Dedicating his life to the game
By Anna Velazquez, Lewisville High School
September 17, 2019
The sound of people cheering in the stands seems distant. He focuses on the quarterback, waiting for the ball to be thrown his way. The eighth-grade wide receiver watches as the ball leaves the quarterback's hands; his eyes remain on the ball until it is securely in his hands. He is in his element; being...
Faith rewarded
By Ethan Peter, Kirkwood High School
September 17, 2019
Alex Chapman, senior, looked up as her father walked through the front door with a large silver cup in his hands. Beaming, he made his way to a small table draped in a black NHL tablecloth and placed the 3-foot tall cup down, where it was soon surrounded by his family and friends. “The Stanley Cup...
Andrea Shang: If you lose, you have to tell yourself, ‘I can get better’
By Charlie Moore, Wayland High School
September 17, 2019
Junior Andrea Shang steps onto the fencing strip, readjusting her lamé and pulling down her mask. Heart pounding, the unranked Shang faces down a ranked opponent named Czarina Alfonso in a regional competition in New Jersey. The referee utters “en-garde.” Gripping her foil sword, Shang enters her...
Evening activities affected by EEE outbreak
By Gabriela Paz-Soldan and Catherine Hayden
September 16, 2019
Northborough and Southborough have been identified at a critical risk level for Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEE), prompting measures by the school district to protect students' safety and impacting the fall sports schedule. EEE is a rare, potentially fatal disease transmitted by mosquitos f...
Starting strong: Hawks win first season opener since 2005
By Delaney Jones, Meridian Senior High School
September 16, 2019
Late in the third quarter, Hawk cheerleaders were ready to drop after 47 jumping jacks when Meridian fan Kaiden Damery shouted, "Hang in there girls, it's only the third quarter." Little did these cheerleaders know the Hawks would eventually defeat Oblong/Hutsonville/Palestine and win the game with a...
3 senior boys defy convention on girl-dominated field hockey team
By Meredith Prince and Caitlin Newton
September 16, 2019
Around the world, field hockey is predominantly a male sport. But, in the United States, it is more common to see females choosing to pick up sticks and hit the field. Seniors Aiden Chitkara, and Zeke and Ethan Betancourt decided to go against American social norms and try out for the WHS field hockey...
Erin Choi Shoots for Success in Archery
By Ajinkya Rane and Ki Joon Lee
May 30, 2019
Freshman Erin Choi lifts her carbon coated arrow and loads it into her bow as she eyes the target in front of her. She strenuously pulls back the braided string and rests her hand underneath her chin. As her arrow inches along the bow, it brushes by her clicker and launches toward the vibrant hues o...
Varsity girls’ soccer makes history funding female trophy case
By Lily Kane '20, Staples High School
May 30, 2019
The varsity girls’ soccer team has recently committed to raising money for the construction of a girls’ trophy case to house their many championship trophies. After years of filling up the general trophy case in Staples High School with their growing number of awards, the team is finally raising...
Breaking barriers and clays
By Kenzie Haberman, Owatonna High School
May 29, 2019
Trap shooting has traditionally been a fairly male-dominant sport, but these girls have decided to break the stereotype by showing everyone that girls can shoot too. The Owatonna trap shooting team kicked off their season with their first meet on April 24, 2019. Since then, they have completed three...
International audition
By Hannah D'Iorio, Lovejoy High School
May 29, 2019
Dressing into her red uniform top that reads “Mexico” across the front in white letters, senior Celeste Soliz begins to get ready for the game. She slips on her white pants and red cleats and takes a deep breath. The jitter of nerves and anxiety hits Celeste. This wasn’t a typical high school...
Anthony Lu: A Story of Injuries, Recovery and More Injuries
By Farhad Taraporevala, Portola High School
May 24, 2019
There have been many enduring sports curses, from the Madden cover curse of the NFL to the curse of the Bambino that plagued the Boston Red Sox. Now, Portola’s baseball team has its own: the Anthony curse. Junior Anthony Lu has never completed a full season of high school baseball and has completed...
Shalhevet announces it has suspended play against Valley Torah in basketball
By Alex Rubel, Shalhevet High School
May 22, 2019
Shalhevet will refuse to play Valley Torah in boys’ basketball until the school’s head coach is replaced, because of help the coach provided to the Palm Springs High School Indians, the Firehawks’ opponent, in advance of this year’s CIF quarterfinal game, Rabbi Segal has announced. It was...
Varsity softball gains new coaches mid-season
By Nicole Ash and Brooke Yungfleisch
May 22, 2019
Former junior varsity softball head coach Harold Hale and OPHS government teacher Robert Hall have rejoined the coaching staff for varsity softball after coaching changes occurred mid-season in March. Interim varsity head coach Harold Hale explained that he has previously done a decade of coaching...
Mustangs swing their way into history
By Bronlyn Holland and Payton DiSario
May 22, 2019
Making history on the diamond field, the Mustangs won the Elite Eight Class AAAAA State playoff against the Buford Wolves at the end of Game Three with a score of 8-3 on Thursday, May 9. On Wednesday, the Mustangs won Game One, 5-2, and lost Game Two, 3-1, which led to a tiebreaker game. “T...
Teachers run in the 123rd Boston Marathon
By Amy Overhulser, Features Editor, Londonderry High School
May 22, 2019
The overwhelming support from the crowd but the quietness and solemn silence of the racers surrounds them. The cheers push them, the support rings in their ears. The rush of adrenaline pumps through their body as they run through the pain and long for the finish line. Math teacher Ms. Brennan a...
