The Aquilian - November 2022 - Vol. 84 No.2

The Aquilian

Gonzaga College High School Men For Others Since 1821

Gonzaga Soccer Gearing Up for Playoff Run

By: Owen Kent ‘24 Contributor

Gonzaga soccer has tak en the field in the 2022 sea son like we have never seen before. The team beat Good Counsel 1-0 on October 25th securing the top spot in the WCAC regular season final standings. There is no doubt this remarkable undefeated season has started spurring the word of Gonzaga Soccer across Eye Street. With the Booster Club showing at five

soccer games, the spirits of this team have been high the whole season. Other events, such as LASO bringing out pupusas for the St. John’s game, which ended with a 1-0 Gonzaga win, and the $1 taco night have continued to spark students’ interest in the team.

The 18-0-1 season has been the best start a soccer team has had on Buchanan Field in the past 10 years. The team is approaching the WCAC playoffs, looking to

repeat their 2019 Champion ship. Gonzaga is the only un defeated team in the confer ence at the end of the season, with Bishop McNamara re ceiving their only loss to St. John’s. The Gonzaga versus McNamara game was highly anticipated, and lived up to the expectation, with a great game being played, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

The engine of Gonzaga soccer has been fueled by one major contributor this year. Junior standout Daniel

Bollman has netted 16 goals so far this season, averag ing a whopping 1.3 goals per game. Team captain Colin Prendergast is the second leader in points this season with 18 trailing Bollman’s 33. As the saying goes, al though offense wins games, defense wins championships, and Gonzaga soccer, closing in on the WCAC playoffs, has Tommy McKinnon in goal at the heart of their de fense. His remarkable perfor mances include 11 shutouts

through the 19 games in the season so far. Tommy, on av erage, has allowed 0.5 goals per game this season, allow ing for games to be won on only one goal scored.

After winning the semifinal match 1-0 against St. John’s hopes are high as the team looks to have a repeat of the 2019 WCAC champi onship and put the cap on a tremendous 2022 season.

Greater Threat to Democracy UK’s New PM

By: Brendan Rohde ‘24 Contributor

Despite what President Biden has been claiming about Donald Trump and his supporters being the greatest threat to our nation in a long time, a seemingly obvious en emy prepares to threaten our nation in a way not seen since the last world war: Russia. Al though they are engulfed in a disastrous military conflict with Ukraine as a sort of proxy war with the West, Russia’s direct aggression against the United States has flown shock ingly under the radar. As an important midterm election is before us in this nation, sec tions of both the Democratic and Republican parties have called for a decrease in ten sions with Russia, peace deals with Russia, or simply cutting off both military and economic aid to Ukraine.

On September 16 of this

year, Reuters reported that Russian nuclear submarines conducted a military exercise that fired cruise missiles in the Chukchi Sea, an eastern stretch of the Arctic Ocean that separates Russia from Alaska. The Russian defense ministry said that the week’s arctic drills were a test of Rus sia’s “ability and readiness to defend the Russian arctic by military means.” Yet despite the coverage from some media outlets, this critical story nev er made it to the mainstream news, greatly reducing its ex posure to the public eye.

Similarly, just a few days after the submarine drills, a group of both Russian and Chinese warships came within a hundred miles of U.S. terri tory. According to the Anchor age Daily News, US officials confirmed Monday “a U.S. Coast Guard ship on routine patrol in the Bering Sea came

across a guided missile cruiser from China, but it turned out the cruiser wasn’t alone as it sailed about 86 miles north of Alaska’s Kiska Island on Sept. 19. Two other Chinese naval ships and four Russian naval vessels, including a destroyer, were spotted in single forma tion.” This seems to be a bla tant display of brinkmanship, yet it seems to merit little to no response from the U.S. gov ernment. This lack of action could easily be interpreted as a sign of weakness to those who seek to pose the greatest threat to our nation and our democ racy.

With the possibility of nu clear weapons seemingly not too far in Putin’s bag of tricks, I hope and pray that our nation continues to support Ukraine and stand tall in the face of startling Russian escalation.

The Supreme Court

By: Will Prisco ‘25 Contributor

On October 3, 2022, the Supreme Court officially be gan their 2022-2023 term after a summer recess. The begin ning of this term made his tory as the first black woman, Justice Ketanji Brown Jack son, ascended to the nation’s highest court, replacing for mer Associate Justice Stephen Breyer.

Justice Jackson was nomi nated by President Biden in late February, fulfilling a promise that he would nomi nate the first black woman to the Supreme Court, should the opportunity arise. After nomi nation, Ketanji Brown Jackson awaited confirmation from the US Senate, which eventually approved her. People across the country celebrated this his toric moment, recognizing the importance of diversity on all levels of judicial systems, es pecially the Supreme Court.

Justice Jackson takes the bench on the nation’s highest court at an extremely impor tant and controversial time in

American history. After the overturn of the landmark Su preme Court case Roe v. Wade, which established the constitu tional right to an abortion, the public’s trust in the integrity of the Court is at an all time low. Although Justice Jackson’s as cension to the bench will not change the political makeup of the Supreme Court, she is de termined to be a voice for indi viduals who have traditionally been left out of government.

The nine justices on the Supreme Court will tackle some of the most major and controversial issues that are facing the nation. For ex ample, the Court will decide whether Alabama’s new redis tricting map was constructed in a way that disproportion ately dilutes the representation of people of color in the state, known as racial gerrymander ing. In addition, the nation’s highest court will hear debates on the issue of Affirmative Action, a process used during college admissions in which an applicant’s race or ethnic background is taken into con

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sideration. Proponents of Af firmative Action argue that it increases the diversity in cam puses and gives traditionally marginalized students a fair, comprehensive consideration instead of being overlooked. However, opponents declare that it unfairly gives an advan tage to racial minorities and undermines the integrity peo ple have in the college admis sion process. Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President & Fellows of Harvard will be the case that will decide if and to what extent colleges can use affirmative action when re viewing applications. Another case that is sure to garner lots of attention will be whether private businesses, such as bakeries, photography studios, etc, can refuse services to cli ents based on their sexual ori entation or gender identity. Al though many believe that this is discrimination that violates civil rights laws, others argue that the First Amendment, which references religious freedom, gives individuals the ability to choose who they

By: Michael Bicksel ‘25 Contributor

As close readers of this pa per may recall, I wrote an ar ticle last month about the res ignation of Boris Johnson and the ascension of Liz Truss to the UK premiership. Re-read ing that article a month later leaves me wondering what happened, and more precisely, what went wrong. Whether you supported Truss or not, there was a general expecta tion that she would govern for the next couple years until the next general election, which she would lose or win against Labour’s recent red wave. Per haps she would not be the best prime minister, but she did not have to be. Gerald Ford was by no means the perfect presi dent, but he did not have to be; he just could not be Nixon. The UK all of one month ago found itself in the same spot: it did not need a hero, just not a villain.

