Overcoming the cold and extreme odds: Lions head to states

A.J. Oakes, Nate Donohoe, and Declan Curran

Staff Writers

All season long the New Hope-Solebury Soccer team was referred to as the “underdogs.” The season was filled with its ups and downs but on Nov. 12, 2019,  the Lions made history. The team pushed through all 80 minutes of fast-paced soccer and pulled off their season long goal to make it to the state final! 

  The boys knocked out the 22-0-1 Lewisburg Green Dragons with a final score of 2-1. Within the opening 20 minutes, Junior Davis Nagg put the Lions on top. As the boys entered the locker room they knew they were not going home without a fight, and that's what they did, they continued to push. Fighting through the bitter temperatures and tense moments, junior Justin Kruse added another tally onto the scoreboard with just under 20 minutes left to play. 

  With 3 minutes and 28 seconds left to play in the game, Lewisburg had a spur of energy and put one in the back of the net, but it was not enough to put them on top. This had the Lions and their fans’ hearts racing, the energy in that stadium was through the roof. 

  “This is still our game!” captain Caleb Herring shouted to energize the team and captain Ben Koeppen exhorted the players to “stay in this boys!” after Lewisburg appeared to come on strong. 

  Lewisburg kept pushing to get another ball in the net. As the final whistle blew, reality set in and the New Hope-Solebury Lions knew they were going to the state finals. The boys will either play Quaker Valley or Mercyhurst Prep. For the first time in seven years the Lions will be participating in a State Championship game. The game will be on Friday at 1 p.m. at Hershey Park Stadium. As Davis Nagg would always exclaim: “Road to States, baby!”

Field Hockey claims third District Final

Samantha Curtis and Rayna Sirken

Staff Writers

The Field Hockey team was states bound after their win against Springfield township in the district final on Tuesday, October 29th. Our girls were 23-0 and never scored on all season with Lydia Eastburn as goalie and a strong defense. 

  The district final game was tied 0-0 at halftime with it being a very intense first half. But the team did not back down. Coming out with speed in the second half, Kate Dougherty scored the first goal of the game assisted by Lilly Smith at 20:01. The team was ecstatic and jumped for joy. But this didn't stop the Lady Lions from rolling. They kept the ball on Springfield’s half for most of the time after the first goal. The Lady Lions knew that there was still time in the game for the score to change. 

  As the team picked up Springfield’s weakness they decided to use that against them. The Lady Lions found what worked best for them as a team and applied it to the game. They pressured Springifeld’s half with several shots on goal but none of them could seem to make it. With just 1:07 left in the game, Kate Doc came in strong into the circle pulling around the goalie finding the back of the net. The team was now up 2-0 and just had to keep the ball down on their side for just one more minute.

  Everyone was counting down the seconds till the buzzer rang. As soon as the team heard the buzzer they celebrated and everyone ran onto the field and claimed their third district title in a row.

Girls Volleyball finishes strong

Gretchen Newman and Delaney Cullura

Staff Writers

New Hope-Solebury’s passionate girls volleyball team had a wonderful season. Their season was record-setting, winning 17 out of 22 games. New Hope Volleyball is a committed and supportive team. The girls are not just teammates out on the court, but they like to call themselves family. 

  They lost many talented seniors from last year which was a concern for this year’s season.  Despite this, their teamwork, resilience, and perseverance allowed them to still crush the competition. Their outstanding setter, Grace Hanly, announced that, “we would not be a team without each other” especially with Bella Fleischacker, the libero, who had to throw her body down for each ball she was determined to dig. 

  Dealing with many distractions, such as subpar calls from the referees, would bring the court’s energy down a bit. Nevertheless, their outside hitter, Sarah Duessing, and middle hitter, Gretchen Newman, would remind the team before each set with encouragement like, “Play OUR game guys! Do not let these distractions affect your playing time on the court. Have fun! Be positive and nothing will bring us down!” 

  The girls pushed through with this energy, making it into District Semi-Finals, and winning against Collegium High School. Sadly, the season came to an early end by losing to St. Basil’s Academy at District Finals.

