Monday, November 21, 2016

Lions get set for Turkey Bowl

Brendan Shadle
Staff Writer

For many, Thanksgiving is a day of “thanks” and “blessings,” but not for the New Hope-Solebury High School football team…or at least not for the first half of the day. For the last five years, a “Battle of the Bridges” game has been played between New Hope Solebury and South Hunterdon to generally cap off the season in a Turkey Bowl game. After a big Lions’ win last year (14-7), the Eagles are leading the yearly tradition at 3-2. Seeking another win this year would push the Lions to 3-3 in the competitive and festive match and 9-2 overall to cap off another remarkable season.
  “The atmosphere when the two teams clash is noteworthy and like no other.” Senior lineman, Matt Fest stated. The “Battle of the Bridges” game produces the biggest crowd every year between students, local families, and alumni showing their support. Bleachers are always crowd-packed, forcing people to arrive 30 minutes to an hour before coin toss to reserve a seat, which is unheard of for most of the Lions games. Bodies loom around the fences while awaiting the early 10:30 a.m. start-time to kickoff the action-packed holiday.
  After the 14-7 hard-fought win last year at home, the Lions will travel back to Eagle territory to seek revenge after a brutal 31-0 loss two years ago.
  “They got lucky. They know they couldn’t have competed with us if we had all of our starters.” Danny Doherty noted after suffering through a career-ending shoulder injury. In 2014, eight Lion starters were benched for disciplinary action leading to the gruesome loss.
  The Lions are coming into this game with a record of 8-2, and are hoping to keep the Eagles winless this season. Their record is 0-8. The Lions have a 4-1 record at home and a 4-1 record on the road. After a Lion’s 36-13 loss to a powerful Del-Val Charter, which stopped their playoff run , the Lions’ seniors look to end their high school careers with a big Turkey Bowl win. With a week and half of practice, there is no reason why this talented New Hope team shouldn’t come out on top.

Girls’ Basketball aims high in 2016

Chloe MacGillvray
Staff Writer

On Nov, 18, the girls’ basketball team began training for their upcoming season. In previous years, being one of New Hope’s finest winter sports teams, the basketball team excelled in BAL, district, and state competitions. The girls were undefeated for most of last season, and constantly proved themselves the best by playing hard as a team throughout the entire season.
  Bella Devito, one of New Hope’s most important players, said of her previous season; “Last year was such an unforgettable year with my ‘winter best friends.’ We spent so much time together and accomplished so much that I never wanted the season to end. However, even saying that, I am even more excited about my senior year season and what’s to come. I’m going to cherish every moment of this year to have the best final season ever.”
  Kelly Hyland also discussed the closeness of her team: “‘13 hearts beating as one’ is a quote our basketball team lives by. We don’t focus on winning and that’s what makes it so fun! We accomplished so much last season and we hope to do the same this year. We have very talented new players and I think that if we work hard we can be super successful.”
  It is obvious that the girls have big plans for the seasons, and winning states this year is high on their agenda.

Boys’ Basketball will get rowdy

Kevin Dougherty
Staff Writer

This week marks the commencement of the 2016-17 New Hope-Solebury basketball season. With their first practice on Friday, Nov. 18th, the team will be working throughout Thanksgiving break to prepare for a successful season. Everyone is getting pumped for the upcoming season, including junior Matt Benda, school spirit superlative, who says: “New Hope basketball...nothin’ better. We’re going to get rowdy this year.” However, with all this hype, what should fans truly expect from the Lions?
  After a subpar season just a year ago, the Lions look to embark on a more successful campaign this year, which they hope will include a run at a regional championship. The squad this year features three returning starters: juniors Nick Garritano and Kevin Dougherty, and senior Brendan Shadle. A fierce presence will be at hand inside as 6’6” sophomore Topher Taylor looks to have a breakout season. Senior Captain Brendan Shadle, who is optimistic about the upcoming season, says: “This is the year. Watch out for us playing deep into February, maybe even early March [when states begin].”
  The New Hope student body expects great and plentiful turnouts at all the home games this year. Home court advantage plays a key role in high school basketball, and a wild crowd coming out for every home game could lead to a few more games in the win column this year. But when are these home games? After a few tournaments and scrimmages, the first game at home is on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 7p.m. versus Church Farm School. The Lions’ Den has to be packed for this tough matchup. Exactly a week later, the Lions will take on Valley Forge Military Academy on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m., followed by the annual “Over the River Challenge,” which will be played at home on Dec. 27 and 28. Mark your calendars; the season is upon us, and attendance is mandatory.