But here we are. Fortyfour days later, Liz is out, and Rishi is in. Her resignation, unlike Boris’s, was not due to scandals or parties, but to her own failed economic poli cies. Last month, I wrote that she would face many perils and that her economic poli cies would have to be strong to combat crises like housing and energy. Many Tory vot ers went into the last leader ship election wary of her fiscal policy, worried that it might add to the problems already plaguing the nation; Rishi Su nak, the young Chancellor of the Exchequer who guided the UK out of the Covid-19 eco nomic meltdown, seemed to many the much safer choice. Those chickens came to roost when Liz resigned in late Oc tober, just for her one-time

provide for based on one’s re ligious beliefs.

While the Supreme Court just finished an extremely controversial term with the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the 2022-2023 term is predicted to be just as controversial. America’s highest court will continue to make decisions on

competitor Sunak to take over her position.

So again, that begs the question: who is Rishi Sunak, and how will he govern? Just as with Truss, we have to look at his past. Born in Southamp ton, Rishi attended prep school at Winchester College before matriculating to Lincoln Col lege, Oxford, where he read philosophy, politics, and eco nomics (like Liz Truss, Bo ris Johnson, David Cameron, Theresa May, etc. etc.). From there, he studied at Stanford, from which he jumped into the corporate world at Goldman Sachs and at various hedge funds. He made the switch to politics in 2014 when he was elected as a Conservative MP for Richmond. From his po sition in Parliament, he cam paigned vigorously for Brexit and backed Boris as PM, for which he was awarded a slew of cabinet positions.

Now, as we look back on the tumult of the last two months, there is a window of opportunity for Rishi. He can unite the party, save it from the ashes of Boris and Liz, beat Labour-leader Keir Starmer, and end the crises Britain fac es today, or he can implode, let the backbenchers get the best of him, get slammed by Starmer, and leave in a manner like his predecessors. Many hope Sunak will bring stability and continuity with traditional Tory economics, a break from Truss’s trickle-down econom ic scheme. Still others hope he will be the face of the future, not just a transitional figure in Conservative politics from Truss to the next PM. But, as before, if there is one thing for certain, it is that Liz is out, and Rishi is in.

extremely important cases that divide the public. Of course, no one will know what the Su preme Court’s final decision will be on these matters until May, but Americans do know that this term has the ability to protect years of precedent or eliminate it entirely.

Editor-in-Chief Jackson Baldrate ‘23

Managing Editor Luke Gormsen ‘24

Editors

Tim Barloon ‘23 Jackson Brewer ‘23

Billy Cannon ‘24

Daniel Colucci ‘23

Abram Cutler ‘23

Max Diaz ‘24

Teddy Friesz ‘24

Sam Galupo ‘23

Andrew Lavella ‘24 Will Prisco ‘25

Moderator: Dr. Harry Rissetto

Homecoming Purple & White Dance

By: JP Howard ‘24 Contributor

On Saturday October 22, Gonzaga hosted its Purple & White Dance, a renamed equivalent of the homecom ing dance for sophomores, juniors, and seniors. The new name of the dance recalls a retired Gonzaga tradition, as the yearly homecom ing dance was actually once called the “Purple & White Dance”; this year, as Gonzaga football’s homecoming game did not align with the normal timeframe in which the dance is usually hosted, the student

government seized the op portunity to bring back a be loved, old school tradition.

Doors opened for the dance at 7:00 P.M sharp. The dance, which was hosted on Buchanan Field last year be cause of Covid, was instead held in the gym of Carmody Center. The gym was decked out with bright, luminescent purple lights, encapsulating the Gonzaga school spirit. The gym had oscillating fans as well, which was helpful to the many students drenched in sweat from dancing up a storm. As for the dance floor, there was an almost constant

mosh pit throughout the night. The playlist for the night was composed mostly of classics, well-known from the 2000’s and 2010’s, with memorable crowd favorites such as Out kast’s “Hey Ya!” and Be yoncé’s “Single Ladies”. My personal favorite was Nicki Minaj’s “Starships”, when the students forming the mosh crammed together and bounced in perfect unison to the song’s iconic chorus and beat drop. Dance circles were formed frequently as well, with some brave souls going into the middle and showing off their moves.

For those dehydrated from too much moshing, there were thankfully several tubs of ice water located in the lower commons, which were very helpful through out the night. There was also a delicious catered dinner of staple Mexican foods, which included some truly excel lent chips and queso. The lower commons proved to be a popular location for attend ees to socialize away from the loud music of the gym, as the room was full for most of the night.

The dance concluded promptly at 10:00, with the

Gonzaga Cheers Ranked!

By: Peyton Battaglini ‘24 Contributor

With the WCAC play offs approaching, the stu dents of Gonzaga are louder, and of course rowdier than ever. With a couple of tough matchups ahead, the Gonza ga Boosters and Student Sec tion will need to be at the top of their game. When asked to construct an accurate list of the rankings for the Gon zaga Football Chants there are many factors to consider. Volume, humor, and effective ness are among the top that comes to mind. The perfect chant needs to have an equal balance of trolling the other team, appropriateness of the play in which it responds, and the ideal comedic ele ment.

8.

ond you see the referee toss the yellow penalty flag, and the excitement soaks as your brothers behind you scream “You Can’t do That” in suc cession. I feel 8 is a good spot to put it. The only factor holding it back from a top 5 spot is its lack of uniqueness.

7. You Can’t Ride my Little Red Wagon

funnier when it finally reach es ten, and whichever teacher is standing closest to the stu dent section is told how fine they are.

5. Gonzaga - Go Gon zaga All the Way

other team.

boosters excitedly announc ing the winners of the night’s raffle prizes and crowning the homecoming court. Then, an endless cascade of Gonzaga students and their dates filed out of the gym and headed for their cars and/or party bus es to go home. Overall, the Purple & White Dance was another great event hosted by Gonzaga and was a great opportunity to eat, socialize, and enjoy the incomparable fervor of a Gonzaga home coming.

