September 13, 2012
The Sundial
Bell Fever Invades Campus
Bell Week Countdown By BRANDON MAPSTEAD & DIANGGELLO GUILLORY Special-to-The SunDial
Coming into this new season’s Bell Week, the pressure rises, the team is anxious, and the town patiently waits for the Bell Game Friday night. How is the team going to do this year? This is the question everyone is asking the Sun Devil Football team for this upcoming season. Some may say this year’s Sun Devils are not capable of filling the shoes of those key seniors that graduated, but we think otherwise. As the new starting quarterback Justin Connors takes the place of multiple school record breaker, Ben Quiroz, Connors
is automatically given high expectations. Some think Connors will feel pressure, but that is not the case. This year’s offense has a different twist than last year. We switched up to a spread offense, which allows multiple key athletes to be on the field at the same time. This offense allows the young quarterback to have many outlets to rely on. Starting the year out with a new offense, it may take some time to smooth out the wrinkles, but the killer defense is what is going to help Sun Devils win games. Graphic Communicatins students designed the logos and created the vinyl stickers that decorate the victory Bell. Graphic design teacher Miss. Livingston oversaw the project, which would have cost over $300 if done by professional.
File photo
The annual bonfire for the Bell Game will take place tonight at dusk outside the B-wing near the JV football field.
By SAMUEL SPONAGLE Sports Editor
The days are growing cooler, the leaves are falling off the trees, and the school has a bad case of Bell Game Fever. For those who do not know what Bell Game Fever is, it is a week long allergy with symptoms of seeing orange, Sun Devil pride and a constant ringing in one’s ear going ding dong, ding dong. The only cure for this highly contagious virus is rabbit meat. Preferably, when it is raw, raw, raw. This Friday night, the Sun
Devils will face long-time rivals, Victorville Jackrabbits in Newton T. Bass Stadium. “I love the school spirit during Bell week,” senior Kevin Corona said. “The sight of the bell every day, the ridiculous amount of orange everywhere, and dead rabbits hanging in class rooms is a few of my favorite parts of the week.” Last year, the Sun Devils won it back beating the Victor Valley Jackrabbits 51 to 6 and, they have no intentions of giving it back. “So much has been put into the bell this year, I could not
stand seeing it painted green again,” offensive and defensive lineman Matthew Hijazin said. The Bell game has been played 42 times and the Sun Devils have come out victoriously 27 times. This year the team is sure this will be number 28. “The Sun Devils have lots of talent and good things will happen, if they apply their skills,” Coach Kyle Godfrey said. The gates open at 5:30 p.m., and at 7 p.m. the game starts. Some information provided by Haley Valencia
School Sports
Cross Country leans forward, eyes season success By MORGAN BLALOCK Photo Editor
After a disappointing season fourth place finish last year, the school’s cross country team is off to good start. According to Coach John Nunes, the team has better grouping and higher potential for success. “This year’s team is a young one. Overall, we have a lot of underclassmen, with only a limited amount of experience,” Nunes said. This team of hard working athletes is prepared to show the High Desert what they have been training for all summer. “I think the team looks good this year. I’m hoping we can qualify for CIF,” senior captain Cody Justman said. Although several are new, we are seeing great results. While it is still early in the season, this year’s team seems very
Photo by Morgan Blalock/Photo Editor
The school’s Cross Country team ran at Horseman’s Center for their first cluster meet of the season, with the teams from both the Mojave River League and Desert Sky League. They finished third, overall, out of nine teams.
promising. This according to Coach Gretchen Pratt. “I have a great feeling about
this season,” junior Susan Brockett said. She is not the only one, a
number of other runners share her excitement for this season. Many of the runners, par-
ticularly those returning from last season, share this wish. Even more so are Justman’s fellow senior cross country runners, who are looking to make their final season one worth remembering. According to Mrs. Pratt, the cross country team is made up of strong and dedicated athletes, eager for the challenge of bettering themselves, and the overall team as well. “My favorite part of cross country is definitely the closeness of the team. We all have fun, and it’s a lot like family,” senior captain Samuel Sponagle said. According to junior Conner Valenzuela it is evident that this team is very adamant about keeping each other motivated. The cross country team is ready to make a statement to the High Desert that they are a team worthy of making CIF.
World Sports
United States athletes enjoy Golden London Olympics By SAMUEL SPONAGLE Sports Editor
There are only three words worthy to describe the 2012 Summer Olympics: “Citius, Altius, Fortius.” Which in English it translates to Faster, Higher, Stronger. This so happens to be the official motto of the Olympics and describes London 2012 perfectly. “I enjoyed the swimming races because it was much more competitive, which made it more thrilling to watch,” senior Ben Clarke said. The London games witnessed several world record
breaking performances, 38 in total. Such notable moments are, of course, Usain Bolt’s powerful performance to win both the 100 and 200 meters sprint. Michael Phelps winning a total of 22 medals in his Olympic career, breaking the former 1964 record of 18. The U.S. Women’s 4x100 relay team beating the world record with a time of 40.81 seconds, and Kenyan David Rudisha breaking the 800m record by 0.10 seconds. Also, a couple moments that many did not hear about are Galin Rupp being the first American to medal in the 10,000 meters in 48 years and
Gabby Douglas being the first African-American to win the All-Around title in gymnastics. One unforgettable moment in Olympic history is the inspirational performance of Manteo Mitchell of the U.S. track team. While running the first leg of the 4x400 meter relay with only 200 meters to go he broke his left fibula. Despite his broken leg, he was able to finish strong and help the team earn the fastest qualifying time for that event. The coverage of the games provided the spectators at home satisfaction. “This year I was able to watch a greater variety of sports, than I did last year. It
was much more enjoyable,” Coach John Nunes said. The people at home were able to watch almost all of the games on television and could watch live streams of their favorite events on the Internet. “I enjoyed seeing events I do not usually watch on TV like trap
shooting, kayaking, archery and handball,” Coach Nunes said. “The images of victory and defeat – designations often decided by the length of an ant – will remain charged with emotive power for many years to come,” Andrew Anthony of The Observer said.