Lion Pride Newspaper
3rd Edition Friday, December 20, 2019
Sports Section Varsity Basketball Team Off to Hot Start The St. Mark’s basketball team is doing very well this season, starting 9-2 after playing some very good teams. We decided to interview Coach Gregory Guiler and junior sensation Harrison Ingram. Harrison, who has been at St. Mark’s since lower school, is ranked #19 in the ESPN Basketball 2021 Recruiting Class Rankings. Lion Pride: What are your expectations for the team this season? Harrison Ingram: My expectations for the team this season was to win every game we play and definitely win an SPC championship. Last year we came up short in the semi-finals, but this year we are focused and ready to bring a title back home. LP: How have you and the team reacted to the destruction of Hicks Gym? HI: The seniors especially took the destruction harsh. They were very disappointed that they wouldn't be able to play any home games in Spencer gym ever again. I took the destruction as fuel to just play even harder this season. LP: What was it like playing at the American Airlines Center against one of the best teams in the country? HI: Playing in the American Airlines Center was crazy. Looking up into the stands and seeing thousands of people all focused on me is crazy to think about me only being a Junior in high school. We just came out against the number 4 ranked team in the country and played as hard as we can. We could and should have won the game but we made some mistakes at the end that caused us to lose.
LP: You've had scholarship offers from many big-time basketball schools. What factors are going into your decision? HI: Factors going into my decision will definitely first be the education. My parents and I have always put that first. Second, I want the opportunity to play early (as a freshman), often and through my mistakes. As long as those three reasons are met a school will have a chance. Of course, there will be other considerations like who is on the team right now and who else is already committed, but as of right now I'm just focusing on having a good Junior season. Gregory Guiler, the basketball team’s coach, is looking forward to this season with a great team. Lion Pride: What are your expectations for the team this season? Gregory Guiler: My expectations are that we will compete to our fullest in every practice and game, we will not settle for mediocre shots, and we will selflessly trust teammates and encourage one another in every context. LP: How have you and your team reacted to the destruction of Hicks Gym? GG: It’s disappointing losing a lot of memories but the response was never one of despair. I was only proud of the guys for locking arms and getting out in the community; having a servant-minded spirit because they really made a difference. LP: With one of the best teams in St. Mark's history, do you try to schedule a lot of games against big schools for more competition? How much power do you have over the schedule? GG: When our season ended last year, I emailed the coaches of the top 15 ranked teams in the country and said: How can we play you? I got some positive responses and jumped on them right away, obviously playing Prolific Prep at the AAC was amazing. I have complete control over the 20 games besides the 7 conference games the SPC mandates we play.
LP: What is your advice to your players with scholarship offers from many big-time basketball schools? GG: Stay humble and don’t be satisfied. Enjoy the moment because you only get to play high school basketball once. If you spend your high school career thinking about what is on the horizon, you miss out on the opportunity to enjoy high school.
College Football Bowl Preview
The college football regular season has finished, and bowl season is upon us. There are a lot of intriguing bowl games, but let’s first talk about how the season ended. Heading into conference championship week, 7 teams had a realistic shot of making the playoff: LSU, Ohio State, Clemson, and Georgia all were in a win and you’re in position. Utah, Oklahoma, and Baylor all had to win, hope Georgia or Clemson lost, and hope their resumé held up against the other contenders. Ohio State, Clemson, and LSU all won, knocking Georgia out, and Utah lost to Oregon. This left a de facto play-in game between Baylor and Oklahoma. The Sooners led for most of the game, but Baylor hung in there and threatened to take the lead many times. OU eventually won in OT and made the College Football Playoff. They will play LSU in Atlanta in one semifinal, while Ohio State and Clemson play in the other semifinal in Phoenix, and the winners will play in the Championship in New Orleans. The two best bowl games are the semifinals, and while many people think LSU will beat Oklahoma, it might be closer than people think. OU has arguably the most explosive receiver in the game, CeeDee Lamb, but LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. is one of the best cornerbacks, so that’ll be fun. OU’s defense has improved, but LSU’s offense has been absolutely unstoppable this year. Clemson vs. Ohio State is expected to be really fun. Two teams with dominant defenses and amazing playmakers on offense, both undefeated, is the recipe for the best game of the season. My predictions for some of the best games: 1. Fiesta Bowl-Ohio State 31, Clemson 30 2. Peach Bowl-OU 41, LSU 40 3. Cotton Bowl-Memphis 51, Penn State 41 4. Outback Bowl-Auburn 31, Minnesota 16 5. Rose Bowl-Oregon 34, Wisconsin 24
