76ers are overcoming early season struggles

76ers are overcoming early season struggles

Jack Gawason

Staff Writer

After a mediocre start and many roster changes the Sixers are finally playing up to their potential.

      Opening up the season with a loss to the Celtics 105-87 indicated there was room for improvement. A 4-4 start to the season had the team as an early borderline playoff contender but it did not appear they had improved from the 2017-2018 season, in which they finished with 52-30 and advanced to the Conference Semifinals. It was clear the Sixers returned virtually the same team as last season minus minor subtractions in Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova. But  the additions of a healthy Markelle Fultz and Wilson Chandler were projected to cancel those subtractions out but the team was still underperforming. Partially because Markelle Fultz has continued to deal with shoulder injuries and miss time. The team is unsure when he will return to the court but the success of the team should not fall solely on having Fultz healthy. With these factors and the team’s overall play it was beginning to appear they needed to change things up.

     Philly had many options on the free agent market and players on the trading block, but ultimately Jimmy Butler was their best decision. Jimmy Butler had expressed his interest to be moved dating all the way back to the offseason. Finally, the 76ers agreed to a trade for Jimmy Butler, also receiving Justin Patton in the deal. The 76ers had to trade away Dario Saric, Robert Covington, and Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second-round pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves, filling a need for both teams. Butler immediately addresses the 76ers lack of perimeter playmaking and perimeter scoring and adds to a team that has success with playing strong defense and getting to the basket on offense.

When Brett Brown was recently interviewed by Sixers Wire’s Nathan Beighle about his thoughts on why Butler is a fit with this team he said, “It’s his physicality and grit that I believe will help Philly potentially take down the Celtics, which many claim as the Eastern Conference’s best team even with their underwhelming start to the season.” So far, it is safe to say the Philadelphia 76ers have won the trade improving their overall record going 10-2 with Butler in the lineup. They are winning games and enjoying a lot of individual success but this team is not complete. Joel Embiid has made it known he is unhappy with his new role following the addition of Butler. His averages for the season are down with Butler on the roster, but he needs to recognize the overall team’s success is more important compared to his personal success. Brett Brown and the team are still figuring out how to use Butler and how he fits in with other stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, but when they do, this trio will be up there with the best trios across the league. Since the Miami Heat formed their “Big Three” with Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh in 2010 and even before that, teams were beginning to form these types of teams so this move gives the Sixers a very talented “Big Three” making an above average team in the east and putting them as championship contenders for the entire league. It will be interesting to follow how the Sixers play against top level competition throughout the rest of the season and into the playoffs.

Liam Curran and Andrew Purdy contributed to this article.

The favorites for NFL honors are emerging

Jack Gawason and Nick Fest

Staff Writers

As the 2018-2019 season is quickly coming to an end standout stars in their respected areas appear to be favorites. The Most Valuable Player, Offensive and Defensive Player, Comeback Player, and Coach of the Year races are shaping up each with someone different leading the conversation.

Most Valuable Player of the Year: Drew Brees:

Drew Brees has been one of the most consistent players in the league. He has completed more than 75 percent of his passes, which is 3 percent less than the record for completion percentage in a single regular season. The previous record was set by him as well. He is also leading the league in total QBR rating at 83.6. He might not be the league leader for touchdowns, but he is still 3rd and has the highest touchdown to interception ratio. He takes care of the football, reducing turnovers, making his team win. He is a leader on field as he led his team to a ten game winning streak before falling to the Cowboys. With his team at the top of the NFC it is his title to lose.

Offensive Player of the Year: Patrick Mahomes

Second year player and first year starter has started his career with a huge bang. Head Coach Andy Reid took a gamble last year trading their reliable veteran quarterback, Alex Smith, to the Redskins leaving his team in Mahomes hands. Mahomes had a great college career at Texas Tech scoring many touchdowns and leading his team many wins but was never the most outstanding player during his time. But in his first game at the NFL level Mahomes burst onto the scene throwing for four touchdowns against the Los Angeles Chargers. Through eight games he broke the record for most touchdowns in a players first eight games with 22 touchdowns. Next, he broke the record for most touchdowns in a season by a Chiefs quarterback with 31, passing all time great Len Dawson. As the year starts to come to an end Patrick Mahomes is in the headlines as he chases the all time record for the most touchdowns in a season held by Peyton Manning. After eleven games it is safe to say Andy Reid made the smart move making Patrick Mahomes his franchise quarterback with all of Mahomes potential awards already beginning to add up.

Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald

It was not an easy offseason for Aaron Donald but it ended with a big pay day. This deal was record breaking making him the highest paid defensive player in the league with the deal being worth 135 million. This deal finally ended his season long holdout and allowed him to just focus on football. After last year winning Defensive Player of the Year Donald has only followed up that season with better stats this year. He has already passed his previous tackle and sack totals, on pace for over 20 sacks this year. Aaron Donald has headlined a superb defensive line that has been holding together a dynamic but dysfunctional defense. The Los Angeles Rams are hoping Aaron Donald is able to maintain this caliber of play for the rest of the remaining five years on ths mega deal.

Comeback Player of the Year: Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck is the front runner for 2018-2019 Comeback Player of the Year. He is accompanied by many stars, some historic legends, as well, such as J.J. Watt, Aaron Rodgers, and David Johnson and Luck has been outperforming them all. Luck is basically carrying his team, and after a 1-5 start to the season he is on a five game win streak putting his team in playoff contention. In his first season back since not even being able to throw a football in two years he is second in the league in touchdowns and carrying his team into the playoffs. Between injuries and non-existing skill at Lucks disposal he is making his surrounding players on offensive look very good.

Coach of the Year: Matt Nagy

First year head coach Matt Nagy has looked like an established veteran up to this point as the new Chicago Bears head coach. Previously, he was apart of Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs staff which is obvious after studying his coaching style. He has shown to be an aggressive offensive minded coach but has not forgotten about his defense. It would be difficult to forget about them after the season they have been having helping out their coach contributing to all these wins. Nagy along with the front office has also made some great decisions resigning key defensive players and adding to their defensive unit, along with adding skilled wide receivers in the draft and through free agency. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the 2018-2019 season goes for the first year coach as they are destined for the playoffs.

The Struggling Flyers try to get back on track

Garrett Hoffman and John Devaney

Staff Writers

On Nov. 24, the struggling Philadelphia Flyers,10-12-12, blew a 6-0 game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers organization decided to fire Executive Vice President and General Manager Ron Hextall on Nov. 26, the latest front officer who failed to win them a Stanley Cup in 44 years. Coach Dave Hakstol is now under pressure as he has had his worst season in his history of coaching.

     According to Sports Illustrated, "I feel a responsibility for what happened today," Hakstol said. "Nobody feels good about that in our room." According to the Flyers President Paul Holmgren, they are quickly looking for a new general manager. The new general manager will decide if they want to fire Hakstal.

     On Wednesday, Nov. 28, Flyers fired the assistant general manager, Chris Pryor, and assistant coach Gordy Murphy after another brutal loss to the Ottawa Senators. They blew a two-goal lead late in the third period. At this point, the Flyers are the last place in the eastern conference, and third from last in the entire league. Pryor worked for the Flyers for 19 seasons, first getting hired as a scout. Murphy played with the Flyers for four seasons and then got hired as assistant coach in 2014. Flyers President Holmgren told NHL.com on Wednesday, " we don't anticipate any further personnel moves in the near term."

NHS Field Hockey Does it Again

Lila Datz and Rylie Hepp

Staff Writers

The New Hope-Solebury Field Hockey team has won the district title again; creating a winning streak of two years in a row. The team is expected to continue doing well all the way to states. To nobody's surprise, the team took down Lower Moreland in the 2018 PIAA District championship game on Nov. 1, in a game with the score of 2-0. The game was hard fought and extremely close the entire time. So close that there was only one goal scored per half during the game. Two of the team's juniors, Mackenzie Myers and Sara Hayden, were the players who scored the crucial goals for New Hope-Solebury.

Even though New Hope-Solebury came out with the victory, the team had to overcome some obstacles during the game. One of the team’s star players, Annelise Dahlin had to step out of the game due to a knee injury that shocked her teammates.

One of the team’s players, Lilly Smith, told the press that “the other team was really skilled, and it was a tough game, especially when we lost a key offensive player. But our team stepped up, played hard, scored a few goals and ended up with the result we wanted.”

The Girls Field Hockey team is not afraid of a challenge and this game was no exception. After overcoming many obstacles, the team pulled through and grabbed the District title once again.