  Moving forward, the team will be losing five seniors which will affect the team once again. But it won't be the first time they readjust and get back in the system with each other. By welcoming and mentoring the incoming freshmen, the team will once again reemerge to be one of the most dominant in the area. As the team went in for their last huddle all together, the three juniors, Grace Hanly, Cooper Sorin, and Allison Sommers made the group tear up by saying, “We’re going to miss playing with our seniors.”

Lady Lions Soccer coming to a close

Brenna Cerf, Cheyenne Carr, Kennedy Fisher, and Leanna Hoffmann

Staff Writers

This year the girls soccer team ended their regular season winning nine games and losing eight games. In their districts game against St. Basil’s that took place at Lower Moreland, New Hope lost 3-0. 

  The season was successful with their new coach Brian and their new assistant coach Amanda Izzo. Despite the many losses, the girls still managed to have a great time. The team had fun with each other on and off the field. The girls would do team bonding activities and for fun off the field they went on a haunted hayride.

  The seniors who are leaving after this year will be missed: Brenna Cerf, Maggie Devito, Frany Barile, Natalie Muarry, Logan Amberson, Tara Cooney, Becca Wilson, and Meghan Miller. The team captions were Sam Finch, Becca Wilson and Maggie Devito. The underclassmen will miss the leadership and the skills that the seniors brought to the team. Hopefully in the upcoming season, the underclassmen will set up and make the team even better than this year. Even with the losses this year, the team still walked off the field with a smile and a sense of pride. Overall, the season was great and the girls had a great time with each game and practice.

Golf Team hits sweet spot in 2019 and looks forward to the drive ahead

Parker Cane and Lear Asplundh
Sports Editors

The 2019 NHS Golf season is underway and the Lions have taken a fast start. Last year, the Lions rolled through BAL’s and took districts by storm. A couple players won districts and it was a very successful season under first-year head coach Michael Menz.
 This year, with the season almost over, the Lions currently hold a 7-2 record with both losses coming from Holy Ghost. With the help from Kyle Sullivan, Liam Griffiths, Evan Menz, and freshman underdog Nate Wisemnan, the Lions seem unbeatable. Recently, these four players successfully made the cut at BAL and will play in the districts on Oct. 7. A fifth player will also be joining them, William Kelley.  The Lions won the BALs and the following week claimed districts, but lost their streak at regionals. The 2019 NHS golf season was a successful regardless of losing in regionals. 
  The future looks very bright for the Lions with juniors Kyle Sullivan, Evan Menz, and Liam Griffiths returning along with the debut of freshman Nate Wisemnan. These four players will strive to keep the Golf program in shape and hopefully keep up the mantiality up next year.

Eagles suffer slow start to the season

Charlie Honer
Staff Writer
   The Philadelphia Eagles had a lot of hype coming into the season. They had one of the best chances to win the Super Bowl again and Carson Wentz was getting praise from many different analysts. After their first game against the Washington Redskins, they had a great game finishing 32-27. However, the defense was looking rough, and DeSean Jackson went out with an abdomen injury. Alshon Jeffery also got hurt with a calf injury.
  The next week against the Atlanta Falcons, the Eagles would fall short and lose 24-20. They played an alright game but came up short on the last play of the game with Nelson Agholor dropping the game-winning touchdown.
  Week 3 they went against the Detroit Lions but again lost less than 6 points 27-24. They again played a relatively good game but on the offense, the side had many drops which led them to become 1-2 on the year.
   In week 4 they played the Green Bay Packers and were able to come away with the win with a score of 34-27. Carson Wentz had 160 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Although, the real star of the game was Jordan Howard who had 87 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, and he also caught 3 balls for 28 yards and 1 touchdown.
 Week 5 the Eagles took on the Jets. the Eagles took a demanding league against the Jets, going up 14-0 in the first quarter. They battled it out for the rest of the game and ended up winning 31-6.
   The Eagles fought the Vikings in week 6. They started the game off very slow after it being 10-0 Vikings after the first quarter. They made the score 24-10 before halftime so they had some work to do after halftime. They ended up taking the loss to the Vikings losing 38-20 making them 3-3 on the year.
   One of the biggest rivalries in the NFL took off last Sunday. The Eagles and the Cowboys have always had a great rivalry. But it wasn’t a close game by any means. The Cowboys jumped out into the lead in the first with the score being 14-7. After that they just started pouring it on, scoring 13 points in the 2nd quarter to make the score 27-7 at halftime. The Eagles moved to 3-4 after losing 37-10 to the Cowboys, and are hoping to bounce back with a win against Bills next week.

