season off, but I know once we start playing competitive teams we will have to dial in and play our game and not make silly mistakes.”

Wildcats are victorious

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 10, 2021
“As a coach you are doing the best to prepare your team but specific schemes you may be wrong on,” coach William Sadowksi said. “We typically break down our opponents' last few games, but as the season starts we are guessing what we are expecting to see.”

Wildcats battle the Storm

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 2, 2021

Near return to normalcy

Morgan Weir, Garrett Wilcoxen, Makayla Taylor, and Quinn Burton
August 25, 2021
Baseball is losing its interest by many fans. Letting trained professionals help players safely boost their energy would greatly impact the game.

Baseball needs a change

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
May 19, 2021
Students will benefit in many ways from getting involved outside of school. Their social network, along with their overall mental health, will be at great impact from this change.

Extracurriculars are a necessity

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
May 12, 2021
Senior Blake Skoumal, and Junior Adam Hahn were both fortunate enough to place high in the meet. Skoumal secured fourth place with a score of 71, and Hahn was not far behind in tenth, with a score of 75. “Overall I left about four shots out there,” senior Blake Skoumal said. “It makes me look forward to the postseason.”

Wildcats battle 13

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
May 7, 2021
The team knew previously they played generally worse on this course than most. The fact they placed fourth at this rough course was a great milestone for the team. “Going into the tournament, the team knew that this has historically been one of our worst tournaments, and in years past we have not performed to our best abilities,” senior Blake Skoumal said. “I was insanely proud of the work the team and I put in, and how it showed here.”

Wildcats take fourth

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
May 3, 2021
Concealed carriers have prevented many deaths throughout the nation. Giving them a bigger radius, would affect the populations safety greatly.

Expanding concealed carries

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
April 22, 2021
High school baseball could be a whole new experience for players and teams without the mercy rule. It would allow schools to attain more records, and give teams down by a big deficit the chance to make a comeback.

No mercy

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
April 15, 2021
Millard West played a tough game and adjusted to different situations quickly. The team is getting used to playing together and is getting better every game. “I think our team continues to gradually improve with our approach at the plate,” senior Corbin Hawkins said. “Slowly, guys are falling into their roles in the lineup and understanding what they need to do to help the team.”

West dominates at the plate

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
April 2, 2021
Millard West maintained possession most of the game. Although the team was on top, there were still some things they could work on. “We could have improved on finishing our shot chances, which would have given us four to five more goals,'' senior midfielder Nasser Nabulsi said. “I think we played well, overall, for our first game and not knowing how solid we would be.”

Boys soccer brings home a win

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
March 30, 2021
Soccer would be a new experience for both the players and the fans without the offsides offense. It would force a quicker paced game and create more opportunities for each side to score.

A development to soccer

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
March 19, 2021
High school basketball could be a whole new experience for players and the crowd with a shot clock. It would force a faster paced game, allow schools to touch the ball more, and provide the opportunity to get up a greater amount of shots.

Nebraska needs a clock

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
March 10, 2021
The Wildcats were down a man going into the game, and it forced them to adjust to changes. They started off slow, but once they got used to the adjustments, they were able to pick up speed. “Our biggest challenge was knowing that senior Evan Meyersick wasn't going to play. We had to make sure guys knew our plays from different positions to fill in,” coach William Morrsion said.

Wildcats defeat the Vikings

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
March 3, 2021
The Wildcats have worked hard all season to improve their shots and grow closer as a team. They took advantage of some opportunities in this game and were able to trust each other to come out with a win. “We did well on improving our shots and trusting our team,” junior Emmy Holl said. “The shots we put up gave us just enough to stay ahead throughout the game.”

The Wildcats take on the Discoverers

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
February 24, 2021
In a post game interview, Gronkowksi said This whole season the Buccaneers wanted to give everyone on their team opportunities to score. Throughout the season, the players didn’t care much about who scored, they cared about getting the win as a team. “This game it ended up being me who scored more, but that doesn’t matter to us. We did a great job as a team, moving the ball around, and working together to bring home the win.”

