The Booster Redux April 2024

The Booster Redux BR The Booster Redux

BR

AI comes to the classroom

Recent controversial tool becomes an issue with students

Words by | Addi Foster

Anew policy regarding artificial intelligence has been implemented for the 2023-24 school year.

Kris Crotts, assistant principal, has been given the responsibility for creating and enforcing the policy.

“Like many technological advances, [AI] has a lot of good qualities to make tasks easier,” Crotts said. “It can also be abused and have negative ramifications.”

There are different softwares that faculty uses in order to detect AI. These tools are installed in computers and do not need to be paid for.

“Canvas embedded AI detection powered by Copyleaks, Origin by Chat GPT Zero Extension for Google Docs, and Writing experts comparative analysis,” Crotts said.

When Canvas detects AI use at a 20% or higher, the first offense will give the student a chance to redo the assignment. It will remain a zero until resubmitted, and accepted at either full or partial credit. The student will also receive friday night school (FNS). On the second offense, the student will receive a zero on the assignment with no opportunity for a redo. Again, the student will receive FNS.

“There are many times in the educational process that instructors want original thought and for students to utilize their creativity,” Crotts said. “Any time AI is replacing this original thought, creativity, or student’s voice, that is an issue.”

Administration has been working to further prevent the use of AI. Crotts has even collaborated with other schools in order to gain more information.

“I have spoken with other districts and have combined our research with conversations from our writing experts, along with tools we have available to come up with the best practices we are suggesting to use,” Crotts said. “We have placed some preventive measures in place geared toward making sure students are working in one word processing program, developing a more thorough writing process with check-ins along the way, and having conversations with students about their creative process as well.”

Samantha Warren, instructional coach, first noticed the rise in AI use last year. She believes that the use of AI isn’t out of hand.

“There are a few kids who have used it to cheat,” Warren said. “I know that I’ve used it to help me write some emails and make some schedules. It’s nice for something to do tedious work.”

On the contrary, teachers have noticed that AI present in the classroom has become a problem. English teacher Emily Rountree says that the most predominant AI source has been ChatGPT.

“I started getting papers that were AI generated, [which is] very easy to tell, when assigning essays in the spring,” Rountree said. When she catches a student being academically dishonest with AI, she treats it like plagiarism.

“I confront the student about it and say that they are getting a zero,” Rountree said. “I usually do give the chance to earn some credit back by redoing it in front of me so I can be sure they aren’t plagiarizing.”

According to Rountree, there are some benefits that can be brought about from using AI.

“It can be used positively, like when you are using it for fun or when you are using it to help you improve the ideas that you have already written,” Rountree said. “It can help students grade their own work with a rubric before turning it in or give you ideas on how to make your writing more concise or free from errors.”

Although using AI to entertain or improve assignments is a good thing, Rountree sees AI as a negative factor in schools. Especially when generating an entire essay instead of doing any of the work, or by creating ideas that are not your own and then passing them off as your own, both of which are plagiarism.

“AI is affecting education by further degrading critical thinking skills and personal grit and perseverance,” Rountree said. “Even if you are just getting your ideas from generative AI, and writing the paper yourself, you are not allowing yourself the struggle of coming up with your own ideas; you are parroting ideas that have been gathered and put together from the resources on the internet.”

As AI continues to grow in power, the challenge to our society will be to shift the education paradigm from one which emphasizes good grades and productivity to one which emphasizes and rewards creativity, critical thinking, and communication.

“Our current paradigm rewards quick and efficient task completion, which is what generative AI provides, so it is no wonder that students are using it,” Rountree said. “Maybe generative AI will force a change for the better; maybe it will make school a place where students come to talk about ideas, to struggle, to think, to create, to wonder, and to leave AI behind.”

Changing up the playing surface:

Words

by | Heather Mowdy

For the 2024 season, the softball field at PHS has been redone and is now turf. “We’ve been trying to get turf for all of our athletic fields at the high school for several years now,” Jeff Staley, athletic director, said. “Due to an influx of funding for the softball field, we were able to move that ahead of schedule and get that started.”

It was a lengthy process to get the funding for the field, as the approximate cost for the field was $500,000, but, ultimately, enough money was raised to fund the project.

“The turf means a lot to our program and to myself,” AJ Terry, softball head coach, said. It is just another indicator of how much our school and community backs and supports our programs here at USD 250.”

The district hired Mammoth to install the turf. After several setbacks throughout the project, they were able to complete the field earlier than expected and the team was able to start practicing on it just one day after the season started.