NFL taking Initiative on Antonio Brown

Mike Janora & AJ Oakes
Staff Writers

Nine years ago, as the Pittsburgh Steelers opened training camp for the 2010 season, head coach Mike Tomlin assessed the future of sixth-round pick Antonio Brown and Brown's fellow rookie receivers. Now, Brown has separated himself from his whole rookie class, and the rest of the NFL, by fashioning the most prolific six-year stretch for a receiver in NFL history, topping 100 receptions and 1,200 receiving yards in each of the past six seasons. Brown’s accomplishments on the field have been masked by the drama he’s been facing off the field.
  On Jan 15, 2017 the Steelers had just won a playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs 18-16. After the win in the Steelers locker room, Brown was secretly on Facebook Live recording the Steelers post-game celebration, also capturing the coach’s, Mike Tomlin, remarks about their next opponent, the New England Patriots. Brown was later fined for violating the NFL’s social media policy.
  Brown has also faced many other charges that have really diminished many people's outlooks on him as a person. For example, on Oct.9th in 2018 Brown faced a couple lawsuits from an April incident where he damaged his leased South Florida apartment and threw objects off his balcony,nearly striking a two year-old boy.Feb. 12th was the last day for Antonio Brown and his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers for nine years. He exclaimed in a tweet “time to move on,” giving reasoning to investigate trading the elite receiver, who has three years still left on his contract. The Steelers traded Brown to the Oakland Raiders for a third and fifth pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. After the draft there were reports saying that the New England Patriots offered a first-round pick for Brown, but the Steelers didn’t want to trade him to such a close rival.
  Now as the NFL season begins, star ex-Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, Antonio Brown, is already in major controversy. The last two months for Antonio Brown have been nothing but mayhem.  Starting in late July, Brown was diagnosed with cryotherapy frostbite on his feet. Brown sat out for some time in raiders training camp. He eventually made his way back to the field. Brown then found himself in more controversy when he filed a helmet grievance after the NFL stopped him from using his helmet brand he has been using for ten years.
  AB threatened retirement from the league if he was not given his way, but many interpreted this as a publicity stunt. After weeks of back and forth, Brown eventually came in agreement with the League. He is now allowed to use his preferred brand of helmet. After weeks of missing practice and camp, the Raiders GM, Mike Mayok, fined Brown for the time missed over his helmet grievance. After the fines, Brown posted his fine information to the world when he put it on Instagram.
  Antonio Brown was later cut by the Raiders for the racial slurs and threats toward GM Mayock. Soon after being cut he was picked up by the Patriots franchise. Brown played onegame recording four catches and a touchdown. But when you thought it was over for Antonio Brown, it’snot, Brown was later accused of a sexual assault charge on his former female trainer and is now under fire by the league. Brown has been released by the Patriots per source. The Patriots said “Best to move in a different direction at this time.” Antonio Brown then came out to say that all the accusations are true and he tweeted “Thank you for the opportunity.”, and “The marathon continues.” What will be his next step in the NFL, if not then what will be his next step forward? Will he learn from his mistakes?

