Cass Lake-Bena Public Schools - #CLBSPANTHERS

📣 It’s a Panther Game Day! 🐾

🏈 Football
📍 Cass Lake-Bena HS Football Field
• 4:30 PM – JH vs. Deer River

📺 Live Stream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/mn/cass-lake/organization/79119/cass-lake-bena-high-school

🌟 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
Western Bank of Cass Lake-Bena, Enbridge, and Bessler Electric — thank you for supporting Panther Athletics and our community!

Let’s show up, cheer loud, and back our Panthers! 🐾

#PantherPride #GoPanthers #WesternBankGameDay

From First-Timers to Varsity Cubs: Panthers Conquer Bagley Heat

It was a hot one in Bagley — 81° with 65% humidity. Experts say that costs you 2–3% in performance, basically turning every mile into a sweat session. While the house cats from other teams wilted in the shade, the Panthers embraced the challenge, proving they’re true big cats.

Men in Black – JH 3200M
Fabian Wittner, Gavin Fineday, Dashawn Oquist, and Markis Washington (Varsity) earned the nickname for rocking black gear no matter the weather. Fabian, still buzzing from last week’s near win, attacked the race, finishing 3rd overall in 13:21. Dashawn impressed in his first XC race, blazing the first mile at 6:59 pace before finishing 17:31. Gavin, steady and positive, crossed in 20:34, smiling all the way. Afterward, both rookies said they were proud of themselves and had fun — the definition of Panther Pride.

Girls’ Varsity
Lone Panther Lily Chessmore ran smart, finishing in 27:39. On a day where a 2–3% slowdown was expected, her effort was strong, even passing a few house cats at the line.

Boys’ Varsity
Markis Washington showed fire before the gun: “Put me in — I gotta beat Brayden’s record.” He delivered with a 20:27 finish (6:35 pace), proving varsity is a different beast, but one he’s ready for. Zane Halse turned heads with 22:54, barely slowing despite the brutal heat. Kenny Litzau stayed true to form — friendly on the course, but fierce at the finish, outkicking a competitor in 30:24.

Coaches reminded the team afterward: don’t get too high or too low. Even the top runner dropped nearly a minute in the heat. But the lesson was clear: different conditions demand different races, and the Panthers proved they can adapt, fight, and finish with heart.

Big cats don’t fret the heat — they thrive in it. 🐾

Panther Football Update

The Varsity Football game scheduled for Friday, September 26th at Park Christian has been cancelled due to low numbers of players.

We are hopeful that with strong effort and commitment, we’ll have enough athletes to take the field for our Homecoming Game vs. Walker-Hackensack-Akeley.

If you know a student-athlete who has played football this season, please encourage them to attend practice. Every player makes a difference and we want to make sure Homecoming is a great memory for all of our students. A football game under the lights would help make it unforgettable!

Thank you for supporting Panther Athletics and our student-athletes as we work toward this goal.

📣 Panther Youth Sports Weekend Schedule! 🐾

🏐 Volleyball (4th–6th Grade)
📍 Walker
⚠️ Note: 3rd graders will not travel this weekend.

🏈 Football (3rd–4th Grade)
📍 Pillager

🏈 Football (5th–6th Grade)
📍 Cass Lake

📋 Just a reminder: All full schedules can also be found here ⬇️
👉 https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PxK6QH7eVgsBeXRafk5kBU_RcztOqBGf?usp=drive_link

Let’s cheer on our Panthers this weekend whether at home or on the road!

#PantherPride #YouthSports #GoPanthers

Community Feedback (Activities Survey)

We value your input and want to ensure that our school’s activities meet the needs and interests of our students, families, and the broader community. Your feedback will help us evaluate and improve the programs and opportunities we provide.

This survey will take just a few minutes to complete, and your responses will remain confidential. We encourage honest and constructive feedback to help us make informed decisions about the future of our extracurricular offerings.

Thank you for your time and for being an important part of our school community!

