What a difference a year can make.
Bishop Dwenger concluded its 2024 season in embarrassing fashion. After finding its way to the sectional final with a pair of dominating wins over Columbia City and Wayne, it felt like the stars were aligning for the Saints to potentially pull an upset at home over East Noble and capture the program’s first sectional crown since 2021.
Instead, East Noble thoroughly dismantled Bishop Dwenger, a 38-0 thumping at Shields Field, the worst postseason loss in the history of the Saints program.
On Saturday, Bishop Dwenger hoisted aloft the state championship trophy on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf following a 37-29 victory over Roncalli to capture the Class 4A state championship.
How did Coach Jason Garrett’s program turn it around in one year?
Turns out, a lot of little things add up to a lot.
If there was a message heading into the offseason last year at Bishop Dwenger, it was that change needed to happen. No, not DRASTIC change. The Saints were not all of a sudden going to become a spread offense team, but it needed to tinker with what has made Bishop Dwenger a perennial power.
Everything was on the table. Scheme, off-season workouts, marketing of the program and school, revamping the youth program. Anything and everything was went over and dissected.
Entering 2025, it had been seven years since Bishop Dwenger had last appeared in the state championship, an eternity for the program.
Perhaps more concerning was the sectional drought, going on four years in 2025, the longest without a sectional title since 1997-2002.
But Coach Jason Garrett, his staff and players went to work. Some adjustments were short-term, others long-term, but all with the goal to return Bishop Dwenger to consistent competitiveness for postseason hardware.
Who would have thought it would take just one year?
When Carter Zent picked off a batted Collin Ash pass in the end zone to secure the victory on Saturday, it was a culmination of 365-plus days of self-examination within the program. There were some tough discussions behind the scenes on what needed to change and what absolutely couldn’t to keep Bishop Dwenger’s identity, but also take the Saints forward.
Securing a state crown just a single season after being dismantled at home by a team from the Northeast Eight was not lost on Blitz on Saturday, nor was it within the Bishop Dwenger locker room.
Credit to all who made it happen, because the Saints are back.
These opinions represent those of Blitz and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Blitz on Twitter at Blitz_OTH
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