The story behind Josh Weinberg’s rise to prominence in Whitman basketball
By Matt Mande, Walt Whitman High School
May 28, 2020
Six years ago at Pyle Middle School, head basketball coach Bobby Polley called over senior Josh Weinberg, then in seventh grade, to talk to him at the end of his second day of basketball tryouts. When Josh heard the words “not quite there” and “try out next year,” he was crushed. The following...
Holtz completes journey from WPIAL to NFL
By by Dominic DiTommaso, Shaler Area High School
May 21, 2020
With the Dallas Cowboys up 7-0, on Thursday Night Football, the Chicago Bears had the ball, first-and-ten, at Dallas’ 39-yard line at the start of the second quarter. The Bears threw a screen pass to Shaler Area graduate JP Holtz, who roared his way inside the ten-yard line. The Bears went on to win...
Music serving as key player for sports
By Angela Yuan, Coppell High School
May 21, 2020
The player scores a touchdown, and a tune blasts across the bleachers and field, sending adrenaline rippling through the roaring crowd. Music is not associated foremost with sports, but the two intersect in ways that leave lasting influences on each other and entertainment culture as a whole. There...
‘Last Dance’ follows Jordan on his hero’s journey to greatness
By Jaiman White, Baldwin High School - PA
May 19, 2020
It can be hard to put the legacy of Michael Jordan into words. He looms large for the diehard fans who watched every Bulls game in the ’80s and ’90s. And for the younger generation of fans who watch his highlights on YouTube today. Then there are those who don’t watch basketball, but still covet...
Soccer works with IntelliGym technology to sharpen skills
By Remi Williams, Liberty High School - TX
May 8, 2020
Over the years technology has been accepted as useful in the classroom. However, in recent years technology has been developed to help athletes excel on the field with the Redhawk soccer teams using IntelliGym, a computer software program that looks like athletes are playing around with spaceships, but in reality they are doing a lot m...
Leaving a legacy on and off the track
By Madi Olivier, Marcus High School
May 8, 2020
The school is mourning the death of long-time Head Cross Country, Track and Field Coach Steve Telaneus, who died on Thursday, April 30 at age 60. His winning legacy and dedication to his students and his school made Telaneus, who was known as “Coach T” across Texas, a beloved member of the school...
The Climb
By Megan Percy, Francis Howell Central High School
May 1, 2020
Junior Stephen Derenski is splayed across a flat wall 35 feet in the air. Clinging to it, breathing heavily, he can feel his ligaments tighten. He’s so close. He shuts his eyes, takes a deep breath and looks towards the ceiling. He sees the next colored stud coming out of the shear slate. He pulls...
Abrupt end cannot sever bonds made
By Ben Barkley, Starr's Mill High School
April 29, 2020
The whole world has gone into a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With that brought an end to the spring sports season at Starr’s Mill before it really even began. Lacrosse was shaping to have a great season, as the boys were undefeated before the season was shut down, and the girls were ...
A burnout story: what it takes to break an athlete
By Nadia Fedotova, Carlmont High School
April 27, 2020
She didn’t get to have a normal teenage life. Beyond the gym, where she trained six days a week for 24 hours, she didn’t have any close friends. How could she when gymnastics came before everything else? She watched little girls accept comments like “you can’t do that because you have too much weight” and “you look like a gummy bear because you are so squishy” the sam...
Teachers use workouts to lose weight, stay fit
By Crosslin Silcott, Kingwood Park High School
April 23, 2020
With the amount of hours teachers and coaches spend at school, it is often difficult for them to find time to focus on their own personal fitness. Many have additional after-school commitments and families to come home to. Despite the limited hours in a day, many teachers and coaches have had much...
Making Eastern proud: Logan Ryan doesn’t forget his roots
By Matt Steinsaltz, Eastern Regional High School
April 23, 2020
Before he was a two time Super Bowl champion, All-American cornerback, and third round pick of the New England Patriots, Logan Ryan was one of us. He was an Eastern Viking. While at Eastern, Ryan was a standout player on both sides of the ball: a star at both quarterback and cornerback. His play...
World Athletics sets new regulations on running shoes
By Teresa Arisawa, Lynbrook High School - CA
April 23, 2020
On Oct. 12, 2019, Eliud Kipchoge ran the fastest marathon in world history — 1:59:40. However, this impressive time did not replace the marathon world record due to the massive amount of tools used to help him, including laser projected pacer lines, physical pacers by his side and Nike’s revolutionary...
