"It's a crazy world, so sports and athletics and music can be a form of escapism."
― Eddie Vedder |
Are College Athletes Paid Professionals?By Zach Wargo 20' There are many problems with college sports this generation, with scandals in college basketball, and with bribery in college football within the past 20 years. Video games have stopped being made over the past five years, and the question that everyone doesn’t know how to answer. In a recent survey, 52% of blacks are in favor of paying college athletes, while only 15% strongly disagree, and say that they should not get paid while they are in college. While only 27% say that they should just support some college athletes. In recent years, the NCAA has gone through many lawsuits, and have owed millions of dollars to colleges, and people who think that college athletes should be paid. In a article last year, on CBS Sports.com did not state that they could not be able to interview white, and other people. People have debated this topic over the past 10 years, with videogames, and endorsements paying the colleges, instead of the players. There are many pro’s and con’s if the NCAA does decide to pay D-I athletes. One of the positives is that the athletes would be able to support their parents and close family members who are struggling, as they are helping pay for their kid to get an education. If college athletes do get paid, it would probably let them pay for their meals, tuition, and help out their family with bills, and other financial problems they may have. The NCAA has clearly stated where all the money goes, after people and television companies spend millions, and billions of dollars on events like the College Football Playoff, the bowl games, and the NCAA Tournament which airs all 65 college basketball games. The NCAA makes tons of money, and it all goes back to colleges, and their academic programs, food surfaces, and so much more which goes into college sports. For years colleges have been paying other programs to play each other with is around 500k-1 million, most of this happens in college football, which the visitor teams get demolished and suffer a blow out lost, or severe injuries. In 2011 current NCAA president stated that 96% of its revenue is returned to its member schools. All the money that the NCAA clearly makes either goes back to the school's, sports programs, travel, and other endorsements to help keep their college clean and safe. The pros of letting college athletes getting paid would be that athletes may actually stay longer in college, and get a degree and a education. Most college basketball players either go to the NBA after one year, or college football players leave college for the NFL after two years, which makes them not get an education and a degree which would get them a decent job after they are done playing professionally. An importance of a degree in college can welcome you to many well paid jobs, and can help sustain a family after these athletes get out of sports. The difference of a degree helps athletes understand that they will not be playing sports for their entire lifetime. The last positive of letting athletes have money is just giving them what they are worth, as a Division-I athlete is worth about $170,098 per year, while 351 D-I basketball programs take in more than 4.5 million dollars in revenue, which is more than enough to pay them a decent amount of money. D-I athletes go through a lot of labor, with practices lasting up to 3-4 hours, and school, and dealing with finals and away games, it all adds up to stress. A little money wouldn’t hurt right? Well with pro’s there is always con’s. Giving a plethora of money to many 18-21 year olds would mean that they would spend it all in one place, and not put it in a bank account. Most teens would not know how to manage large amounts of money, and spend it on themselves instead of helping out their families. The Herd host Colin Cowherd states, “I don’t think it's a great idea paying to college athletes, most of all 19 year olds will spend it quickly and in a split second! Let's be honest, mostly on weed and kicks! Colin does have a vivid point, as most teens don’t know how to manage money and are too young to understand how to save it.