Cubs win: 108-year wait is over

Connor Fitzgerald and Justin Horak.
Staff Writers

On Nov. 2, 2016, the Chicago Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians in game seven of the world series. The Cubs had come back from a 3-1 lead vs. the Cleveland Indians. After a long, slow, 108-year wait, the Chicago Cubs had won a world series. The Cubs last won the World Series in 1908 against the Detroit Tigers. The Cubs won their final game against the Indians 8-7 in the tenth inning. David Ross is the 39-year-old catcher for the Chicago Cubs. It was the fifth inning of game seven and the Cubs were up 5-3. David Ross was up to bat. He went down in a 1-2 count. The next pitch, he hit a home run against Cleveland’s pitcher, Andrew Miller. As a result, Ross became the oldest person to hit a homerun in a world series game.
  The game had ended in an 8-7 score leading by the Cubs. The second basemen for the Cubs, Ben Zobrist, won the most valuable player award for the 2016 world series. Ben Zobrist stuck out to the stands when he got an RBI double in the tenth inning. The RBI was the winning run for the Cubs. Cleveland put up a hard fight. It was tied 6-6 in the 9th. The Cubs pulled through to score their final two runs in the 10th. The Indians also scored in the tenth, making the final score 8-7.

76ers are in ‘process’ as the rest of the NBA reaches for gold

Will Kelley and Parker Cane
Staff Writers

The finish of the 2015-2016 NBA season was quite unexpected. The high rolling Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers made it to the NBA finals two times in a row. The Warriors squad consisted of many stars: two-time MVP Stephen Curry, all-star shooting guard Klay Thompson and small forward Draymond Green. While the Cavaliers also had many stars, three- time MVP Lebron James, all-star point guard Kyrie Irving and power forward Kevin Love all combined and  made for an interesting finals. The Warriors dominant offense led them to a 3-1 lead but the Cavaliers came back and won the championship title. With the resiliency and leadership of Lebron James, The Cavaliers could not be stopped at the end. After this historical comeback, Lebron James is considered one of the best to ever play the game. Days after this heartbreaking loss for the Warriors,their fan base was still devastated. An off-season signing of arguably one of the best small forwards in the game, Kevin Durant, the Warriors are now known as a “Super Team.”
  The 2016-2017 will be the 71st season of the NBA. The first game was on Oct. 25, with the NBA champions, Cavaliers facing the New York Knicks. The Knicks during the off-season acquired former MVP Point Guard Derrick Rose. A couple of seasons ago, Derrick Rose was a star on the Chicago Bulls, until he tore his ACL and was out for four years. The Knicks have a great combination of Veterans, young players, and stars and are set up for a good season. Star small forward Carmelo Anthony has a veteran presence around the Knicks, keeping young cocky stars in check. An upcoming future players you should keep an eye on from the Kicks is Power forward Kristaps Porzingis. Unfortunately for the Knicks, the former NBA champs rolled over them in the NBA opener due to the arsenal of star power the Cavaliers have. Tim Duncan had officially announced his retirement after 19 seasons on the San Antonio Spurs, winning five championships. Another future hall of famer, Kobe Bryant also retired after 18 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers winning five championships. Center Kevin Garnett also retired. Though he did not get as much recognition as Duncan and Bryant he was still a dominant force ever since 2001.  All of these players are substantial losses to each team. The San Antonio Spurs are headed in the right direction with a record of 8-3 having young superstar Kawhi Leonard, 2016 Defensive Player of the year.
  Currently, the Toronto Raptors shooting guard C.J. McCollum leads the league in points per game with 32.3 followed by Russel Westbrook and Damian Lillard. Young center Hassan Whiteside from Miami has made his NBA presence by leading the league in rebounds with 15.9. All-star shooting guard James Harden from the Houston Rockets has changed his style of play over the off-season. During 2016 he was a shoot first kind of player not really racking up that many assists but over the off-season the Rockets transformed him into an all-around player and it worked. Harden is now the league leader in assists and 4th in points. The tall 6’11” center, Anthony Davis, leads the league with the most blocks. Veteran point guard Chris Paul has led the league in steals due to his quick hands and speed. Paul has led the league in steals for the past three years. It is no surprise that the Golden State Warriors lead the league in points per game with 116.4 due to all of their star power. Four out of the five starters for the Warriors were all within the top 25 in scoring last year.
  Some young underrated teams from the Eastern Conference are the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers. From the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers are off to a slow start but expected to be a serious playoff contender. Meanwhile the Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of something called “The process.” This process is where the 76ers purposely become the worst team in the league in order to obtain high draft picks. 3 years ago the 76ers drafted Center Joel Embiid. Embiid broke his foot in his preseason rookie debut and has been out for the past two years. The 76ers last top draft pick was the 6’10 point forward Ben Simmons, considered to be a future top NBA player. The 76ers are headed in the right direction.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Girls' soccer goes further than ever before