“I’m proud of Mammoth. It was a really rough winter to try to do something like this,” Staley said. “I came to work on many mornings at 5:30 am and the lights were on and they were already out there working or you could drive by at nine o’clock at night and they had the lights on and they would be out there working.”

Terry has been wanting turf for some time now due to the many advantages that it brings.

“I like that minimal maintenance will still keep a true and consistent playing surface,” Terry said. “I like that it essentially eliminates rainouts and it just makes a complex really standout by how nice it looks.”

Turf is laid down in time for the upcoming season

In the past, rainouts were a constant issue that the team had to face.

“In the past if it rained even a little bit we were off the field for two days. I am looking forward to being able to have the option of planning practices a little farther out than one-two days ahead of time without having to change much to the schedules,” Terry said. “Unless it’s storming or raining heavily at the exact time of practice we will be able to get outside and get our work in.”

Not all schools that PHS plays have turf fields, so the team will still be playing on dirt several times throughout the season when they travel to another school.

“Although playing on dirt and turf both on and off throughout the year will present challenges, it’s a challenge our program is going to embrace and take all the positives that come with it because they certainly outweigh the little negatives that come with turf,” Terry said.

This new field has been backed by several people and many wanted to see turf put in.

“It’s a recognition of how important softball is to Pittsburg,” Staley said. “Which I appreciate because I know a lot of families and a lot of people have put a lot of blood sweat and tears into softball. So I think this is a recognition of those efforts.”

Graphic by | Trystin Owen Mammoth pours sand over turf in process of finishing the field. Photo by | Trinity Fiechtl

FEATURE

On to bigger things

Kunkler signs intent to go to Ivy League

Words by | Josh Hamilton

Ever since Shaleigh Kunkler was young, she had been interested in going to Columbia University. Columbia University, based in New York City, is a prestigious Ivy League school with rigorous application criteria. Kunkler’s interest in Columbia all started whenever she received a letter in the mail.

According to Kunkler, other colleges were not as appealing to her since they never lived up to Columbia in her eyes. She had multiple target schools and safety schools, but always vied for Columbia.

“They were the first college I researched,” Kunkler said. “That’s only because they sent me a postcard in the mail and my mom said they were a ‘really good school’.”

Kunkler applied to multiple colleges through an application called QuestBridge. Questbridge is an online non-profit that allows for low-income, exceptional students to receive opportunities to attend their dream college.

“Since I went through a scholarship named QuestBridge instead of the Common App, it was a bit different than usual,” Kunkler said.

The Questbridge application has a couple steps starting with the opening of the National Match Application on Aug 1. After filling out the application, participants have to wait for their results. If they get in, “finalists” have the opportunity to match with their colleges and be awarded with the full four-year scholarship.

According to Columbia University, the acceptance rate was 3.9% for the class of 2027. 57,129 applications were received by the university, but only 2,228 undergraduate students were admitted.

“It was definitely stressful,” Kunkler said. “But, I wouldn’t say it affected me too negatively. All of my free time was spent on the application, but that’s also attributed to the other seven colleges I was working on simultaneously.”

According to Matt Zalzanick of District Administration, 37% of high school graduates taken from a sample test group, “are still not sure they are where they want to be,” and, “41% felt unprepared to make a career choice or declare a college major at graduation.” Kunkler related to the 37%.

“It’s definitely a load off to know exactly where I’ll be,” Kunkler said. “College shifted from this arbitrary concept to a more tangible, assured thing.”

Athletic Director Jeff Staley for Pittsburg High School stated that as far as he could find, nobody in the history of PHS had previously received a full-ride scholarship to an Ivy League university, solidifying her legacy at PHS.

“People should go to a school that they feel comfortable with and that suits their needs well,” Kunkler said. “If that means applying to Columbia — or any other top college — then go for it. I think people who want to apply to a prestigious school shouldn’t refrain from doing so, but I don’t think you should force yourself either.”

Kunkler’s mom, Jacquelyne Pierce, was at Kunkler’s academic signing on Jan. 31. Pierce has always encouraged Kunkler to attend college. According to a Pew Research Center survey, 41% of parents find it extremely important that their children get college degrees.

“Since [Shaleigh and her siblings] were little, we’ve always encouraged them,” Pierce said. “They’ve always thought they had to go to college like you do regular school, so there was no

Just keep swimming Steier earns scholarship

Senior Ava Steier signed to continue her academic and swimming career at The University of St. Mary on Wednesday, Jan. 10. Steier has been swimming at the local YMCA since she was eight.