Flyers look great on paper

Jake Saxton and Garrett Hoffman
For the Philadelphia Flyers and their fans, the time has flown by this off-season, and yet here we are with less than a week until opening day. The city of Philadelphia is still waiting for the Flyers to return to a norm of making a run deep into the playoffs. It’s been too long since this franchise was a contender. The last time they were fun to watch was 2010 with Mike Richards and Jeff Carter in company. It’s been 20 years since the Legion of Doom took storm in Philadelphia, and it’s been 44 years since the Flyers won the Stanley Cup.
   In the city of Philadelphia, where the fans are like no other, all other teams have been uplifting and promising, but the Flyers have been the opposite of that in recent years. They have made few moves in the last few free-agencies, but this year will be different. With a new front office, a whole new coaching staff, a goaltender who is 21 years of age and is already being compared to be the next Henrik Lundqvist, and two great signings in Kevin Hayes to cement their second line, and Stanley Cup champion Matt Niskanen to solidify the defense were key components the Flyers needed and they sure did fix that issue this off-season.
  Take a look at the Flyers lineups:
Forwards:
Line 1: (starting from left to right) Giroux, Hayes, Voracek
Line 2: Konechny, Couteriour, Lindblom
Line 3:Van Riemsdyk, Laughton, Farabee
Line 4:Raffl, Bunnanman, Twarnyski
Defense:
Line 1: Provorov, Braun
Line 2: Sanheim, Niskanen
Line 3: Gostisbehere, Haag
Goaltenders:
Carter Hart
Brian Elliott
Injured:
Center: Nolan Patrick (Migraine disorder)
Center: Morgan Frost (Groin Injury)
Center: Tyler Pitlick (Left wrist Injury)
  On paper, the Flyers have what it takes to make a run this year. Unfortunately, experts also said the same thing about the Phillies this year, and fans saw what happened there. However, unlike the Phillies, where the defense was the problem, the Flyers are supposed to have one of the best defenses in the league with goaltender Carter Hart. High hopes are among the fan base and the club. Hopefully, they will not disappoint.

Despite $500 million investment, Phillies fail to make playoffs

John Devaney and Ted Devaney
Staff Writers

After a long summer, and 162 games played, the Philadelphia Phillies season is finally over. They finished with a split record, 81 wins, and 81 losses. Even with stars like Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins, they were not even close to getting the playoff spot they were expected to earn. The team invested half a billion dollars into five All Stars and still had a poor record. With the mediocre season over, Phillies fans are thinking ahead to next season.
  The Phillies’s new manager Gabe Kapler has faced a lot of criticism over the entire season,  especially near the end. After losing their last game, Kapler’s image was damaged beyond repair.
  In an emotional post game interview, he discussed  how proud he was of his team and how hard they worked. Towards the end, Kapler said “I’m proud to be a Philadelphia Phillie and will do it as long as I’m able.”
  Phillies fans are not as content as Kapler. There is a lot of talk going around of firing him and moving on to someone better, but the fans must wait and see what happens.
  In the post game interview, Kapler was asked if he knew if there was a chance of getting replaced. He understood there was definitely a chance of it, but he thought it would be better to think of what the team could improve on as a whole before he thought about his own future ahead of him.

Lions Baseball team ends their regular season with a record of 16-4

By: Ian Mendola & Justin Horak

Staff Writers

New Hope Solebury Lions Baseball ended their season 16-4 with their only losses being to Holy Ghost Prep, Lower Moreland and Christopher Dock. As the season winds down, nine seniors are close to their last game as lions. The team has two seniors taking talent beyond high school baseball. Derek Smith will be attending and filling out the outfield for Dickinson University. In addition, Blake Doherty will be attending the United States Naval Academy where he will also be a pitcher. As the season winds down, Derek Smith is hitting .388 with four home runs. Blake Doherty is hitting .328 with 14 RBI’s. They both are huge factors in the team's success both on the mound and in the outfield.

    The starting lineup stayed the same throughout the season with Blake Doherty and Deven Smith as the number top pitchers, John Mangan (Catcher), Blake Doherty or Cole Davis (First Base), Michael Lehman (Second Base), Cameron Mertz (Shortstop), Jack Gawason (Third Base), Kyle Campbell (Left Field), Connor Campbell (Center Field), Derek Smith (Right Field) and Justin Horak or Dan Khouri (Designated Hitter). The starting lineup for the Lions had five first team all-league players and three second team athletes on the team. Head Coach Tony Vlahovic won coach of the year for the second season in a row.