You Can’t Do That

There’s nothing like sit ting in the Student Section in a close game and watching a massive play from the oppos ing side be called back by an offensive penalty. The disap pointment from your body is completely expelled the sec

This chant in and of itself is great. When sung well, it is one of the best Gonzaga has. That is the problem, how ever. In what I believe is due to 2 years of online learn ing for half of the school, “You Can’t Ride my Little Red Wagon” was not passed down well enough. Very few underclassmen and even up perclassmen know this chant. It tends to be the same every time it is attempted at a game. It has a great first verse, and then a lot of mumbling and yelling of non-sense words.

6. We’re Number One in Washington

After a huge momentum swing toward the Eagles this chant is amazing. Nothing is

This chant is the perfect mix of hype and involve ment of the students. The students spelling out “Gon zaga” and “Victory” make this chant very involved and fun to scream during games. Nothing gets rowdier than the sound-offs as the chant comes to an end.

4. Who Was That Too?

This chant has the per fect element of simplicity and trolling the other team altogether. There’s nothing like seeing the look of disap pointment overtake an op posing quarterback’s face after a missed pass, and the echoing sound of “Who Was that too?” being screamed in front of him. This chant made a solid effort at a top 3 Spot, but it is a very commonly used cheer, but a very solid trash talk effort towards the

By: Luke Gormsen ‘24 Managing Editor

The eagerly awaited Gonzaga vs. St. John’s foot ball game is coming up fast. On November 5th, at 2pm, the two teams will square off in the most anticipated game of the year, and I am here to preview the game.

Gonzaga comes into the game with a 4-4 record and ranked second in DC, com pared to St. John’s record of

5-3 and a first place ranking in DC. St. John’s has played mostly out of the area teams, while Gonzaga has played against teams from the DMV for all of their games except against St. Joe’s prep, from Philadelphia. The only team that Gonzaga and St. John’s have both played is DeMatha, with both teams losing: Gon zaga lost 27-3 and St. John’s lost 17-14.

On a stats level, the teams

are very close in offensive categories. Gonzaga’s star quarterback Aidan Conrath has 106 completions so far this year, leading St. John’s 88. The both teams are close in passing yards, though, with Gonzaga at 1101 and St. John’s at 1178. In the rush ing categories, however, St. John excels. While Gonzaga has 336 rushing yards this season, St. John’s has 1065. For Gonzaga to succeed, they

OoH UngawaH Ea gles Got the Power

3.

This is perhaps the most unique chant that the student section knows. Not only is it specific to Gonzaga, with the Eagle and the sound at the beginning, but seeing a freshman on top of Mat thew Cassler’s shoulders, frightened by the student sec tion before him, is worth the price of admission alone. As a freshman tries to scream at the top of his lungs but is in evitably booed after his first couple of attempts, a conta gious laugh tumbles across the student section. The level of hype this chant brings to the student section is what solidifies it as a top 3 chant for its unique style.

2. Urine Trouble Now

This chant is the perfect mixture of uniqueness, hu mor, and trash talk. The best part of yelling this is watch ing the opposing players and families look with confusion as 500 kids scream out the letters of urine. The word

Gonzaga v St. John’s Preview

need to shut down the Ca dets’ potent rushing offense, which is entirely possible for the Eagle’s stalwart D-Line. On the defensive side, the Eagles lockdown squad lead St. John’s in interceptions and total tackles.

To sum it up, the Gonza ga-St. John’s game will be a close game that is back and forth till the last play of the game. For Gonzaga to win, they will need to limit St.

play and hype that this chant brings to the boys make it a very solid number-one choice, but in my opinion, it falls just short of the top. Regardless, Urine trouble now is as intimidating as the chants get to the other teams as the boys scream the op posing team is in danger.

1. You Say He’s Just a Friend

The Gonzaga victory chant, You say He’s just a friend is certainly the best of the best. Whenever a game is looking to be out of conten tion for the other team, the boys scream, in the words of Biz Markie, the lyrics to “Just a Friend”. It’s calm, cool, collected, and unique. As the boys begin to taste sweet vic tory, belting out the words to “Just a Friend” could not feel more right. When an oppos ing team hears this there’s nothing they can do about it because it’s number one.

John’s run offense while ef fectively using their own. This game of the year will be a mighty fight by both teams, with Gonzaga coming out on top in the end with a decisive win over St. John’s.

By: Max Diaz ‘24 Editor

After a decent season last year, the Gonzaga basketball team is back and ready to make noise again this season. Last year, the season con sisted of a lot of entertaining games, memorable moments, and a ridiculous amount of close finishes. In our regular season losses in the WCAC last year (which were 6), the added up margins of defeat were only 22 points (minus the regular season loss to Paul VI, it would be only by 12

Gonzaga Basketball Preview

points). I would even add that at least half of those WCAC in-season losses were largely due to awful calls by the ref eree. Gonzaga ended their season losing in the semi-fi nals of both the WCAC and the DCSAA playoffs. People around the WCAC would probably call this upcoming Gonzaga season an underdog year. They would most likely say that due to the amount of players Gonzaga has lost from last season. Out of the 14 varsity players from last year, only 5 will return to the

team this season. Plus, only 1 out the 5 starters from last year remains: Thomas Bat ties (committed to Harvard University).

Nevertheless, people should not count out the Ea gles because Gonzaga head coach, Coach Stephen Turn er (who is now in his 19th year as head coach), has as sembled a contending team nearly every year of his time as head coach at Gonzaga. This year’s squad will re turn proven players from last season like Thomas Batties

(‘23), Nyk Lewis (‘25), DD Holmes (‘24), Derek Dixon (‘25), and Jack Cadin (‘23).

The team will also add Ryan Sabol (‘23, a transfer from Bullis), a couple of Fresh men, and some JV players. The two possible challenges that the team will face this year will be lack of height and lack of Senior experience (especially ones that have had major playing time). But, they should have a good backcourt with Sophomore Nyk Lewis.

The backcourt should

have quick, good scorers, but it could possibly be a young group depending on who starts at SG. This season will feature out of state games in places like Chicago, Atlan ta, New York, and possibly more. But, more importantly, Gonzaga will have some im portant, tough WCAC battles with teams like Paul VI, St. Johns, Dematha, and Bishop O’Connell (important, yes; tough, maybe). In conclu sion, the Gonzaga Basketball 22-23 season looks exciting.