\ College athletes would love to get paid, while they play their favorite sport that they live for, which is the love of the game, well many players have heart warming stories for how they got to college, as they may the first in their family's history to make it to college, which comes from many low class families. Money doesn’t buy everything, but it sure does help a lot of people go a long way, to a new car, job, or even a new house. College athletes would love to buy their parents and family a new ride or home just so they can give back for all the hard work they’d done. Another problem with paying players would mean many questions. Are they getting the right amount? Are they getting paid equally? Where is the money coming from? Which makes this a very conservative topic. Many questions would be answered. As would a star player that is a point guard that averages 14.7 Points, 6.1 rebounds, and 8.7 assists, get more or the same amount of money than the 12th man on Arizona’s men’s basketball team? Would the top talent on each team get bonuses, or would they not get any extra money for taking their team to the Final Four? Many questions would need to be answered for this topic. The NCAA has also been trying to get graduation rates up, as only 67% of D-I athletes will graduate from college. Most of them either go onto the pros, or get drafted by a team. 67% is a low number for athletes, as they should be students first, and athletes second, as they will need a job after they are done playing sports. Most athletes who go to colleges rarely have a meal to eat, or to buy a decent meal since they probably don’t have a job, and need to pay tuition, and other fees, so they can stay in college. There is a lot of reasons why and why not they should and shouldn’t be paid. Another problem is that some colleges don’t have enough money to pay the athletes, as they don’t make it to the bowl games or the annual tournament. The last main problem is will the athletes continue going to class? They will probably slack off and ditch class due to the amount of money they have. They won’t be as competitive as they play, and will halfass everything that people throw at them. If they do that, then there likelihood of making it to the pro’s takes a jurassic downfall. Another main problem is very few sports make a lot of money, like swimming and fencing does not make as much money as basketball and football. In my opinion, college athletes should not be paid at all, as it will be a distraction around school, and will get them in more trouble. They will be buying drugs, dope, and throw more parties as the will want to get cocky with their own money. I don’t think it's right, and it does not give them a real college experience. It make make some colleges go in debt, and there will be several complaints with the process of how they equally pay every single athlete. The amount of money that the NCAA brings in each year is enough to pay the athletes, an equal amount is the real problem, as the NCAA will have to figure out how to pay each athlete with a fair amount of money each week or month. They will have to discuss what is right and what is wrong to do if they pass a bill to pay college athletes. If one thing that is not going to happen is athletes getting paid as much as the professionals do, which would put the NCAA in debt, and would let college athletes fail out of school, making graduation rates drop even more. College Basketball has the biggest problem with keeping its athletes in school, with basketball players being the most impatient with getting to the NBA, and with them wanting to make money right away. Most basketball players nowadays do not want to stay in school, and the NBA needs to change the rule to where college players need to stay in school for at least 2 years to develop, and to get a education. The NCAA has had major problems with its scandals with money, and harassments, recently, Louisville had fired its hall of fame coach Rick Pitino after him bribing recruits with Adidas, a top three sports company. The NCAA is a corrupted company, and it has been for the past 15 years. Paying every college athlete would make more scandals, and more trouble for colleges, coaches, its players, and the NCAA. Sources: http://time.com/money/4241077/why-we-shouldnt-pay-college-athletes/ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/college-athletes-getting-paid-here-are-some-pros-cons_us_58cfcee0e4b07112b6472f9a http://www.ncaa.org/about/where-does-money-go http://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/6756472/following-ncaa-money Feature: Ezekiel Elliott in Hot Waterby Reylena Tsosie '21 Dallas Cowboys #21