Tampa Bay secures the trophy

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
February 17, 2021
Early in the game, the Spartans took the lead and gave the Wildcats a complication. This made Millard West adjust their gameplay to stop Lincoln East’s shots. “Their best player started out scoring the first seven points,” coach William Morrison said. “Most games start off close in the first quarter, so we weren’t worried. We made an adjustment to how we guarded him, and it seemed to work.”

The streak continues

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
February 5, 2021
One of the main reasons the Wildcats have been able to improve their ball movement is through communication with one another. Throughout the season, the team has bonded more which has led to a more dependent game for the players. “Going into the game I feel we trusted each other more and that led to smarter decisions,” sophomore Makenna Scholting said. “Throughout our season we have all got to know each other a little better on a friendship level, and that definitely helps our gameplay.”

The Wildcats out shoot the Islanders

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
January 28, 2021
The team always tries to be prepared for what will come next. They do this by resting after games and gaining their stamina back for the upcoming ones. “Although we won this game we always need to be energized and look ahead at farther games,” Conway said. “We will do this by watching film and letting ourselves recover, along with getting well rested.”

The Wildcats outplay the Storm

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
January 15, 2021
The Wildcats have had a difficult season so far but have grown as a team overall and believe they will finish out strong. They hope to gain more experience through their games and work to improve themselves throughout the remainder of the season. “We expect some wins in future games, but it is more important for us to develop as a team,” Kriha said. “If we communicate better and give 110 percent every time we step on the ice, we will start to see improvement.”

The Wildcats take a hit

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 17, 2020
The Wildcat Unified Bowling team has worked constantly to accomplish what they have so far. The team has worked together for many weeks now and the members can rely on each other in games. “We put in a lot of effort into getting to this point in the season and having this chance,'' Parkman said. “In the practice before the meet, we attempted to achieve the scores that would get us the win in this meet, and passing them in practice gave us a huge confidence boost.”

Unified Bowling takes Districts

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 10, 2020
The Cornhuskers have been preparing since last week's game against Illinois and have changed their lineup to adjust to Iowa’s difference makers. Frost was looking forward to the game against Iowa, and even though they didn’t have the outcome they wanted, he believes they can improve. “The team had a solid chance of winning this week's game against Iowa but we made some mistakes,” Frost said in a postgame interview. “It was great to see us come out fast this week, and although we lost, our defense played their hearts out and gave it their all.”

The rivalry continues

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 1, 2020
This is one of the academies Millard Public schools offer. Students will be learning in similar ways that high schoolers in the education academy are, but will be apprehending different content. “It's exciting to meet people from other schools who have the same passions as me,” Education academy student Hope Belcastro said. “I like that the teachers push you to do your best and challenge you constantly throughout the year.”

A new opportunity for students

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
November 18, 2020
Glover Teixiera and Thiago Santos stare each other down after the weigh in. They both had confidence that they would take it all on fight night.”I keep an open mind and love to keep learning from every new fighter I take on,” Teixiera said. “I wouldn’t be here without my coaches and everyone who has got me to this point, along with the work we put in.”

Fight Night Las Vegas

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
November 11, 2020
The varsity boys attempt to run as a pack so they can motivate each other throughout the race. They did this successfully in the beginning, but near the end they split up more. “Our team got many personal records, and for those who didn’t get one, they got really close to doing so,” Marshall said. “I tried to stay with the same people the whole time, and even though I split up a bit in the middle, I mainly finished with who I started.”

Wildcats race for state

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
November 5, 2020
The Wildcats attempted to stay together during the first part of the race, but they started to split up near the end. The Wildcat top three finishers all had relatively close times to one another, showing they ran as a pack. “Winning districts was a small step to accomplishing our goal of taking first in state,” Marshall said. “Although we won this race, we realized that state was going to be a close race with all the intense teams competing against us.”

Millard West Cross Country takes Districts

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 22, 2020
Although the outcome of the game was not what the Wildcats would have hoped for, they fought through it without giving up. They prepared for this game with intense practice drills and adjusted their defense accordingly. “I felt good knowing our team was competing with a team with that much talent,” Andrews said. “I think we prepared well knowing it was going to be a tough game and did our best to hold them on major plays.”

