2024-2025 at Las Vegas High School 

The 2024-2025 school year was the 8th year of Mr. Bracken's professional teaching career, the 7th year of French Class Competition, and the 6th school year in which the Goeller Cup was awarded at the end of the season and playoffs. It was the fourth year in a row of the competition, with only minor tweaks to the format that had been implemented since moving to Las Vegas High School. Period 6 "Bellagio" won the 2025 Goeller Cup on Monday, May 12, when they defeated Period 4 "Fitzgeralds" by a score of 4-1.

Student Council was no longer a competing member of the LCF and was replaced by Sam's Town for Period 5 and Bellagio for Period 6. For the third season in a row, period 1 was not an active class. This year, period 2, the defending runner-up class, was also inactive. Period 7 The Strat was the defending Goeller Cup Champion, though all members of that winning class were no longer enrolled in French or were members of the 2025 Goeller Cup Champion class, Period 6. 

CLASSES & TEAMS

All previous champions were either unenrolled in French or were members of Period 6. Of the 15 students in period 6, two were competing for their third Goeller Cup championship; seven were competing for their second, six of whom became back-to-back champions this season. 

The first semester of the 2024-2025 season implemented an Olympics-themed scoring system where classes competed for gold, silver, and bronze medals. Medals were routinely available during class instruction, including during class games and competitions. When certain activities were done across class periods and French levels, the best-performing class was awarded a gold medal, with silver and bronze awarded to the second and third-best classes, as applicable. In regards to the class standings, gold medals accounted for 2 points, silver for 1, and bronze earned no points. This system was used only during the fall 2024 semester, and the weekly LCF format returned in the spring of 2025, with each class competing in a 10-week competition schedule, playing each opponent class twice. Medals were also awarded for the first, second, and third-place finishing classes in the Goeller Cup Playoffs, after the implementation of new consolation rounds for eliminated classes.

2025 French Class League Season (Semester 2)

Starting in January, the French Class League resumed it's model system adopted in 2023-2024, with the return of weekly head-to-head competitions over the course of 10 weeks. The scheduling worked out that these 10 weeks of competition fit perfectly into the third quarter's timeframe and allowed for the 2025 Goeller Cup Playoffs to start following Spring Break. Unlike last school year, with a 15-week competition, the addition of the Olympics reduced the schedule for this school year to just 10 weeks. Each class would face each opponent two times, once every 5 weeks.

Entering the 10-week competition, Period 7 sat atop the standings, having won the 2024 French Class Olympics. They entered the competition phase with 28 points.

This season, attention was given to A-week versus B-week (school day cycle) matchups. When an A-day class faced a B-day class, whichever class had more class days that week was given home advantage. 4-day school weeks are referred to as neutral weeks and these are used to balance out the home and away advantages for either team so that each class has the same number of home and away games.

For the first time, eliminated classes competed for the remainder of the playoffs for 3rd and 5th place honors, with each finishing position earning rewards for the final exam, except the last-finishing 6th place class. The two wildcard teams battled from Wednesday, April 9 to the conclusion of the Goeller Cup Finals for 5th place while the two eliminated semi-finalists started the third place round one class before the Goeller Cup Finals on Thursday, April 24.

ROUND 1 (Wildcard Round)

The first round of the 2025 Goeller Cup Playoffs started on Monday, March 24, 2025, and concluded on Friday, April 4, 2025. The match-ups featured the 3rd versus 6th-ranked classes and the 4th versus 5th-ranked classes. In both matchups, the higher-seeded classes were favored to win. The winner of the 3 vs. 6 matchup will advance to play second-ranked Bellagio (period 6) while the winner of the 4 vs. 5 matchup will play the top-ranked Strat (period 7).

Wildcard Match 1: #3-Caesars Palace versus #6-Sam's Town

The A-Day match-up featured the 3rd-ranked Period 3, Caesars Palace, versus the 6th-ranked class, Period 5, Sam's Town. This was the fourth all-time playoff meeting between these class periods, with Caesars Palace holding a record of 2-1, having won the last two meetings in 2022 and 2023. In the 2025 French Class League round-robin, the teams tied, 9-9, in week 2 while Caesars Palace defeated Sam's Town, 15-9, in week 7. Caesars Palace was favored to win the matchup at -233 odds, around 70% chance of victory. In the end, Period 3 defeated Period 5 by a score of 3-2, advancing to the semi-final round for the sixth time in history.