Boys Soccer Postseason Review

Liam Curran and Andrew Purdy

Staff Writers 

           

The boys soccer team’s season came to an abrupt halt after a crucial matchup in their postseason. Going into postseason with a record of 8-6-1 the boys came out of their league with first seed in districts. After a tough loss against Holy Ghost Prep, the team's mentality changed to winning states. The captains Jake Jacquemot, Connor Campbell, and Nick Fest rallied the team in the two week preseason in between the regular season and postseason.

“We are on the road to states, so every game we play now determines the rest of our season.” Jake Jacquemot said as he addressed the team. All of the captains agreed the biggest thing for the team's success was to keep a positive mindset, even when losing a game.

            In game 1 of districts, the team faced off against Pope John Paul II which was an easy matchup. New Hope came out on top with a 3-1 win to move onto the championship. The team would go on to play Lansdale Catholic, whom they played in the previous district championship, which ended in an overtime win. New Hope trekked to Northeast Supersite for one of the hardest games of the season. After a well-played 80-minute match, the team won 2-1 off a penalty kick by Jake Jacquemot following a goal by Owen Nettles to secure the road to states.

In the first game of states, New Hope faced off against a new opponent: the Fleetwood Tigers. The boys went into the game coming off a crucial win over the weekend. They came ready to play coming out of the gate hot, but the Lions fell apart early. Fleetwood took advantage and scored 5 goals, winning 5-0.

            As the seniors head out, coach Bachart looks to carry on the tradition of winning: “The underclassmen are a strong and smart group that can fill the roles of the players leaving this year.”

Based on the underclassmen abilities to understand the game so well, the chances of the team moving further than they did this year is extremely high.

Golf team looks to build future success on 2018 accomplishments

Jake Menz

Staff Writer

The New Hope-Solebury golf team had a fantastic season. The team started off in August and ended in early October. Finishing the season with ar record of 9-2, the team dominated its division.

Individually, Liam Griffith and Kyle Sullivan made the cut to be eligible to compete in individual districts. As a team Liam Griffith, Evan Menz, Kyle Sullivan, Jake Menz, and Jack Buckard were selected to represent the team at the 2A division districts. Kyle Sullivan won the individual division 2A districts. This was huge for Kyle as he is only in his sophomore year. The team was very proud of Kyle as he had a triumphant victory. Much more is expected from Kyle next season.

As a team, the Lions came in second place at districts. The team consisted of players: Jake Menz (Captain), Matthew Bracco, Liam Griffith, Kyle Sullivan, Lear Asplundh, Will Kelley, Patrick Riedy, Evan Menz, and William Renson. The team’s home matches were played at Heron Glen in Ringoes, New Jersey.

It was truly a very exciting and interesting season. With no incoming freshman, the team was gifted with the newcomers Lear Asplundh and Will Kelley, both of whom are juniors. Practicing continually throughout the summer and fall, the players strived to achieve excellence. At the end of this year, seniors Jake Menz and Matthew Bracco will both graduate, while the young core will be looking to get even stronger for the upcoming season.

The golf season ended in mid-October due to the lack day daylight. Overall, the golf season was very successful and fun, but the team is still hungry for more. Next year they hope to capture the state championship, a feat they achieved in 2014.

Girls Field Hockey Team Win Districts

Lauren Hunt & Frany Barile

Staff Writers

The New Hope-Solebury Girls Field Hockey team claimed their title as district champions on Nov. 1, 2018. The team faced off against Sacred Heart at Lower Moreland High School and won with a final score of 2-0. Sara Hayden, a junior, scored the first goal off a pass from Lilly Smith at the end of the first half.

The title of district champs is not new to Girls Field Hockey. Last year, they defeated Gwynedd-Mercy; however, one new quality of this year’s team is that there are no senior players. The girls are very proud to have been so successful this year without the help of the 12th grade.

Valentina Waschbusch said, “It’s kind of scary not having any strong seniors, but the juniors enjoy being the only upperclassmen.” 

When asked if she thinks the team will win States, Valentina said: “We are staying very hopeful and we will do our best to make it as far as we can.”

After districts, the girls went into the first round of states with a strong attitude, coming out with a win of 2-0 against Northwestern Lehigh. With an almost undefeated record this year. Unfortunately, in the state quarterfinals, the girls lost 2-0 to Oley Valley.

Sophomore Sam Curtis said, “We had a great season this year, and we are even more hopeful for the next upcoming season.”

