Sixers have a great but heartbreaking season

Parker Cane and Lear Asplundh
Staff Writers

After a 51-31 2019 NBA season, the Sixers hoped to win a championship with the transactions made during the season. The Sixers made two key trades to emphasize their win now mentality and complete the process. The team made some major trades. In November, they traded Dario Saric, Robert Covington, Jerryd Bayless, and a 2022 second round pick, for Jimmy Butler and Justin Patton. Then just before the trade deadline, they acquired Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic and Mike Scott, in exchange for Landry Shamet, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, the Sixers own 2020 first round pick, and the Miami Heat's unprotected first round pick in 2021 and two second round picks in 2021 and 2023. Finally, they traded Markelle Fultz to the Orlando Magic, for Jonathon Simmons, and a first and second round pick.
     This resulted in the Sixers reaching the third seed for the second consecutive year. In the playoffs, the 76ers defeated the Brooklyn Nets in the first round in five games, winning four straight to end Brooklyn’s season. However, they didn't go as deep as they would have liked after losing to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games due to a Kawhi Leonard buzzer beater miracle in Game 7. This left Sixers fans heartbroken heading into the offseason.
     The Sixers look to improve in the off season and to become stronger and smarter. They will look to keep Jimmy Butler and possibly Tobias Harris but both these players have the player option, meaning they can go wherever they want and the Sixers can do nothing about their decision. However, the Sixers can offer Butler a special “supermax” which includes a five-year $220 million contract. The 76ers will now try next year to get to the championship and win it for the city of Philly.

2019 Formula 1 season preview: Driver swaps, name changes, questionable sponsors, and more

Joey Tebben

Editor

The 2019 Formula One season is approaching fast. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes clinched their fifth and sixth world championships, respectively, in 2018 and they’ll be back to defend their title in 2019. They will face some of the same rivals as they did in 2018, but the main story of the F1 off-season has been the massive amount of driver changes throughout the field. Along with these driver changes, the other main story has been the trend of questionable sponsors, from disguised tobacco companies to blatant Ponzi schemes, jumping on board F1 teams.

Mercedes - The 2018 World Constructors’ Champions return with an unchanged driver lineup of defending champion Lewis Hamilton (UK) and Valtteri Bottas (Finland). Hamilton, as the reigning champion and the only 5-time champion on the grid, doesn’t have much to prove and his only task in 2019 will be to defend his championship. If he wins a sixth championship, he will be second in the all-time ranking, only behind 7-time champion Michael Schumacher. Bottas, on the other hand, will be fighting for his job. In his first year with Mercedes in 2017, he won three races (his first in F1), but 2018 was a winless season where he ended 5th in the championship while his teammate won. With Mercedes junior drivers like George Russell and Esteban Ocon waiting in the wings, he needs to have a much better 2019 to keep his Mercedes seat.

Ferrari - Ferrari lost yet another championship to Mercedes in 2018 and they’ll be hoping 2019 can be the year they finally win their first championship since 2008. They will enter this season as “Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow,” running major sponsorship for Philip Morris International’ Mission Winnow brand, which is basically a way for PMI run sponsorship without actually advertising their tobacco products, as tobacco advertising is illegal in most countries. 2018 runner-up and 4-time champion Sebastian Vettel (Germany) returns for his fifth year at Ferrari. He is accompanied by new hire Charles Leclerc (Monaco). After many impressive races with Sauber last year, Ferrari promoted the 2016 GP3 and 2017 Formula 2 champion after only one year in F1. Facing off against a 4-time champion only his second year in F1 will be a challenge and it will be interesting to see if he can handle it.

Red Bull - The last of the “big 3” teams in F1, Red Bull has not only changed drivers, but they’ve changed engines. After 12 years (and 4 championships) with Renault power, Red Bull switched to Honda engines for 2019. Red Bull is another team running questionable sponsorship in 2019, accepting sponsorship from FuturoCoin, a multi-level marketing scam that claims to be a cryptocurrency. Max Verstappen (Netherlands) was retained for his 4th year with Red Bull. He’ll be accompanied by 2016 GP2 champion Pierre Gasly (France), who graduates from Red Bull’s junior team Toro Rosso. Toro Rosso was powered by Honda in 2018, so Gasly will actually be the only driver on the grid with previous Honda engine experience. The switch to Honda power was a big risk for the team and it will be very interesting to see if it pays off.

