Bill Forster has coached football at River Falls High School since 1979. 

After the Wildcats’ first practice on Aug. 5 this summer, the long-time assistant coach went up to head coach Ryan Scherz and noted “that’s the best first day I’ve ever had.”

The coaching staff could already sense something special.

“All the credit goes to the kids,” Scherz said.

It was a sign of things to come. The entire fall, Scherz said, the Wildcats “have not had a bad practice.”

The result: For the first time in program history, River Falls has won 11 games in a single season and is one game away from competing for a Wisconsin state title.

With the chance to further etch their names into River Falls history, the Wildcats will face Notre Dame Academy (12-0) on Friday at D.C. Everest High School with a trip to the Division-2 state championship on the line.

This magical run came directly off the heels of a 2024 season that left a “sour taste” in the mouths of the Wildcats. The “anchor” of the offensive line, Indiana commit Sam Simpson, said the team’s 3-6 record last fall motivated the Wildcats to find the answer in 2025.

“We knew we had really good guys and we just didn’t have all the pieces to put the puzzle together,” Simpson said. “This year, we’ve really filled every spot and put that puzzle together, and we’re rolling.”

River Falls’ success begins with the offensive line, according to Scherz. It helps when the Wildcats’ senior quarterback, Tino Mass, throws for 2,583 yards and completes 71.1% of his passes. The ground game, spearheaded by senior tailback Joseph Tarasewicz’s 1,915 rushing yards and 34 touchdowns, provides for a balanced threat offensively.

Simpson said the synergy allows each position group to play freely at a high level.

“We know that they can capitalize on the things we do, and the o-line can also capitalize on what they do,” Simpson said.

On the other side of the ball, Scherz said, senior safety Anthony McPherson, a three-year starter, has grown into the “quarterback of the defense.” He has 51 tackles, 11 pass deflections and two interceptions in his senior season.

“He’s become a leader on defense, but also kind of totally in tune with our defensive coordinator,” Scherz said. “He is consistently getting us in good calls and making good checks and getting guys where they’re supposed to be.”

McPherson said adapting to this role has been a process that required an entire team effort.

“It comes with a lot of experience and the teammates that (I’ve had) within the past years,” McPherson said, “the coaching staff guiding me through it all, trying to help me understand what the purpose is behind every defensive play.”

McPherson said the defense is best described as “energetic and relentless” — a general formula that has powered the Wildcats through this momentous fall.

McPherson said as time goes on, the Wildcats will understand the gravity of the history they’re making.

“(This is) usually something that you hear about, and then you wanna live up to that,” McPherson said. “So, being a part of that team and being kind in the moment is just — it’s surreal.”

Related Articles

High School Hockey: Hill-Murray poised for another run following abrupt exit last season

High School Football: Thursday’s state semifinal predictions

High School Football: How Lakeville South’s deep connections spurred a deep playoff run

Park quarterback heading to Super Bowl as NFL award finalist

National Signing Day: Where are area high school athletes signing to play in college?

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago day care center employee who was detained by immigration agents at work as children were being dropped off last week has been released, according to her attorney.

Diana Santillana Galeano was detained Nov. 5 at the Rayito de Sol Spanish Immersion Early Learning Center on the north side of Chicago. A video showed officers struggling with her as they walked out the front door. Her attorneys said in a statement Thursday that she was released from a detention center in Indiana on Wednesday night.

Related Articles

IRS boosts contribution limits for 401(k) retirement plan savers

A judge said Luigi Mangione could have a laptop to view evidence in jail. He still hasn’t gotten it

Airlines are optimistic about a quick recovery ahead of Thanksgiving once FAA ends flight cuts

Chicago civil rights leader Jesse Jackson hospitalized for rare neurological disorder

What’s next in Congress on the push to release the Epstein files

“We are thrilled that Ms. Santillana was released, and has been able to return home to Chicago where she belongs,” attorney Charlie Wysong said in the statement. “We will continue to pursue her immigration claims to stay in the United States. We are grateful to her community for the outpouring of support over these difficult days, and ask that her privacy be respected while she rests and recovers from this ordeal.”

Her case reflects the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive enforcement tactics. But her detention at a day care was unusual even under “Operation Midway Blitz,” which has resulted in more than 3,000 immigration arrests in the Chicago area since early September. Agents have rappelled from a Black Hawk helicopter in a middle-of-the-night apartment building raid, appeared with overwhelming force in recreational areas and launched tear gas amid protests.

“I am so grateful to everyone who has advocated on my behalf, and on behalf of the countless others who have experienced similar trauma over recent months in the Chicago area,” Santillana Galeano said in the same statement. “I love our community and the children I teach, and I can’t wait to see them again.”

The Department of Homeland Security said last week that the woman. who is from Colombia, entered the U.S. illegally in June 2023 but obtained authorization to work under the Biden administration. The department denied that the day care was targeted.

By ALEX VEIGA, Associated Press

Americans will be allowed to contribute more of their money to 401(k) and similar retirement saving plans next year.

The IRS said Thursday the maximum contribution that an individual can make in 2026 to a 401(k), 403(b) and most 457 plans will be $24,500. That’s up from $23,500 this year.

People aged 50 and over, who have the option to make additional “catch-up” contributions to 401(k) and similar plans, will be able to contribute up to $8,000 next year, up from $7,500 this year. That’s means a 401(k) saver who is 50 or older will be able to contribute a maximum of $32,500 to their retirement plan annually, starting in 2026.

Workers between the ages of 60 and 63 will be allowed catch-up retirement plan contributions of up to $11,250 annually, unchanged from this year.

Related Articles

Doritos and Cheetos dial back the bright orange in new versions without artificial ingredients

AT&T reached a $177M data breach settlement. What consumers should know about claiming their money

Airlines are optimistic about a quick recovery ahead of Thanksgiving once FAA ends flight cuts

The unprecedented government shutdown will weigh on a US economy already under stress

Average US long-term mortgage rate rises again, inching up to 6.24%

The IRS also raised the 2026 annual contribution limits on individual retirement arrangements, or IRAs, to $7,500, up from $7,000 this year. The IRA “catch-up” contribution limit will include an annual cost of living adjustment of $100, increasing it to $1,100 in 2026.

The changes, among others announced by the IRS, make it easier for retirement savers who use these types of tax-advantaged plans to set aside more of their income toward building their nest egg. That’s especially helpful for older workers who got started saving for retirement later in life and can benefit from higher contribution limits.

Boosting the contribution rate on a 401(k) or IRA plan, even by 1%, can make a big difference over 10 or 20 years, assuming the saver remains employed and making contributions the entire time.

The IRS also increased for 2026 the income ranges for determining whether someone is eligible to make deductible contributions to traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs or to claim the “saver’s credit,” also known as the retirement savings contributions credit.

Taxpayers can deduct contributions to a traditional IRA if they meet certain conditions. If during the year either the taxpayer or the taxpayer’s spouse was covered by a retirement plan at work, the deduction may be reduced, or phased out, until it is eliminated, depending on filing status and income, the IRS said.

The IRS has outlined the details on these and other retirement-related changes for 2026 on its site.

The average balance on a 401(k) account was $137,800 in the second quarter, up 8% from a year earlier and 32% from the same quarter in 2020, according to Fidelity Investments.

The increase reflects record-high savings rates and strong stock market gains so far this year.