The girls are very proud of what they accomplished this season and are looking forward to maintaining their title during their next season.

Race To The Final Four

Charles Bray and Michael Lehman

Staff Writers      

Attention New Hope-Solebury students, with the college basketball season starting on Nov. 6 your March Madness brackets will most likely be impacted by the Kentucky Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils.

These two teams play each other for their first game of the season, which is a matchup of two top five teams in the country. Looking at this game, these two teams will be the favorites heading into the March Madness tournament and making it to the national championship game. The Duke Blue Devils are preseason favorites to win the national championship at 5-1 odds. The main reason behind Duke’s preseason hype is their 2018 recruiting class, which includes the top three players in the country: Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish. Along with Tre Jones, the brother of former Blue Devil.

As for Kentucky, coach John Calipari of Kentucky has been getting the team ready all season for the opening game against Duke. Preparing the team by having many offseason practices consisting of drills and weight room sessions. This Kentucky team, likewise, is a very young and talented, full of 4- and 5-star recruits. These Kentucky young bucks have always struggled at the beginning of the season because of their young age and immaturity. Once the season progresses they pickup chemistry and as history shows, they will contend for a national title and will be a good pick for your March Madness bracket.

Tuesday night should be one of the best college basketball games of all-time. The champions classic matchup between Duke and Kentucky happens only once every couple of years. The last matchup was in 2015 when Kentucky beat Duke by a score of 74-63. Kentucky leads the all-time matchups between the two schools by three wins. With all the hype surrounding the clash of the titans, Tuesday is sure to be a night to remember.

76ers process is fruitful early in the season

Parker Cane and Lear Asplundh

Staff Writers

Trust the process? Yes, trust it. The 76ers are an up and coming young NBA teams and are in line for a very bright future ahead. The starting five for the sixers are Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Wilson Chandler, and Joel Embiid. So far, the Philadelphia 76ers are 11-7 in the Eastern Conference, while the Toronto Raptors are in first with a 13-4 record.

JJ Redick was on a one-year deal last season and is returning. Redick adds three-point shooting to a team that needs it and his veteran presence also helps. After a tough lost to the Milwaukee Bucks, Redick said “I think we — you can't assume anything in this league, and I think maybe we assumed we would just pick up where we left off, or there would be more carryover from last year. But players get better, teams get better, the league evolves, and I think if we've learned anything these first five games, it's that we have some improvement to make, I'm confident in our group and our coaching staff that we'll do that. It's not our best five-game stretch by any means”.

 Markelle Fultz, the number one overall pick in 2017, has high hopes after training with shooting coach Drew Hanlen over the summer. So far, he's been average shooting 31% from three but provides an athletic floor spacer to the team. Embiid is off to a fantastic start this season, and there are two keys to that: defense and free-throw rate. Embiid has been an absolute machine generating attempts at the free throw line early this season and being able to knock down jumpers. Rookie first round pick Landry Shamet has provided a spark off the bench. Coming into the NBA from Wichita State, Shamet was an efficient three-point shooter above 43 percent. He has provided what the organization drafted him for, shooting. Between Shamet and Redick, the 76ers have knockdown shooters to compliment stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.

The 76ers have high hopes coming into the season, looking to win a fourth title. This will be difficult when the team has to go up against Boston or Toronto. The Celtics get Gordon Hayward back making them even more dominant in the Eastern Conference. For the Raptors, the addition of all-star Kawhi Leonard makes the Sixers road to the finals even more difficult. Monday, Nov. 12 the 76ers traded Dario Saric and Robert Covington to the Minnesota Timberwolves for all-star shooting guard Jimmy Butler. Philadelphia desperately gets the third star they hoped Markelle Fultz would become. Although the 76ers lost key shooting in Covington and Saric, the defensive presence and being able to create shots outweighs the loss of shooting. The Sixers will look to have a winning record this season and hopefully no injuries will happen to affect this young team's future.

What to look forward in the 2018 NHL season

Will Kelley and Kel MacDowell

Staff Writers

The 2017-2018 NHL season was one for the books, The Las Vegas Golden Knights, a first-year team ended up making the playoffs, and then the Stanley Cup. The Knights fell short in the Cup to the Washington Capitals, where Conn Smythe winner (Most valuable player), Alexander Ovechkin made a historic playoff run with 15 goals and 12 assists, totaling 27 points, the third highest point total for a playoff run in NHL History. Many were excited to see the Capitals bring back the cup to the nation's capital, but some were not. Washington knocked off the Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning before reaching Vegas in the finals. All these teams have made offseason moves that have benefited them greatly and are all off to a hot start for the 2018-2019 season.

