All posts by Alex Furlong

Sports

Softball team pushes off a strong season

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In sports, it is very hard to be as successful as soft- ball has been. As winners of three straight N.O.C. River Division championships, this year’s team is looking forward to continuing its success under head coach Doug Hawkins.

Coach Hawkins is a 10-time returning head varsity coach for the girls and knows exactly how to lead a team to success.

“It has been very fun playing for Coach Hawkins,” senior Sadie Jones said.

Jones is a four-time returning varsity player and knows what it takes to win.

“Coach Hawkins is pretty laid back, meaning we can play relaxed. Taking off a lot of pressure has been a huge part of our success the past few years,” Jones said.

While winning three straight champi- onships, one may assume a fourth is easy to get; however, it is far from easy.

“Our two biggest goals are to win N.O.C. again and to make it to regionals. We have some pretty tough teams on our schedule this year like North Canton Hoover, who has won states four times in a row; however, we are very confident in ourselves, and we feel like we can com- pete with any team,” Jones said.

After losing three important seniors, the team leans on all four classes to pro- duce wins for the team this season.

“We have a really deep and strong line- up,” junior Landry Slider said. “Everyone plays their part well and if we continue
to play the way we know we can, we can accomplish what we have the past three years and even more.”

On April 1, the team traveled to Parma to take on Valley Forge in their first game. In a five inning, 28-1 victory, the girls proved they have tons of power.

“I really look forward to playing Hoover because they will be a challenge for us,” Slider said. “I’m also always very excited to play our rival Cuyahoga Falls.”

The team stands at 9-1 as of April 22 following their impressive 4-3 victory over division opponent Twinsburg.

This victory makes the team now 3-0 in division play.

During the weekend of April 23-26 the girls will compete in the “Rock-N-Fire” tournament with their first game being played at Hoban High School with a 7:00 p.m.

start time.

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Sports

Stow alumni David Walker takes Northeastern Huskies to victory

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On Mon. March 9, Stow alumni David Walker and Northeastern’s basketball punched a ticket to the March Madness tournament for the first time since 1991. Walker played basketball at Stow and led the team to a combined 40-8 record his junior and senior years, earning many awards and offers to play in spotlight games.

“I have to give a lot of credit to Coach Close,” Walker said. “He taught me to do whatever it takes, on and off the court. Whether it’s a deadline for school, or fighting for a loose ball, he taught me to always keep fighting in order to succeed.”

With just four minutes left in the game, Northeastern Huskies (23-11) had built a 22 point lead over William and Mary (20-12). It was the CAA championship, and the winner got to go dancing with a spot in the tournament. The game seemed all but over, until William and Mary decided to not go down without a fight. Scoring the next 16 points, and cutting the lead to just six with 40 seconds left, things got really scary for Walker’s crew.

In the final 30 seconds, the Huskies made their final five of six free throws before Walker buried a game clinching three pointer to put William and Mary’s out of reach. The final score was 72-61.

“I never had a doubt this team would see the tournament,” Walker said. “My freshman year we were very close, and it was only a matter of time before we got another opportunity. We took advantage of it over William and Mary, and now are eyes focus on the tournament.”

During selection Sunday, the Huskies were awarded the 14th seed, and are playing against the winner of the ACC tournament, the three seed, Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish.

“We like being an underdog,” Walker said. “It gives us motive and passion and let’s us played relaxed basketball. We trust in the scouts to give us everything on the Irish, and we will use what we can to our advantage.”

News

Valentine’s Day Coke fundraiser sponsored by Student Council

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Between Mon., Feb. 9 and Thurs., Feb. 12, Student Council will be selling Coca-Cola pops for Valentine’s Day. Students can buy a Coke for a special someone, and then it will be delivered to that person on Friday Feb. 13.

There are three different types of Coke one can buy, each having its own meaning. Original Coke is for friendship, vanilla is for a secret admirer, and cherry is for love. The cokes are $1, and with the purchase, one can write a personal message for the recipient.

Student Council hopes to raise approximately $200 from the Cokes.

These Cokes will be sold in the commons during all lunch periods.

“The money raised from these Cokes will be added to the money we raise for our Hoops for Heart basketball tournament,” senior Allie Laber said. “All the money between these two events will be sent to the American Heart Association.”

Sports Opinion

Superbowl XLIX stats and predictions

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The Seattle Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers, advancing them to Super Bowl 49. Later in the same day, the New England Patriots defeated the Indianapolis Colts, which sent them to the Super Bowl to face off against the Seahawks.

The big game is set to take place in Arizona on Feb. 1. Both teams get an extra week of preparation before it is all left on the line. The fact of the matter is that Tom Brady and the Patriots could get three weeks of preparation and they will still not be ready for the Seahawks, and this will be proven in a Seahawks victory.

It is not just the Seahawks feared defense that will beat the Patriots: it is their much underrated offense. Russell Wilson simply does not say the game is over until he wants it to be. This act was put on display in the NFC Championship game vs the Packers. To say the least, Wilson played horribly, throwing four interceptions, and according to Espnstatsinfo.com, the Seahawks had a 3.9% chance of winning with 5:04 left in regulation; however, with a little magic and possibly some luck, Wilson and company came away with the earned victory.

I am not saying that Seattle will dominate New England like they did last year against Manning and the Broncos, but I am saying they will win, and I am very confident in saying that. Brady is not washed up. Belicheck is still one of the best coaches to ever live. So why am I counting out the Pats so confidently?

In ten starts against Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, Russell Wilson boasts a—you guessed it—perfect 10-0 record; however, come Feb.1, when the confetti rains down blue and green in Glendale, he will be 11-0. The Seahawks will also be victorious because of a quiet and very misunderstood running back by the name of Marshawn Lynch. All Lynch has done is run for 1306 yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season.

At the end of the day, the Patriots have still earned the right to play the Seahawks and have many of threats on their team. The only way the Patriots have a chance to win is with man coverage and have a linebacker spy Wilson.

This time last year, most people took their bets on the Broncos high-powered offense defeating the young Seahawks team, which was followed up with a 43-8 Seattle victory. While the Patriots and Broncos are different teams, they are built the same. The only differences are that Brady does not have the weapons Manning had, and the Patriots defense is slightly better. Offense wins game, and like many do not understand, defense wins championships.

If you do not wish to know the final score of Super Bowl 49, stop reading. Spoiler alert, the Seahawks will beat the Patriots 23-17 in Glendale Arizona.