ALGONA — The Bishop Garrigan football team isn’t going to surprise anybody around the state anymore.

The Golden Bears host Anita-CAM here Thursday night in the eight-player quarterfinals. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

With a win, Bishop Garrigan (9-1 overall) would secure a trip to Cedar Falls and the UNI-Dome for the first time since reaching the finals in 2016.

It has been quite the turnaround for long-time head coach Marty Wadle and the Golden Bears, who knocked off defending state champion Remsen St. Mary’s last week at Conway Field.

This is their first winning season since going 6-3 in 2019 and comes on the heels of back-to-back three-win campaigns while competing at the eight-player ranks for the first time.

In the 21-18 win over Remsen St. Mary’s, Caden Roethler had 147 yards rushing and two touchdowns with Sam Plathe catching a 30-yard pass on a trick play from Justin Bauer for the eventual game-winning score.

Bauer and Andrew Lichter each had 8.5 tackles for the BGHS defense with Plathe adding six.

On the season, Roethler has 963 yards and 17 scores with sophomore Tate Foertsch throwing for 1,030 yards and 17 touchdowns with 380 and seven on the ground. Plathe has been his top target, catching 13 passes for 315 and seven TDs.

CAM (10-0) is led by dual-threat Chase Spieker, who replaced all-stater Lane Spieker. The junior has 1,424 yards passing with 24 touchdowns, adding 886 and 24 scores with his legs. Jack Follmann has 30 receptions for 570 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The Cougars rallied past Garrigan’s district rival, West Bend-Mallard, last week, 36-34, after opening the postseason with a 75-12 victory vs. Southeast Warren.

In 2021, CAM went a perfect 13-0 and won the state champion with a 42-40 victory over Easton Valley. They have posted seven consecutive winning seasons and are 30-3 over the last three years.