Renault - Besides Mercedes and Ferrari, the only other manufacturer-supported team on the grid is Renault. Nico Hülkenberg (Germany) was retained for his third year with the team after finishing “best of the rest” behind the top 3 teams and top 6 drivers in 2018. He will be accompanied by Daniel Ricciardo (Australia), who shocked everyone when he announced he’d be moving from Red Bull, the team he won seven races for, to Renault, a team that hasn’t even got a podium since its return to F1 in 2016. Both drivers will be hoping Renault can make a step above the midfield to fight with the top three teams in 2019.

Haas - America’s F1 team had its best year ever in 2018, finishing 5th in the constructors’ championship. They are the only team other than Mercedes to keep their 2018 driver lineup in 2019: Romain Grosjean (France) and Kevin Magnussen (Denmark). The main question about Haas in 2019 is about their new title sponsor: Rich Energy. Rich Energy is a supposed British energy drink company who promised millions of dollars to the Force India and Williams F1 teams. Both of those teams turned them down and rumors circulated that Rich Energy were not a real company and did not actually have any money. Somehow, they brought enough money to convince Haas to sign them as a title sponsor. Haas has already received Rich Energy’s payments so even if Rich Energy is shut down as some sort of money laundering scheme, Haas won’t be affected. Pietro Fittipaldi, their test driver, brings even more illegitimate sponsorship with his personal sponsor AirBit Club, a Ponzi scheme. Even with all of the questionable sponsors behind the team, Haas will be looking to improve on their fantastic 2018 and potentially even score their first podium finish.

McLaren - After another horrendous year in 2018, McLaren enters the second year of their Renault engine partnership and hopes for more success. They recently accepted sponsorship from Huski Chocolate, a Swedish company that claims to be a hot chocolate machine company. However, there’s no evidence that these hot chocolate machines actually exist outside of the company’s publicity stunts, which puts Huski Chocolate as yet another one in the “questionable sponsors” category. They are another team on the grid who has partnered with a major tobacco company. Partnering with British American Tobacco, McLaren’s cars will display the logo of “A Better Tomorrow,” which is basically just a way for BAT to advertise themselves without illegally advertising tobacco. McLaren’s drivers have also changed and they will run an all-new lineup in 2019. Their lead driver, 2-time champion Fernando Alonso, retired from F1 and he’ll be spending 2019 in sports cars and the Indy 500. His teammate Stoffel Vandoorne was dropped, but he has found his feet in Formula E. They will be replaced by Carlos Sainz (Spain), who moves from Renault, and 2018 Formula 2 runner-up Lando Norris (UK). Sainz, with 4 seasons under his belt, will be the most experienced driver in the pairing despite only being 24. Norris only started racing cars in 2014 and will enter his first full year of F1 at age 19. McLaren had an awful second half of 2018 and it is still unknown how much their relatively inexperienced drivers will be able to help bring McLaren back to their former glory.

Racing Point - After Force India, the smallest team in F1, went into administration halfway through 2018, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll saved the team from bankruptcy and purchased all of its assets, renaming the team Racing Point. Sergio Pérez (Mexico) will return for his sixth year with the team, and he will be accompanied by Lance Stroll (Canada), son of team owner Lawrence Stroll. It is obvious that his father’s purchase had some influence in his hiring, but Stroll proved his talent in the last two years with Williams, where he scored a podium and plenty of points. With Lawrence Stroll’s personal billions and his business relationships bringing an influx of cash, Racing Point looks like it will be a surprisingly strong team in 2019.

Alfa Romeo - The team formerly known as Sauber has now been completely rebranded to Alfa Romeo Racing and it is yet another team with a completely new driver lineup in 2019. Their star of 2018, Charles Leclerc, is off to Ferrari and his teammate Marcus Ericsson is off to Schmidt Peterson Motorsports in IndyCar. They have been replaced by 2007 world champion Kimi Rӓikkӧnen (Finland) and 2016 GP2 runner-up Antonio Giovinazzi (Italy). 39-year-old Rӓikkӧnen, the oldest and most experienced driver on the grid, was dropped by Ferrari after losing to his teammate for the last five years. The day after he was announced to be leaving Ferrari, however, he announced that he would be returning to the team he made his F1 debut with in 2001. Giovinazzi has also raced for the team before, but only for two races at the start of 2017. This will be a very interesting team in 2019, with Rӓikkӧnen driving for a midfield team for the first time in many years and Giovinazzi making his debut alongside the most experienced driver in F1.

