The Falcons won the District Track Title convincingly at Guthrie Center.  It was their 2^nd consecutive title and their 4^th in 5 years.  Tucker Culjat, Josh Sindelar, Jake Geier & Matt Vermillion won the 4x800 and set a meet record in the process.  Mickey Russell won the high jump and Cole Herr, Matt Vermillion, Connor Thomas & Reece Hansen won the 4x200.  All in all, it was just another strong day at the track for the Falcons.

8. Alli Cox & the Saintes kick way into State Soccer

The Saintes soccer team took 2nd at the Waverly Shell Rock Invite early on in the year and with 7 teams in that 14 team tourney being ranked, the Saintes knew they had something special.  In the end, they did.  The Saintes beat #13 Sioux City North & then #8 A.L. at Creighton University in consecutive games.  The Saintes then went to State with a 5-1 win over Dallas Center-Grimes on their home turf in the post-season.  Allison Cox was sensationally sizzling in the contest with 3 goals and 2 assists.

7. Falcon Soccer gets to State for 3rd straight year

With another spirited post-season run, the Falcons finished their season at the State Tournament for the 3rd straight year.  The Falcons fought their issues throughout the year, but in the end they fought off the competition to get to Des Moines - again.  Good work by the Seniors who represented St. Albert at State: Brad Welch, Collin McBride, Sean Mahoney, Jake Cool, Brennan McNitt & All-Stater, Steve O'Neill.

6. New staff shocks SWIowa & gets Falcon Baseball to Final 4

 

Hall of Famer, Ken Schreiber, retired from his St. Albert Baseball coaching duties after 24 years.  He left with 532 career victories and 2 State Titles.  So when a new staff was brought in this summer, not many expected to make huge post-season run.  Even fewer expected it when the Falcons were 11-8 after getting spanked at Logan-Magnolia heading into the Carroll Kuemper Tourney.  From there the Falcons won 10 of 13 games to get to State including beating WIC Champ Treynor 6-5 in 8 innings in the opening round of District Baseball, then Shenandoah, Logan-Magnolia in a rematch & I-35 to get to the State Baseball Tourney.  The young Falcons, with their brand new Coach (Jim Lovely) eventually went on to finish in the Final 4 at State before falling to the eventual Champion, Davis County Bloomfield.

5. Catie Faust slams path to State

 

Catie Faust not only competed at the State Track Meet this spring but then also became the 1^st Sainte ever to compete at the State Tennis Tournament.  Katie fell in the first round of State, but it was quite an accomplishment to be the 1st one ever to get there.  The following is from Joe Narmi in an article he wrote earlier this year... "Off the hard-courts Catie Faust is the essence of a well rounded Saint Albert Catholic student.  As the oldest child of John and Jill Faust, she maintained a 4.0 grade point average at Saint Albert Catholic; she was a three-year member of the Saint Albert Catholic School Improvement Committee; a three year member of the National Honor Society, and the Vice President during the 2010-2011 school year; a tutor for younger students during her junior and senior years; appointed to represent Saint Albert Catholic at a prestigious leadership conference held at Central College in Pella, Iowa during her sophomore year; involved in the Campus Ministry program; participated in the Mission Trip that traveled to the Dominican Republic; was a four year member of the volleyball, track, and tennis teams.  As a volleyball player Catie served as a team captain, and earned a spot on the All-Star Southwest Iowa Team.  In track, Catie was a four-time state qualifier, and a 2009 STATE CHAMPION in the distance medley.

Catie at the Saint Albert Catholic Senior Awards Ceremony received the Woodmen of the World American History Award, Student Council Award, Omaha World Herald Outstanding Senior Award, The Omaha World Herald All-Academic Team Competition, American Red Cross Making a Difference Educational Scholarship, Rotary Club of Council Bluffs Outstanding Academic and Leadership Award, President’s Education Award, and Saint Albert Faculty Awards in both Social Studies and Theology.

In the Southwest Iowa Community, Catie has been a member of the Pottawattamie Youth Council, which is a philanthropic youth leadership group that meets to discuss important issues in Council Bluffs, and also distributes grants to organizations that plan events to prevent child abuse, bring families together, and better the lives of children.

Last summer, Catie traveled with the Pottawattamie Youth Council to Michigan State University and she has been part of a youth surveying team, whose goal is to reach young people, ages 12 to 23, in the community to discover their ideas in how to make the community a better place.  Catie also regularly volunteers her time at the Micah House and Gabriel’s Corner, a crisis pregnancy center.  Catie attends Holy Family Church, where she is a member of the youth group, and she serves as a Lector, Eucharistic Minister, and a fifth-grade Sunday school teacher.

Catie is continuing her studies at Clarkson College, where she will fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse.

4. Sainte Volleyball earns 1st State Trip in School History

 

The comeback itself will go down in St. Albert lore as being one of the best ever, in any sport, at any time.  With the Saintes trailing 2-0 in the Regional Final against perennial power and State Title contender, Pella Christian, The Faithful re-charged the Saintes and they went on a remarkable tear and beat Pella 3-2 (12-25, 15-25, 25-23, 25-23 & 15-13) to earn the 1st State Volleyball berth in school history.  The Saintes have been knocking on the State door recently, but Nevada Meis and her stellar match (match high 25 kills) helped the Saintes charge right into the State Tourney and to put another banner on The Palace walls.

3. Falcon Football plays for another State Title

It was not the ending that the Falcons and many of their fans expected and certainly wanted, but in the end St. Albert finished their football season 13-1 and as a State Finalist.  The Falcons reached the State Quarterfinals for a mindboggling 14^th year in a row (that's like going to State Basketball, Volleyball, etc. 14 years in a row), reached the State Semi-Finals for the 8^th time in 9 years after hammering Logan-Magnolia once again in the post-season and played in the State Championship game for the 6th time in 9 years after pasting Emmetsburg in the Semi-finals.  The Falcons say goodbye to a GREAT Senior Class of classy kids.  While the Seniors were in high school the varsity was 49-4 with 3 Semi-Final appearances, including a Runner-Up finish & Championship.  They should be a very proud group of young men!

1. & 1. - McNitt & Then Cross Country are State Champions

 

Brennan McNitt became just the 2^nd State Wrestling Champion in St. Albert history (BJ Olberding in 2003) when he won the 130lb title 9-4 over #1 ranked Jordan Johnson of I-35 in the State Finals.  McNitt finished the season at 49-1, after losing his first match of the year.  McNitt was a 4 time state qualifier and leaves St. Albert #1 All-Time in victories with a career record of 163-19.  Who’s 2^nd All-Time? His older brother Sean who finished his career 152-18.  The First Family of Modern St. Albert Wrestling has both Sean & Brennan at Iowa State studying in the science department with both boys hoping to go Pre-Med or Pre-Vet.

The St. Albert Falcons won the District Cross Country Meet at the most rugged course in the state and headed to State as a team.  STATE Albert has now won District's FOUR straight years; They've been to State 9 out of the last 10 years and Junior Josh Sindelar became the 1st Individual District Champion in 10 years! Once at State, the Falcons flew in a tight formation and blew by the competition to bring home their 2nd State Title in School History (The Saintes have a title of their own as well).  In the end, Coach Bob Weidman was named the 1A State Coach of the Year for his efforts.

Trophies that say these words are what we strive for at St. Albert...

~Charlie Narmi~

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