Gonzaga Swimming

By: Joey Bunag ‘25 Contributor

The leaves are chang ing colors, the weather is cooling down, and winter is fast approaching, which means that it’s time for one of Gonzaga’s most prestigious teams to take to the water: the Gonzaga Swim and Dive Team. With 11 consecutive WMPSSDL Championships and 4 WCAC Titles, it’s quite obvious that the Swim and

Dive Team has truly become a national powerhouse, es pecially after last year’s per formance. During the 20212022 season, the Eagles were undefeated in their head-tohead matchups, with a stun ning record of 8-0. The Ea gles later went on to win the WCAC title, the WMPSSDL Championship, and break three Catholic Nationals and Metro Championship records. However, the line

doesn’t end there; the Swim and Dive team also sent mul tiple members of the Class of 2022 to swim at Division 1 programs across the eastern seaboard, some examples be ing North Carolina State Uni versity and Cornell Universi ty. “There’s definitely a lot of responsibility when coaching a team that’s been so success ful,” says science teacher and newly appointed head coach Brian Kilner, ‘16. “I mean,

last year was obviously a very successful season with a lot of fun, so I’m just trying to build off the momentum from last year. Hopefully, we can bring home a 12th con secutive WMPSSDL Cham pionship, reclaim the Metro Championship and National Catholic’s, and, more than anything, let the guys have a fun few months of the swim season.” Since the program is in good and capable hands,

the future’s looking bright for our fellow Eagles, and Coach Kilner, the rest of the coaching staff, and the en tire Gonzaga student body are undoubtedly excited for what this elite program has in store. If you are interested in becoming a part of this longshining Gonzaga tradition, reach out to Mr. Kilner at bkilner@gonzaga.org or Mr. Marks at mmarks@gonzaga. org.

Ajani Bond

Caption

Contest with, “My friends making me push my own weight on the group project”

Musk Buys Twitter

By: Alex Guarini ‘26 Contributor

The takeover of social media giant Twitter by bil lionaire Elon Musk, famous CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has attracted the public eye over the past several months. The situation began on April 4, 2022, when Musk an nounced his purchase of a 9.2% stake in Twitter, equiv alent to roughly $2.89 bil lion at the time. He hoped to use his newfound power of being the company’s larg est shareholder primarily to make Twitter less restrictive in terms of the content of posts; Musk told the chair of Twitter’s board he believes that “free speech is impera tive for a functioning democ racy.” The next day, Twitter appointed Musk director of Twitter’s board, but he re jected the offer; rather, on April 14, Musk offered to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share in cash — roughly $43 billion. “I am not playing the back-and-forth game,” he said, “I have moved straight to the end. It’s a high price and your shareholders will love it.”

In response to the un solicited offer, Twitter an nounced that its board of directors would carefully decide in the best interest of the company’s shareholders and employees; evidently, the board was unsure Musk’s takeover was the best direc tion for the company, and it enacted a poison pill on April 15, a defensive measure in which a company sells dis counted shares of its stock in order to dilute the holdings of an unwanted investor — in this case, Musk. If triggered, it would seriously dilute Musk’s holdings, terminating his initial bid and making the takeover much more expen sive. Despite these defensive measures, however, Twitter opted to accept Musk’s offer to buy the company for $44 billion on April 25.

The transaction had seemingly been progressing until nearly a month later when Musk announced that the deal was on hold as he investigated Twitter’s recent estimate that less than 5% of all accounts were bots. Skep tical, Musk believed that the makeup of fake accounts and scammers was closer to 20%, if not more. Though Musk has never explicitly stated why the bots are a concern to

him, speculators say that it is probably a matter of preserv ing the authenticity of social interaction; nonetheless, he declared that the deal “cannot move forward” until Twitter revealed more conclusive ev idence to support its estimate of 5%. Twitter, whose share holders voted in favor of the takeover, remained steadfast in enforcing the offer, but Musk claimed that he had the right to terminate this agree ment if Twitter did not cor roborate their 5% estimate. He then attempted to do just that, claiming that Twitter did not fulfill its contractual ob ligations. In response, Twit ter filed suit against Musk to enforce his agreement to buy the company. Ahead of the trial, though, on October 4, Musk’s legal team disclosed that Musk finally agreed to buy Twitter for his initial of fer of $54.20 per share. The deal, though long anticipat ed to be finalized, officially closed on October 27; in closing the deal before the October 28 deadline, Musk managed to avoid this ardu ous legal battle that awaited him.

Already, Musk has begun to make plans for his com pany. Primarily, he plans to advocate free speech, which includes unbanning former President Trump from the platform. Additionally, he has outlined his plans for re mote work and diversity and inclusion. On a more nega tive note, Musk announced his plans to cut Twitter’s 7,500-person workforce by 75%, and on the day of the deal’s official close, he promptly fired CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and other top executives; he then appointed himself CEO. Musk has expressed great en thusiasm in taking over Twit ter, and his early moves sug gest that the company will soon enter into a profound transformation.

Gonzaga Football Alumni

By: Peter Francese ‘26 Contributor

Seemingly everyone here at Gonzaga knows the name, Caleb Williams. The star USC quarterback is having another amazing season, and he’s one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy through eight weeks of the college football season, but there are also several lesser-known Eagle alumni having stellar seasons. There are almost 40 former Gonzaga players in the NCAA this year. Here are eleven former Eagles that are excelling this season:

Jordan Colbert has ap peared in six games with one start as a graduate student for the University of Rhode Is land. He has 21 tackles and one forced fumble at free safety.

Robbie Mangas is the starting tight end for the Buf falo Bulls. He’s played in all eight games so far with seven catches, 79 yards, and a carry for five yards.

Dean Engram switched to wide receiver from de fensive back this year for

the Wisconsin Badgers. He’s piled up nine catches for 111 yards in eight games so far this season.

Hayden Fisher is a start ing wide receiver for the Merrimack Warriors. This year he has broken out after a solid freshman season with 20 catches, 347 yards, and four touchdowns in seven games.

Jestus Johnson III is the starting center for the UVA Cavaliers. He’s played in six games so far this season.

John Marshall is a start ing linebacker for the Navy Midshipmen. He has 51 tackles in seven games with 7.5 TFL’s, three sacks, and a forced fumble.

In the preseason, Jalen McMurray of Temple was awarded a single-digit jer sey number. He was the first Owl cornerback since Rock Ya-Sin, who now plays pro fessionally for the Raiders, to receive that honor. He’s certainly lived up to the hype so far with 27 tackles, an in terception, and three pass breakups in six games this season.

Rodney Faulk has ap peared in three games as a defensive lineman for the Stony Brook Seawolves this year with a sack and 2.5 tack les for loss to his name.

