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January 20, 2026After a 2024-25 year boasting four state qualifiers, the girls wrestling team has been moving through the season with renewed determination.
Practices started in October with the regular season opening on Dec. 5. By the time the team reaches regionals and state, the squad will have participated in 13 tournaments and duals.
“We practice every day,” coach Marty Monigold said. “We drill our moves. We are constantly just doing the moves as many times as possible so that they become muscle memory.”
With regular season tournaments until February, the team is keeping a common goal in mind: to exceed four state qualifiers, breaking a school record.
“We could have as many as six state qualifiers, and that would be more than the school has ever had,” Monigold said.
Sophomore Nora Thompson qualified for regionals and then state the previous season.
“I’m kind of just in that mindset of, ‘If I can make it to state and get on the podium, then I’ll have done good,’” Thompson said.
With the addition of coach Courtney Mullinix, the team now has two coaches, along with three volunteer assistants helping the wrestlers improve in practice every day.
“I have really good coaches and a really good team,” Thompson said. “I’m excited for the results of the season.”
Monigold explained that other than breaking the school record, his goals for the team remain the same: just to get better.
“We’re another year older, another year more mature,” Monigold said. “These kids are, they’re just battlers.”
The team's next tournament will be Jan. 30 in Chickasha.
Mock Trial prepares for first competition
For the first time in school history, students will be participating in Mock Trial competitions hosted by the Oklahoma Bar Association.
The year-long class taught by Mock Trial coach Lori Crews is set to compete Jan. 29 at Muskogee High School. Senior Reed Bramlett will be a witness in the first trial.
“I think all our attorneys are pretty good,” Bramlett said. “Our witnesses, I think we took some notes for the scrimmage that we took last time, but I think we did pretty well.”
As the team’s first competition, Bramlett said he felt special to be able to “set the bar” for other students.
Cheese Club
For many, the new year means getting back in the gym, saving enough money for that big ticket item or quitting a bad habit. But for a group of sophomores looking for community, 2026 means getting shredded in a different way.
After a discussion about the Chess Club and a well-timed spelling error, sophomores Victoria Farley and Alex Yager, along with other friends, hatched a plan to start the Cheese Club. Weeks later, theology teacher Troy Bodman and other curd connoisseurs gathered with cheese in hand. Bodman, a cheese lover himself, said he chose to become the club’s sponsor because of its communal nature.
Bodman’s goal for the club is to create a place for anyone to gather.
“It's not so much about all of these crazy activities and very niche interests or things like that,” Bodman said. “It's more of a social excuse to have just a good time at a club.”
Yager agrees.
“It's just whoever wants to come can come,” Yager said. “We're not exclusive in any way, shape or form. We believe cheese should be for everyone.”
Before each meeting, the club posts hints on Instagram of what the cheese of the week might be, before revealing it at the meeting.
“Everyone gets to try a bite or two, and we have this rating system of like, texture, color, taste, just smell, like all the different things you'd expect for a cheese, and you taste it, you give us our rating,” Yager said. “It's kind of a group effort.”
So far the group has had one meeting.
“It's been great,” Yager said. “We've had a lot more people turn out than we expected. It's going pretty smoothly.”
Photo: Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School sophomore cheese club members stood for a photo at the first meeting. Photo Victoria Farley.