2024 Las Vegas

2023-24: Honoring the History of Las Vegas

Mr. Bracken’s seventh year of teaching coincided with the 30th anniversary of Las Vegas High School’s Sahara Avenue campus. To commemorate the milestone and incorporate the history of the city, the 2023–2024 team names and logos were inspired by current and former Las Vegas hotels. The only major exception was Student Council, whose logo drew inspiration from the iconic Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign.

The season also introduced the French Class League, marking the first time the regular season was structured around head-to-head matchups. Five French classes and one section of Student Council competed across a 15-week schedule during the second and third quarters, with each class facing every other team three times. Weekly scores were based on attendance, grades, class participation, and engagement. The winning class earned two points in the standings, while tied matchups awarded one point to each class.

With six teams in the league, the top two classes in the final standings earned first-round byes in the 2024 Goeller Cup Playoffs.

Below are images of each team's logo, including periods that were not used due to Student Council periods or to planning period time.

Period 1 - Excalibur

(not used)

Period 2 - Flamingo

Period 3 - Caesars Palace

Period 4 - Fitzgeralds

Period 5 - Sassy Sally's/Sam's Town

(not used)

Period 6 - Bellagio

(not used)

Period 7 - The Strat

Period 8 - Sahara

2024 French Class League logo

Rebranding the Regular Season: LCF

For the first time the regular season would feature head-to-head competitions. 5 French classes plus one section of Student Council would be competing in a 15-week long competition where each class would go head-to-head with the other classes three times over the second and third quarters. There were a few weeks of break between Thanksgiving and Winter breaks. Each week, classes were scored based on attendance, grades, class participation, and engagement in their matches. At the end of the week, the class with the higher score would be declared the winner and would earn two points in the standings. If there was a tie, each class would receive one point. Losing classes received no points.

Six classes competed in the 2024 French Class League which meant that the top 2 classes in the standings would earn a first-round bye in the Goeller Cup Playoffs.

The opening five weeks established Caesars Palace as the early team to beat. Period 3 began the season with victories over Flamingo, The Strat, and Fitzgerald before suffering its first loss against Student Council in Week 5. Flamingo remained close behind, while The Strat steadily climbed into contention. Sahara, meanwhile, opened the season winless through the first five weeks.

The middle portion of the schedule reshaped the standings. Caesars Palace defeated Flamingo in a first-place showdown during Week 6, recording the first shutout victory in French Class League history with a 2–0 win. Sahara then surged with three consecutive victories, while Student Council and The Strat remained within reach of the league leaders. By the end of Week 10, Caesars Palace still held first place, but Flamingo, Student Council, and The Strat had all closed the gap.

The final five weeks produced the tightest regular-season finish in competition history. Flamingo briefly moved into first place in Week 12, while The Strat’s late-season surge placed the top three classes within two points of one another. In Week 14, The Strat defeated Flamingo and moved into second place, setting up a dramatic final week.

In the final week of the regular season, The Strat defeated Fitzgerald, 4–3, to finish 9–4–2 with 20 points and claim the top seed. Flamingo also finished with 20 points after defeating Sahara, but its 8–2–4 record left it second in the standings due to having one fewer victory. Caesars Palace, which had led for much of the season, fell to Student Council in the final week and dropped to third, losing its first-round bye.

Period 3 and Period 2 led the way to start the LCF, tied with a 4-1-0 record after 5 weeks.

Week 1-5 Scores

Week 1

(8) Sahara 2-3 Fitzgerald (4)

(3) Caesars 6-3 Flamingo (2)

(5-6) StuCo 2-2 The Strat (7)

Week 2

(4) Fitzgerald 2-3 Flamingo (2)

(7) The Strat 2-3 Caesars (3)

(5-6) StuCo 3-1 Sahara (8)

Week 3

(2) Flamingo 3-2 StuCo (5-6)

(3) Caesars 5-2 Fitzgerald (4)

(8) Sahara 1-4 The Strat (7)

Week 4

(8) Sahara 3-5 Caesars (3)

(7) The Strat 2-3 Flamingo (2)