“I’m still swimming at the YMCA in the summer and in the winter,” Steier said. “During high school, I started swimming for Fort Scott.” Pittsburg’s swim team is not a traditional school team; they are partnered with Fort Scott.

“When we go to state I represent Pittsburg,” Steier said. “But during the regular season I represent Fort Scott.” Jazzy Rose, Steier’s teammate, has been swimming with her for about eight years.

“As a teammate, Ava is the perfect example of someone you want to be around,” Rose said. “She is always there to support and talk and love her teammates but is also someone who will challenge you to work harder as an athlete.”

Due to an inside connection, Steier was able to get in contact with the coach.

“Signing has always been one of my big goals and it was just awesome to be able to accomplish that goal,” Steier said.

Steier has set many goals that she hopes to achieve during her collegiate swimming career.

“I am really excited to see how I can improve myself as a swimmer with a new coach,” Steier said. “One big goal I have is to make it to the NAIA National Championships.”

Steier is dedicated to her team, no matter what school she is competing for. “Ava is a born Dragon but come swim season she’s a Tiger through and through,” Rose said. “I don’t think it would really matter what team she’s on, Ava is going to root for her girls every time.”

Steier has been a role model for many of her teammates. “Ava is genuinely a light on the team. She is a leader and more importantly, she is a friend,” Rose said. “I think I can speak for everyone on the team when I say Ava is the girl you want to go to. She will be deeply missed, but I’m so proud and excited to see everything she does in the future.”

question about it.”

College is a serious aspect of most students’ futures. College is one of the major pathways that a person can pursue after their high school life ends, and choosing the correct college can drastically change your post-high school life.

“Make sure that you feel good about the campus, courses, and surrounding area,” Kunkler said. “You’ll have to attend there for at least four years, after all.”

Although this specific pathway to college may be arduous, Kunkler says give it your best shot.

“Just go for it.” Kunkler said. “I genuinely think there are a lot of insanely smart students around here who don’t try even if they have the capacity to get accepted to Ivy League schools — or just top schools in general. There’s nothing to lose from trying; don’t assume you’ll automatically get turned down.”

Advancing to the next level

Several debate teams compete in state tournament

Words by | Chloe Nickelson

On Jan. 13th, at Olathe, Kans., Pittsburg High School had two debate teams qualify for nationals in policy debate. Nationals for the 20232024 debate season will be held in DesMoines, Iowa.

Senior Indiana Grotheer qualified for nationals along with her partner Seth Loudermilk. Grotheer has been a part of PHS’ debate program for the past four years.

“My all time favorite thing about debate is the people,” Grotheer said. “Our team is a true representation of what a team should be. We are all happy for each other’s successes, and we do everything we can so one another can be successful.”

The debate team is led by Julie Laflen, speech, debate and forensics teacher at PHS, who has been coaching debate for 15 years.

“Seth Loudermilk and Indiana Grotheer [as well as] Brock Gambill and Josh Hamilton qualified in policy debate,” Laflen said. “We actually ended up with the final four debate teams for this tournament so our

students had to make tough choices about what teams were going to advance to nationals. It’s a hard choice to make as a high schooler and I’m so proud of how they worked out their choices. This is what being on a team looks like.”

Grotheer and Loudermilk have both previously qualified for nationals in policy debate in their sophomore and junior years.

“It feels good to qualify for nationals and be able to travel again,” Loudermilk said. “Indiana and I last year were the first team in Pittsburg history to break to rounds seven and eight. We hope to break to rounds nine and 10 this June.”

During state debate, Grotheer had to compete against her sister, Savannah Grotheer.

“I am super excited to compete at nationals during the summer, but actually qualifying for nationals wasn’t as exciting,” Indiana Grotheer said. “Even though Eve [Moss] and Savannah [Grotheer] had one more ballot than Seth and I, they conceded the qualification to us as they would rather go to nationals in other events. So even

though I am happy we qualified, it is unfortunate that my twin sister had to concede to me.”

Similar to other sports, debate has a website they use to keep track of wins, losses, and everything in between: Tabroom. Through the use of Tabroom, Loudermilk has been able to see the positive results of the debate season.

“This season has been very successful for Indiana and I,” Loudermilk said. “We had a win/loss record close to 80%.

Indy and I were first at five out of the eight tournaments we went to this year.”

According to Laflen, the relationships that she has made through debate are the best part of the program.