The freshman phenomenon
By Morgan Vehige, Lafayette High School
May 22, 2019
Many freshmen are taking to the fields, courts and pools in order to make their mark at the varsity level. At Lafayette there are only a handful of freshmen that play on the varsity level instead of on a freshman or junior varsity team, and there’s even more who swing up to sub in for injured players....
From home to baseball diamond: Polk brothers catch opportunity to bond, play baseball together
By Sofia Guerrero, Coppell High School
May 21, 2019
Playing catch with their dad, Chad Polk, as children turned into a lifelong love for brothers CHS9 freshman Walker Polk and Coppell High School junior Hudson Polk. Both made the varsity baseball team as freshmen and feel they have become closer because of it. This news meant the boys’ work is...
Thos Tough
By Lottie Gidal, Iowa City High School
May 21, 2019
Every morning Thos Trefz writes a quote on the blackboard that hangs over his room. Quotes are all over his Instagram and T-shirts; they are layered throughout his coaching lessons. Any of the runners that frequent his room could tell you about all the times Thos has used a quote to help them push through...
David Edwards becomes first DGN alum drafted to NFL
By Mary Wojcik, Downers Grove North High School
May 20, 2019
Former DGN football player David Edwards is added to the Los Angeles Rams roster as the 169th pick during this year’s NFL draft, which took place April 25 through April 27. “We had heard so many different things about where I would get picked in the draft and I felt really prepared for wherever...
Howard leads soccer to a 10-2 start
By Sophia Scheller, Lafayette High School
May 20, 2019
Nobody really knew what the girls soccer team was going to get from freshman Rylee Howard, but the freshman standout has already made her mark on the team, leading in scoring with 19 goals and 45 points. Head girls soccer coach Tim Walters said, "[I] had a good idea she was coming. Never know for...
Quinaliza draws on experience to guide jumpers
By Kaitlin Palaian, Henry W. Grady High School
May 20, 2019
The sun blazes down on the crimson rubber beneath his feet as he sprints down the 1.22 meter wide lane preparing his motions: a hop, a step and a jump. The mark is 16 meters 47 centimeters or 54-0.425 feet, a personal best for him in the triple jump. The athlete is 57 year-old Ecuadorian, triple...
Girls’ lacrosse defeats Lamar, honors the Kensingers
By Grace Randall, St. John's School
May 17, 2019
As the largest crowd ever seen on Caven Field gathered in support, the girls’ lacrosse team prepared for the most difficult game they would ever play. The overflowing number of supporters came together not just to cheer for the Mavs against the Lamar Texans in the City Championship Semifinals, but...
2020 start time may impact sports teams
By Sophie Olmen, St. Louis Park High School
May 17, 2019
With the new change in school district start times, sophomore Ryan Barnett said he feels a range of emotions. “I have mixed feelings about it. I think it’ll be good for the middle schoolers so they don’t have to wake up too early but I feel like it’ll create a lot of conflicts for sports and...
Making A Comeback
By Haleigh McCune, Liberty High School
May 17, 2019
There's this kind of awkward time in between middle and high school. At the end of your eighth grade year of course you know that you’re moving schools, but sometimes you don’t really feel like a high schooler until you’re actually there for awhile. Until that moment, it can be scary. Trying to fig...
Freshmen athletes conforming to high school athletics after initial scheduling issues
By Akif Abidi, Coppell High School
May 16, 2019
Before basketball season came to an end late February, CHS9 freshman boys basketball player Anthony Black’s school schedule was a monotonous grind. Black woke up early in the morning to get to Coppell High School to train with his team. As the clock hit 9:55 a.m., the freshman would rush to the...
Next Level Seniors: Alyson Miura Chooses USC, Continuing Her 13 Year Long Basketball Career
By Emily Hawkins, La Salle Catholic College Preparatory
May 16, 2019
Playing basketball has been an important part of Alyson Miura’s life for a long time, beginning when she was five years old, and now she will be moving on to compete at the collegiate level. Miura signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball for the University of Southern California (USC) on Wed...
Throwing like a girl
By Audrey Brown, Eureka High School
May 15, 2019
When Skylinn Pogue (9) found out she made the freshman baseball team, her family was not surprised. Skylinn Pogue grew up in Canada, where baseball was a popular sport for both boys and girls to pursue. Her passion for the game started when she was just three years old. “I can’t say that I...
Chris Lee and Billy Paschen drive York’s hockey program to elite level
By Murphy McFarlane, York Community High School
May 15, 2019
It's been three years since York hockey has been inducted into arguably Illinois's most competitive high school hockey league, and, since then, the program has seen great success. This season, JV won the Scholastic Hockey League (SHL) Championship while the varsity team ranked eighth in the state,...
Committing to coaching
By Valerie Benzinger, Lewisville High School
May 15, 2019
The sun sets slowly in the background as the Fighting Farmer baseball team lines up together on the field, brought out by head baseball coach Mike Campbell. The opposing team, the Hebron Hawks, is led onto the field by their coach as well. The announcer begins a speech about Campbell, praising ...
Tennis players bothered by off-campus courts
By Brynn Gillen and Jackie Jablonski
May 15, 2019
Mayfield High School tennis players are being affected by using off-campus courts on a regular basis. Many players have no choice but to walk to Highland Heights Park and cross main roads in varying weather conditions to practice, due to the fact that the school no longer has a tennis court. Mayfield...