Toro Rosso - Red Bull’s junior team is yet another team with an all-new lineup. Pierre Gasly is off to the senior Red Bull team after a little over a year with Toro Rosso, and Brendon Hartley was picked up by Ferrari as a simulator driver. Alexander Albon (Thailand), the 2018 Formula 2 season’s third-place finisher, was surprisingly promoted in late 2018. He was dropped as a Red Bull junior driver in 2012, but seven years later, he’s been promoted to F1 with one of their teams. He will be accompanied by Daniil Kvyat (Russia), who is arguably the more surprising of the two. Kvyat started his F1 career with Toro Rosso in 2014, was promoted to Red Bull in 2015, then got demoted back to Toro Rosso in 2016, then got fired by Toro Rosso halfway through 2017. After one year as a Ferrari development driver, Kvyat will return to Toro Rosso, the team that arguably destroyed his career. With Red Bull’s new young drivers like Dan Ticktum and Jüri Vips waiting in the wings, there will be a lot of pressure on Albon and Kvyat in 2019. Toro Rosso also wasn’t missing from the questionable sponsor party, announcing a partnership with myWorld, a division of Lyoness, a multi-level marketing company that has been ruled as a pyramid scheme in most European countries.

Williams - The third-winningest team in F1 history had possibly their most disappointing season ever, finishing dead last in the constructors’ championship with only five points. For 2019, they announced a title sponsorship with phone company ROKiT, becoming ROKiT Williams Racing. Williams will also have an all-new driver lineup. Lance Stroll moved to Force India after two years with Williams and Sergey Sirotkin is off to SMP Racing in the World Endurance Championship. Williams’ 2019 lineup is arguably much stronger. 2018 Formula 2 champion George Russell (UK) was signed for his first F1 season in 2019, meaning that the top 3 in F2 in 2018 (Russell, Norris, and Albon) will have all graduated to F1 in 2019. He’ll be partnered by Robert Kubica (Poland) who has one of the greatest comeback stories in F1 history. At his peak in the late 2000s, he was considered one of the best drivers in F1. However, his F1 career was cut short in 2011 when he was nearly killed in a rally crash. Eight years later, with the support of Polish oil company Orlen, he’ll be making his return to F1. Whether he’s still on the same level as he was in his “first career” remains a question, but it is a great comeback story either way. With the rising talent of Russell and the potential of Kubica, Williams will be hoping for a much better 2019.  

There’s many questions that will finally be answered when the season starts. Will anyone be able to take down Hamilton and Mercedes? Will Red Bull’s partnership with Honda (and MLM scam FuturoCoin) work out? Can McLaren and Williams return to their former glory? Do Huski Chocolate and Rich Energy actually exist? No one knows yet. Formula 1 returns with the Australian Grand Prix on Mar. 17 on ESPN2. In this time zone, the race will be on at 1 AM Sunday morning. That is not an ideal time for most people, but the second race in Bahrain on March 31 is typically one of the best races of the season and airs at a much friendlier 11 AM.

Metropolitan wins 2019 NHL All-Star Games

Garrett Hoffman

Staff Writer

On Jan. 26 and 27 the NHL All-Star games took place at the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. Every season, there are all-star games and skill competitions held in January where the best players in the NHL can show off their skills. Each NHL team submits one or two players to be selected on a roster for the four all-star teams, the Central, Pacific, Metropolitan, and the Atlantic. There are four teams because there are four conferences in the NHL. Last week, the rosters were revealed.

     In the skills competitions, there was the fastest skater round, where players race around the rink and see who gets the fastest time. Connor McDavid won the fastest skater competition, completing a full lap around the entire ice in 13.454 seconds skating 40.9 km/h. No one has beat last year's record completed by Dylan Larkin getting 12.894 seconds.