The Thunderbirds dominate the Wildcats

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 11, 2020
The Wildcats tried to run as a group to motivate each other throughout the race. Gilbert led the team and got second in the race. “We wanted to push each other to win by staying together,” Gilbert said. “We tried to keep a steady pace throughout the race and have more energy near the end.”

Cross Country Quad Meet

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 4, 2020

Cupcake cart

Jasmine Hermosillo-Padilla, Dominic Humm, Garrett Wilcoxen, and Mila Dell Apa
October 2, 2020
Millard West stayed close with the Patriots up until halftime. Meyersick had the catch that gave the Wildcats motivation to play their best throughout the rest of the game. “It was an eye opening game and we have identified things we can improve on,” Meyersick said. “The defense did well with the return of some of our injured players, and the offense got some more juices flowing.”

South takes Q Street

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 24, 2020
The wildcats attempted to run together at the start of the meet. Sutphen placed third overall, and first for the Wildcats. “I think everyone performed very well,” Sutphen said. “We finished in some of the top spots and overall it was a good race.”

Wildcat cross country takes top spots

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 14, 2020
During the pandemic, students are being restricted from attending different sports events. The administration is allowing limited people into some of the games, and other sports will have no attendees.

Sports distancing

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 4, 2020
Junior Joseph Ebmeier opens the synergy app in his advanced Journalism class. He is looking to access his academic records to see his GPA. "Synergy is a great app but quite the change from infinite campus. I like a lot of the new features and apps it has, and how its set up."

Synergy has taken over

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
August 31, 2020
The Wildcats took down the Panthers 57-36. Darner took this three to increase the lead significantly against Norfolk.

Wildcats take down the Panthers

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 19, 2019
This picture shows the four starting quarterbacks from each team. Joe Burrow for LSU, Justin Fields for Ohio State, Trevor Lawrence for Clemson, and Jalen Hurts for Oklahoma.

NCAA Semi Final Bowl Games Preview

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 11, 2019

Racing to the finish line

Joseph Ebmeier and Garrett Wilcoxen
December 6, 2019
This is the new design of the Apple Airpod Pros. This picture shows many of the features including the silicone tips and force sensor along with some other external features.

Next generation, next big thing

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
December 2, 2019

Semi-Final Football Playoff Preview

Joseph Ebmeier and Garrett Wilcoxen
November 14, 2019

State Football Playoffs: Round 2 Preview

Joseph Ebmeier and Garrett Wilcoxen
November 7, 2019
Sophomore running back Chase Hultman ran the ball for a 16 yard tuchdown. The Wildcats had been working all season to get to this point, the playoffs.

The Wildcats take over the Navigators

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 31, 2019
Senior Gabrielle Nordaker makes the kill for a Wildcat Win

Wildcats roll the Titans

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 10, 2019
Sarah Carron is writing down vocab words for Spanish class. She does her work to the best of her ability in all classes and strives to get good grades. “ We were copying down vocab words onto a note sheet to help us get used to using them,” Carron said. “Then we used the new vocab to help us fill out a crossword puzzle.

A long lasting honor

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
October 3, 2019
Tristan Gomes takes a huge swing furthering West to State. This game was against Creighton Prep and at Haymarket park in Lincoln. “I remember we were really excited to beat prep and go to the state championship,” Gomes said. “It had been what we were working for our whole season, and to achieve that felt amazing.”

Remember the Titans

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 25, 2019

Wing Stop Review

Joseph Ebmeier and Garrett Wilcoxen
September 6, 2019
This is a picture of elementary schoolers planting a garden with the help of Hailey Reavis. They started planting in a field near the Henry Doorly Zoo. “We took an empty field and turned it into a garden and home for insects,” Reavis said. “While doing that we also taught some younger kids about the importance of the environment and planting seeds.”

A trip to the zoo

Garrett Wilcoxen, Staff Reporter
September 4, 2019

Flying High

Joseph Ebmeier, Garrett Wilcoxen, and Connor Robb
August 26, 2019
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