(5-6) StuCo 5-4 Fitzgerald (4)

Week 5

(2) Flamingo 3-2 Sahara (8)

(4) Fitzgerald 2-4 The Strat (7)

(3) Caesars 3-4 StuCo (5-6)

Standings after Week 5

Period 3 Caesars Palace 4-1-0 8 points
Period 2 Flamingo 4-1-0 8 points
Period 5/6 Student Council 3-1-1 7 points
Period 7 The Strat 2-2-1 5 points
Period 4 Fitzgerald 1-4-0 2 points
Period 8 Sahara 0-5-0 0 points

Period 7 "The Strat" won 6 in a row to end the season, vaulting them to the top spot in the standings. They finished with 20 points from a 9-4-2 record.

Week 6-10 Scores

Week 6

(7) The Strat 4-3 StuCo (5-6)

(2) Flamingo 0-2 Caesars (3)

(4) Fitzgerald 2-6 Sahara (8)

Week 7

(3) Caesars 6-5 The Strat (7)

(2) Flamingo 2-2 Fitzgerald (4)

(8) Sahara 5-4 StuCo (5-6)

Week 8

(5-6) StuCo 2-3 Flamingo (2)

(7) The Strat 2-3 Sahara (8)

(4) Fitzgerald 2-1 Caesars (3)

Week 9

(2) Flamingo 2-2 The Strat (7)

(3) Caesars 4-1 Sahara (8)

(4) Fitzgerald 2-4 StuCo (5-6)

Week 10

(8) Sahara 4-4 Flamingo (2)

(5-6) StuCo 5-4 Caesars (3)

(7) The Strat 5-3 Fitzgerald (4)

Standings after Week 10

Period 3 Caesars Palace 7-3-0 14 points
Period 2 Flamingo 5-2-3 13 points
Period 5/6 Student Council 5-4-1 11 points
Period 7 The Strat 4-4-2 10 points
Period 8 Sahara 3-6-1 7 points
Period 4 Fitzgerald 2-7-1 5 points

Period 3 sat atop the standings through week 10.

Period 8 had the best record during this part of the season, going 3-1-1

Week 11-15 Scores

Week 11

(3) Caesars 3-3 Flamingo (2)

(7) The Strat 8-7 StuCo (5-6)

(8) Sahara 0-2 Fitzgerald (4)

Week 12

(5-6) StuCo 3-4 Sahara (8)

(7) The Strat 4-2 Caesars (3)

(4) Fitzgerald 2-4 Flamingo (2)

Week 13

(3) Caesars 3-2 Fitzgerald (4)

(2) Flamingo 4-3 StuCo (5-6)

(8) Sahara 2-3 The Strat (7)

Week 14

(7) The Strat 2-1 Flamingo (2)

(8) Sahara 1-2 Caesars (3)

(5-6) StuCo 2-1 Fitzgerald (4)

Week 15

(2) Flamingo 4-3 Sahara (8)

(3) Caesars 3-4 StuCo (5-6)

(4) Fitzgerald 4-3 The Strat (7)

Final Standings

Period 7 STRAT 9-4-2 20 points
Period 2 FLAMINGO 8-2-4 20 points
Period 3 CAESARS 9-5-1 19 points
Period 5/6 STUCO 7-7-1 15 points
Period 8 SAHARA 4-10-1 9 poins
Period 4 FITZGERALD 3-11-1 7 points

ROUND 1 | QUARTERFINALS

The first round of the 2024 Goeller Cup Playoffs began on March 20, 2024. With The Strat and Flamingo earning first-round byes, the opening round featured two matchups: Caesars Palace against Fitzgerald, and Student Council against Sahara.

#3 Caesars Palace vs. #6 Fitzgerald

Caesars Palace defeated Fitzgerald by a score of 3–2 in one of the closest opening-round matchups of the playoffs. Fitzgerald mounted a strong challenge and won both total points and French-speaking percentage, setting a new record in the latter category with 51.81%. However, Caesars Palace prevailed in average points per student, positive point percentage, and highest-earning student to secure the series victory.