            The 2018-2019 NHL season marks the 102nd NHL regular season. Teams from the Western and Eastern conference will battle over a grueling 82-game season and hopefully have the record that gets them into the playoffs. Currently, the Nashville Predators run the league with a record of 11-3 and 22 points. However, that can change at any given time given the amount of games left and the fact that the Tampa Bay Lightning are only one point behind the Predators. Although this doesn’t matter that these teams are close, because they are separated by conference, but some polls suggest that this could be the potential finals matchup in 2019.

            The NHL has acted in playing a leadership role in today’s world every season. Monday, Nov. 5, was “Hockey Fights Cancer” night in Pittsburgh. All sports do a pretty fair job of supporting issues and working to fight diseases. Supporting these issues makes the league look very good and sets a great example. With the NHL season in full swing, the stakes are high as last year’s bad teams are turning their season around and making names for themselves. 

Red Sox take 2018 MLB World Series in 5

JackGawason and Blake Doherty

Staff Writers

With a season full of twists and turns, we finally came to a close on Sunday, Oct. 28,

in Los Angeles. As unfortunate as it is to say (coming from a fan of the New York Yankees), the Boston Red Sox defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2018 Major League Baseball World Series.

After winning their respected league championship, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox met together in the 2018 World Series to solidify their team as the best in baseball. Before the best of seven series, the Boston Red Sox came in as the favorites after their historic regular season, winning 108 of the 162 games played in the regular season. This record paired with the home-field advantage the American league won after winning in the all-star game against the National league in July, the road for a Red Sox victory was paved.

Game one saw Boston capitalize off of a rough pitching performance from Clayton Kershaw, who has known to not reach his potential in the postseason. The Sox scored five runs, knocking Kershaw off the mound in the fifth inning. They would later score three more runs, extending their lead. Chris Sale pitched four strong innings before turning the game over to the bullpen, in an 8-4 win for Boston.

Advertised as a great game, Game three lived up to the hype. A much closer game between the two teams ended with the score 4-2 in favor of another Boston win. Hyun-Jin Ryu pitched a good game for the Dodgers, but was not his best, which resulted in four runs in less than five innings. On the other side, David Price was performance was stellar, pitching six strong innings. He only surrendered two runs on three hits, while striking out five. In the fifth, the score tied at two, J.D Martinez continued his legendary season with a two-run single. The 4-2 lead proved to be enough, when closer Craig Kimbrel recorded his second consecutive save and extended the series with another win closer to the championship for the Red Sox.

Two days later and across the country in California, Walker Buehler took the mound for the Dodgers against Boston’s Rick Porcello. These two pitchers, unknowing at the time of the start, would be participating in the longest game in World Series history. The game would finally end in the eighteenth inning by a walk-off home run hit by the newest Dodger sensation Max Muncy. But before 3:30 a.m. eastern time, 12:30 a.m. western time when this historic game was officially in the books there were many memorable moments. The Dodgers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the third after Joc Pederson went deep. This would be enough through the seventh, rookie Walker Buehler was dealing, pitching the best game of the series. Once all-star closer, Kenley Jansen, the game appeared over but it was just the beginning. Centerfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. quickly homered tying the game at one. Then in the thirteenth, the two teams would trade runs leaving the game at 2-2. Standout performer Nathan Eovaldi pitched six very good innings out of the bullpen before surrendering the final run, the homer to Muncy.

Down 2-0 in the series, the Dodgers showed their fight in game three and headed into game four one down one game. With almost, every man used the previous day both coaches Dave Roberts and Alex Cora were in need of some big-time players and they got just that. Both starting pitchers started strong getting into the middle of the game with Alex Wood having more success than Eduardo Rodriguez. Costly bullpen play from the Dodgers allowed the Red Sox to score nine runs beating the Dodgers 9-4.

