Black & Gold Vol 94 issue 2 by CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Spirit Week

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Photo: E. Simon

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Turn to pages 2 and 3 to get the inside scoop on Homecoming spirit week attire, the Powder Puff game and Friday afternoon assembly

October 14, 2014

Volume 94

2014 MIPA Spartan Award Winner

Traverse City Central High School 1150 Milliken Drive, Traverse City, Michigan 49686

Trojans fall to Northmen late

After ending the first half with a lead over Petoskey, the Trojans fell apart in the fourth quarter of the HC Game

For an overview of everything that happened on the day of the dance, turn to page 4

Stick to the plan, or not

Football coaches and players discuss elements of their game plan against Petoskey and reflect on their success or failure to follow through

Noah Aulicino Staff Reporter

Control time of possession “Petoskey has a dangerous offense, so we tried to counter by holding the ball as long as we could. We put in a two-fullback set and used Joey Schepperly ‘15 and Matt Pupel ‘15 to try to grind out first downs, and overall I think that was successful.” -Head Coach Tom Passinault

Run the ball effectively “Offensively we knew what box they would be in, and basically which way they would have their linebackers and linemen so we tailored our run game to that. We also were hoping to have a pass game, but the rain and cold had an effect on that.” -Jake Lesoski ‘15

Swarm to the ball

Photo: E. Simon

Daniel Youker ‘15 dives for a tackle. Youker was pleased with the team’s stick-to-itiveness on defense. “We had a lot of guys tackle well,” he said. “We had some really good defense, guys really sacrificed themselves so other people could get the tackle, they took up a lot of blockers and dove on the ground.” Youker feels the team needs to stay positive. “We need to stick together,” he said. “It’s easy to get down when you lose a game but everybody’s just got to come together and play well.”

John Minster & Hayley Scollard Editor-in-Chief and Opinion Editor, Staff Reporter With rain pouring down and the wind howling through Thirlby Field, the Trojans were on Petoskey’s 30 yard line, a 4th down and inches standing between them and potential victory. Everything was still. The snap count came, the ball handed off, but there was nowhere for Joey Schepperly ‘15 to go. Stuffed. The Traverse City Central Trojans fell to the Petoskey Northmen 13-16, dropping their first game of Big North Conference play. The game was hotly contested throughout, but the Trojans’ sloppiness with the ball and Petoskey’s suffocating defense ultimately led to a Northmen victory. “We played hard, at times we played quite well, but a combination of too many mistakes probably lead to our defeat,” Head Coach Tom Passinault said. The Trojans came in focused on stopping the run. “They have a really tightly stacked offense, they try to send everybody to one part of the attack and gain five yards every play,” Schepperly said. “So our defense had to pretty much plug holes the entire game.” Early on, Petoskey completed a long play action pass, getting all the way down to the one yard line before drawing first blood with a short touchdown run. After the Northmen missed the PAT (point after touchdown), the Trojans found themselves trailing 6-0. The next possession, Central began to find their stride on offense, pounding the Northmen inside. After driving into Petoskey territory, the Trojans were faced with a 4th down. They went for it, however the handoff was muffed and Petoskey recovered the ball on their own 39. “We just can’t turn the ball over. Fumbles and interceptions are a death nail for almost any team,” Passinault said. Undeterred, the Trojans bounced back, their swarming defense, led by Daniel Youker ‘15, forced a Northmen punt on their next possession. “We did some stuff we weren’t comfortable with, but I just tried to take up a lot of blockers, I dove a lot, I did my job on defense,” Youker said. Getting the ball back, Central continued to punish the Northmen between the tackles, going 61 yards and capping the drive off with a Schepperly touchdown, who dragged multiple defenders into the end zone for the score. Halfway through the 2nd quarter, the Trojans led 7-6. “We changed up our offense a little bit because we needed more power because of our injuries,” Schepperly said. Both teams dug in defensively