In six games as a running back for the Columbia Lions, Malcolm Terry II has tallied 19 rushes for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Aaron Turner is a start ing wide receiver for UConn. He leads the Huskies with 31 catches for 275 yards and three touchdowns in eight games.

Olu Fashanu is a start ing offensive tackle for Penn State. He is projected by mul tiple draft experts to go in the first round of the next NFL draft. Some even have him as high as the first O-lineman to go off the board.

Hopefully, this list will inspire some of you to root for some former Gonzaga players on Saturdays, and everyone reading this will be able to name more than just Caleb Williams as great col lege football players to come out of Gonzaga’s program.

WCAC Players in CBB

By: Michael Licamele ‘25 Contributor

Once fall hits, only one thing is on basketball en thusiasts’ minds: the begin ning of the college basketball season. The season is right around the corner, and it is only right to talk about some of the extraordinary talents that have emerged from the WCAC over the years, the conference to which our very own school belongs. Year in and year out, the WCAC produces some of the best athletes in the nation in every sport, and basketball is no exception. This article will cover the top five current col lege basketball players who once played in the great con ference of the WCAC.

HM: Brandon Slater, Ter rence Williams, Myles Stute, Wynston Tabbs, and Casey Morsell

5. Chuck

to see if he can make that leap that Butler needs out of him.

4. Jeremy Roach

The shifty, 6-1 guard who attended Paul VI and now plays for Duke is extremely talented. As one of the only upperclassmen slotted to get major minutes this year, Roach should see an increase in production and make a huge impact on the team due to the leadership role he will be asked to undertake.

3. Jahmir Young

ably the most important play er to Villanova’s tournament success last year, but his sea son tragically ended when he suffered an Achilles tendon tear in his right leg. While he may start the season off a little rocky due to this injury, it should not hold him back for long. In peak form, the 6-4 guard can potentially be one of the best players in the country.

1. Hunter Dickinson

Harris

The first and only appear ance of a Gonzaga alum on this list comes from the 6-2 guard who currently plays for Butler. He has averaged about 13 points in his first two seasons in college, and this season will be a big year

Even if it was while playing at Charlotte, averag ing almost 20 points, 6 re bounds, and 4 assists at any level of college basketball is just hands down impres sive. The 6-2 DeMatha alum will be playing for Maryland this upcoming season, so some of the questions about what he can do against bet ter competition will soon be answered. No matter what, Young should definitely be one of the better players for Maryland and tear it up for his hometown school in his senior season.

2. Justin Moore

Justin Moore, who at tended DeMatha, was argu

Finally, the number one player on our list is Hunter Dickinson, who dominated at DeMatha and continues to impress at the college level. At 7-1, the Michigan center is almost unstoppable, and when you add his improved shooting, 33% from behind the arch, he instantly be comes a nightmare for any defense hoping to contain him. He averages 19 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks. This year, he should be a top player in the nation and lead Michigan far into the tour nament, which makes him more than deserving of the top spot.

By: Robby DeFrancesco ‘24 Contributor

October baseball this year has been highlighted by surprising upsets in the National League. and the emergence of young teams in the American League. This postseason has been one of the most exciting I’ve ever seen. The Guardians and the Mariners defeated older, more experienced teams in the Wild Card, and put up respectable battles against the giants of the American League: the Yankees and As tros. Cleveland and Seattle are young and talented teams and their respective cities are

starting to recognize that too. On the National League side, the Padres and Phillies had underdog victories as well. The Phillies sent Big Al to the retirement home earlier than expected and the Padres gave the highest payroll in baseball tickets to Florida for spring training in early Oc tober. Now that we’ve gone over the surprising victories it’s time to cover the embar rassing defeats. The Rays have never spent enough money to be a real competitor in the MLB playoffs and the Guardians exposed that. The Mariners showed baseball just how inconsistent Vladi

mir Guerrero Jr. and the rest of the Blue Jays have really been this season. The Cardi nals lost in the playoffs, they really didn't belong in any way, and the Mets did what the Mets have always done: fall under the pressure their fans put the team under. The Braves’ series sweep against the Mets was a sign this team wasn’t ready for the playoffs. The juggernauts of the A.L. were just better teams than Seattle and Cleveland and unexpectedly moved onto the ALCS. The N.L. contin ued its trend of upsets in the NLDS. The Phillies and Pa dres played and beat teams

NFC East Update

By: Matthew Kennedy ‘25 Contributor

Eagles (7-0)

The Eagles remain un defeated going into week 9 of the season, and have not shown any signs of slow ing down. The offense is led by Jalen Hurts, who is hav ing a breakout season, and a dynamic wide receiver duo in AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Along with one of the best o-lines in football, the Eagles have scored 26.8 points per game, which is 4th in the NFL. However, the de fense may be better than the offense. With a secondary held down by star corner backs James Bradberry IV and Darius Slay and a strong pass rush, the Eagles seem like the team to beat in the NFC.

Giants (6-2)

Despite one of the worst o-lines and receiving groups in the NFL, Brian Daboll’s Giants have found ways to

win. They have done just enough to win every week, with 5 of their 6 victories be ing comebacks, 4 of which happened in the 4th quarter. The offense relies heavily on the legs of Saquon Barkley and Daniel Jones to move the ball downfield due to a lack of reliable receivers. The de fense has dealt with injuries to key players throughout the year, such as Leonard Wil liams and Azeez Ojulari, yet they still rank 6th in oppo nent ppg with 18.6. The Gi ants’ true MVPs have been the coaching staff, which led them to their best start since 2008.

Cowboys (6-2) Despite holding the 4th best record in the NFC, the Cowboys sit in 3rd place in the NFC East. Their defense, led by Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence, is the main reason for their suc cess. They have allowed a mere 19.4 points per game,

which puts them 2nd in the NFL. They are also ranked 5th in takeaways with 12. Cooper Rush has kept the of fense afloat, but the Cowboys are looking to Dak Prescott to boost their scoring, which ranks 22nd in ppg.