Ezekiel Elliott is a Dallas Cowboys running back, number 21. He is a well known running back for the Cowboys, he is also well known for being a woman abuser. Elliott was accused of domestic violence by his ex girlfriend Tiffany Thompson. He wasn’t charged and he denies these allegations. Who is lying and who is the culprit? Who is Elliott? Ezekiel Elliott was born on July 22, 1995. He is the son of Dawn and Stacy Elliott, he grew up in St. Louis. Elliott came from an athletic family, his parents both loved sports. He played football and he had been playing the game since he was seven. Ezekiel went to John Burroughs High school, he left high school and rushed more than 4,800 yards and 90 touchdowns. College Years/ background It was time for college and he went to The Ohio State University, He was ranked 12, for the best running backs in 2013. Elliot had lost his friend who was defensive end and he told ESPN, “ It was just a hard moment for all of us. For me, personally, that was my first time losing someone that I was close with.” Despite his great High school and college career, he has a past like everyone. Ezekiel was known in college for being one of the best running backs. He was also known for taking drugs in college and lifting up a women’s shirt and touching her breast. He was never charged for any of those crimes. Including battery on a Ms. Thompson. Thompson and Elliott relationship Tiffany Thompson is a twenty-one year old female. Elliott and Thompson have had two different views of their relationship. Thompson said it was a boyfriend/girlfriend type relationship. While, Elliott said, “She was just another woman I was sleeping with.” Tiffany and Elliott were also just friends with benefits. What went wrong with their relationship? They were fooling around until she got pregnant and told him about it on March 10 in Florida. She told the NFL that they weren’t ready to become parents at the age of twenty. She had found out that she was pregnant with twins, but she lost one of the babies through a miscarriage. She then terminated the other by taking two birth control pills. Elliott had told investigators, “Well, my intention was to be done with her, but now she was pregnant with my child,” “I just made it very clear to her… we weren’t ready to have a child.” According to Elliott, he knew that Thompson was taking birth control pills and when she told him he was stunned and he believed she got pregnant on purpose. February 12, 2016 incident: A 911 phone call, Aventura Police Department in Florida. Tiffany Thompson had called the police after Elliott had pushed her against the wall and hurting her shoulder. She then went detailed on their relationship by telling operators they were friends with benefits and he got mad after she told him that she texted one of his old teammates. There was no signs of injury nor witnesses. No case was filed. What they told investigators: She talked to league investigators about what had happened she went descriptive by explaining why she texted his teammate, Joey Bosa. He was Elliott’s old teammate and roommate. He got furious and then he physically pushed her. He then grabbed all of her belongings and threw it off the balcony. She then stated that she called the police. Elliott told his story to investigators by stating that she was “rude” to him and Bosa and he told her that she can go back to Ohio the next day. He said he never touched nor harmed her accuser. He then told investigators that she was looking at him, smiling, and laughing at him. Dallas morning news: Thompson had an interview with Dallas morning news. She told reporters one incident that happened. They both got into an argument after Elliott had whispered to women, who she believed was a “Marketing Agent” who was into drugs. He then pushed her and shoved her against the wall multiple times. And he left bruises and thumbprints on her shoulders. She said he was drunk and, “When he drinks there was another part of him who loses it.” April 28, 2016: Elliott gets drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. In the 1st round and 4th overall pick. July 17-July 22 week of violence: Tiffany calls police again. TIFFANY’S STORY: About three in the morning Tiffany had gotten into an argument with Mr. Elliott. She said that he had cheated on her all the time. So, on one of their breaks she told Elliott that She was dating another man on one of their breaks. He then attacked her and she had a bruise on her right forearm while she tried to block his hand from hitting her face. And she said, “ He lost control of himself and yanked me into the wall, busting my jaw, my face is swollen and a little bit bruised.” WITNESS STORY: A witness was staying at the apartment when this incident had occurred and he is one of Elliott’s friend and he did not see any fight or injury on her. NFL: Thompson had taken photos of herself and the bruises on her. She sent them to her aunt and a note that was “Abusive” What Elliott thinks: Elliott hasn’t said anything to anyone about the trial. He hasn’t had any interviews with sports organizations since his suspension and his trial. He left the country to clear his head. Trial: Multiple