Laura Nagg & Shayna Berman
Staff Writers

The girls’ fall soccer 2016 season is nearing the finish line but there are plenty of memories and victories that will be enjoyed. The girls have had an extremely successful season, one of their best in the past five seasons.
 They started out the season with six consecutive shutout games thanks to the efforts of goalie Hannah Reszka and the defensive line. The first goal scored against the Lady Lions was by Palisades, and the game ended in a tough loss for New Hope. However, the girls did not let this bring them down, and continued to practice hard everyday after school. With their power, strength, and team unity the girls were able to create a six-game winning streak as they played the second half of the season. Much of this can be credited to the offensive powerhouses and top scoring players, Kelly Hyland, Chloe MacGillvray, and Maddie Hausner. Credit can also be given to the girls controlling the midfield and defense, including Morgan Amberson and Bella DeVito.
 Senior night was celebrated on Oct. 18 2016. The team, especially the seniors, played their hearts out, as they tried to make up for their devastating 0-1 loss against Dock the week prior. Although the outcome of the senior night was not in favor of the Lady Lions, everyone left the field with their heads held high.
  Although the team has a passion for the sport itself, the overwhelming vote shows that the girls’ favorite part about New Hope-Solebury Girls’ Soccer is the people on the team. They’ve created a special bond over many years with corn mazes, haunted hayrides, pool parties, picnics, Chick-fil-A feasts, and the four-hour round trip bus rides to DelCo. Senior captain, Bella DeVito, emphasizes that this year’s team, specifically,  is “[her] favorite girl’s soccer team [she’s] ever been on at New Hope!”    
 The girls will play their semi-district game on Wednesday Nov. 2, 2016. If they win they will play again for the BAL district final on Saturday Nov. 5 2016. Good luck to everyone and congratulations to the seniors on an amazing season!

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Returning Home Empty Handed

Oliver Colvin and Clay Asplundh
Staff Writers

The New Hope Solebury golf team finished up their season on Wednesday, Oct. 26, ending with a disappointing loss in team states. The team ended up placing fourth, shooting a score of 329. The eventual winner was Lancaster Catholic, who shot a score of 309. The score of 309 was a record score and broke the previous state record of 324. However the NHS team did well considering last year they shot a 343, and this year they shot a 329. The team was able to improve their score by 14 strokes.
 Although the loss was unfortunate, it was another great season in what has been a historic run for the Lions. After winning states in 2014, the team was runner-up in 2015 to Sewickley Academy. The three-year stretch represents the best results in golf team history, led by Coach Demby. Leading the team were seniors Nate Hiriak and Clay Asplundh, along with impressive juniors such as Nina Kouchi, Ben Wiseman, and Bobby Wannamaker. It will be hard to let the seniors go yet again; however, the team will continue to work hard in the future. In fact, junior Nina Kouchi came in 8th in states for the AA Girl’s Division along with winning districts and regionals.
 The loss represents some disappointment to the team who has been eyeing the state championship title for almost a year. However the team is still strong and will continue to work hard to achieve another title. Next year, the Lions will be coming out with more fire and hopefully claim the state championship.