Commanders

with better records and more respected talent. The Braves will be back next year, but I think the Dodgers might be done. They’ve always been a regular-season team and now it might be time to move on from some of their free-agent stars. Houston swept the Yan kees in the ALCS and while that is impressive, the real story is the New York fans’ harsh treatment of Judge and the rest of the roster. Yankee fans made sure of their dis pleasure with the way the future A.L. MVP was play ing. While Judge did have an unimpressive postseason he still hit a record-setting 62

home runs. Spoiled Yankee fans show off how spoiled they are by booing the face of the franchise right after one of the best-hitting seasons of all time. Judge is now a free agent and his recent treatment might be enough to convince him to leave New York. No matter what Hal Steinbrenner or Brian Cashman offers. The Phillies beat the Padres and it seems Philadelphia has always found a clutch hit or home run whenever they’ve needed it this October. This World Series will be exciting as the Phillies try to keep their lucky streak alive against the seasoned Astros.

Formula 1

By: Enzo Bunag ‘25 Contributor

(4-4)

While the Commanders had hope entering the season with a young defensive line and weapons on offense, they are on track for another dis appointing season. Though the offense has weapons like Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, and exciting rookie Jahan Dotson, Carson Wentz has not performed well. They currently rank 25th in ppg, which caused fans to call for Taylor Heineke to take over the starting job at QB. He will get a chance to prove himself as Wentz is out for 4-6 weeks. The defense has not been impressive, as they rank 19th in opponent ppg with 22.3.

NFL Midseason Review

By: Brian Henneberry ‘23 Contributor

As the NFL moves into November, it is easy to say it has been an eventful first half of the season. Nobody predicted that the Jets and Seahawks would be at the top of their conferences. At the same time, who could have guessed that last year's Super Bowl champion is un der 500 and the Bengals are only 4-3? The NFC East has emerged from the depths of its misery as the top divi sion in the NFL. After the

Cowboy's week one loss and Dak Prescott's injury, Cooper Rush and the immense Dal las Defense carried them to a 5-2 record. Meanwhile, Dan iel Jones and company have been able to run over every defense they played and get to 6-1. Saquon Barkley has proved every critic of him be ing a bust wrong, as he is the NFL's second-leading rusher. Saving the best for last, the Eagles have yet to be beaten. With A.J. Brown's acquisi tion, Jaylen Hurts has been given an arsenal of weapons

and has been annihilating ev ery defense in their way. On the other end of the league, the Bills asserted their domi nance. Josh Allen has kept Gabe Davis and Stefon Diggs busy with an array of passing touchdowns. If there were doubts about the Chiefs of fense this year, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have silenced them. The Chiefs are leading the NFL in points per game, averaging 31.9 points a game. The true surprise of the NFL this year has been the New York Jets. Wheth

As the 2022 Formula 1 season nears its end, it’s worth looking at some of the notable things that have hap pened. Some of them came as a surprise, while others, like Max Verstappen’s second F1 Championship, weren’t. However, arguably the most shocking result during this Formula 1 season was the down season of Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton, a driver for Mercedes and a 7-time F1 champion, only has 7 po dium finishes and 0 wins so far this season. This was also identical to the record of his teammate George Russell. Over 15 seasons, Mercedes has won 46.7% of all their races and were in pole posi tion for 50.7% of all their races. So, why is Mercedes unusually struggling to rep licate their past performances with only 14 podiums and 0 wins? The reason Mercedes is struggling is mainly be cause of the design of the car. This season, Formula 1 has allowed for ground ef fect, which is when the car creates downforce to make the car lower to the ground.

er it is the new uniforms or the energy of Robert Saleh, whatever they are doing has worked. The Jet's five wins haven't been pretty, but this young bunch has found a way to win. On the offensive side of the ball, Breece Hall has been a spark plug for this offense, but his injury leaves questions about their future.

On defense, Sauce Gardner has been a lockdown corner

This makes the car more aerodynamic, making it fast er. However, because of the way Mercedes’ car is built, it slightly raises up after it goes lower to the ground, creating an up-and-down cycle that generally slows the car down compared to other stiffer cars that reduce the bounce effect. This issue is also called por poising. You may be think ing that Mercedes could have simply fixed the car during the season. Although teams are allowed to tweak some things here and there, they aren’t allowed to change the overall idea or make major changes to a car. And since major changes to a car during the F1 season are prohibited, Mercedes cannot really do much to fix the issue, since doing so would be too big to do. In fact, in early October, Mercedes said themselves that they made errors in de signing the car, specifically because of porpoising.

As the season comes to an end, we’ll see next year if the Mercedes design team can make changes to the car during the offseason and put Mercedes back on track.

and a nightmare for all quar terbacks throwing to his side of the field. As we have seen in the past, anything can hap pen in the NFL, and although these teams are the league leaders now, many games are still to be played.

By: Billy Cannon '24 Editor

After a break that has seemed like forever, the 2022-23 college basketball season gets underway to day, featuring a whopping 188 games, beginning with a slate of contests at noon that includes (5) Baylor against Mississippi Valley State, and finishing with Portland vs. Division III Lewis & Clark at 10:30. What begins today will ultimately finish on April 3 at NRG Stadium in Hous ton. When it does, one team will be left standing. Will it be defending champion Kan sas? Will it be North Caro lina, returning vital pieces from a Final Four team last year? Will it be Kentucky, led by reigning Wooden Award winner Oscar Tshiebwe? Will it be Gonzaga, consistently topping the rankings but yet to chase down that elusive championship? Or will it be someone else?

Top 10 Teams (With

College Basketball Preview

2021 Record)

North Carolina Tar Heels (29-10): As an 8 seed last year, the Tar Heels made a surprise run to the national champion ship, where they fell to Kan sas by just three points. In coach Hubert Davis’s second year, UNC will return integral players to its run, including preseason AP 1st-team AllAmerican big man Armando Bacot, as well as point guard Caleb Love.

Houston Cougars (32-6): After a loss to Villanova in the Elite 8 last year, Houston has all the preseason hype, and justifiably so. Led by pre season All-American Marcus Sasser, this Houston team has the experience, the talent, and the coaching to make another deep run this year.

Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-4): Gonzaga always seems to be near the top of the preseason rankings, but they never seem to be able to win anything in the postseason. After a disap pointing Sweet 16 exit last

year, Mark Few returns big man Drew Timme, among others, to try and make an other run at it.

Kentucky Wildcats (268): After a shocking upset at the hands of St. Peter’s last year, John Calipari has Kentucky primed to have another go at it in 2022. Big man Oscar Tshiebwe will at tempt to become the first to win the Wooden Award twice since Virginia center Ralph Sampson in the 1980s, and the backcourt will be led by returner Sahvir Wheeler and five-star Cason Wallace.

Duke Blue Devils (32-7): The Coach K era is officially over, and Jon Scheyer now takes the reins of one of the most storied programs in col lege basketball history. After a tough Final Four exit last year, he wasted new time in reloading, boasting an inau gural recruiting class that fea tures five five-stars, including three of the top four players in the country, according to

247Sports.