sources had alleged that Mr. Elliott had physically attacked Ms. Tiffany Thompson. What are theses sources? The sources included Tiffany herself and the NFL.Thompson had filed police reports, July 2016. He wasn’t charged with that crime. The NFL had conducted an investigation for over a year. The NFL, suspended Elliott. They had different opinions compared to the legal system. Roger Goodell thought that a six game suspension was necessary for the start of the 2017 season. The NFLPA had filed a lawsuit against the NFL, it wasn’t because they haven’t found Elliott guilty it was because they haven’t found him guilty and they believed it wasn’t fair. Judge Amos Mazzant a judge in the United States district court. In early, September the judge granted that Elliott play football. Tiffany Thompson accused Elliott for domestic violence back from when he was in college at Ohio State University in early 2016. If he is found guilty this will be the third time in three months that the NFL has found Elliott guilty of domestic violence. Elliott was supposed to be suspended for the first six games of the 2017 season. With an interview with Erin Andrews she asked him why he didn’t take the first six games suspension. He said that’s not who he is. His suspension was supposed to begin November 5th but, a federal court in New York blocked his suspension for the fourth time this year, and he ended up playing against the Kansas City Chiefs. Luckily Elliott and the Cowboys won 28-17. During that game he made a go ahead touchdown. Elliott’s suspension started November 12th and did miss the next six games on the Cowboys schedule, starting against the Atlanta Falcons. Meanwhile, he left the United States to clear his head and to train elsewhere during the six week span. The Cowboys got crushed playing the Falcons 27-7. Without Tyron Smith, Sean Lee, and Elliott they did not play during the game. December 1st is his court date to determine the rest of his suspension. December 1, Elliott had dropped his appeal. He was suspended for six games. He will be playing against the Seahawks on Christmas Eve. Early present for Elliott Ezekiel Elliott will be playing against the Seahawks on Christmas Eve. What will happen next?: There is a lot of question for the Dallas Cowboys. Will Zeke be ready for football? Will this suspension impact the team including himself? How well did Elliott perform? ESPN had thought a lot of these questions, according to the Dallas Cowboys website, he is ready he has been lifting weights and working out throughout his suspension. Elliott is in better shape then the rest of the team. He is going to perform better like, he never missed a practice. Everyone is excited for Christmas Eve and counting down the days for Elliott to return to the game that he loves. Elliott’s suspension has impacted the team, especially Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott is excited for Zeke’s return. ELLIOTTS BACK: He is back and will he better than ever? After, his six game suspension he is back and hungry for the brutal world of Football. The team is excited, "He was not going to come back on the flight with us. He went to New York. That was the last time I spoke to him. The message I share with him all along is control what you can control." Jason Garrett had explained to Elliott. The question is not for Elliott it’s for you, Are you ready for Elliott? https://www.sbnation.com/2017/8/29/16151642/ezekiel-elliott-timeline-domestic-violence-police-report-nfl-suspension-appeal https://www.maxim.com/sports/ezekiel-elliott-girlfriend-sex-teammate-2017-9 https://www.sbnation.com/2017/11/19/16666714/ezekiel-elliott-nfl-suspension-cowboys-ex http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/ezekiel-elliott-dallas-cowboys-suspension-appeal-stats-jason-garrett-chiefs/9jdebhh4s6wy1a00aj1au7456 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjptb-__53YAhWIyoMKHWntCO4QFggpMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsday.dallasnews.com%2Fdallas-cowboys%2Fcowboys%2F2017%2F09%2F01%2Fezekiel-elliott-accuser-tiffany-thompson-believe-got-pregnant-purpose&usg=AOvVaw0lJV6zIxOfxGMHeM8OYTMW https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi43-rQ_53YAhXMqYMKHX_NDjQQFggpMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.12up.com%2Fposts%2F5386154-tmz-releases-graphic-injury-photos-of-ezekiel-elliott-s-alleged-victim&usg=AOvVaw1RL5utMwWXmipDfxYdLnUh https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiDitXj_53YAhUo6YMKHSWYCM4QFggyMAI&url=https%3A%2F%2Fsportsday.dallasnews.com%2Fdallas-cowboys%2Fcowboys%2F2017%2F11%2F09%2Feverything-need-know-nfls-investigation-cowboys-rb-ezekiel-elliott-assault-allegations&usg=AOvVaw3tL2rvETV8LcbfCcuxQZry https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiDitXj_53YAhUo6YMKHSWYCM4QtwIIVDAH&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DnsRKXuMvAUs&usg=AOvVaw3pZqvkQ3-1BJi3Ej47rZEw