“It’s basically darts on steroids”: Axe throwing with Mr. Bradley
By Andrew Shinkle, Eastern Regional High School
April 22, 2020
For Mr. Kevin Bradley, hands-on work is an area of expertise. From saws and machines in woodworking, to cameras and shutters in photography, he has vast experience in many industrial arts offered at Eastern. But what many don’t know is that Bradley participates in a rather unique hands-on sport. Axe...
Santa Fe shooting left mark on baseball program
By Taylor Rankin, Kingwood Park High School
April 22, 2020
In 2018 there was a record number of 24 school shootings across America in which students were killed or injured. Ten of those students were at Santa Fe High School - just 61 miles from Kingwood Park High School. The shooting hit especially close to home because of the baseball playoffs. Kingw...
Technology vs. Humanity
By Arthur Goncalves and Aidan Kurt
April 21, 2020
Both teams are a touchdown away from winning the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship. With two minutes left, Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a spiral to teammate Tommylee Lewis, just yards from the end zone. From Lewis' right comes Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, knocking the bal...
King of the mountain
By Jackson Posey, Smithson Valley High School
April 21, 2020
As the clock ticks down to the start of the game, two teams prepare for a 32-minute slugfest. But their first battle is the tipoff. San Antonio Reagan sends out their champion: Will Carsten, their 6 foot 8 inch, 225 pound forward. Across from him stands Devante Mount, just 5 foot 11 inches, 160...
Unified team positively impacts both helpers and athletes
By Audrey DeAngelis, Londonderry High School
April 20, 2020
As the JV basketball team enters the LHS gym to start their warm-ups, another game is wrapping up. Regardless of what the scoreboard says, both teams have smiles from ear to ear. To them, it truly doesn’t matter who won or lost, they are just happy to be a part of something. Seven years ago, the...
English teacher wins athletic award and prepares for next marathon
By Caroline Cubbin & Ammar Hussain, Hinsdale Central High School
April 17, 2020
5 a.m - Wake up 7 a.m - Arrive at Central 3:30 p.m - Head home to the city 5 p.m - Grading and planning 7 p.m - Daily workout and training 9 p.m - More grading and planning 11 p.m - Go to sleep That is the very-structured daily schedule of first-year Central teacher Katie Tosh. Tosh recently transferred ...
Sanders: Quarantine is the best thing to happen for esports
By Henry Sanders, The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
April 14, 2020
The new competitive look for the 2020 season takes place in a chair and on a monitor. The world of esports is rising to the top, despite its already popular presence. Due to the spread of COVID-19, league play and major competitive events across just about all sports have left fans without a team to...
The epitome of Panther pride
By Daniel Stackhouse, Starr's Mill High School
April 7, 2020
Panther alumni Drew and senior Alice Anne Hudson are two siblings that have set the bar for Starr’s Mill basketball. They have both accumulated incomparable stats and earned All-State status. All of this success, though, came from their competition against each other. The Hudsons began compet...
All sports are team sports
By Emma Scott, Carlmont High School
April 7, 2020
All alone. Standing alone on the floor, on the diving board, on the track. No one else is there except the eyes of the audience. This notion of being all alone is the common perception of individual sports and, as suggested by the name itself, it would seem to be that individual sports are...
Proposed Legislation Threatens Transgender Rights
By Ivy Reed, Clayton High School
April 6, 2020
“It basically affirmed my sense of belonging. Playing on the boys’ team, I never really felt like I belonged,” Nicky Taghert, 2019 CHS graduate, said about her experience playing on the girls’ soccer team as a transgender athlete. But if proposed state legislation is passed, other trans stude...
Refereeing done right: Student, teacher collaborate over calling signals
By Madeline Welch, University of Chicago Laboratory High School
April 6, 2020
Students run up and down the court of Upper Kovler Gymnasium, dribbling and passing the basketball. Kennedy Coats runs alongside with a whistle in hand, carefully watching the game as the referee. Physical education teacher and longtime referee, Daniel Dyra, pulls Kennedy aside from time to time, gesturing...
Pride of the ride
By Lukas Goodwin, Hagerty High School
April 3, 2020
When he was still in middle school, sophomore Vincent Connelly often hung out with his older brother and his skater friends. Spending so much time with them, and being an impressionable younger sibling that looked up to his brother, Connelly quickly picked up skateboarding as well. Since then, it has...
A farewell to Coach Bethany
By Drew Boone and Tre Bell
April 2, 2020
This story was originally published on Pathfinder on April 1, 2020....