    This year at New Hope-Solebury High School, the varsity baseball team is having an amazing season. With the current record being 16-4, they have advanced to the district playoffs. The Lions' District Semi-Final Game will be hosted at HOME at the varsity field. The game will have a noon start time on Saturday, May 25. This group of senior players has the most wins for a class in New Hope history. We are hoping to continue to add to those wins within the following weeks.

    Make sure to come out and support the boys on Saturday!

On Saturday May 25, New Hope Solebury Baseball played against Palmerton High School. The game went down to the wire and did not end until the 8th inning. The game started off with Blake Doherty on the mound pitching for the Lions. The team had a shutout top of the first in the field. Starting at the bottom of the first inning was Mike Lehman, Cameron Mertz, and Derek Smith. Cam Mertz came up with  a big hit to get him a double with 1 out. Derek Smith came up to the plate and hit a home run to right field. The Lions went up 2-0 at the end of the first inning.

    Make sure to come out and support the boys on Saturday! On Saturday May 25, New Hope Solebury Baseball played against Palmerton High School. The game went down to the wire and did not end until the 8th inning. The game started off with Blake Doherty on the mound pitching for the Lions. The team had a shutout top of the first in the field. Starting at the bottom of the first inning was Mike Lehman, Cameron Mertz, and Derek Smith. Cam Mertz came up with  a big hit to get him a double with 1 out. Derek Smith came up to the plate and hit a home run to right field. The Lions went up 2-0 at the end of the first inning. Throughout the whole game the score was very tight. Neither team had a major lead throughout the entire game. As the 7th inning is approaching, New Hope and Palmerton are tied 7-7. With both teams playing tight defense no team scored in the 7th inning. New Hope was in the field at the top of the inning. With Josh Shiller on the mound for the Lions in the top 8th, they came out of the inning with the game still tied. With Mike Lehman, Cameron Mertz and Derek Smith coming up in the bottom 8th the Lions are due for a run. Mike Lehman got up to the plate and came up with a big hit to get on first base. While Cameron Mertz is up to bat, Mike Lehman steals second base and is now on 2. Cameron Mertz struck out trying to bunt. Palmerton intentionally walked Derek Smith with John Mangan coming up with 1 out. First pitch John Mangan hit a line drive to left field and drove in Mike Lehman from second. As soon as Mike Lehman touched home plate to get the winning run the whole team dog piled in the infield. With an all out team effort the Lions are headed to Coca Cola Park in Allentown for the District Finals Game.

The Lions have started the district final game strong. The team has bases loaded with one out. But were unsuccessful in scoring any potential runs on the board. Josh Shiller was the starting pitcher for this game and he threw a great game but was wearing down. First team all BAL pitcher Deven Smith entered the game in the fifth inning. Everyone was cheering for #6. Deven threw a fantastic game and the Lions were holding their own for 6 innings and then things took a turn for the worst. Notre Dame was playing a fantastic game and ended up taking the win 5-0. It was a fantastic season for the Lions.