Kansas Jayhawks (346): The defending national champs lost some of the most essential contributors to their championship run, but that doesn’t mean that Kansas won’t be good. Led by pow er forward Jalen Wilson, as well as freshman newcom er Gradey Dick, Bill Self’s squad is primed for another tournament run.

Baylor Bears (27-7): After being ousted in the Round of 32 by North Caro lina, Baylor, which has es tablished itself as a college basketball powerhouse, looks to rebound. With a backcourt led by Adam Flagler and LJ Cryer, Baylor should con tend with Kansas for a Big 12 championship.

Auburn Tigers (28-6): Many people have written Auburn off after a Round of 32 exit to Miami and the loss of eventual #3 pick Jabari Smith, Jr., but Bruce Pearl has quietly reloaded this team into

Champions League

By: Theo Schindler ‘24 Contributor

With the 5th stage of the UEFA Champions League group stage complete, let us look back at some of the high lights from recent matchups: On October 25th, Chel sea FC scraped by Red Bull Salzburg with a 2-1 victory. Despite a close game, the Blues’ forward, Kai Havertz, managed to seal the deal with a legendary strike from out side the 18-yard box in the 64th minute. Adding this win to their tally, Chelsea will advance to the Round of 16. In Group G, neither of the two games disappointed! Underdogs, Borussia Dort mund, held the current Eng

lish champions, Manchester City, to a tense 0-0 draw. The game featured non-stop, back-and-forth action and a vital penalty save from Dort mund’s keeper, Gregor Ko bel. For Erling Haaland, the game was a somber one: the Norwegian was subbed off at halftime after a frustrating first half. Both teams will still continue to the next round.

In a fight not to be knocked out of the group stage for a second consecutive season, Sevilla defeated Copenha gen 3-0. However, the 3 points will probably not save their hopes of remaining in the Champions League. Se villa will have to win again in round 6 to stay alive.

The MNM(Messi, Neymar, Mbappé) trio and Paris Saint Germain celebrated another victory over Group H’s 4th place, Maccabi Haifa, with a resounding 7-2. Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé scored two goals each, Neymar and Carlos Soler added anoth er two, and Sean Goldberg made it seven with an unfor tunate own goal. Shakhtar Donetsk only tied Celtic FC 1-1, meaning that, as of now, Shakhtar will only be able to secure a position in the group stage of the upcoming round of the Europa League.

As for Celtic, “The Bhoys” have been officially elimi nated from the Champions League; the team will make

the trip back to Glasgow in the following days. On Octo ber 26, Bayern proved once again that they are the supe rior ‘FCB’, finishing with a terrific 3-0 shutout against Barcelona at Camp Nou. Sit ting in third place in Group C now, with four points and a crushing 1-1-3 record in five games, Barcelona’s fate has been sealed. With a gap of six points between them and the team currently in sec ond place, Inter Milan, Xa vi’s men have been officially eliminated from the Champi ons League group stage and will need to set their sights on the Europa League instead.

Finally, who can forget the upset of the week: RB

a potential powerhouse. With the addition of transfer Johni Broome and five-star big man Yohan Traore, as well as the return of a plethora of talent ed guards, look for Auburn to make a splash in the SEC this year.

Arkansas Razorbacks (28-9):

Boasting one of the most electric environments in America, as well as the addi tion of shooting guard Nick Smith, Jr., the #1 recruit in the country according to 247Sports, coach Eric Mus selman has the team that took down Gonzaga in last year’s tournament primed to com pete in the SEC once again.

Creighton Bluejays (2312): Despite being a team that didn’t get a lot of attention last year, Creighton is a team that is receiving a lot of buzz this pre season. A well-rounded team that will be led by big men Ar thur Kaluma and Ryan Kalk brenner, the Bluejays are clear favorites in the Big East.

Leipzigs’ 3-2 victory over the current Champions League title holders, Real Madrid. Despite the late penalty from Rodrygo, Carlo Ancelotti’s men were stunned. Becom ing the first German team to beat Real since 2015, Leipzig are now just one point behind Madrid in Group F. Heading into the final leg of the group stage, Napoli, Liverpool, Club Brugge, Porto, Bayern, Inter, Tottenham, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Man City, PSG, and Benfica have confirmed their spot in the knockout rounds. Now, all eyes are on round 6, which will decide how the remaining four spots are divided up!

College Football Postseason Push

By: James Mann ‘24 Contributor Owen Mann '24 Contributor

What can be better than sitting down on a Saturday afternoon watching your fa vorite team play some foot ball. Nothing beats the feel ing of sitting down with your father for a few hours of college football. When one thinks about college football, they tend to think of schools

like Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson, but college foot ball is way bigger than just the SEC schools. As of now, Georgia sits at number one with Stetson Bennet lead ing them to dominant wins. Right behind them sits Ohio State, who, week in and week out, continues to show off their elite offense. After a massive win in a shootout against Alabama, Tennes see has moved up to the #3 in the AP Poll. Tennessee

broke their previous 0-16 los ing streak against Alabama, and the fans showed their excitement by storming the field and taking off the goal posts. As for the four and five spots, Michigan and Clem son are continuing to show their power after huge wins against a ranked Penn State and solid Syracuse team. Al abama lies behind Clemson and Michigan, hoping to re group themselves into a topfour playoff spot. Teams right

outside playoff spots include TCU, Oregon State, and USC. In fact, USC’s Caleb Williams has had an amazing start to his college career, and he’s looking like one of the Hesiman favorites and a pos sible high draft pick. Another Heisman favorite to watch out for is CJ Stroud, the Ohio State quarterback who con tinues to drop insanely good stats against his opponents. Below Stroud for Heisman favorites is Tennessee quar

terback Hendon Hooker, who, after beating Alabama in a close game, has proved their offense is elite. Along with some impressive sea sons, there are many teams that have disappointed their fans this year. These teams include a preseason ranked #7 Oklahoma and previously ranked #5 Notre Dame. Next week’s Georgia vs Tennessee game will likely show who the best team in college foot ball really is.

My Top-10 Albums of ALL TIME

By: Luke Essig‘24 Contributor

Graduation - Kanye West Graduation is Kanye West’s third album, and it was re leased in 2007. Coming off of an elite duo of The Col lege Dropout and Late Regis tration, West tried for a more experimental style of mu sic. This album has some of Kanye’s most recognizable songs, including Stronger, Flashing Lights, and Home coming. My favorite songs off of this album are Flashing Lights, Champion, and Homecoming.