“It always makes me proud to coach them but they are the ones putting in the long hours and work. I’m there to guide them, offer support and structure, but their accomplishments are theirs,” Laflen said, “ Honestly, seeing our teams competing against these big 6A schools where their debaters travel the national circuit and have huge budgets, and then we come in and beat them, well, there’s nothing like seeing what hard work can do.”

Shaleigh Kunkler signs her letter of intent to Columbia University on Jan. 31. Photo provided by | Maddy Robison

Photo provided by | Julie Laflen

Photo by | Camden Huffman

Booster Redux Staff & Policy

Not just one day

Mowdy addresses a controversial holiday

Words by | Heather Mowdy

When you think of February, what do you think of?

Valentine’s Day? Yeah, me too.

Most people associate these together, too. However, I don’t think that this holiday is really a necessary holiday.

The point of Valentine’s Day is to show your love and appreciation for your partner and to spend time with them. This can be through gifts and a fancy dinner or sweet messages; however you may choose. I have a slight problem with this though. Shouldn’t you be showing that love and appreciation for your partner all the time? Yes. Do you really have to have a partner in order to enjoy the holiday? No.

I think that we as a society have normalized acting like you don’t care. It has become normal for people to be distant and not show their interest. This leads them to not be romantic or expresses their love and care for each other.

Personally, I hate this. I love random gifts; flowers just because, little notes or messages that show he cares, a coffee because I’m having a bad day and he noticed.

However, if you feel obligated to get your significant other a gift because it is a holiday, you lose the appeal. This is another issue I have with Valentine’s Day.

I think that there is a crazy amount of pressure that surrounds Valentine’s Day and you lose the real meaning behind it. Rather than focusing on gifts and plans, it should be about spending time with your partner and enjoying each other’s company.

With social media, there can be an added amount of pressure to make sure your Valentine’s Day plans and presents are better than someone else’s, or at least just as good. This just makes the whole thing worse and again takes away from the holiday.

That leads me on to my next point. Couples often share their wonderful dates and gifts on the internet. Whether to show off or simply share that you are in a happy relationship, this causes other issues.

From friends or acquaintances or just via social media, I see so many posts and stories and messages about how someone feels lonely and sad or even depressed because they don’t have a valentine. While I strongly believe that you need to be able to be happy on your own, which is a topic for another day, I can totally understand how this can be detrimental to someone’s mental health. You may argue that couples often post themselves together. This is true, I’m guilty of posting my boyfriend a time or two. However, the overwhelming amount of posts during this time can cause a person to reflect on their life and lack of relationship and start to feel sorry for themselves.

yourself out to dinner. Celebrate you and spoil yourself. You don’t need a valentine to enjoy the holiday.

Now, I don’t hate Valentine’s Day. In fact, I quite enjoy it and I do participate in it. From a young age, my parents have always made Valentine’s Day a fun holiday and now I get to enjoy it from a different perspective. However, I do have some issues with it.

You should be showing your love and appreciation for your significant other all the time, not just on Feb. 14. It doesn’t have to be big things; all it takes is a little something here and there. It doesn’t even have to be that often.

There should not be as much pressure surrounding the holiday as there is. You should celebrate how you chose and not worry about how someone else chooses to do it.

You shouldn’t care if you have a valentine or not, but it can be depressing if you don’t. But what is stopping you from celebrating on your own? Buy yourself some flowers and chocolate. Take yourself to dinner. Curl up on the couch with some ice cream and watch a movie. Make the most out of it instead of feeling sorry for yourself.

Now, you should do whatever you want. But, be mindful of the people around you and make sure you take time to acknowledge and appreciate the real reason behind the holiday.

Continuing to love through all the hate

Nickelson talks about controversies surrounding recent celebrity couple

Words by | Chloe Nickelson

Global renowned music artist Taylor Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce publicly announced their relationship on September 24, 2023. On that day, Swift attended Kelce’s football game against the Chicago Bears in Kansas City, Missouri. Since then the power couple has taken the world by storm and gained a lot of publicity. Although there have been a few “dads, Brads, and Chads” that have complained of their relationship, who are they to judge their relationship? Not only do both of them seem very happy, their relationship has combined my love of Taylor Swift and her music with my favorite football team.

By now Taylor Swift has become a household name that everyone is familiar with. From the release of her first album “Taylor Swift” in 2006 to the latest release of “1989 Taylor’s Verison” in

2023, Swift has been highly relevant in the music industry for a while. I have been a, as the fandom has been named, Swiftie for a while now. I have been listening to Swift’s music since I was a kid and have grown up through her different albums.