    Next, there was best passer competition where competitors have to sauce pucks into different mini-nets. Johnny Gaudreau won the puck control competition. Then there was save streak which is when there is a shootout and players try to show off their best moves on goalies. Henrik Lundqvist, known as the king won the goalie competition. He made 12 shootout saves in a row. After that, there is a puck control competition. In this competition, players will have to skate through cones with a puck and keep control of it, after they make it around the cones they have to stickhandle through a line of pucks. On top of that, there was the most popular competition, which was the NHL’s hardest shot. This year, Washington Capitals, John Carlson wins with a 103 MPH slapshot. Boston Bruins captain Zdeno Chara still holds the world record with a 109 MPH slap shot. Lastly, they have the shooting accuracy competition. In this competition, players have to shoot pucks in all four corners of the net hitting targets, fastest time wins. When a player wins one of these competitions, it adds points to their team. Boston Bruins player David Pastrnak wins the shooting accuracy.

     After the skills competitions, they had the games. The first game was Central vs. Pacific, then Atlantic vs. Metropolitan. The winners of the games went on to play in the championship game. The Metropolitan won, beating the Central division 10-5. Pittsburgh Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby got the league's MVP. The entire Metropolitan team got a $1 million check which was divided amongst the players.

     There was a carnival in San Jose on the Friday, Jan. 25, before the competitions. There, people and fans met players and participated in many fun games.

NFL Reviews Pass Interference Rules

Matthew Bracco & John Ryan

Staff Writers

During this year’s NFC championship game, the New Orleans Saints were robbed of a win due to a poor call. On a game-deciding third down in the fourth quarter, Rams cornerback, Nickell Robey-Coleman blasted Saints receiver, Tommylee Lewis while he was running his route. No call was made, which in the end, gave the Los Angeles Rams a one-way ticket to the super bowl.

     NFL refs are not allowed to replay footage of pass interference plays, which means there is no way of getting around this devastatingly poor call. Normally if a defender makes a play on a receiver mid-route, let alone crushing him without looking at the ball, the flags fly instantly, which is why not even playmaker Robey-Coleman could believe there was no call made. If this play was able to be replayed, the Saints may have had a chance at winning. However, the pass was considered incomplete, giving the Saints one more play before the Rams took possession. Many players were very unhappy with the call made on the field including start wide receiver Mike Thomas who tweeted after the game saying “Rule 17 Section 2 Article 3” which is referring to the “Penalties for unfair acts” rule which technically gives Commissioner, Roger Goodell the power to overturn or reschedule the game if valid evidence is found. But a full investigation would need to be in place and the likelihood of this happening is virtually impossible.     

     The NFL has not issued a public response to what might be the biggest officiating controversy in league history. A source told Mark Maske of the Washington Post that “NFL leaders and the league’s rule-making competition committee plan to consider making pass interference calls subject to challenges and replay review. Interference is common, and the ability to challenge and or replay a play can and will change the course of the way interference is taken in the National Football League.

Breaking Down NHS’s Upcoming Girls Lacrosse Season

Juliana Covino

Staff Writer

Even though New Hope Solebury’s spring sports are two months away, the girl's lacrosse team has already started to gear up for its upcoming season. Betsy Dougherty, the team’s varsity coach, constantly reminds her players that it's never too early work on their fundamental skills in the offseason. The team’s 2018 season included a lot of first time wins and huge victories, such as beating Jenkintown for the first time in school history to share the BAL title. In addition, last year saw one of the biggest freshman classes that showed immense talent. Last year was only the beginning of a dynasty lacrosse program that Coach Dougherty and the players hope to build.

     Even though the team lost six seniors and a goalkeeper, Coach Doc is ready to get the players back on the field and looks forward to a new season. Both the players and coach know that the hardest part about a spring sport is the changes in the weather and getting the whole team out on the field practicing. Even if the girls can’t practice outside, they make the most of the indoor sessions working on the basics.

     Position wise Carolyn Thistlewaite, a junior who has already committed to James Madison University, Kate Dougherty, and Maggie DeVito are relentless in the midfield. Varsity captains Zoe Palau and Amy Hutwelker are leaders on opposite ends on the field. Zoe holds up the defensive end of the field while Amy leads the attacking/offensive end. However, one very important position on the field is left up for grabs. Coach Doc and the players are urging anyone who is interested to try out for the goalie position. Furthermore, Coach Doc says that if anyone is interested in the position she will provide goalie training for that individual. Overall, this young team that shows a lot of talent and promise and only can grow.

