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By Taylor Bosley
Staff Writer Two NHL teams will leave the rink and head outside to face-off the old fashion way at Michigan Stadium Jan. 1. After being postponed due to the lockout last season, the popular tradition of the Bridgestone Winter Classic will continue this year featuring two of the Original Six rivals, the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Fans across the NHL are quickly buying up all of the tickets available for the Winter Classic. USA Today reported that all of the tickets are nearly sold out except for single seat tickets. “We’re looking forward to 107,000-plus people up there,” Red Wings president and CEO Tom Wilson said to USA Today. Being two of the Original Six teams, the rivalry of the two teams has been apart of the NHL since the beginning. The rivalry will surely be intensified due to the Winter Classic and also the recent welcoming of the Red Wings in the Eastern Conference. Since the two teams have past history between them, an alumni game featuring players that were previous members of the two teams is also set to be played. “I’m excited because it’s one of the biggest games and it’s so exciting to see all of the older players come back for the alumni game.” Senior and avid hockey fan Nicole Thivierge said about the upcoming Winter Classic. There is a possibility that previous Detroit Redwing player Steve Yzerman now the current Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager, will play in the alumni game. If so, any alumni tickets are expected to sell out. Although the Winter Classic has not been apart of the NHL for long, both members and fans of the NHL are excited to see the game played the old fashion way between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. Senior Evan Miller earns Fall Athlete of the Year honors as he balanced his fall sports season between two sports: soccer and football.
The athletic department rented a temporary scoreboard from York College for the fall after the original long-standing board was downed by straight-line winds. By Ben Otte Co-Editor-In-Chief “He basically told me we have a problem with the scoreboard [it] wasn’t in its usual upright position,” Mr. Arnold Fritzius recalled after talking to Mr. Kevin Zieber, who was at Horn Field preparing for a soccer game at the time. “I really thought he was pulling my chain.” But then as Mr. Fritzius took a quick trip to Horn Field to assess the situation, he knew he wasn’t being played by Zieber. The structure, which had been standing for approximately 45 years now, was in fact bent over backwards thanks to severe straight-line winds that blew through the area on September 12. “It’s bizarre how such particular updrafts pushed all of that weight over,” Fritzius pointed out. The big question now around campus: What is the next option for a new stationary scoreboard? The old scoreboard will not be used again, according to Fritzius. Instead, the athletic department is teaming up with Mr. Ben Smith of the TV studio to use this opportunity to replace a scoreboard and add video screen capabilities. Not just any scoreboard is planned to be the replacement. In fact, Fritzius says a scoreboard with jumbo-screen-like capabilities is an option that the athletic department and the district would consider. According to documents, such an investment could ask for prices exceeding $60,000. But despite the overwhelming amount, Fritzius says the investment would be well worth it. “This gives us an opportunity for students to get involved and get them preperation for future careers. We could have students broadcast video feeds from the games being played through various angled cameras set up around Horn Field.” Fritzius also adds that not only would this give the district the opportunity to highlight athletic achievement through video, but also achievement from other clubs and organizations through-out the district. A high-end video scoreboard streams nothing but endless opportunities and excitement. But with that, must come patience. “We want to ensure the best decision possible that will benefit the student body, as well as the community, the most,” says Fritzius. An official proposal to start construction on a stationary scoreboard is slated for either the March 6 or March 20 school board meeting. The approved blueprints will promise a new scoreboard for the fall 2014 sports teams. By Adrianna Clinton
Copy Editor This kind of anticipation has never been felt before until now, a moment that no one knows the feeling of until it happens. It’s done. They step onto the bus to leave and the realization that they’ll never play in that uniform, on their field, with that again sinks in. It’s bittersweet, emotional, sad and exciting. “That’s a game I will never get back,” senior varsity girls soccer player Tori Sprenkle said. As our seniors prepare to put on their cap and gown, they recall what it was like to wear that jersey, swimsuit, singlet for the last time. The bonds that they created over their career, the inside jokes are ripped away as their inevitable last season came and went. It’s a season unlike any other. Though this time there will not be a “next year.” No chance for redemption. Absolutely no second chances. “I felt so happy during the last game yet I still had that sad feeling pulling at me because I knew that I would never get to cheer on the Lions again,” varsity football cheerleader Maryssa Guerreri said. Varsity swimmer Jesse North couldn’t believe it was over already. Softball player Alexa Taylor and lacrosse athlete Clarissa Axe were incredulous that they won’t play their respective sports again. “After the loss [in Districts], we were done,” girls basketball player Jen Horvatinovic said. The commitment every athlete had to their sport, some for all their lives, can not be replicated. For coaches, realizing they will not have quite the same group next year is difficult. Defensive coordinator for the varsity football team Mr. Jeremy Granger said. “It is always hard to say goodbye to the seniors.” For band director Curtis Crone, “It is always sad to see a talented class like this year’s group of seniors leave.” Boys track coach Todd Barshinger said, “With 19 seniors graduating this year, they will be very hard to replace.” In spite of knowing this is the end and having to accept that they may never play again, many athletes have memories from their career that make the void somewhat bearable. Tennis player CJ Weigle said he wasn’t thinking about his last game too much. “I was happy with everything that I had accomplished.” First baseman for the varsity baseball team Sam Kitzmiller said even though he didn’t want it to be over, he had a great run with his team. Tori Sprenkle stepped forward every game with her sister by her side, her “best friend and teammate.” Jesse North got the girl’s 200-freestyle stroke record in swimming. Varsity wrestler Tyler Schell was a PIAA State Qualifier. Not only have these seniors faced the end of their high school careers, but the incomparable rivalries they had experienced with teams like Dallastown have come to an end as well. Varsity field hockey player Kasey Seitz said the last game gave her “a good feeling, even though I won’t have that rivalry anymore.” Jen Horvatinovic said by beating Dallastown in her last match up by one point, she was able to get “a last little piece of revenge.” Revenge, a word many seniors used to describe their feelings towards the opposing team. While some players unfortunately could not experience a big win against the Wildcats for the last time, they were still determined and played an intense game. Varsity swimmer Bryor Moritz described his last meet against Dallastown as, “bittersweet because I won’t swim against a good team anymore.” The dedication, the hard-fought games, and the overall camaraderie formed among these student athletes, are probably the most engraved memories in their minds. Their legacy will not be forgotten as they move on to a new chapter in their lives, with or without the sport they grew up with. |
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