Davies competes on Team USA in sport stacking
By Grace Kirtley, Lafayette High School
April 1, 2020
He starts with two hands on the timer. When he’s ready, his hands fly to a stack of 9 speed-stacking cups. First is the 3-3-3, named for the three stacks of three cups. Up-stack, then down-stack, this takes him 1.822 seconds. Next, is the 3-6-3. Up-stack, then down-stack once again. This takes him...
Female Athletes Still Struggling for Equality
By Teagan Garrison, Mike Marshall, and Allison O'Hara
March 31, 2020
Male and female athletes have yet to maintain an equal playing field. Whether these biases come from expectations, familial roles, or physical and verbal treatment, it's clear that men and women are held to different standards. The conflict was temporarily leveled when Bobby Riggs, who according...
Hidden Helpers: managers talk about their jobs assisting sports teams
By Siri Chevuru, Blue Valley Southwest
March 30, 2020
Sports teams make up a large part of a school’s identity. Banners hang in the gym recognizing athletes’ achievements and ice cream is passed out after each state victory. However, some people who spend hours helping the team are sometimes left out of the spotlight. Senior Ashley Schuler has been a girls...
Peril to prosperity: How David Stern’s NBA transformed athletics forever
By Mitch Fink and Sophie Grand
March 27, 2020
Andrew Ross Sorkin stepped out of his father’s car, legal pad and tape recorder in hand. Sorkin, a 15-year-old student at Scarsdale High School at the time, had scored the biggest coup of his young journalistic life: an interview with National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner David Stern. ...
Dash down the lane: junior Yaseen El-Demerdash qualifies for Paralympic trials in Singapore
By Sahar Baha, Blue Valley Southwest
March 27, 2020
From joining the Kansas City Blazers swimming team nine years ago, to being invited to the Worlds Series swim meet in Singapore, junior Yaseen El- Demerdash has had a huge impact on the school’s swimming program. After recently being classified as a para athlete due to his rare condition, Poland’...
Dance proves to be both art and sport
By Katie Dwyer, Henry W Grady High School - Nexus
March 26, 2020
When junior Zoey Phillips takes the stage, her hours of hard work, training and rehearsal are shown in her performance. Everything about her performance is perfect, from her movements to how her fingers are pointed. The spotlight shines, the music plays and she begins her dance. The argument of...
Pushed to the sidelines
By Sally Parampottil, Coppell High School
March 26, 2020
Google “female sports journalists” and look at the first page of results. Of the nine results, four of them are about the struggles of being a woman in sports journalism. Two showcased female reporters who had made great strides for their gender in the world of sports, though each inevitably ...
Allen sets sights on college, Olympic success
By Gabby Norman, Kingwood Park High School
March 26, 2020
Senior Jacob Allen has crossed the sea in order to compete in races all over the world, and he credits his success to one thing - his pre-race meal of chocolate cake. “I eat chocolate cake every time,” Jacob laughed. “Before races, just eat chocolate cake. It works.” In reality, Allen credits...
Baylor bound: Equestrian Tatum Mitchell commits to division I university
By Sarah Barber, Downers Grove South High School
March 26, 2020
The horse begins at a trot, approaching the first jump before clearing it with ease, as senior rider Tatum Mitchell is confidently in control -- making it clear to the judges and spectators why she is one of four class of 2020 students in the country committed to Baylor University as a division I equestrian. “I'm...
How a positive mindset can empower female athletes
By Nanette Pottoore, Coppell High School
March 25, 2020
During winter break, my brother and I attended a sports tournament my local church held every two years. I played volleyball, while my brother played basketball. It was a tournament where high schoolers came from all over the nation to compete for the championship. Both the volleyball and basketball...
CrossFit helps teen girls gain confidence
By Kamryn Harty, Henry W. Grady High School
March 25, 2020
Feet shoulder-width apart. Hips back, head up. Remember to breathe. Bend knees. Gritted teeth. Trembling legs. A 16 year-old-girl squatting 185 pounds. The gym goes wild. Flash-forward two years and senior Amelia Kushner says that four years ago, she never would have imagined she could be where she...
Sports apparel prices lead to student doubt
By Adam Gips and Tenzin Gyaldatsang
March 24, 2020
Recently, student athletes have had to contemplate whether to buy overpriced apparel to show support for their teams. Sophomore Danny Shope said sports apparel is beneficial for team bonding, but is sometimes overpriced. “One of the main objectives of sports apparel is to unify the team, and if...
A few cards short of a full deck
By Yash Ravula, Coppell High School
March 24, 2020
**Disclaimer: the following article includes discussions about sexual assault, which may be sensitive to some readers** With the rise in movements such as #MeToo in 2017, many women have come forward talking about their experiences with sexual harassment and abuse. Since, numerous popular sports figures...