After the first day of competition, Caesars held a 3-2 series lead. Despite being outscored by Sam's Town, 97-86, Caesars managed to hold leads in average (3.19 vs. 2.85), positive (95.56% vs. 90.65%), and highest student (9 vs. 7). In addition to overall points, Sam's Town led French (44.86% vs. 30.00%) percentage.

After a closely contested Day 1, Caesars managed to expand their series lead to 4-1. With an explosive 104-point performance on Day 2, Sam’s Town extended their lead in the total points category, 201 to 168 but failed to gain traction in any other category and similarly lost the lead in French percentage. Despite the widened series lead, the overall trends were still positive for Sam's Town to stay competitive. The gap between favored status closed with Caesars holding -130 odds to win the series after day 2. 

Through the third day, the series had shifted in favor of Sam's Town. The fifth-period class managed to turn two categories in their favor, French usage and highest earning student, and maintained their overall points lead to grab a 3-2 series lead. French usage continued to be a close category, with Sam's Town leading 18.4% to 16.7% and their overall points lead decreased from day 2 to day 3. Trend analytics helped to swing the odds to favor Sam's Town for the first time in the series, estimating 65% chance of victory for period 5.

Aside from increasing point totals, not much changed through the fouth day of competition as Sam's Town held a 3-2 series lead heading into the final day of competition. The series remained close with Caesars' best chance of regaining a series advantage being in the highest student category, where they trailed 34-32. French usage also is a category that remained in play entering the final day but the third-period class needed a dramatic increase in French points to overcome the advantage built by Sam's Town.

On the final day, Caesars Palace outscored Sam's Town 130-126 and, critically, had a massive increase in French points. The surge allowed the third-period class to maintain their average point and positive percentage advantages while flipping the French usage category to their favor, enough to secure the series victory. Despite their out-pointing of period 5, Caesars was not able to pass them in total points or highest student.

The student leader for Sam's Town tied the record for most points earned by an individual student in a playoff round by earning 46 points over the course of the 5-day competition. That equals the mark set by an 8th-period student from Millbrook High School in 2022.

Caesars advanced to their sixth semi-finals in six opportunities to face Period 6 Bellagio. Meanwhile, Sam's Town advanced to the first-ever consolation round competing for 5th place against the losing class of the opposite Wildcard match.

Wildcard Match 2: #4-Fitzgeralds vs. #5-Sahara

This match-up featured the 4th-ranked Period 4, Fitzgeralds, versus the 5th-ranked class, Period 8, Sahara. This is the second all-time playoff meeting between these class periods. Period 4 won the only previous meeting in the 2022 first round at Millbrook High School. In the 2025 French Class League round-robin, Fitzgeralds won 10-8 in week 5. In week 10, both classes set a round-robin record by earning 16 points each and ending the final week tied. Fitzgeralds was favored to win the series with -200 odds, a 67% chance of victory. 

Following the first day of competition, Sahara had a 4-1 series lead over Fitzgeralds. Having earned an impressive 112 points, the 8th-period class also managed to earn a 30% French score. Their 93% positive score edged out Fitzgeralds 92% and their leading student gained 11 points, compared to just 7 for their opponent. Fitzgeralds, the smallest rostered class of the first round, managed to control the scoreboard in average points per student at 4.06 points per student. After one day of competition, the odds to win the series dramatically flipped in favor of Sahara, who jumped to -300 odds with an estimated 75% chance of victory.

After two days, the series gap had narrowed to a 3-2 lead for Sahara. Fitzgeralds flipped the positive point percentage in their favor and maintained an advantage in points per student. French percentage remained the closest category, with Sahara narrowly leading 21.3% to 20.0%. 

Day three saw a tight race become even tighter all the while shifting the series lead in favor of Period 4. Fitzgeralds took leads in French Usage and held the double tie-breaker in highest student to grab their first series lead, a 4-1 advantage. Despite a close series, separated only by 0.04 in positive points and a double-tie-break necessary to solve for highest earner, the odds for a Fitzgerald victory completely reversed, with Fitzgerald sitting at -350, the highest number of any class to this point in the playoffs.

Four days into the competition saw Sahara retake the lead in positive points and highest earner. The series continued to be too-close-to-call heading into the final day of competition.