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Overall Health and Concussions in Our AthletesBy Zach Wargo 20' With the NFL and many star athletes in sports getting injured this season, it is affect the way how sports is changing, and the importance of knowing the risks of getting multiple concussions, injuries, and reminding us that we cannot play sports forever. With recent season ending injuries from Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, Texans Quarterback Deshawn Watson, Bears tight end Zach Miller, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, over the course of the long 17 week NFL season, even including Gallup High Senior, Journey Gillson involved in a hard fall earlier this month during a basketball game, as not to forget Boston’s center Gordon Hayward suffering a gruesome, and season ending injury on opening night. What is CTE? CTE is only a disease that can be recognized when the person has passed, the brain disease slowly spreads throughout the brain, as it kills brain cells. Concussions are the main cause of this disease, as multiple concussions can cause memory loss, and dizziness with many other symptoms. The cause of CTE is due to many and multiple hits to the head. CTE has been found in football players, boxers, hockey players, soccer players, and even our military veterans. Long-Term Health Over the past 15 years, CTE has taken many star and hall of fame football players, the first coming in 2002, Mike Webster, a star center for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970’s. The deaths of these football players have increased slowly, as most recently former New England Patriots Tight End Aaron Hernandez suffered from stage 4 CTE, the worst ever found in a human brain. After a football player retires, they will most likely suffer from headaches, dizziness, short-term memory, suicidal thoughts, mood changes, difficulty sleeping, and many other symptoms from this brain disease. Football and Concussions Earlier this NFL season in week 4, Green Bay Packers Wide receiver Devante Adams suffered a Concussion in the 3rd quarter from Chicago Linebacker Danny Trevathan, only to knock him out, and his mouth piece. The Crowded was filled with boo’s and filled with shock as Devante Adams was not moving for five minutes. In a Week 13 matchup Steelers Linebacker Ryan Shazier went for a tackle, only to be left on the field not being able to get up or move his legs. He would later be carried off by a stretcher, putting him on season ending IR as he needed back surgery, putting his career in jeopardy. Concussions have been a problem in the NFL for multiple years, with lawsuits, and more former players being examined for CTE. A recent and surprising study found that CTE was found in 99% of deceased NFL players brains, which examined 110 out of 111 people. This study caused young football players to retire and go into another job field. CTE is a major problem in football, with young kids being exposed to concussions when their brain is still developing. The NFL has tried many things to prevent concussions, which is a work in progress at this moment. In 2015 a Will Smith movie called “Concussion” featured Mike Webster, and Junior Seau suffering from CTE, and how deadly the effect can be on former players. The movie showed how CTE develops into the brain, and how it can affect players after they retire. Sources: https://concussionfoundation.org/CTE-resources/what-is-CTE https://www.si.com/nfl/2017/12/12/nfl-injuries-davante-adams-julio-jones-chris-carson https://www.nfl.com/ http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/25/health/cte-nfl-players-brains-study/index.ht Gallup’s Cross Country Runners Regional RecapBy Zach Wargo 20' Shortly after Gallup’s runners competes at state, their season was not done at all, with two more races. Many of Gallup’s varsity runners trained after state, and went to Casa Grande, Arizona, on November 18th, and finished the season at Mt Sac, on December 2nd. More than 1000 runners competed in both competitions, as Gallup’s own represented their school and city. The runners from Gallup were Seniors, Hunter Livingston, Jessica Ramirez, Wacey Begay, Brandon James, Ilijah Lester, and Taylor Benally Junior, Demetri Begay. Sophomore, Katelyn Thompson, Cameron Benally and Freshmen, Celine Nez. On November 18th, nine runners from Gallup High competed at Nike Cross Southwest Regionals, in Casa Grande, Arizona. The race was one of eight Regional competitions across