for the rest of the quarter and the score remained 7-6 at half. Quarterback Sean Williams ‘15 began stringing multiple completions together to start the half and Central had Petoskey off balance. They handed the ball off to Matt Pupel ‘15 who bursted through a hole, shucked off multiple defenders and punched the ball in for a 37 yard touchdown. “I was just pumped up, I was running as hard as I could and ran them right into the end zone. I wasn’t stopping,” he said. After an unsuccessful extra point attempt, the Trojans were up 13-6. A relatively uneventful third quarter followed, but the Northmen drove the ball down to the one yard line before the quarter came to an end. To begin the fourth however, they fumbled and Central recovered the ball. That Central possession, Petoskey came right back and intercepted a Williams pass in Trojan territory, setting up great field position. “The wind was a big factor, the quarters we were going into the wind made it very difficult to pass the ball,” Passinault said. “It was a tough night to throw, Sean is a very good passer but just couldn’t get a real good grip on the ball and it really affected some of his throws.” Youker and Jake Lesoski ‘15 combined to stop the Northmen on their first play, but a play action pass caught the Trojans off guard and Petoskey scored a touchdown, nailed the PAT and tied the game up 13-13. A few possessions later, after a Central fumble and a Northmen punt, the Trojans were once again driving. However, another pass sailed and Petoskey snagged the ball and returned it all the way to the Trojan 24 with just over four minutes left. Central held the Northmen out of the end zone, but Petoskey put one between the uprights, going up 16-13 with just under two minutes left. “We try not to think about what the game is, whether it’s homecoming or senior night, we just try to execute our game plan once we get on the field,” Youker said. A big kickoff return from Devante Walker ‘17 got Central out to the Northmen 48. The Trojans continued to punish Petoskey inside, led by Schepperly, but were faced with a 4th and inches. Handing it off to Schepperly, the Trojans were stuffed, turning the ball over on downs, and the Northmen were victorious 16-13. “We played with a lot of heart, ” Passinault said. “We played very well on defense and at times we ran the ball well, so overall I’m proud of the effort.”

Roger LaLonde, G&G Cotton, Clark (G.G.P.)... parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends names displayed on the back of the Trojan jerseys. “It was a great feeling for me personally,” Reagan Cotton ‘16 said. “While you were out there you knew that not only were you playing for your teammates and for your fans, but you were also playing for the people whose names were on the jersies.” The players took to the field donning purple and white jerseys rather than the traditional

Take care of the ball “It went well until we had a few turnovers, a couple fumbles, and a couple interceptions. But all in all, we were there at the end of the game, we just didn’t execute. Our offense had some turnovers that put our defense in some pretty bad situations.” -Assistant Coach Doug Gle

Royal crowning

Graphic: E. Simon

Grace Stanton and Matt Pupel both ‘15 win Homecoming Queen and King. “I was excited at first, but it was really awkward standing there and having people take pictures of you,” Stanton said.

diseases including cancer. “Knowing that not only was this a normal game, but the fact that we were supporting people less fortunate than ourselves was great and that some of the profit went to that research was a great feeling overall and made the game really special,” Cotton said. While Cotton was playing for his great grandparents, LaLonde was playing for his father, a survivor. “I kind of personified it for me because my Dad’s name was on the back,” LaLonde said. “It made me think of him while I was playing the game.” y

Editor-in-Chief and Sports Editor

black, gold and white in order to support the fight against cancer. The team knew there was a greater purpose to their game which could only benefit the players mindsets. “We try to come into each game having the same mentality and not let anything affect us for the worse,” Grayson LaLonde ‘16 said. “This time we were affected in a good way with the extra meaning of the game.” Before the season began, the coaches decided upon dedicating the Homecoming game to the fight against cancer, so the players were told to find a sponsor. The sponsor was meant to cover the cost of the jerseys in addition to providing money to donate to the Van Andle Institute. The institute’s main focus is working to find cures for

“Going into the game we knew they would be very physical. We wanted to counter their physicality by being even more physical. We accomplished our goals, the game just came down to how it played out. In the end we only lost by a field goal.” -Anthony Kratovil ‘15

earne ic: S. K

Erin Lipp

Match physicality

Graph

Purple to honor those fighting cancer

“They have an offense that stays tight to the line of scrimmage, double tight end, double wing backs. They try to bring as many blockers to the point of attack as possible. The challenge of that is getting our players to the point of attack and being physical and taking on those blockers. I thought our players did a good job of doing that.” -Defensive Coordinator Eric Schugars