The survey can be done here!
https://forms.gle/1iF9KJ8aJxsFBa5TA

📣 It’s a Panther Game Day! 🐾

🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️ Cross Country
• 4:00 PM – Boys & Girls Varsity @ White Oak Antique Tractor Club
• 4:00 PM – Boys & Girls JH @ White Oak Antique Tractor Club

🏐 Volleyball
📍 Cass Lake-Bena MS Gym
• 4:30 PM – JH vs. Circle of Life

🌟 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
Western Bank of Cass Lake-Bena, Enbridge, and Bessler Electric — your support powers Panther Athletics and our community!

Let’s cheer on our Panthers — wherever they compete today! 🐾

#PantherPride #GoPanthers #WesternBankGameDay

17 teams for 3/4 Football!! Great showing today by all teams! Your Panthers are playing fast and physical! Go Panthers!!

KROX will broadcast tonight's Crookston vs. Cass Lake-Bena game on the radio and on the video stream. The link to watch the game is below. We start the pre-game show at 5:20 p.m. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHp3TBy_AAU

There is no volleyball practice tonight. For all levels JH - V. They will resume practice on Monday.

📣 It’s a Panther Game Day! 🐾

🏈 Football
📍 Crookston High School
🕕 6:00 PM – Varsity vs. Crookston

🌟 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
Western Bank of Cass Lake-Bena, Enbridge, and Bessler Electric — your support powers Panther Athletics and our community!

Let’s hit the road and bring that Panther Pride to Crookston tonight! 🐾

#PantherPride #GoPanthers

Due to the projected forecast for tonight, we are going to cancel youth football K-2nd. 3rd-6th will still practice. We will resume practices next Tuesday for K-2nd.

📣 It’s a Panther Game Day! 🐾

🏈 Football
📍 Cass Lake-Bena HS Football Field
• 4:30 PM – JH vs. Kelliher/Northome

🏐 Volleyball vs. Nevis HS
📍 Cass Lake-Bena Schools
• 4:45 PM – JH (MS Gym)
• 6:00 PM – JV (HS Gym)
• 7:00 PM – Varsity (HS Gym)
(No C-Team Game tonight)

🎟️ Tickets: https://www.vancoevents.com/us/eventlist/clbtickets?embed

📺 Live Stream: https://fan.hudl.com/usa/mn/cass-lake/organization/79119/cass-lake-bena-high-school

🌟 Special Thanks to Our Sponsors:
Western Bank of Cass Lake-Bena, Enbridge, and Bessler Electric — thank you for your support of Panther Athletics and our community!

Let’s show up, cheer loud, and back our Panthers! 🐾

#PantherPride #GoPanthers

Due to some injuries there will be no C Team volleyball game tomorrow vs Nevis (9/18). Here are the new times. C-Team - No game JH Team - 4:45 (7th first then 8th) JV Game - 6pm V Game - To follow JV

📣 We’re Hiring – Head Cheer Coach! 🎉🐾

Cass Lake-Bena Schools is looking for a Head Cheer Coach to lead our cheer program and inspire Panther spirit this season!

✨ What We’re Looking For:

A positive, energetic leader

Strong communication and organizational skills

Passion for working with student-athletes

Ability to create a supportive, inclusive team environment

📅 Season: 2025–26 School Year
📍 Location: Cass Lake-Bena Schools

👉 How to Apply:
Applications can be found here: https://www.clbs.k12.mn.us/page/employment

Help us build school pride and support our athletes join the Panther family today!

#PantherPride #GoPanthers #CoachingOpportunity

📣 ALICE Drill Scheduled – Sept. 19, 2025 📣
Cass Lake-Bena High School will be conducting an ALICE safety drill this Friday, Sept. 19. This is part of our ongoing efforts to ensure students and staff are prepared in the event of a school emergency.

🛡️ As part of the drill, teachers will lead classroom discussions to explain ALICE procedures (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) in an age-appropriate and supportive way.

✅ The drill will be carefully supervised and will NOT include any simulated violence or threats.

We encourage families to talk with their students and reach out with any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support in keeping CLBHS a safe place to learn! 💙

📞 For more info, contact the school office at 218-335-2204.