the country. The boys medium school race had 259 runners, with seven from Gallup. First runner for Gallup was Junior Demetri Begay with a time of 16:57, then followed Senior Shawn Mccraith who ran a 18:21, then Brandon James with a time of 18:37, followed by Ilijah Lester with a time of 19:00, then Wacey Begay with a time of 19:13. Junior Cameron Benally came in next with a time of 19:43, and Taylor Benally with a time of 24:45. In the girls Medium school race contained 252 runners, including two of our own. Senior and State placer Jessica Ramirez came in 12th place with a time of 18:45, while Freshmen Celine Nez ran a personal best with a time of 20:47. Two weeks later, after Thanksgiving break, eight Gallup runners traveled west to Mt. Sac in California for Foot Locker West Regionals. This race was much harder and had many more runners than Nike Regionals with big hills and a tougher terrain. For the boys Junior, Demetri Begay came in 82nd, with a time of 18:15 out of 346 runners in the Junior race. For the Senior boys race, Brandon James came in at 19:49, after that was Wacey Begay who ran a 20:15, then was Ilijah lester with a time of 20:54. For the Senior Girls race, Jessica Ramirez came in 4th place out of 209 runners, with a time of 20:02, while Hunter Livingston came in at 140th place with a time of 26:01. Sophomore Katelyn Thompson placed 154th out of 261 runners, with a time of 24:39, while Freshmen Celine Nez placed 84th out of 190 runners in the freshmen race with a time of 23:08. The past two races marked the end of the cross country season for the Gallup runners, who will prepare for track season in the following months, which starts in mid-February. Congratulations to all the Gallup High Runners who represented us as a school in Casa Grande and Mt. Sac in Arizona and California. Sources: https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Results/Meet.aspx?Meet=135840#Results http://footlockercc.com/2017/results.shtml http://wisconsinrunner.com/wsb3574159301/2017/results/west/10.html http://wisconsinrunner.com/wsb3574159301/2017/results/west/11.html http://wisconsinrunner.com/wsb3574159301/2017/results/west/3.html http://wisconsinrunner.com/wsb3574159301/2017/results/west/9.html http://wisconsinrunner.com/wsb3574159301/2017/results/west/5.html http://wisconsinrunner.com/wsb3574159301/2017/results/west/8.html http://nxrsw.runnerspace.com Lady Bengals Finish Runner Up in Tournament
To cap off the tournament, would be Gallup and Bel Air, a team from Texas that no one really knew much about. Bel Air had taken an early 12-2 lead in the first four minutes of the game, then Gallup ended the 1st quarter with a 22-14 run, only being down by two at the end of the 1st quarter. Early in the second quarter the lady Bengals would get off to a fast start again, taking their first lead and maintaining it, going 6/7 from the free throw line, and knocking down two 3’s late in the 1st half. Senior Journey Gillson would later exit the game suffering a concussion after taking a hard foul late in the second half. Bel Air and Gallup were both in foul trouble to start the 2nd half with the score being 44-39. The start of the second half was a change of tempo, with less fouls being called on both sides and a rare zero free throws attempted made the 3rd quarter intense, quick, and was filled with energy. The third quarter consisted of two three pointers, and plenty of field goals, with the score being 55-52 going into the 4th quarter. Bel Air started the 4th quarter quickly, with Gallup without Journey Gillison and McKleigh Begaye, they showed signs of fatigue. Gallup only shot ⅙ from the free throw line, and got outscored 17-8 in the 4th quarter, losing 69-63. The Lady Bengals suffered their first lost of the season, going 4-1, entering the Artesia Tournament, December 7-9. Team Stats Lady Bengals Total Points Free Throws Attempted/Made Ashley Antone: 18 Points 0/3 Amanda Mitchel: 8 Points 2/3 Journey Gillson: 2 Points 0/0 Ashia Smith: 1 Point 1/2 Hanna Toledo: 14 Points 4/5 Lanae Notah: 3 Points 0/0 Leona Smith: 16 Points 4/6 Total: 63 Points 8/18 44% Percent Bel Air Total Points Free Throws Attempted/Made Andrey Bombardello: 12 Points 5/6 Shelly Ross: 10 Points 0/3 Blanca Avalos: 12 Points 5/6 Ashley Hernandez: 11 Points 5/8 Myra Hernandez: 2 Points 0/0 Sonic Soto: 0 Points 0/2 Isabela Sodita: 20 Points 1/4 Total: 69 Points 16/28 57% Percent Gallup High Competes At Wrestling Tournamentby Samantha Plummer '19
