Boys State Basketball

The Varsity Basketball team made it to State again this year, which is an incredible accomplishment. These boys have been to State the last few years, but they’ve always fallen short to Skutt Catholic. This year, their first round was against Pius, and their coach jokingly said they had to "make it through heaven" to win the tournament, since both Pius and Skutt are Catholic schools.

Caleb has loved being part of this team for the last four years. He really enjoys working with the assistant coaches and has become their right-hand man for many things. He works hard behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly and is always there to cheer on the players throughout the game.

The team didn’t seem to be playing their best in the first game, and I’m not sure if nerves were getting the best of them or if they were just off that night. I jokingly told Robb that maybe we had fed them too much—since, from the moment they won districts and were headed to State, the moms have been planning to provide almost every meal until they lose.

With just 30 seconds left in the game, the score was tied. Then, in a dramatic moment, senior Barrett Boesiger made a half-court shot with just one second left to win the game. It was such an exciting finish. The team went wild, tackling him in a dog pile as the crowd cheered him on. A few people even shared some great photos they’d taken of Caleb and the team during the celebration.

The next night, the team was hyped up to face Skutt Catholic—our archrivals. We’ve lost to them three years in a row at State, so I was really hoping they could pull it off for the senior boys. The game was intense, with both teams playing incredibly well. It was a heartbreaker when they lost in the last 10 seconds, but the boys went from such a high to such a low in just a matter of hours. The team had been featured on ESPN and other sports talk shows, and then they suffered a tough loss.

I’m sure these boys have felt a whole range of emotions over the past 24 hours. Despite the loss, they played their hardest and showed so much heart. They are great kids, and I'm glad that Caleb got to be a part of this team this season. Go Titans!

Emmy and her friend Audrey cheering on the team.