Travis Kelce’s name has also been on the rise since winning the Super Bowl in 2020 and 2023. Kelce started his NFL football career in 2013 when he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs where he has continued to play for his whole career. And by living in Kansas, the Chiefs have been one of, if not my favorite, football teams for a while.

On July 8, 2023, I attended the Eras Tour in Kansas City, Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium. Coincidentally, that was also the same show that Kelce first attended. After the show, Kelce went onto his podcast, New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, to talk about his experience at the

concert. During that segment, Kelce talked about how he wished he was able to meet Swift. From there the dominos fell into line and the pair publicly announced their relationship. Since then both Swift and Kelce have been highly supportive of each other. Swift has attended several Chiefs games and Kelce has traveled to watch Swift’s concert in Argentina. It was even estimated that after Swift’s appearance at the Chief’s game, viewing went up 22% on NFL games, and female viewership increased as well.

Overall, it can be seen that this is only just the start of Swift and Kelce’s relationship. With more publicity considering Swift has startd her international leg of the Eras Tour and Kelce has just won Super Bowl LVIII. Their status as a power couple will only grow from here and as a fan of both Swift and Kelce, I don’t think I could ask for more.

Booster Redux reserves the right to edit contributions if they are libelous, obscene and for length. Any grammatical errors at the fault of the writer will be printed. Corrections of errors printed at the fault of the Booster staff will appear in the appropriate section of the next issue.

Creating lots of laughter

Lee acknowleges changing views of humor

| John Lee

Among other things, one thing that I’ve been thinking pretty heavily on is social media. I’ve noticed through myself and those around me that the use of social media has made a large population of users

That’s not to say that it is entirely bad, but I think it’s interesting how our collective sense of humor has changed with time.

Looking back, it seems like any time dark humor came up in a conversation it would automatically be soiled; it was like something we had to avoid at all costs.

What’s weird to me is that dark humor has established itself as a staple piece in modern media, whether that be blatantly through comedic Instagram reels, or subtly through our everyday lives.

Dark humor isn’t the only weird thing though. I’ve seen that very dry humor has found its place as a popular form of relief for many of my peers. I’m not innocent to this either. The other day I saw a video of a slice of

bread very slowly falling face down on a table and I couldn’t stop laughing for whatever reason.

I think the sudden influx of dry or abrupt humor could be a result of the avenues through which we view media now. Instead of longer Youtube videos or well thought out jokes, we now have Tik Toks and reels that only last seconds, in a way forcing creators to condense their videos to match.

Part of me considers whether or not that’s something we should embrace. It seems as though the finesse and thought required to actually be funny is slowly fading and is being replaced with trying to be as random as possible.

I’ve also noticed that maybe as a result of that need to be random and spontaneous people are gradually using more serious and solemn events as subjects for their jokes.

That ties back to the dark humor I mentioned earlier. Perhaps because of the media we use now, the shortness required to be funny nowadays also necessitates a shock factor from an audience to draw more attention.

The next thing you would have to address is how far we allow this to go. If in a short period of time we’re already desensitizing ourselves with our own content, how long until we make light of massive issues?

I don’t think we’re at that point just yet, but I do think we definitely see the signs of it now, and I do think that it has the potential to grow that big.

A shifting sense of humor is not always a bad thing, that is for certain, but I think that depending on the media we choose to embrace, it can result in unfavorable outcomes.

Graphicby|AudreyHertrich

Graphicby

Taking a shot at a new coaching position

Girls basketball team takes on new leadership for the recent season

Words by | Hailey Gray

Fassistant coach under the head coach Chris Popp and says adjusting to the higher position has been challenging.

“I think I’ve gotten better throughout the year,” Gromer said. “[There are] also little responsibilities you wouldn’t think of when you are an assistant like just keeping track of the girls to know where they are at mentally and how they are progressing through the year and what I can do to make them better basketball players.”

The dragons ended their last season with a two and 19 record. Gromer mentions that the team’s main goal this year is to make some changes.

“The biggest thing we are trying to do this year is build a foundation and be more consistent in everything we do,” Gromer said. “We have not been the basketball team we’ve wanted to be in years past but that starts in practice and making sure we are getting the certain things done that we want to day in and day out.”

According to Gromer, there are crucial aspects to being a head coach which include experience and consistency.

“Learning comes with experience,” Gromer said. “But you don’t learn if you’re close-minded and don’t allow yourself to learn from mistakes and different bumps along the way.”

In addition to the head coach change, Anita Walker was hired as the new assistant coach. Walker has coached a total of 17 years with both college and high school experience.