College Football’s Best set to Square off on January 1stby Zach Wargo '20 With College Football’s season coming to an end, the annual College Football Playoff had to pick their top four, deciding who would get a shot at becoming National Champions on January 8th. Clemson, Oklahoma, and Georgia show the country why they are deserving of a national title with dominating wins against conference rivals. While No. 8 Ohio State pushed past No. 4 Wisconsin with a 27-21 to win the Big Ten Title, and No. 6 Georgia dominated No. 2 Auburn in the SEC Title game with a 28-7 victory. The final rankings were released early Sunday morning, with the country already knowing who were the top three teams in the country, No.1 Clemson, No.2 Oklahoma, and No.3 Georgia. No.5 Alabama did not play this past Saturday, as they did not reach their conference title game, as they had to sit and wait what their fate would be on selection Sunday, if they would also get a shot at winning a national title for the second time in three years, or if No.8 Ohio State would make the chance at making the College Football Playoff for its third time in four years. The Final rankings were released as No.1 Clemson will play No. 4 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on January 1st at 6:45 P.M to decide which team will move onto Atlanta for the National Championship. This matchup features the title game from the past two years, as both teams have split, with Clemson beating Alabama 35-31 earlier this year in the 2017 National Title game. The second semifinal game will feature No. 2 Oklahoma against No.4 Georgia on January 1st at 3 PM in the legendary Rose Bowl Game. This is the Sooners second appearance in three years in the playoff, while the Bulldogs first appearance in the playoff, seeking its first national title since 1980. The National Championship game will be on ESPN, at 6 PM, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Sources: ESPN.com CollegeFootballplayoff.com “Baseball, the sport of my dreams”by Reylena Tsosie '21 Joshua Carl is a freshman at Gallup high school. He loves baseball and has been playing since he was a kid and enjoys the sport. He wanted to get into a new sport such as, wrestling and he told me he prefers baseball. He is excited for the Spring season to start. I had to interview him and he agreed
2. What do you do when you are pressured? “ I pray that God will be with me and my fears and I won’t be nervous so I can do good.” 3. Which is better a head slide or a regular slide to make a homerun? “ Head forward, it takes time for me to slide.” 4. Do you like to play baseball? “ Yes, it satisfies me and I like doing good for my team and helping them win.” 5. What advice do you have for students that want to play baseball? “ Never quit and it takes hard work and pain to get good.” Lady Bengals Make StateBy Meche’ Williams '19
The Lady Bengals Volleyball team qualified for state taking a total of 13 girls to state alongside with 3 coaches. On Wednesday, November 8, 2017, the team left after school to Rio Rancho for pool play the next day. The next day they headed to the Santa Ana Star for their first round in pool play against St. Pius at 8pm to play 2 games of 25. The game started off a little slow, once it picked up speed and team was pumped up and motivated until Lucy Martinez got injured only about 15 minutes into the game and the team went a little down but they kept playing , they had a hard time coming back in the next game but Lucy gave the team an uplifting speech. They didn’t come out with the win in both games but the coach didn’t let them think on it to hard and told them to get ready for the next game against Kirtland. They warmed up right after playing St. Pius because they’ll be playing Kirtland. After warming up the game started the Lady Bengals won one set and lost the other, after that they would see their seating and it all come down to points. The team left to go eat some lunch, one of the coaches found out they had a 3 seed and came back by 2p.m to warm up and get mentally and physically ready for their game against Albuquerque Academy. The game started at 3:45, it was a regular varsity game, best of 5. The team was excited to have their laborer, Lucy Martinez, back on the court with them. The team started off good with their serves, sets, and hits, they worked as a team and won the first set. They won the first set 24- 26 and lost the other 3 sets. Even with the tough lost and a bit emotional for the seniors, coach Morris talked to the girls about how proud she was of them and told them to be proud of themselves because they had made it to state. Lady Bengals Open Season With WinZach Wargo 20' The Lady Bengals hosted the Shiprock Chieftains this past Saturday night on November 18. With first year head coach Todd McBroom, Gallup hung on for the 66-58 win Saturday night, as the Lady Bengals were led by Junior Ashley Antone who scored 