An intense final day saw both classes earn over 100 points. Fitzgeralds earned a net 143 points with 36 of them coming from French usage, while Sahara earned 117; 23 of which were earned for using French. The series total points added up to 512 for Sahara and 411 for Fitzgeralds, giving the 8th-period class their first category win. Fitzgeralds earned 24.18 points per student, compared to 17.66 for Sahara. Positive points was close but Sahara maintained an advantage, 95.7% to 94.2%, while Fitzgeralds held their lead in French usage at 26.6% versus 19.1%. The series was decided by the highest-earning student category, where Fitzgeralds set a new record (which would be broken by Period 6 in the following round), with their two highest students both earning 47 points to secure their class a 3-2 series victory.

Fitzgeralds earned their second-ever series victory, ironically both against Period 8, and advanced to the Semi-Finals against the other French 2 class, first-ranked Period 7 The Strat.

Sahara falls into the consolation round for 5th place against Period 5 Sam's Town.

The 2025 Goeller Cup Final started on Wednesday, 30 April 2025, and ended on Monday, May 12, 2025. It featured a matchup between the second-ranked Period 6 Bellagio versus fourth-ranked Period 4 Fitzgeralds. This was the first post-season matchup between these two class periods. In their season series, Bellagio won 13-12 in week 2 and 12-11 in week 7. 

For Period 6, it was the second time this class period has reached the final round, first doing so in 2022 where Period 6 lost to Period 3. On the contrary, 2025 was the first time that any Period 4 class advanced to the final, knocking out the top-seeded class en route. 2025 marked the first time that the #1-ranked class did not advance to the Goeller Cup Final.

The winning class become the 5th group of students to ever be crowned Goeller Cup Champions and the 6th class to win Mr. Bracken's end-of-year competition. In Period 6, two students won their third-consecutive Goeller Cup Championship (winning with Period 2 in 2023 and Period 7 in 2024), while seven others won their second, six of whom won their second-consecutive championship (playing with Period 7 in 2024). One student was a member of the 2023 Championship class, Period 2.

Day 1 of competition saw Bellagio take a 3-2 series lead, having earned 76 points (+78, -2), a 97.44% positive mark, compared to Fitzgeralds 75 points (+77, -2) at 97.40% positive. Bellagio also led average points with 5.07 versus 4.17. Fitzgeralds led French percentage, 33.77% to 25.64%, and highest student earner, 9-8.

Bellagio increased their series lead from 3-2 to 4-1 on the second day of competition, with three of the categories flipping hands. Bellagio's 77 points (+78, -1) was three points shy of Fitzgeralds' gain of 80 points (+82, -2). Having entered with a one-point deficit in this category, Fitzgeralds flipped the total points category in their favor. Bellagio maintained the lead in average points (10.2 vs. 8.61) and positive percentage (98%-97.5%). They also flipped French usage and highest student in their favor, leading 30%-27.6% and 19-17, respectively.

The third day of competition was STAR WARS day on 6 May ("Revenge of the Sixth") and featured overall lower point opportunities for all classes as Monsieur Bracken was replaced by Jedi Master Téralyn Ombrelune to train students in the Académi Jedi. Bellagio maintained the 4-1 series lead, as point distributions for both periods were relatively even. The points in all categories remained close, despite the lopsided series score. Fitzgeralds' only lead was in total points, 209-186. Bellagio remained ahead in average points (12.4-11.6), positive percentage (97.3-96.3%), French usage (24.6-21.2%), and highest student (25-22).

Bellagio maintained a series lead on day 4, with a 3-2 lead over Fitzgeralds, setting up an easy route to the championship on day 5. They led average points (18.4-17.1), positive percentage (98.2%-97.5%), and highest student (34-30). For Fitzgeralds, their lead in total points (307-276) and French usage (24.8%-22.4%) kept them in the series but required still one more category to win the Goeller Cup. Entering the final day, Period 4 would need to either outscore Period 6 by 35 or more points to flip average points, or outscore the Period 6 highest student by 5 or more points. Both were feasible categories to gain but still presented an uphill battle for the fourth-ranked class.

At the end of the fifth and final day of competition, Period 6 managed to retake the lead in French usage (32.91%-29.25%) en route to a 4-1 series win and the 2025 Goeller Cup Championship. They only lost total points, trailing that category 407-385. Period 6 became the first class to ever win the Goeller Cup by a 4-1 series score.