Up 3-1 it was looking like the Red Sox series. The games two starters were David Price and Clayton Kershaw, two elite pitchers. Price was fantastic only making one mistake in the first inning surrounding a home run to postseason legend David Freese. But gave the Red Sox’s everything they needed and more going seven innings. Unfortunately, slowly watching their season come to an end Kershaw allowed four runs, Pedro Baez allowed one, and Jansen pitched the ninth. It was ultimately not enough losing 5-1 as the Red Sox were crowned world champions. Steve Pearce was rewarded with World Series MVP honors after recording four hits in only twelve at-bats scoring many key runs throughout the series.

The Red Sox win the World Series

Jackson Cane

Staff Writer

After a great winning season, starting all the way back in March, to finishing up now in October, the Boston Red Sox finish up on top back home at Fenway for the World Series. This was the 114th World Series, and it was between the American League (AL) champion Boston Red Sox, and the National League (NL) champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The Red Sox defeated Houston Astros 4-1 in the AL Championship game to go to the World Series. The Dodgers defeated the Milwaukee Brewers in a tight 4-3 series to make it there way to the series. The series went five games with Boston coming up on top. In the series there was a bunch of eventful games, including the third game. The third game being played in LA in Dodger Stadium went 18 innings long, a World Series record. The Dodgers ended up walking off and winning.

            The MVP of the Series was Steve Pearce from Boston. At only 35 years old, Pearce has played for every team in the American League East. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and now, the Boston Red Sox. Pearce came up as MVP for many reasons. One being his clutchness in the whole playoffs. After an injury to regular first baseman Mitch Moreland in Game 2 of the American League Division Series, Pearce became the everyday first baseman for the Red Sox in the playoffs. After hitting a go-ahead home run in the AL Championship Series, the Sox ended up winning making him a key factor in the game and series overall. He also hit a game-tying solo home run off of the Dodgers closer in the top of the eighth inning of Game 4. In the next inning, Pearce came up with the bases loaded and hit a base–clearing double, putting the Red Sox up 8–4 in a game they would go on to win 9–6. In Game 5, Pearce hit a two-run home run in the first inning off of former Clayton Kershaw, and added a second home run in the eighth inning off Pedro Báez to extend the lead to 5–1. He became the first Red Sox player to hit three home runs in the World Series since in 1967. After his amazing performance in game 5, he spoke, “Baseball’s a funny game,” he said. “The longer you stay in the game, great things can happen, and I’m very blessed to be here right now.”

            The last World Series that Boston won, was in 2013, against the Cardinals. In the end, the Red Sox had a great season leading to a well deserved victory at home. This has been something Boston had been fighting for every since they won it 5 years ago, edging closer and closer each year, and finally, hitting home this year.

Race To The Final Four

Charles Bray and Michael Lehman
Staff Writers              

Attention New Hope-Solebury students, with the college basketball season starting on Nov. 6 your March Madness brackets will most likely be impacted by the Kentucky Wildcats and the Duke Blue Devils.
    These two teams play each other for their first game of the season, which is a matchup of two top five teams in the country. Looking at this game, these two teams will be the favorites heading into the March Madness tournament and making it to the national championship game. The Duke Blue Devils are preseason favorites to win the national championship at 5-1 odds. The main reason behind Duke’s preseason hype is their 2018 recruiting class, which includes the top three players in the country: Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Cam Reddish. Along with Tre Jones, the brother of former Blue Devil.
    As for Kentucky, coach John Calipari of Kentucky has been getting the team ready all season for the opening game against Duke. Preparing the team by having many offseason practices consisting of drills and weight room sessions. This Kentucky team, likewise, is a very young and talented, full of 4- and 5-star recruits. These Kentucky young bucks have always struggled at the beginning of the season because of their young age and immaturity. Once the season progresses they pickup chemistry and as history shows, they will contend for a national title and will be a good pick for your March Madness bracket.
    Tuesday night should be one of the best college basketball games of all-time. The champions classic matchup between Duke and Kentucky happens only once every couple of years. The last matchup was in 2015 when Kentucky beat Duke by a score of 74-63. Kentucky leads the all-time matchups between the two schools by three wins. With all the hype surrounding the clash of the titans, Tuesday is sure to be a night to remember.