MLB is experiencing a record slow offseason

Jake Menz & Jack Gawason

Staff Writers

The 2018-2019 offseason was once predicted to be a historic and memorable offseason in terms of the talent on the market and the money that would be spent. Now over halfway through the offseason, this market is not turning out as predicted. Up to date, the biggest trend has been for teams and players choosing to wait as long as they feel is needed instead of ensuring their 2019 contracts.

     The offseason started off slow with many players and teams picking up player options and only one player accepting the qualifying offer, Hyun-Jin Ryu. As spring training looms the best free agents remain on the market with no immediate deals appearing likely. This class of free agents is headlined by two young, premier talents, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. Both players burst into the league at a young age and have made their presence felt every season. Manny Machado has played for the Baltimore Orioles for his entire career up until the last half of the 2018 season when he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was another impressive season for Machado but unfortunately it ended with some controversy over his decisions and effort. Even though he played the entire season it may be the couple games in the playoffs he chose not to hustle that will determine his impending contract. Bryce Harper, a former number one overall pick has had a similar career as Machado, as the two are both on track to join the MLB Hall of Fame. The biggest distinction for Harper is his 2015 season. This season was historic for him winning the NL MVP. So far, the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago White Sox’s have been connected to the superstars, but the Phillies and White Sox’s remain the favorites for the two. No one can be certain when the two will sign, but when they do, both contracts will be massive, historic deals for the league.

     Other big players that still remain on the market are all-star closer Craig Kimbrel, World Series winning starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel, and stud center fielder A.J. Pollock. All these players are guaranteed to strike a big contract, but it is looking more likely they will all have to settle for cheaper deals than they originally believed they would receive. The starting pitching market is starting to move and players are finding the team they will play for in 2019 and potentially beyond, most notably with Patrick Corbin signing a six-year deal with the Washington Nationals.

     Thankfully for baseball fans, free agents are not the only source of news during this time and teams are also making trades to improve their teams. Earlier in the offseason, star first baseman, Paul Goldschmidt was traded from Arizona Diamondbacks to the St. Louis Cardinals. The New York Mets made headlines for their trade with the Seattle Mariners receiving top players, closer, Edwin Diaz and second basemen, Robinson Cano. Additionally, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds hooked up with Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp, and Alex Wood going to the Reds for younger prospects.    

            It is difficult to predict when these other great players will finalize their contracts, but when they do, it will definitely shake up the league and might potentially trigger other moves. In a league that is continually searching for younger talent, youthful players with potential is the popular way to go, but every successful teams need some productive veterans to hold the clubhouse together and ultimately be successful.

Curtis swims NHS to success

Andrew Purdy

Staff Writer

When talking about the variety of  sporting events New Hope-Solebury has not having the right equipment doesn't stop a dedicated swimmer. Although our school does not have a pool, Stephanie Curtis utilizes the local indoor pools to train and compete for our school. She travels all around the state to demonstrate what she has been working towards in practice. Stephanie has been swimming for almost 10 years. When she was 11 she joined the CBST, which is a club team she competes and swims with. While being apart of this team, Stephanie competed at Junior Olympics and several other club meets, up to the age of 14.

    When sophomore year started for Stephanie she decided to join High School Swim. While doing this, she trained with her club team which practices six days a week (Mon-Sat) that were two and a half hours long. She is dedicated in going to the gym on her own to lift before school and during the off season.

    While Stephanie has had many appearances at the state level, she has stated that “she doesn’t know what it is like to be a part of a high school team,” which is unfortunate for some athletes since not many students participate in the sport. As a sophomore, Stephanie made it to districts and states. Junior year, she placed seventh overall in states in 100-meter backstroke.

    With the senior season coming to an end, a new door will open.  Stephanie will continue her endeavors to swim at West Chester University.

     She stated “I love the school because of the pretty campus and the surrounding town which reminded me of New Hope.”

     Before leaving the club team she has swam on all career long,  two meets remain left in her season: districts and states. Districts will be held at La Salle University, which is in the very beginning of March.

      If she advances from districts, the state meet will be held at Bucknell University, where she will try and get on the medal stand.