Bishop O’Dowd varsity football team became NCS Champions on November 28, 2025, for the second year in a row, with last year, 2024, being the first time they achieved this Championship title since 2018. The team won by a landslide against Fortuna with a final score of 59-21. When asked about the game, Anthony Hassel, 27’ running back, man, and defensive end, shared that the game had momentum off the first play with a throw to Ian Garrick 26’ the team’s wide receiver and corner, along with the first touchdown by Lamar Ellis 27’ a recent transfer to Bishop O’Dowd High School who plays as a running back. The following Friday, the team became Norcal Champions, securing themselves in the state championship taking place in Southern California.
Despite this impressive game, the varsity football team was not short of challenges this year, starting pre-league with a 1-3 record. But after those early season losses, the team turned things around and began winning games at unprecedented rates. When asked what mindset change occurred within the team to cause such a drastic change, Anthony Hassell, 27, shared, “We started to play as a unit and like brothers.”
To know how the football team got to this point, we must review the start of the season, looking all the way back to February. The team starts the season with morning workouts in the spring, and practices throughout the summer, to conclude with their first official game of the season the last week of August.
In-season, the effort only increases with practice 5 days a week, including additional weightlifting on Monday and Wednesday before practice. Practice stretches into their weekend as well, with Saturday reserved for film and recovery for the team. Ian Garrick, 26, shared the importance of reviewing film, stating, that many people may not know the mental side of football and how, beyond the common misconception of it being just tackling and catching a ball, it requires studying and knowing your opponent.
Games happen every Friday with 4 non-league, 6 league games. When asked about how they prepare for games and what pre-game rituals the team participates in, Ian Garrick, 26, shared the importance of Dragon Jacks to the team, in which they do jumping jacks and scream their cheer. He also shared the importance of the team’s prayer in order to get them in the right headspace for their game. Ian lastly shared in disgust that he and Anthony Hassel, 27’ are given pickle juice shots pre-game in order to avoid cramping.
With a challenging start for the Bishop O’Dowd football team during the pre-league season, they silenced all critics during league play with a game against Tennyson, propelling them to do well the rest of the season. This shift occurred when a tough loss against Newman caused what O.C. Lehner 27’ a middle line back and full back, described as a “ lit a fire in us”. This fire remained, propelling them forward to the NCS Championship game against Fortuna.
The game against Fortuna, despite the impressive win, was certainly not handed to them. Ian Garrick 26’ shared that they were up 30-40 at halftime, and Fortuna still made them work for the win. O.C. Lehner continued with a compliment for Fortuna, sharing they “run the option,” which is a type of offense makin
g it seem as if there are two balls on the field, leading to good deception on the team’s part. Bishop O’Dowd responded by updating their scheme mid-game to change defense, marking all possible ball carriers to earn their spot in the Norcal Championships.
The Norcal Championship game took place on Friday, December 5th, against Chicho, with Bishop O’Dowd winning with a score of 23-20. This was a close score as Chicho was a tough opponent. Ian Garrick, 26’ shared that they were good at a lot of things and dynamic, making it hard to stay balanced and stop all their plays. Lamar Ellis, 27, also shared that the team had a great offense and a good running back, along with a few notable injuries from Bishop O’Dowd starting players, leading the game through a rocky start. Even with a Bishop O’Dowd winning prediction rate of 4% the team pulled through using their close bond and what was described as a “brotherhood” by Anthony Hassel, 27’, leading to another impressive victory for the team.
The Bishop O’Dowd football team will now play in the State Championship on Friday, December 12th, against Christian. If they win, they will be the first team to do so since 2016. Upon asking what they are doing to prepare for this game, O.C. Lehner, 27, shared that they are prioritizing rest, sharing that the intensity of practice has gone down, as well as no longer doing weight room, as they prepare their bodies for the big game. Additionally, he shared that their focus has been on studying the opponent and watching film in preparation for the game.
When asked if they knew the state was a possibility, O.C. Lehner, 27, shared that he definitely thought so, sharing that they knew, “this was the team that was going to make a great push.”
