High School Fall Varsity Sports Summaries: Gross Catholic High School

Gross Catholic High School Fall Varsity Sports Summaries for football, softball, volleyball, cross country, boys tennis, and girls golf as provided by the coaches.

Football

• Head Coach: Tom Van Haute
• 6th Year as Head Coach at Gross
• Assistant Coaches: Randy Schmitz – Defensive Coordinator, Mike Stutzman – Offensive Coordinator
• Last Year’s Record: 12-1 (State Runner Up)

Season Outlook: I look forward to the Cougars building upon last year’s success.  We will rely heavily on our Seniors and look forward to numerous underclassmen stepping into major roles.

Our team captains are Colby Duncan (QB) – leader of the team, playmaker, and an extension of the coaching staff; Ryan Weiss (OL/DL) – athletic lineman who will lead both offensive and defensive lines; Hank Nosbisch (RB/LB) – hard nosed, tough and physical player who brings an edge to the field; and Nate Pechar (RB/LB) – solid player who works extremely hard.

Junior Alex Cogswell has made huge strides and we will look to him to make an impact on offense and defense. We are excited to build upon our successes from last season with a solid crew of returners and an exciting group of underclassmen

The Cougars start their season this week with a home game vs the Beatrice Orangemen. The game was scheduled for this Thursday at Bryan High but due to the projected heat, the game has been moved to Friday, August 25th with a 7pm kickoff at Bellevue East High School.

Softball

• Head Coach: Kelsey Knoblauch
• 1st Year as Head Coach at Gross
• Assistant Coaches: Carrie Zoucha, Dan Zoucha, John Buscher, Callie Billings, Emily Baratta

Season Outlook: As a new coach, I am looking forward to setting a new standard and making Omaha Gross Softball a team worth talking about. Also, I am excited about the growth of this young group of starters.

We will look towards two experienced seniors, Grace Riha and Megan Hempel to lead the lineup of the sophomores and freshmen. Lauren Kosse will hold down the centerfield spot, and be a great asset in the top of our lineup. We will work with our 2 freshmen pitchers Lexi Skradski and Annabelle Kreber to hold opponents with their two very different pitching styles. Sofia Gomez will be a great addition to our middle infield and work towards being a leader at the top of the lineup as well.

We really liked the work that Tessie Biros, Lucy Linder, Maggie Earnest and the Goodwin twins have shown us during the summer sessions and will work them into the lineup throughout the year.

These girls are a great group of young athletes. We are working very hard every day to make strides in a new direction for Gross Catholic Softball. As a coach, I am always striving for perfection and greatness. If these girls don’t have a winning season or don’t make it to State, as long as they work at their individual player and team goals, the rest will come! I can’t wait for the season to get going!

The team started their season last week against DC West as part of the Cougar Classic Tournament.

Volleyball

• Head Coach: Julie Cortinas
• 2nd Year as Head Coach at Gross
• Assistant Coaches: Sheila Thomas, Kaylee Wallace

I am extremely excited to see all the work that these girls have put in this summer come to life on the court.  We have a very dedicated and ambitious team, they are ready to put it all into action. We have 5 Seniors who will be leading our team this year.  They all have different styles and skill sets, but share the same drive and team-first focus! 

We have a young, talented, and confident Sophomore Setter, Mariah Dutcher, running our offense.  She gives our team a ton of options and can switch from a 5-1 to a 6-2 hitter/passer at any time, doing whatever it takes to pull the team through. 

Our volleyball program and the community at Gross Catholic continues to grow and show its strength.  We have had year-over-year growth in our Freshman classes and this results in more players and talent for our athletic programs.  We continue to thrive on and off the court, showing our character and resilience in every challenge and opportunity we face.

The team starts the season this Thursday, August 24th at 6PM with a home match vs Plattsmouth High School.

Cross Country

• Head Coach: Leah Schwartz
• 2nd Year as Head Coach at Gross

Season Outlook: I have a handful of underclassmen who are showing a lot of potential to run strong times early in the season. I am excited to see how they improve as the season progresses and help them set goals for future seasons as well.

Desiree Rodriguez is a junior who has returned for her third season. I have witnessed a lot of growth in her as a runner over the past two years, and she has really stepped into a leadership role this season by taking on responsibilities and going out of her way to guide the younger student athletes as she continuously strives to improve her own performance.

Joshua Jansen is also a returning junior. Josh is a quiet leader who is dedicated to performing to the best of his ability. By focusing on his performance and his personal training, Josh sets a standard for the younger members of the team to aspire to.

Amalia Doty is a sophomore who is running cross country for the first time this season. After a strong debut in mid-distance track last spring, Amalia shows a lot of potential to be a very strong cross country runner as well.

Evelyn Ferony is a returning senior who started her career last year but struggled with an injury for most of the season. She attended conditioning sessions over the summer and has shown a great deal of improvement in strength already this season. She has also been a compassionate and welcoming teammate for the younger members of the team.

Our team has already developed a strong sense of community and camaraderie early in the season. We are looking forward to a lot of personal records and good memories this season!

Special thanks to Allison Drozd, Rosalie Maxwell, Lydia Henton, and Owen Nolte for their help with our summer conditioning program.

The team’s first meet is Class of the Metro, hosted by Papillion-LaVista High School at Walnut Creek Rec Area. All Metro conference schools will be in attendance. The meet is set for this Saturday, August 26 with the first race beginning at 7:20am.

Boys Tennis

• Head Coach: Mike Renner
• 12th Year as Head Coach at Gross
• Last Year’s Record: 5-6 in duals

Season Outlook: We want to improve our dual record and improve in the tournaments. We are looking for leadership from our two seniors, Cooper Franks and Merrick Dowling. They have a good work ethic and have shown improvement from last year. Brace Adamson is in his sophomore year and has marked improvement from his freshman year. I’m also expecting good things from two juniors, Drew Powers and Tommy Brousek. We are young with only two seniors on the squad and will have to have contributions from the two sophomores and two freshmen.

Girls Golf

• Head Coach: Wayne Wilson
• Assistant Coach: Bob Maher

Season Outlook: We are working on developing our players into a competitive team. Our team leaders are Mackenzie Serow, Makenzie Hughes and Grace Nilson. We have a fun, respectful team that really loves playing golf.

The team’s first outing is the Waverly Invite on August 29th.

Pictures courtesy of Gross High School coaches