2 Spirit Week

Spirit Week

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold October 14, 2014

Graphic: H. Lancashire

Monday: neon day

Tuesday: classy day

Graphic: M. Hoagg

Graphic: E. Simon

Wednesday: flannel day

Graphic: E. Simon

Graphic: C. Hernden

“I wore a bright neon shirt from MC Sports, and it was a real showstopper. It was really exciting that everyone was dressed the same to represent the school. I am a senior so it was a fun experience because it was my last chance to be connected to the school and everyone in it.” -Riley McKeown ‘15

“I wish that more kids would participate in spirit week, because we should be proud because as a school that we excel in many things like music, sports, etc. and it’s great to have the opportunity to show a little school pride..” -Keely Golden ‘16

“I thought it would be fun to see people walk around in such bright colors. Most of my wardrobe is bright colors because I have a very energetic personality. Neon day created more of a community at central.” -Lucy Voss ‘18

“If I could choose the days for spirit week, I would add nerd day and camouflage day. I really try to spread school pride and spirit week gives another opportunity for that.” -Coach James Brumfield

Let the court games begin

Central’s Homecoming court pairs up to battle against each other to determine which team is truly the superior tandem at the Homecoming pep assembly

“You get to wear stuff you have never worn before. I love to dress up and I love wearing new things I wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to wear. Flannel day was fun because so many people participated.” -Joshua Lyons ‘18 “I think participating in activities like the dance and all the activities that go along with it, as well as spirit week make Central feel like a smaller space that you’re more connected to. I think Central needs more spirit and activities that get the school connected as a whole.” -Ms. Brunik

Stats:

The boys of Central’s homecoming court rate their partners makeup job. Alex Oliver on Ellie Taylor: 10/10 Matt Pupel on Aubrey Krueger: -5/10 Peter Andreasson on Grace Stanton: 4/10 Keefer Edwards on Katie Ludwig: 10/10 Lukas Battle and Morgan Scollard: 10/10

Photo: M. Hoagg

the Black & Gold

Photo: M. Hoagg

Editors-in-Chief Erin Lipp John Minster

News Editor

George Madison

Opinion Editor

A&E Editor

Julia Vannatter

“My favorite activity was the fish and egg game and my least favorite was the balloon one because Morgan knocked the wind out of me and it was hard breathing out of my fake smile. The balloon popping activity was also extremely awkward because the last balloon didn’t pop at first. Morgan and I have some romantic tension that we haven’t sorted out so it was awkward being partners and having to pop a plastic sac of air between us.” -Lukas Battle ‘15

Business Managers George Madison Julia Vannatter

Sports Editor Erin Lipp

Focus Page Editors

John Minster

Hunter Kelly Hayley Rozema

Feature Editor

Leek Editor

Maddi Miller

Photo: M. Hoagg

Carl Rassmusen

Photo Editors Emma Simon Margo Hoagg

Illustration Editor Henry Lancashire

Staff Reporters

Noah Aulicino Andrea Bavikatty Kirsten Berkey Chris Brower Abby Harnish Carly Hernden Shaine Kearney Kristin McLintock Mitchell Mosley Bethany Pataky Nicole Rogers Hayley Scollard Alex Stern Baille Zipser

Graphic: E. Simon

The Homecoming court partnered up to battle in 3 different competitions. Here are the results:

Peter Andreasson and Grace Stanton Peter Andreasson and Grace Stanton Matt Pupel and Aubrey Krueger

Send us an email at tccblackandgold@gmail. com or drop off a letter to the editor in room F-158

Thursday: pink day

Graphic: E. Simon

Friday: black & gold day

Graphic: E. Simon

“For pink day, I wore a pink shirt and pink socks. It was a good choice to do pink because it supports breast cancer awareness which is important to me because my grandmother had breast cancer and she passed away from it.” -Travis Campbell ‘17 “Pink out was my favorite day because pink is my favorite color. I think pajama day would be fun. Friday was fun because I got to paint everyone’s faces with black and gold.” -Aliyah Carew ‘17

Graphic: E. Simon

“I put gold glitter on my eyes and black paint under my eyes. I went all out for spirit week, I am not ashamed to dress up. I wasn’t a fan of classy day though. I dress up a lot for school so my classy outfit for me wasn’t really unique. I would have more unique days like dress up like your favorite movie star or teachers dress like students and students dress like teachers, or crayon day. I also would have incorporated the superman theme more into spirit week besides just the homecoming game shirts and I think having a reward for the best outfits of each day would encourage students to dress up.” -Abby Caldwell ‘18