Learn 2 Swim - Redveil Redveil is a young and up coming rapper from Prince George’s County, Maryland. Being just eighteen years old, this album surpasses all expectations. Coming out in April 2022, Learn 2 Swim grew on me fast. This al bum began the young rap per’s breakout, with five of the twelve songs surpassing

one million listens on Spo tify. My favorite songs are pg baby, better, and together.

The Melodic Blue - Baby Keem

Baby Keem comes from a musically talented family, as his cousin is the great Ken drick Lamar. This album turned Baby Keem from be ing an artist with a couple of hits, Orange Soda being his breakout, to being a main stream, well-respected mu sician. This album quickly became my favorite album to release in 2021, with the standout songs being trade mark usa, range brothers fea turing Kendrick Lamar, and family ties featuring Kend rick Lamar.

Igor - Tyler, the Creator Tyler, the Creator is an art ist that people may find too hard to get into. This album is extremely experimental, using a lot of odd sounds combined to make his music entertaining. This is a very

meaningful album, covering the topic of love in his wild sounds. My favorite songs on Igor are Earfquake featuring Playboi Carti, Gone, Gone/ Thank You, and Are We Still Friends?

Man on the Moon: The End of the Day - Kid Cudi Man on the Moon: The End of the Day is legendary Ohio rapper Kid Cudi’s first album. Releasing in 2009, this album contains amazing upbeat songs. Some of Kid Cudi’s most popular songs, such as Pursuit of Happiness, Day n’ Night, and Up Up and Away, are on this album. It started the Man on the Moon trilogy, with the other editions releas ing in 2010 and 2020.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

The second Kanye West al bum in my top 10 is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The 2010 album is highly regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time.

With each track gaining mil lions and millions of streams, this album is tough to leave out of my ten favorites. My favorites are All of the Lights, Runaway, and Devil in a New Dress.

Unorthodox JukeboxBruno Mars

Switching up the list from rap brings in Bruno Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox. While this album is only ten songs long, it is packed with smash hits from front to back, most noteably Locked out of Heaven and When I Was Your Man, which have both racked up over one billion streams on Spotify. These two are two of my favorite songs of all time, which in stantly slides this album into my top 10 of all time.

An Evening With Silk Son ic - Silk Sonic

Silk Sonic is a musical duo consisting of Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak. This

WORLD CUP 2022

By: Andrew Lavella ‘24 Editor

With the Qatar World Cup less than one month away, it's time to start talk ing about interesting narra tives to follow. This World Cup will be the last ride for many of the greats including the likes of Messi, Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Luka Mo dric, Neymar Jr., and Kevin De Bruyne. This is truly the end of one of the great gener ations of the beautiful game, and it all culminates in one tournament for the greatest glory of all, the World Cup.

The GOAT Debate:

Though many, includ ing myself, would say this is already over (having Lio nel Messi as the undisputed greatest player of all time) this could look to change things. The ever hungry for glory Christano Ronaldo will be looking to tip the scales in his favor. If look ing at their careers side by side, the accolades and tro phies relatively line up. The only question left to be asked is if one of them can finally break through on the world's biggest stage. Both have relatively failed at the World

Cup, having Messi lost in the final in 2014 and Ronaldo not even getting past the Round of 16. This will be each of their last chances to take home the world’s biggest prize and cement themselves as the greatest soccer player to grace the game.

The Favorites: Entering this World Cup, there are 3 main teams to look out for: Argentina, France, and Brazil. Each has great squad depth whilst having some of the biggest and brightest stars including the likes of Messi, Mbappe, Neymar, and Christopher Nkunku. France will be com ing off the infamous winner's curse with both of the last 2 winners of the World Cup not even getting out of the group in the next year. Brazil has a young high flying roster with likely the best attack in the world including, Neymar, Gabril Jesus, Anothy, Vini cius Jr and more great depth options. This attack will be lethal; the only question is if their defense and midfield will be able to hold them up. Lastly, Argentina. They simply have the world’s best player and currently the 2nd longest unbeaten run in na

tional team history. Unlike the top leagues, international play is much more about how the squad can come together and become a unit. This team clearly has, and that makes them highly dangerous to win it all.

Dark Horses:

Every World Cup year, there is at least one team that impresses when no one expects them to. If looking back at 2018, there is Croa tia's amazing run to the final when many had them not get ting out of the group stages. In 2014, Columbia, led by James Rodriguez. With all that being said, this year there are two teams that stand out as potential surprises. The first is Denmark. After mak ing a deep run in the Euro pean Championship in 2020, the Danish look to build with a deep run in this year's World Cup. They have one of the best pure passers in the world in Christan Eriksen. He is the soul of the team, and the team goes as far as he does. They also have one of the upcoming stars in LW Mikkel Damsgaard; he is a dangerous shifty left winger with the power to punish, and with Erikson’s passing, they

could be a force to be reck oned with. The next is Ser bia; with the likes of Dusan Vlovic (ST) and Filip Kostic (LM), they have a young and hot team. They are not the most technical team, so they will be highly content to let opponents have the ball and then counter attack clinically. With one of the best young strikers in the world and the ever speedy Kostic to go with him, their high flying counter attack should be one to look out for.

Winner: So who wins it all? This year will be so many’s last;

short 2021 album has a really retro feel, which the duo cre ated really well. The leadoff single, Leave the Door Open, has amassed close to one billion streams, making the leadup to this album amaz ing. My favorite songs are Leave the Door Open, Put on a Smile, and Skate.

Blonde - Frank Ocean

Frank Ocean put his heart and soul into Blonde, which is regarded as one of the most emotional albums of all time. This is the perfect late-night album because it is so well put together. My favorite songs are Pink + White, Self Control, and White Ferrari.

Astroworld - Travis Scott

While Astroworld did not win the Grammy that many thought it deserved, it is seen as one of Travis Scott’s best. Every single song on this al bum tells its own story, and every song is a whole experi ence.

it is truly the world's biggest stage, and so many will be looking to leave their final mark on the beautiful game. It comes down to depth and current form and who better than Argentina. They have arguably the world's great est player of all time, with the best midfield depth in the world. On top of all that they are in destructive form, hav ing just beat the champions of Europe, Italy, 3-0 rela tively easily. They are flying high on a 35 match unbeaten run with Lionel Messi; there is no reason he should not be crowned as the undsiputed GOAT.