6. Liberty Bowl-Kansas St. 24, Navy 23 7. Texas Bowl-Oklahoma St. 26, Texas A&M 20 8. Citrus Bowl-Alabama 38, Michigan 14 9. Boca Raton Bowl-SMU 45, FAU 31 10. New Orleans Bowl-Appalachian St. 37, UAB 28
Nhl Conduct Head Coach Misconducts/Firings Bill Peters (Calgary Flames): The Bill Peters firing was the first of two head coach firings in the past month due to misconduct. In his sixth season as an NHL coach, Peters was fired due to an act of misconduct a decade ago. Former NHLer Akim Aliu accused Peters of using a racial slur while talking to him about his music selections in the Rockford Ice Hogs dressing room. “He walked in before a morning pre-game skate and said ‘Hey Akim, I’m sick of you playing that (expletive) (expletive),’ ” Aliu told TSN. Flames general manager Brad Treliving said he accepted a letter of resignation from Bill Peters which immediately removed him from the organization. Mike Babcock (Toronto Maple Leafs): Mike Babcock was an NHL head coach for 17 years, coaching for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was fired in November due to the Maple Leafs’ rough start to the season, going 9-10-4 in their first 23 games. Leafs president Brendan Shanahan complemented Babcock’s commitment, but said that in the end, something was missing. Two weeks after the firing, Chris Chelios and Johan Franzen, both former Red Wings, accused Mike Babcock of verbal assault. Chelios spoke about how Babcock blatantly verbally assaulted Franzen on the bench. Chelios stated that Franzen was hurt at the time with post-concussion syndromes, later being diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder. Franzen considered Babcock as “the worst [person] I have ever met.” Babcock was also said to have mistreated veterans as well: He made Mike Modano and Jason Spezza healthy scratches in one of their respective milestone games. Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner also came to the public about how Babcock treated him in his rookie season, saying Babcock made
him list out his teammates in the order of who worked the hardest and shared it with the rest of the team. New NHL Conduct Policy Commissioner Gary Bettman outlined the NHL’s plan to combat the misconduct.
NFL Season Review As we near the end of the NFL season, we take a look at what an amazing season this has been. 5 of the 6 playoff seeds in the NFC will be fought for by teams with incredible records. The Seahawks and Packers, led by Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers respectively, are in the top 2 seeds for now. The other three teams in the NFC Playoff Picture right now all have shots at a bye: the Minnesota Vikings, the San Francisco 49ers, and the New Orleans Saints. The other playoff spot, which will end up being a #4 seed, will go to the winner of the woeful NFC East: either the Dallas Cowboys or the Philadelphia Eagles. The AFC has been very unpredictable, with Tom Brady showing his age but leading his team to victory most weekends. The Baltimore Ravens, a wild card loser last season, has come out with an unbelievable, new running offense that is led by MVP frontrunner, Lamar Jackson. Patrick Mahomes got hurt but has come back stronger than ever with the Chiefs, and Deshaun Watson is playing well enough to help the Texans be top of the division. The Bills have a very good defense but are second in the division behind the Patriots, and the Steelers, on their 4th QB, have snuck into to hold the last wild card spot for now. The Cowboys have had a disappointing season and are at 7-7, but still, have a chance to win the terrible NFC East division. If they beat the Eagles in Week 16, they clinch the division, but if they lose, they can win in Week 17 and hope that the Eagles lose, and they’re in the playoffs. Dak Prescott has had a great season but got snubbed from being in the Pro Bowl. Ezekiel Elliot hasn’t been used as much as previous seasons but was utilized in a blowout win against the Rams last week. If Dallas manages to make the playoffs, they could be dangerous with the league’s most yards per game, and the 7th most allowed yards per game.
The MVP race isn’t that close, as Lamar Jackson is seeming to run away with it, just like he runs away from defenders en route to the 8th most rushing yards in the NFL. Christian McCaffrey and Michael Thomas (running back and wide receiver) are trying to win the award as non-QBs.