The deciding category proved to be average points per student, where Caesars Palace narrowly edged Fitzgerald, 4.67 to 4.57. Fitzgerald came within only a few points of completing the upset, but Caesars Palace survived and advanced to face Flamingo in the semifinals, setting up a rematch of the previous year’s Goeller Cup Final.

Total points

169-168

Avg. Pt. per Student

4.67-4.57

Positive Pt.%

89.4%-87.6%

French Usage %

51.8%-49.5%

Highest Earner

22-16

(#4) Period 5-6 Student Council vs. (#5) Period 8 Sahara

Sahara defeated Student Council by a score of 3–2 to advance to the semifinals. Sahara controlled much of the series behind victories in average points per student, French-speaking percentage, and highest-earning student. Student Council kept the matchup close by winning total points and maintaining a perfect 100% positive point percentage.

Despite a late push from Student Council, Sahara held on by a narrow margin in average points per student, winning the category 4.34 to 4.25. The victory sent Sahara to the semifinals for an end-of-the-day showdown against top-seeded The Strat.

Total points

153-152

Avg. Pt. per Student

4.34-4.25

Positive Pt. %

100%-84.9%

French* Usage %

24.6%-10.5%

*StuCo percentage calculated from "Leadership" points.

Highest Earner

30-8

ROUND 2 | SEMI-FINALS

The 2024 Goeller Cup Semifinals featured the top two regular-season teams, The Strat and Flamingo, against the two first-round survivors, Sahara and Caesars Palace. Both series carried major historical stakes, with The Strat seeking its first Finals appearance, Flamingo attempting to defend its title, and Caesars Palace trying to become the first class period to reach three consecutive Finals.

#1 The Strat vs. #5 Sahara

The Strat defeated Sahara by a score of 4–1 to advance to the Goeller Cup Final for the first time in French class history. Sahara opened the series strongly and briefly held the lead after the first class cycle, but The Strat responded on its second day and controlled the matchup for the remainder of the round.

The Strat won total points, average points per student, positive point percentage, and French-speaking percentage. Their 57.81% French-speaking score set a new Goeller Cup record, narrowly surpassing Sahara’s own impressive 56.84%. Sahara’s lone category victory came in highest-earning student.

Total points

251-209

Avg. Pt. per Student

6.97-5.81

Positive Pt.%

98.05%-89.32%

French Usage %

57.81%-56.84%

Highest Earner

29-22

#2 Flamingo vs. #3 Caesars Palace

Flamingo defeated Caesars Palace by a score of 3–2 in a dramatic rematch of the 2023 Goeller Cup Final. Caesars Palace held advantages in total points and French-speaking percentage, but Flamingo secured the series by winning average points per student, positive point percentage, and highest-earning student.

The defending champions entered their final class day needing a major comeback to remain alive. Flamingo delivered with 81 points on the final day and narrowly overtook Caesars Palace in the categories needed to win the series. The victory sent Flamingo back to the Goeller Cup Final for the second consecutive year and ended Caesars Palace’s bid to become the first class period to reach three straight Finals.

Total points

251-236

Avg. Pt. per Student

7.38-6.78

Positive Pt. %

95.55%-94.72%

French Usage %

54.72%-35.63%

Highest Earner

31-30

ROUND 3

2024 GOELLER CUP FINAL

Period 7 "The Strat" versus Period 2 "Flamingo"

The 2024 Goeller Cup Final began on April 23 and concluded on May 7. The matchup featured top-seeded The Strat against second-seeded Flamingo, the defending champion class period. It was also the second all-time playoff meeting between Periods 2 and 7, with their previous postseason matchup dating back to the inaugural tournament, which Period 7 won 3-2.

The Final carried major historical stakes. Flamingo sought to become the first class period to win back-to-back championships, while The Strat attempted to capture its first Goeller Cup title. The series also marked the third consecutive completed season in which the Goeller Cup was awarded.

The Strat opened the Final with a strong first class day, earning 125 points and taking a 3–2 series lead. Flamingo remained competitive behind a dominant performance in the highest-earning student category, but The Strat continued to build its advantage in total points and average points per student over the next several class periods.