The U.S starts its for it’s fourth World Cup as the 2019 games begin

Juliana Covino
Editor-in-Chief

The 2019 Women's World Cup has kicked off! The United States enters the Women's World Cup as the defending champion, the No. 1 ranked team, and the favorite to win the title once again. The National Team has begun its quest for its fourth Women's World Cup title with a match against Thailand on Tuesday. The last time the team played in the World Cup was in 2015 when they faced off against their rival Japan. The 2015 World Cup final was a rematch from 2011 in which Japan took home the cup after a defeat of the United States in a penalty shoot-out following a 2–2 a tie at the end of regulation. However, the women’s team rallied and crushed Japan 5-2 in the 2015 World Cup Final earning them their third title.
    Although, times have changed over the past four years with the women's national team.
     When the U.S entered the World Cup in 2015 they had Abby Wambach (F), Hope Solo (GK), Sydney Leroux (F), and Christie Rampone (D) all of them are astonishing soccer players that have since left the team.
     Nevertheless, the women's team still has 2015 World Cup veterans such as Carli Loyd (M), Megan Rapinoe (M), Alex Morgan, and Tobin Heath (F) as they enter the 2019 Cup. In addition, the team has welcomed a new generation of amazingly talented players such as Rose Lavelle (M), Crystal Dunn (D), Mallory Pugh (F), and Sam Mewis (D) that are sure to make a lasting impact on the team’s future.
    Over the years, the U.S Women’s national team has increased their level of play with the help of there returning coach Jill Ellis. The USA is no longer the only nation with a well-funded national team and well-run domestic league, but Ellis continues to work her team harder than ever. After a devastating defeat at the Rio Olympics, the team needed to reevaluate their play in order to regain their number one ranking. Overall, the Women’s team is one to look out for as they attempt to earn another World Cup with a young yet highly skilled team.

Newcomers challenge vets: the Blues and Bruins face off in the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals

Will Kelley and Kel MacDowell

Staff Writers

The 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been one of the best we have seen in years. Quick skating, hard shots, bone crushing hits, and fast pace place have all made for an exciting playoffs. Every year, 16 teams enter the playoffs but only two will end up in the Stanley Cup Final. This year, from the Eastern Conference, it’s the Boston Bruins, a big body size and playoff experienced team.

The Bruins were the Stanley Cup champions in 1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, and 2011. From the Western Conference, the St. Louis Blues are coming into the finals for the first time since 1970. The underdogs have also never won nor played for the Stanley Cup before. The Blues are a smaller team but have very quick skating and excellent shooters on the team such as Jaden Schwartz, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Ryan O’Reilly. The Blues captain, Alex Pietrangelo, is a solid defenseman that can play both ways and is the core of their team.

On the other hand, Bruins captain, 39 year old Zdeno Chara is one of the most experienced players in the entire league and stands at an astonishing 6”9. They also have the most hated player in the NHL, Brad Marchand, who is an animal at getting in his opponent’s heads. The Bruins are not new to the Cup Finals and look to win another championship.

The series without a doubt will be a nail biting head to head matchup that will start out in Boston, Massachusetts and then head to St. Louis, Missouri for game 3 and four and so on. The location of games five, six, and seven are to be determined if necessary. The battle between the Blues and Bruins is set to be one for the ages as each team is coming in with their own skill sets, and one hoping to best the other.

Toronto faces off against the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals

By: Michael Borys

Staff Writer

The NBA finals are finally here. The Golden State Warriors have made their 5 straight appearance to the finals. The Toronto Raptors have made their first finals appearance in history. Led by newcomer Kawhi Leonard who was traded from the Spurs before the season. The raptors had a great regular season finishing in second place. Raptors finished with 58 wins. The Milwaukee Bucks finished in first with 60 wins. Raptors just eliminated the Bucks 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

    On the other hand, the Warriors finished with 57 wins and first place in the western conference. Throughout the season, the Warriors had 5 all stars containing Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Demarcus Cousins. Cousins was sidelined with an injury for a majority of the season, and re-injured himself before the playoffs. During the western conference finals Kevin Durant suffered a calf injury and has been out since. The Warriors are hoping for Durant to be back due to his unbelievable scoring ability. Even though Klay and Steph also have the scoring ability, they need all they can get when facing the very strong defensive Raptors.

    The Warriors have the upper hand due to experience. Warriors have been 5 straight when the Raptors are just getting to their first NBA finals in team history. Raptors leader Kawhi Leonard has made the finals before when he was with the San Antonio Spurs. In 2014, a young Leonard defeated the Miami Heat dynasty. The Heat had Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Kawhi beat the stacked lineup at just 22 years old and won the finals MVP. Even though the Warriors have the upper hand in experience, the Raptors are hungry for their first NBA Championship.

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.