Leinart reigns supreme: Legally blind swimmer wins state, breaks records
By Sarah Barber, Downers Grove South High School
March 19, 2020
A tennis ball tapped the head of junior Matthew Leinart as he flew through the pool, executing a flip turn before speeding toward the end of his lane -- he was about to shatter the IHSA and pool records in the state final of the 100-yard breaststroke in Athletes with Disabilities class B. As a legally...
Michael Schneider: a Bohemian ultrarunner in the making
By Eva Shen and Harshita Neralla
March 19, 2020
It was mile 17, and Michael Schneider wanted to throw up. The running-crazed DV senior and aspiring ultrarunner was taking on the California International Marathon, his first ever. By mile 13 he was already feeling the strain in his legs, far too early, and the unshakable notion that the next half...
USWNT president resigns over sexist comments
By Olivia Ostrowski, Lia Reichmann, Editor-in-Chief, and Saba Ali, Editor-in-Chief
March 19, 2020
On Thursday, March 12, United States Soccer formerPresident Carlos Cordeiro resigned in the midst of a contentious battle between the United States women’s national soccer team (USWNT) and the U.S. Soccer Federation over pay disputes. Cordeiro’s resignation resulted from the public backlash he faced fro...
#SJW2020: The brain behind the game
By Karen Lu, Coppell High School
March 18, 2020
In a split second, a soccer player kicks the ball into the goal. Cheers erupt from the stands; grins spread across the coach’s face. But how exactly did they score? What was the strategy behind the play? Coppell High School senior Abhishek Mishra is a match analyst for soccer matches on Total Football Analysis, originally writing for Fo...
Martial Arts Madness
By Kana Chung, Francis Howell Central High School
March 18, 2020
A bead of sweat rolls down freshman Sophia Miller’s temple. Her breathing is sporadic and heavy. She and her opponent have passed the upper hand back and forth for nearly six grueling minutes. Before she knows it, her opponent knocks her onto her back, trapping her in a straight arm lock. As her ar...
Juniors step up as little league coaches
By Izzie May, James Bowie High School
March 17, 2020
Around the school, he is known as Atticus Kohler but to his young baseball team the kids know him as Coach Kohler Attending after school practices and traveling on Saturdays for games are all part of this junior’s regular routine. Kohler got into baseball at age six which is when he discovered his...
Changing tides
By Madi Olivier, Marcus High School
March 13, 2020
Every day at 4:45 a.m., swim coach and natatorium manager Shannon Gillespy is greeted by the smell of chlorine as she steps into her office at the LISD Westside Aquatic Center. A large window takes up the back wall, looking out to the pools that swimmers will be diving into at 6 a.m. sharp. Binders w...
Alumna Griffith finishes top 100 at U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon
By Kaitlin Palaian and Elias Podber
March 13, 2020
When Gracie Griffith ran her first marathon as a sophomore at Clemson University, she immediately fell in love with the distance. Two years later on Oct. 13, 2019, she ran 2:44:52 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, putting her eight seconds clear of the Olympic Trials standard. “In April (2019),...
Friends before enemies
By Alexis Madlang, Hagerty High School
March 13, 2020
During one of the most attended rivalry week events, a parade of orange and blue fills the stadium, while each football team fights it out for only one school to come out on top. Rival friends are not seen sitting in the opposing student sections, they are usually with their school friends in their sands....
On the Road Again
By Cameron Levasseur, PRESQUE ISLE HIGH SCHOOL
March 12, 2020
It’s 7:45 am on a chilly Saturday morning. Twenty-one groggy teenagers stare blankly around at their peers as the inside of the school bus windows become as foggy as their sleepy minds. Such is the life of a Wildcat high school athlete. In high school sports, the biggest event of a team’s season...
Emma Sheehan wrestles in girls all-states over boys sectionals
By Atharva Weling and Dante Coppola
March 12, 2020
The WHS wrestling team was forced to compete at sectionals without its third seed, as senior Emma Sheehan made the decision to participate in girls all-states instead. Wrestling has historically been a sport WHS has dominated. Its Dual County League (DCL) title this past January marks the 39th in the...
Auto-racing community hits the track close to home
By Sean Turner, Granite Bay High School
March 12, 2020
Racing has always been a unique choice in the sporting world. In comparison to other sports and hobbies, motorsports has differentiated itself with the thrill of pushing far past the limits of the human body. However, along with the competition aspect, what truly distinguishes motoring from other...