Panther Cross Country – Integrity always wins

The Panthers traveled to the Pine River-Backus meet on September 11th showing grit, integrity, and determination over a challenging course that twisted through narrow woods, crossed a bridge, and navigated roots, sand, and tight turns.

There was a small hiccup with the timing, but true to who they are, the Panthers handled it with honesty and sportsmanship.

Fabian Wittner – 9:41.2 (2500m / 1.55 miles, 6:15/mile pace)

The first race of the day was the boys’ Junior High 2500 meters, where Fabian put on a show. He went out with the leaders and flew through the course. In the final 100 meters, he unleashed his lethal panther kick—the kind rival runners fear. From 12 seconds back, he stormed forward, closing the gap to just 0.3 seconds at the line—an impressive improvement from the last meet, where he finished six seconds behind Cromwell’s Christopher Gatica. As Fabian surged forward, Christopher responded to his coach’s urgent shouts, the tension mounting as he realized Fabian was closing fast, hunting him down. When the timing company first announced Fabian as the winner, it was Fabian himself—true to his character—who pointed out the mistake. Panthers, unlike housecats, know that integrity matters more than medals. The rightful champion was Christopher Gatica and Fabian wanted everyone to know that.

Lily Chessmore – 27:11 (5K / 3.1 miles, 8:44/mile pace)

Next up, the lone Panther girl, Lily Chessmore, came out strong, opening her mile at 8:08 pace and cutting her 5K time from 30:15.4 to 27:11.4. Lily excels on the speech podium, and now she’s finding that same confidence on the cross country course, learning the 5K distance after running the JH distance of 2 miles last year. When asked how she felt, she told her coach she could have pushed a bit harder—a reflection that shows self-awareness. She went out over a minute faster in the first mile, leading to a tremendous three-minute improvement and showing that it’s okay not to have everything figured out, with each race serving as a step toward personal growth.


Markis Washington – 19:49.5 (5K / 3.1 miles, 6:23/mile pace)
Markis returned to cross country as competitive as ever—“holding back” has never been in his vocabulary. On his first day back at practice, Coach told him to run at 7/10 effort, and his look said it all: “You really expect me to hold back?” Starting in 15th, he picked off runners one by one, finishing 11th out of 46 runners—just six seconds shy of 10th place and a medal. Like Fabian, there was a small timing review, and Markis handled it with integrity, saying he’d get it next time. Amongst ninth graders, he was the second to finish, with the rest of the athletes ahead of him being juniors and seniors making his late start to the season all the more impressive. Just last year, as an 8th grader, Markis ran 19:47.5, and he picked up right where he left off with a time of 19:49. When told he matched his old pace, he nodded and smiled saying “Oh yeah.” Starting the year where he finished last season is a strong sign—for Markis, there are no limits.

Zane Halse – 23:17.6 (5K / 3.1 miles, 7:31/mile pace)
Zane has improved tremendously since last season and always pushes himself in practice. Over the summer, he ran a 10K to show that the 5K distance would be no sweat. He tried cross country spikes for the first time and realized they weren’t right for his flat feet—still, he stayed tough and focused, proving that despite obstacles and discomfort, perseverance and mental toughness can carry you through challenges, finishing in 23:17 for a pace of 7:31 per mile.

Kenny Litzau – 26:26.5 (5K / 3.1 miles, 8:32/mile pace)

Kenny, a gamer on and off the course, finished just six seconds shy of last week on a sandier, tougher course that tested every runner’s footing. He maintained his pace and composure while correcting his posture and refining his form over the final stretch, showing steady improvement and Panther perseverance. Kenny Litzau, came ready to “siege the day,” his new catch phrase inspired by his favorite video game, Rainbow Six Siege.


The Panthers left Pine River proud—not just of times and places, but of the way they competed and carried themselves. Integrity, effort, and Panther pride led the way.

Due to unforeseen circumstances tonight's high school volleyball games C-Varsity will be postponed to a later date. There will still be high school volleyball practice this afternoon.