Bishop Noll: The secret’s out

Updated: August 18, 2011 4:38PM

Who was the region’s best-kept quarterbacking secret last season?

It might have been Bishop Noll quarterback Josh Galgan, who threw for about 1,750 yards and 18 touchdowns. Those numbers put Galgan in the top five in the area and the top 10 in all of Class 2A last season.

You can forgive the football public for not knowing much about Galgan. The Warriors struggled to a 3-7 record last year while engaging in a youth movement, and the interest level in Bishop Noll football wasn’t necessarily at its highest.

And, heck, Galgan sort of snuck up on Bishop Noll itself.

The Calumet City native never played organized football in middle school, but thought he’d take a run at the sport as a freshman at Bishop Noll.

That didn’t last long, as a few days into training camp, Galgan broke his leg in two places and dislocated an ankle during two-a-days. Still, he showed enough during those few days to catch the eye of the Warriors’ starting quarterback, Eric Escamilla.

“Escamilla told me he had seen me throw and he encouraged me and mentored me,” Galgan said. “I just told myself that I was going to be a quarterback and kept working at it. I watched film with (Bishop Noll coach Mike Juscik) and spent time in the weight room every chance I had.”

Galgan might have convinced himself, but he had a long way to go to persuade Juscik. Following Escamilla’s graduation, Juscik held a truly open, three-way training camp competition for the position last season. Galgan edged out the competition and delivered on his promise to himself.

With virtually the entire Bishop Noll offense returning, Galgan hopes to improve on his numbers this season. The continuity of personnel has made for a productive offseason.

“We did a lot of work,” said the 5-10, 170-pounder. “If it wasn’t snowing outside, we were out there. And if it was snowing, we did our work inside.”

Galgan hopes all the extra effort translates into some more wins for the Warriors this season. And with Bishop Noll’s drop to Class 1A this season, some postseason success isn’t out of the question.

Speaking of translation, Galgan hopes to play at the next level, but his college plans hinge upon the school offering majors in both Chinese and international business. Galgan will have studied Chinese for four years at Bishop Noll and has a strong desire to work in China after college.

“I really like the Chinese culture and the language,” Galgan said. “I like economics, too, and I thought that with the growth of China, those two things would be a good fit for me. I’d like to get an internship over there in college and then live there for a while after school.”

Given Galgan’s knack for achieving his goals, some company in China can expect an American footballer to come knocking four years down the road.

Coach

Mike Juscik

Record

At school: 15-25 (fifth year)

Overall: 15-25 (fifth year)

Last season

Lost 71-21 to Wheeler in sectional opener

Key returnees

QB Josh Galgan

WR Kevin Kearney

WR Bob Edinger

OL/DL Marcus Quiroga

Key Losses

OL/DL Ray Walsh

CB/RB Raymonte Tucker

DE/TE Zyrone Sims

College prospects

QB Josh Galgan (Southern Illinois)

Season outlook

Bishop Noll struggled through a rebuilding effort last year and the good news is that those growing pains should pay some dividends on the field this season. The better news is that the Warriors have dropped down from Class 2A to 1A. Noll’s new home in Sectional 33 is competitive and includes Whiting, which has turned into quite a nasty rival for the Warriors in a number of sports. But it includes schools with which the Warriors can realistically compete, something which wasn’t possible with Wheeler and Rensselaer in the 2A sectional.

Virtually the entire offense returns, starting with senior quarterback Josh Galgan. He’ll be throwing to Kevin Kearney and Bob Edinger, while Jorge Gomez will once again rush behind an offensive line returning all five starters. For the Warriors to be successful, they’ll have to improve significantly upon the 48 points per game they surrendered last season.

Bishop Noll boasts more depth than any other year during coach Mike Juscik’s five-year tenure.

Postseason

Class 1A Sectional 33 (Bishop Noll, Culver Community, South Central, South Newton, Tri-County, West Central. Whiting, Winamac)

Schedule

Aug. 19 Andrean

Aug. 26 Boone Grove

Sept. 2 at South Central

Sept. 9 Lake Station

Sept. 16 Whiting

Sept. 23 at Calumet

Sept. 30 at River Forest

Oct. 7 Wheeler

Oct. 14 at North Newton

HISTORY LESSON

Season Record

2001 2-9, 1-5

2002 6-5, 4-2

2003 8-3, 6-1

2004 6-4, 6-1

2005 4-7, 2-5

2006 8-4, 5-2

2007 5-5, 5-2

2008 3-7, 2-5

2009 4-6, 4-3

2010 3-7, 3-4

Sectional titles: 1989

Regional titles: 1989

Semistate titles: 1989

State titles: 1989

Roster

No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos.

2 Angel Figueroa 5-6 140 10 WR/DB

5 Alex Hernandez 5-9 150 11 QB/DB

6 Chad Mateja 5-9 150 11 QB/DB

7 Josh Galgan 5-10 170 12 QB

8 David Colon 5-11 180 12 WR/LB

9 Elijah Golumbeck 5-10 160 10 RB/DB

11 Kevin Kearney 5-10 170 12 WR/DB

12 Archie Patterson 5-10 170 12 WR/DB

13 Adam Collins 5-10 170 10 RB/DB

14 Cal Djuraskovic 5-6 130 10 QB/DB

17 John Perez 6-0 180 12 QB/LB

21 Kenny Ruesken 6-0 170 11 WR/DB

22 Brayden Banske 5-8 150 11 RB/DB

23 Vernard Whitfield 5-9 160 10 RB/DB

28 Anthony Repay 5-8 160 11 WR/DB

29 Mark Feliciano 5-8 180 10 RB/LB

31 Jorge Gomez 5-7 160 12 RB/DB

32 Jason Wedryk 5-10 170 11 WR/DB

33 Frankie Noriega 5-8 150 11 WR/DB

40 Brandon Wade 5-11 160 10 K/P

41 Jordan Taylor 6-3 190 11 TE/DE

44 Cody Moshovsky 5-10 180 12 TE/LB

45 Gino Alvanaja 5-8 180 10 RB/LB

47 Angel Rosario 5-9 180 11 RB/LB

50 Michael Crnkovic 5-7 180 10 OL/DL

51 Francisco Oria 5-10 210 12 OL/DL

52 Timothy Dasilva 5-11 220 10 OL/DL

54 Joseph Perez 5-7 180 10 OL/DL

61 Simon Mendez 6-0 220 12 OL/DL

62 Stanley DeLuna 5-8 210 11 OL/DL

63 Jake Shebish 6-1 190 10 OL/DL

64 Ryan Gordish 6-4 230 11 OL/DL

65 Doug Roach 6-1 210 11 OL/DL

66 Ahmad Rucker 5-10 220 10 OL/DL

70 Jose Arteaga 6-3 250 11 OL/DL

71 Alfonso Hernanandez 6-0 189 11 OL/DL

72 Thad Castro 6-0 180 11 OL/DL

73 Luis Barreda 5-11 230 12 OL/DL

75 Daniel King 5-9 180 10 OL/DL

76 Marcus Quiroga 5-10 210 12 OL/DL

77 Jason Brown 6-4 220 10 OL/DL

82 Dedrick Dixon 5-8 140 10 OL/DL

83 John Mitchell 5-6 160 11 WR/DB

84 Lenny Chorcholek 5-6 160 10 TE/LB

86 David Guerreo NA 150 10 TE/LB

87 Lecil Martin 5-7 160 12 WR/DB

88 Bob Edinger 6-2 170 12 WR/DB

90 Cameron McCullough 6-1 200 12 TE/LB

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