Upperclassmen get the win in Powder Puff ‘14 Carly Hernden Staff Reporter

Elbows swinging and mud flinging out from under her feet, Katie Wozniak ‘17 dashes to the end zone at Thirlby Field, scoring the first touchdown for the underclassmen girls team during the Powder Puff spirit week game. After tying the game, the underclassmen cheered as the upperclassmen turned in disgust at the scoreboard. “My favorite part of the game was when I scored a touchdown,” Wozniak said. “I got really excited and felt ecstatic because I’ve always seen guys get touchdowns and it was nice to experience it myself.” Powder Puff is an all-girls game of football coached by the varsity football players. The girls picked their teams based on whether they were underclassman or upperclassman. “It’s really cool seeing people do something they normally wouldn’t have the chance to do while having a friendly competition,” senate teacher and Powder Puff referee Carl Sholten said. “There is definitely a lot of interest in Powder Puff, everyone had a great time both coaching and playing the game. It was a good, clean, competitive game. Overall, I think it was a success.” The game started out with the girls cracking jokes and smiling together, but the mood quickly shifted when the upperclassmen gained a touchdown, everything then turned serious. “I was competitive almost all of the game,” Scarlett Zerafa ‘16 said. “During the first play I took down one of the underclassmen. Everybody was really pumped up after that and things continued to get more competitive.” A big part of the fun is that players don’t need any football experience to play, which allows all skill levels to be involved in the game. There are players like Kelley Olson ‘16 who haven’t had much football experience in the past right alongside players like Sydney Klavon ‘15 who, mostly because of her younger brother, have had a lot of practice playing football. For Klavon this was her first year participating in the game. “I would say the best part of Powder Puff was running plays and acting like we knew what we were doing even though we had no idea,” Klavon said. “It was nice to coordinate with the football guys on what to do and when to do it, that was really helpful.” Just as the football players do, Powder Puff players appreciate a crowd to cheer them on throughout the game. “It would have been nice to get more people involved,” Sholten said. “We are putting on student events for students to be there and to participate and support in. I would have preferred to have a better turn out.” Despite the lack of a crowd, Zerafa had a blast with the coaches and incorporating the plays she has seen while watching football on tv. “I watch a lot of football so I know about dodging and faking it,” Zerafa said. “It was actually a lot of fun. If I was a little bigger built, I would totally try out for the guys football team.”

Photo: E. Simon

Left: Haley Klein ‘16 celebrated near the 20 yard line thinking she scored a touchdown. “I was extremely excited that I finally got a touchdown and it was super awesome,” Klein said. “Then I realized that I did the wrong thing and didn’t actually get the touchdown. I was super sad but it was a fun sort of sad. I was laughing at myself so hard and the coaches were really into the game so that was awesome.” Klein enjoyed the Powder Puff game and is looking forward to participating again with her upperclassman teammates. Top: Jessica Budz ‘16 sprints across the field, making her way to the end zone for a touchdown. “The football guys got really into coaching. They would always try to give us plays to do and they tried to use football terminology but none of us girls exactly knew what they were talking about, so the coaching didn’t really accomplish much,” Budz said. “It was really a free for all. Last year I scored one touchdown, so I thought I would one-up myself by scoring two touchdowns. It was really fun playing on the field, although I love sitting in the student section and watching our football team play as well. I was kind of disappointed though that no one showed up to watch or support the Powder Puff game. A lot of students think it is lame and not worth going but I have never regretted going to a Central event.” Budz will most definitely be participating in Powder Puff next year and she hopes that more of Central’s student body will be there to support and cheer on the girls. Photo: E. Simon

Page credit: Maddi Miller, Julia Vannatter, Alex Stern, Baille Zipser, Kirsten Berkey, Carly Hernden, Bethany Pataky and Nicole Rogers

4 Dance

Traverse City Central High School Black & Gold October 14, 2014

Graphic: H. Lancashire

Page Credit: Hunter Kelly, Hayley Rozema, Andrea Bavikatty, Abby Harnish, Kristin McLintock

Pre-homecoming 5:00

Photo: M. Hoagg

Group Photos 7:00

Left: Ana MacManus ‘18 is seen curling Mary Armour’s ‘18 hair before Homecoming. The two got ready with other friends at Armour’s house. “I prefer to get ready with friends so I have their opinion on things, and it’s just a lot more fun,” Armour said. Right: Claire Beutler and Emily Huhman, both ‘16, prepare for the dance. “I like to get ready with my friends because it’s a relaxed way to start Homecoming, and have fun together,” Beutler said. “When pictures and dinner start, it gets kind of chaotic.” Beutler spent three hours getting ready to ensure a good start to a crazy night.