15 points, and Senior Journey Gillson who had 14 points. Once Gallup had secured the lead by ending the first half with a 5-0 run, extending their lead to 34-28 at halftime. The first quarter featured Shiprock getting off to a fast start, with their largest lead of the game at 12-2, then Gallup closed the lead by ending off the first quarter with a 12-3 run to put them down by one point at the start of the second quarter. Gallup did not look back after they ended the first quarter, with the defense forcing steals, contesting shots, and pressing for most of the game putting pressure on Shiprock’s offense. Gallup ended the first half with a layup, and then a three-point play within the last five seconds in the half, putting them ahead by six at halftime. In the second half, Gallup took control of the game, with their largest lead being 53-42 at the start of the fourth quarter, and being consistent at the line to solidify the win for the Bengals. Gallup shot 66% from the free-throw line, with Journey Gillson scoring eight of Gallup’s 13 points in the fourth quarter. Gallup’s next game will be Wednesday November 22nd, at Valencia. Gallup Lady Bengals: Shiprock Lady Chieftains: Ashley Antone: 15 Points; 2/2 FT Kylie Mckinley: 5 Points; 1/1 FT Amanda Mitchel: 8 Points Laila Charley: 2 Points Journey Gillson: 14 Points; 4/6 FT Mikayla Charley: 8 Points; 2/4 FT Ashia Smith: 2 Points Tiontah Woods: 15 Points; 8/11 FT Kamryn Yazzie: 6 Points Chamika Begaye: 4 points; 2/2 FT Lanae Notah: 8 Points; 1/1 FT Alona Johnson: 2 Points; 4/2 FT McKleigh Begaye: 4 Points Tia Woods: 9 Points; 5/7 FT Leona Smith: 9 Points; 1/3 FT Tayya Dale: 9 Points 3/4 FT Evette Lansing: 4 Points; 6/4 FT Sources: Gallup Independent Local Gallup Basketball Teams Looking Strongby Lucy Martinez '18
After the game interviews with the Carlsbad coach and the Miyamura coach were done. Mr. Zumbrun from Carlsbad wishes to do well in this tournament despite all the unfamiliar teams, while also hoping to see his team get better and continuously improve throughout the season (Carlsbad is ranked number 2 in the 6A coaches polls in New Mexico). On the other hand, Coach Gilbert from Miyamura thinks that next year they will do a lot better in the invitational, however thinks they will do pretty decent since they kept up with a 6A team. He believes that they his team did do pretty decent job so far, yet missed a lot of shots. Gilbert is a first year coach at miyamura yet has high hopes for his team and his future coaching career at miyamura hoping to break the curse the girls basketball team holds and go to state after 7 years. To do so he wishes his girls to build a bond as the season continues. As the day went on the Lady Bengals opened up their night against rival school Grants Pirates. The game started out with heavy pressure from both teams and back to back points. Most points gathered by the Bengals were in the paint, as they worked their middles well, and drived often. On the other hand the Pirates drove often and were sent to the line with the first quarter ending with a score of 13-10 Bengals up. With the start of the second quarter Ashley Antone switched the momentum to the Bengals, sinking a three, than obtaining a layup after a turnover right after. After that the Bengals caught fire making 30 points in the second quarter with 11 points all being from the free throw line. Despite the fire the Bengals obtained both teams stayed aggressive ending the first half with multiple fouls, Grants with 12 team fouls, and Gallup with 15. After the half Grants could not recover, with many missed shots, and thrown away balls. The Bengals continued to take off ending the game with 71-34 making it a tough break for the Pirates. Interviews with coaches were done after the game with both coaches giving great feedback of their teams. The Grants Pirates Coach Sanchez hopes to turn the game around in the tournament and gain momentum, with better defense, and more running of an offense. Throughout the season he also wishes to see his young team come together ,and mesh, while progressing everyday till the end. As for Coach Mcbroom the head coach for the Lady Bengals, he thinks the girls could've played better wishing to see more ball movement, and the girls to finish as the tournament continues. As for the season the goal is to see improvement every day; doing so he thinks his girls have a good opportunity to make state if they continue to work well and flow together throughout the season. Miyamura Patriots will play the Winslow Bulldogs at 1:30 pm on December 1st, while the Gallup Bengals will play Tohatchi Cougars at 7:30pm on Friday night. |
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