School Section Gift Drive 2019 The St. Mark’s gift drive recently ended and judging from the row of carts full of gifts in Centennial, it was a success. Here’s a series of questions I asked Jorge Correa regarding the gift drive: Jaden Ouyang: How many gifts did you receive last year? Jorge Correa: We got 2019 gifts, reaching the goal one more year! JO: What goals did you have for this year’s gift drive? JC: First of all, to reach the 2020 goal. Also to be able to fulfill our commitment to assist families in need by providing gifts during the Holiday season. We support the Salvation Army Angel Tree program each year in order to reach out to those families. JO: What do you plan to do to reach this goal? JC: As usual we will use all school publications to make our community aware of the drive. Students also use various media to invite their classmates and friends. JO: Where do all the donated gifts go to? JC: 90 % of the gifts go to support the Angel Tree program that the Salvation Army runs each season. The rest is distributed among the agencies we work with
throughout the year: Jubilee, David’s Place, Foster Children’s Charity, West Dallas Community Center, Nathan Adams Elementary. JO: How successful was this year’s gift drive? JC: It’s not over yet, but each year our community responds generously and abundantly! JO: How was this year’s gift drive compared to last year? JC: The difference between one year and the year before is directly related to the boys who are in charge. This year the president of the Student Council has worked tirelessly to reach the goal and have everyone participate. He also did a great job dressing up as Santa in the mornings and at David’s Place where he handed out toys to 3-4-year-old children. JO: In your words, what is the purpose of the gift drive? JC: By participating in the Gift Drive, students have the chance to celebrate the holiday season from a perspective other than their own. It also gives them the opportunity to understand how families will do everything they can in order to provide their children a gift for Christmas, sometimes risking fulfilling their monthly obligations such as bills and the like. By providing gifts to them, we definitely help release some of the stress the season brings to families which are going through hard times. I overheard a senior student who had dressed as Santa in the morning advice another Senior as he prepared to be Santa for the morning shift. He was excitedly saying that he should be very careful cause some lower school students thought he was ‘the real thing’. I like to hear this because it shows that our older students get the idea of what it means to follow and to respect some traditions that may not even be part of their own.
Jokes, Riddles, and Comics Section Comics
Thanksgiving Photo Contest
Thank you to all the people who submitted photos. Here are the placings.
The first place photo was taken by Reed Sussman in Oklahoma. It is titled The Harnessed Wind.
This photo was taken by Jackson Pennington in Dallas, Texas. It is titled Bean.
Jokes and Riddles Me: Would you like to be the sun in my life? Her: Awww... Yes!!! Me: Good then stay 92.96 million miles away from me Once upon a time, there was a rich family that lived in a spherical house. The family consisted of a mom, a dad, 2 brothers, a sister, 2 grandmas, 2 grandpas, a butler, a chef, a gardener, a maid, and a driver. One day, the mom and dad went out for lunch. When they got home, the sister was dead and the police were there. The police interviewed everyone who was in the house. When they asked the brothers if they had done it, they said they were watching tv. The butler said he was helping the chef with dinner, the chef, well that is obvious, the gardener said he was pulling weeds, the maid said she was sweeping the corners, and the driver said he was washing the car. Who killed the sister? I couldn't figure out why the baseball kept getting larger. Then it hit me. Doctor: I'm sorry but you suffer from a terminal illness and have only 10 to live. Patient: What do you mean, 10? 10 what? Years? Months? Weeks?! Doctor: Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. An old grandma brings a bus driver a bag of peanuts every day. First, the bus driver enjoyed the peanuts but after a week of eating them, he asked: "Please granny, don't bring me peanuts anymore. Have them yourself.". The granny answers: "You know, I don't have teeth anymore. I just prefer to eat the chocolate around them." What has to be broken before you can use it? An egg.
The answer to the second one is the maid (no corners in a sphere).
Credits
We could not have done this without our sponsor, Mr. Mank, and our writers and editors. Ben Adams: benjamin.adams06@gmail.com Griffin Goodno: 24goodnog@smtexas.org Henry Hoak: 24hoakh@smtexas.org Asa McCaleb: 24mccaleba@smtexas.org Nathan Meyer: 24meyern@smtexas.org Peyton Militello: 24militellop@smtexas.org Zach Olyan: 24olyanz@smtexas.org Jaden Ouyang: jadenouyang@gmail.com Vivek Patel: 24patelv@smtexas.org