Flӧrsch flies in ferocious Macau crash

Joey Tebben
A&E Editor? Whatever my role is

2018 has been a year of massive crashes in racing. From Pietro Fittipaldi’s leg-breaking WEC shunt at Spa-Francorchamps to Robert Wickens’ paralyzing IndyCar crash at Pocono, it has been a year of pain and recovery for many racing drivers. This streak repeated itself once again at the Macau Grand Prix on Nov.18.
    The Macau Grand Prix is held under Formula 3 regulations, so its field is mostly filled with young drivers looking to make their way up the ranks to the highest level of single-seater racing, Formula 1. The Macau circuit is known for being extremely tight, extremely fast, and extremely dangerous, but nothing quite like Sunday’s crash has happened before. 17-year-old German driver Sophia Flӧrsch, the only female driver in the field, was hit by Jehan Daruvala before the Lisboa corner at the end of the circuit’s longest straight. This sent Flӧrsch out of control, sliding down the track at over 150 miles per hour. The car bounced off a kerb on the inside of Lisboa, bounced off the top of Sho Tsuboi’s car, flew through the outside catch fence, slammed into a makeshift marshal post, and finally came to rest on the outside wall of the track. The crash, linked below, was obviously extremely frightening, but remarkably everyone came out of it alive. Flӧrsch only suffered a single broken vertebra as a result of the crash and never went unconscious. Luckily, her spinal cord was not damaged so she has no risk of paralysis. Tsuboi, the driver who she literally ramped over, complained of lumbar pain after the crash but was released from the hospital without injury. The photographers and race officials in the makeshift marshal post all suffered injuries as well, but they too are expected to make full recoveries.
    It is a testament to the safety of modern race cars that Sophia Flӧrsch is still alive after literally flying into a building. A fractured vertebra is by no means a painless injury and she will have a long few months of recovery, but the most important thing is that she will be able to fully recover and return to racing.

All our thoughts and prayers goes to Sophia Flörsch and everyone involved in the horrible crash that just happened in #F3 #MacauGP pic.twitter.com/H9KwDQUHvx

— Troll Sports (@TroIISports) November 18, 2018

After winning districts, NHS Girls Field Hockey looks forward to defending title next year

Lauren Hunt & Frany Barile
Staff Writers

The New Hope-Solebury Girls Field Hockey team claimed their title as district champions on Nov. 1, 2018. The team faced off against Sacred Heart at Lower Moreland High School and won with a final score of 2-0. Sara Hayden, a junior, scored the first goal off a pass from Lilly Smith at the end of the first half.
    The title of district champs is not new to Girls Field Hockey. Last year, they defeated Gwynedd-Mercy; however, one new quality of this year’s team is that there are no senior players. The girls are very proud to have been so successful this year without the help of the 12th grade.
Valentina Waschbusch said, “It’s kind of scary not having any strong seniors, but the juniors enjoy being the only upperclassmen.” 
    When asked if she thinks the team will win States, Valentina said: “We are staying very hopeful and we will do our best to make it as far as we can.”
    After districts, the girls went into the first round of states with a strong attitude, coming out with a win of 2-0 against Northwestern Lehigh. With an almost undefeated record this year. Unfortunately, in the state quarterfinals, the girls lost 2-0 to Oley Valley.
    Sophomore Sam Curtis said, “We had a great season this year, and we are even more hopeful for the next upcoming season.”
    The girls are very proud of what they accomplished this season and looking forward to maintaining their title during their next season.

Lions Football Finishes Regular Season 8-2

Logan Waterman

Staff Writer

After three straight 9-1 seasons for the NHS Football team the bar was raised going into the 2018 season. “The past few seasons have definitely raised the bar for us duplicate the success of those teams” said junior football player, Michael Borys. “We all feel pressured to do so”. However, the streak of 1 loss seasons came to an end shortly after starting the season 1-2. With a 39-27 loss to Pope John Paul in week 2 and 38-37 overtime to ANC. “

It was a tough start to the season, the program has started off with 2 losses in a fairly long time.” It was the first time since the 2012 season since the Lions started off with the record. The 2018 Lion’s backs were now against the wall knowing if they lose another game their chances to be in the playoffs could slim.

“Our coaches told us we needed to win out, and we knew we could easily” Mike Borys stated. Entering the rest of the season and league play the Lion’s knew they could begin to dominate like the BAL they usually have done. And that’s exactly what they did.

The Lions finished the rest of the season 7-0 and ended up with a 3rd straight BAL championship going 5-0 in the league. “We were excited about the rest of our season but knew our true season started in the playoffs” Borys said modestly.

The team claimed the third seed in the playoffs and are gearing up for two games with familiar opponents, Pope John Paul and Conwell Egan.