2024 Goeller Cup Finals Match-Up Logo

Entering the final class cycle, Flamingo still had a path to victory. The defending champions needed a major final-day performance to overtake The Strat in multiple categories while maintaining their lead in highest-earning student. Flamingo earned 97 points on its final day, enough to win positive point percentage, but not enough to capture a third category.

When the final bell rang, The Strat had secured a 3–2 victory and became the 2024 Goeller Cup Champions. It marked the first Goeller Cup title for Period 7 and produced the first two-time student champions in competition history, as seven members of the 2023 championship-winning Period 2 class were enrolled in The Strat. Those students received commemorative two-time champion stickers during the championship celebration on May 8, 2024.

DAILY RECAP OF SERIES

The Strat (Period 7) opened the Goeller Cup Finals on April 23 and after one cycle of class days held a 3-2 lead. They earned an impressive 125 points on their first class day, while Flamingo (Period 2) underperformed their adversaries, only managing to earn 89 points. The top-earning student however earned 18 points on their first day, putting them more than two times ahead of Period 7 in this category.

The Strat had another impressive class on their second day of the competition, again earning over 100 points to extend their points lead, and maintained a series 3-2 edge. They continued to trail in the highest-earning student category and were also closely behind in French-speaking points, but elsewhere on the scoreboard they were in dominant control through two days.

Mr. Bracken was out sick on Period 2's second class day and Period 7's third class day. The classes received good reports from the sub and therefore did not lose any points from this day cycle. Flamingo managed to tighten the series on their third class day, even though they gave up their lead in the French-speaking category and found themselves down 4-1. Overall, the gap between the two classes was close in average points per student, and positive percentage, meaning that Period 2 could still easily turn the tides in their favor.

After four classes, the Strat continued to lead 4-1, never having trailed in the series to this point, but only earning up to 269 points through four days. Their 100-point class pace slowed down, allowing Flamingo to keep them within striking distance. After four days, both classes had combined for 7 negative points, meaning that the positive point percentage category was extremely close. Entering the final class cycle, it became clear that the series would likely come down to average points per student and positive points percentage to decide the championship.

On their final class days, the Strat increased their lead in every category, maintaining a 4-1 series lead after finishing their final class day of competition. Flamingo would need a big final class day to come back and defeat Period 7. They needed to maximize points to surpass the Strat in two categories since they led in highest student entering their last day. They needed to earn 104 points in their final class period. Doing so would have given them an advantage in positive point percentage and average points per student. Those two categories plus their highest-earning student category would have given them the victory. Unfortunately, Period 2 fell just shy of the required mark, earning 97 points on their final day. This was enough for them to edge out Period 7 in positive points percentage, but they were unable to capture a third category. When the bell rang at 8:20 AM, Period 7 became the 2024 Goeller Cup Champions. It's the first time that Period 7 has won the Goeller Cup. Additionally, seven students became the first-ever two-time Goeller Cup Champions and they received a commemorative two-time champions sticker as a part of their class party.

Total points

346-282

Avg. Pt. per Student

9.61-9.40

Positive Pt. %

98.95%-98.86%

French Usage %

62.86%-44.56%

Highest Earner

42-24

PÉRIODE 7 • FRANÇAIS II • “THE STRAT”

FIRST-TIME CHAMPIONS

Luis A-A • Kurt A • Yusimi C • Brenda C • Jaekob C • Hadassah "Hayde" F • Blu G • Balente G• Garrett G • Jaden H • Ivan H.D. • Ulysses J P • Julian J • Lex M • Silo • Daniel P • Julian R • Kylin R • Giselle R • Alex S • Josh S • Melanie T • Janet T • Sabrii V • Xavi V • Leonardo V • Ïmara W • Tejon W • Da'Niyah Y

BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPIONS

Remi D • Joshua E • Alex L • Jonny P • Valentina R • Caleb T

2024 Helmerich MVP Award

Josiah M.

2-Time Goeller Cup Champion

Previous: 2023

Next: 2025

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