“I knew that I wanted to be at Pitt from the first time I walked into the gym four years ago because of the energy I felt,” Walker said. “I knew this was the place for me. There was always something about Pitt that stirred in my soul.”

Walker competed against the basketball team last year as the head coach at Coffeyville High School in Coffeyville, KS, so she had already known them from scouting reports and seeing them play.

“I knew there was a lot of untapped potential here at Pitt,” Walker said. “Now I have the opportunity to guide them in turning their weaknesses into strengths and harnessing their true potential.”

Walker also teaches health and says that teaching has helped her in the coaching realm.

“I have loved working with all students, helping them to understand that ‘it’s okay to not be okay’ and how to cope in healthy ways without quitting or giving up.” Walker said. “Sometimes we get caught up in wins and loses, and we allow that to consume us. Losing is tough, but it’s not the end but the beginning of success.”

Walker says that her main goal as a coach this year is to build confidence in the girls and give them the tools to be well-rounded individuals.

“Building strong, young women who respect themselves, work hard and hold themselves accountable will help them to be successful on and off the court,” Walker said.

Gromer says he is excited for the season coaching alongside Walker.

“She brings a level of toughness and intensity that our girls need,” Gromer said. “She is a fantastic coach and an even better person. She knows how to get the most out of everyone around her.”

Junior Gabbie White has had experience playing for Gromer as an assistant coach last year, but being coached by Walker is new this year. However, similar to Gromer, White says that Walker has only helped improve the team’s success.

“We all loved her from the get go,” White said. “She is tough, honest, and not afraid to get onto us which is exactly what we needed to become a better team.”

The team has had three different coaches in the last three years, however, these recent coaching changes plan to be long-term to help grow the program.

“Compared to last year, our team chemistry, our knowledge of the game, and just play is so much better,” White said. “Over the summer we were able to get together and play as a team and just have fun under our new coaches.”

The team and coaches have had to adapt in their own ways to the coaching changes. However, that is not stopping Walker from showing up and doing her job to help build the program.

“What I love is taking a struggling program, rolling up my levees, doing the dirty work and building a foundation,” Walker said. “Sometimes we don’t always get to see the outcome but the goal is to always leave it better than you found it. It’s not always pretty and it is tough but it is what the girls deserve.”

Continuing traditions: School host annual duel against rival school

For the past five years, wrestling teams from Pittsburg and Frontenac High schools have competed in a duel; The Crosstown Throwdown. This was held on Jan. 10.

The duel was held during school hours so that students were able to attend for the first time this year.

“I was very nervous going into my match knowing most of the school would be watching me,” Shelby Payne, a junior on the girls wrestling team, said.

This new atmosphere affected many of the wrestlers competing, including freshman Evan Antoni.

“The atmosphere was extremely good,” Antoni said. “It got me pumped up for my match and I loved that when I won my match people were cheering for me.”

Senior wrestler Tyler Bailey won his personal match by pin.

“It was just my last Crosstown Throwdown, and it was at our home,” Bailey said. “So it was more important to me that I won.”

Both girls and boys Pittsburg teams won their respective sides of the duel.

“Everyone was so excited that we had just won,” Payne said. “I love celebrating with my team and it is always something I look forward to at tournaments and duels.”

According to Bailey, competing against one team multiple times can develop some tension.

“We have a good rivalry between Frontenac and I feel like every sport needs a rival competition,” Bailey said. Multiple wrestlers shared a common goal; to give their best effort.

“Everyone did their part,” Bailey said. “And that’s how we won.”

According to Payne, Coach LC Davis shared some inspirational messages in the locker room before the duel. “I kept in mind what coach LC Davis told us beforehand; that

you could think of it as an opportunity or an obstacle.” Payne said.

As a wrestler, you often have to face multiple challenges in just a few minutes. “I had to overcome being nervous, the thought of failure and the fear of disappointing my teammates,” Antoni said. “The

Words by | Noah Mowdy

inspirational messages that coach LC Davis shared in the locker room helped me overcome them.”

The Crosstown Throwdown positively impacts the community of PHS as a whole. “The Crosstown Throwdown brings us all together,” Antoni said. “It brings light to the sport of wrestling.”

ormer assistant coach and PHS alumni, Dalton Gromer, has stepped into the head coach position for the 23-24 girls’ basketball season. Anita Walker has been hired to take over the assistant coaching position. Gromer was the former

Photo by | Grace Rogers

Photo by | Kylie Womble