Photo courtesy of: L. Mosley

Photo courtesy of: K. Olshansky

Photo: E. Simon

Left: Sydney Roberts ‘15 poses for a group photo with friends. Instead of the average pictures, dinner, dance etc. Roberts and her friends have their own tradition. “We go an hour late, only stay for a little bit, then go out and watch a movie,” Roberts said. “It’s something we’ve done every year.” Right: Lined up with friends, Michaela Tusan ’17 smiles for the camera. The picture was one of her many memories of Homecoming night. “I liked the music because it was all trap music,” Tusan said. “I like bass in songs instead of old music.”

Homecoming 8:00 - 11:00

Photo: E. Simon

Top Left: Christian Staycer ‘15 enjoys Homecoming to its fullest. “I liked the end of the dance because I went all out and started dancing,” Staycer said. “I was so absorbed in the whole thing.” Staycer also assisted with the set-up and execution of the dance. “My job, basically, was to make sure no one got behind the DJ stand because everything was plugged into one outlet, and it was just this trail of extension cords so I had to make sure everyone kept out of there,” Staycer said. “I also helped with the spotlights and made sure all of the speakers were ready.” Top Right: Kyle Barger ‘17 member of Straight out of the Basement, listens to his groups, music playing during the dance. “Homecoming had a lot more people, a lot better songs, and was a lot more exciting than any place we’ve ever performed before,” Barger said. “It was pretty intense and also really fun.” Middle: Dancing with her friends to DJ Ox, Lauren Davenport ‘18 thought being with her friends was the best part about Homecoming. “Even though the music wasn’t that good, it was fun,” Davenport said. “I didn’t like how the songs didn’t have any singing in them. And the strobe lights were blinding.” Even with the experience, Davenport plans to go to Homecoming next year. “It wasn’t the best, but it was still great.” Bottom Right: Krista Cole ‘15 slow dances with Nick Suminski ‘15. Although Cole did enjoy the dance, she liked the pre-dance excitement more. “I think preparing for the dance is a lot more fun than actually going to the dance,” Cole said. “My favorite part of the night actually wasn’t the dance, I left early and went bowling.”Bottom Left: Taylr Twigg-Pahl ‘16 dances with her friends, enjoying the music. “My favorite part of the dance was the music Brendan played,” Twigg-Pahl said. “He played a lot of dance music and it was fun. It was also really upbeat. And as cheesy as it sounds, another one of my favorite parts was getting to dance and hanging out with friends.”

Photo: E. Simon

Brendan Wells ‘16 takes on Homecoming Heart racing, palms sweaty, Brendan Wells ‘16, also known as DJ Ox, smiles upon the crowd as the first beat drops. “The most exciting part of the dance for me was when I played my first mix,” he said. “I was kind of nervous, I’ve always wanted to perform in front of people.” Wells couldn’t wait for his chance to shine at the Homecoming dance. “I have friends in student senate who know I DJ, they told the teacher because they were in need of one and I thought it would be fun

to do,” Wells said. Wells began to DJ last summer and has continued ever since. Having only three weeks to prepare, Wells incorporated some new techno tracks he had been working on into his Homecoming mixes. “I had a lot of electronic dance music,” he said. “That’s what I mix and what I usually listen to. I used two 30 minute mixes for Homecoming, and in between those I played classics I knew everyone has heard, and I was happy with the feedback I got from people.” However, DJing

wasn’t always a passion for Wells. “I heard Zedd,” he said. “ He’s my favorite artist, and I didn’t really know much about electronic dance music but I thought it was really good so I started looking into it. Though this was not Wells’ first rodeo, he wanted to make an impact on the school and his peers. “I felt pretty cool DJing for my classmates,” Wells said. “I liked showing off something that I like to do, showing people what I’m all about.”

Photo: H. Rozema