The Eyrie | October 28, 2021

Alumnus faces life in prison NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2021

By Guyon Grant

The high school has produced well rounded students, doctors, lawyers, teachers, and even a murderer.

For instance William Herrera is former student of the school who is, according to Johnson County Courts website, currently being charged with aggravated domestic battery and murder in the first degree. After interviews with those who knew Herrera when he was in school the story still has a lot of missing pieces. After extensive research, requests for sworn testimony, phone calls with prosecutors and several rejections from the school, this story is very difficult to tell.

For the privacy of those interviewed and out of respect for the victim all the names will be left out and kept anonymous.

On Aug. 30, 2021, William Herrera was charged with murder in the

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murder in the first degree According to anonymous sources, “Will used a box cutter in what was a psychotic episode.”

The unofficial report is that he fatally stabbed an individual with the weapon. Until the official police report is released, legally, all this is considered hearsay. The sources quoted actually knew Will Herrera and it’s reasonable to say their understanding can be taken as gospel. Some were close with him and some still are.

Old friends have said that he was using various substances over the years, which could have contributed to his declining mental state. Drugs are no stranger to the school. From students showing up to class intoxicated to them supposedly being sold on the premises. Sources recall instances of smoking marijuana his

instances of smoking marijuana his sophomore year. Even if it wasn’t his first time using a substance like this, it’s still considered a very young age to be ingesting things like this. With Will having been subjected to substances so early in life there’s no telling what effect it had on his mental state. That on top of the undiagnosed “psychosis”that his highschool peers witnessed, gives weight to the notion that Will’s mind isn’t straight.

Will being charged with such a hefty crime was a surprise to a lot of people but to some, that say they knew Herrera, it is possible that the signs of him being capable of this were there since the beginning. Most of the sources spoken to about Will said something was off about him and that it’s always been that way.

“He was very bipolar,” an alumnus said. “One minute we would be chillin’ and the next he would freak out”. Will’s mental state is definitely something that’s in question regarding this case.

OCTOBER 28, 2021 NEWS Herrera had a hearing regarding his competency on Oct. 6. The meeting was short and both the defense and prosecution agreed that the best decision would be to move forward with testing his competency. Whether he is competent or not will lead to if he will be able to testify, consult with his lawyer, and even be cross examined by the prosecution. This wouldn’t be out of the blue for those that know Herrera. “He was crazy.” a former student stated, “He thought he was the Devil and his brother was God”. Instances like this give the defense attorney reasonable cause to request a competency test. The United States Department of Justice Archives states, “...if there is reasonable cause to believe that the defendant may presently be suffering from a

mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense” then “ [a] hearing may be ordered on motion by the defendant or the attorney for the government, or by the court.”. Plenty of people get angry.

Not just any average person would get angry and stab somebody which is why Will will be examined by a professional.

When William is sentenced he will most likely be sentenced for 25 to life.

There is little goig for him in this case and it wouldn’t be surprising if he ended up spending the rest of his life in a cell.

However whether or not William Herrera is guilty is still yet to be

decided by the Johnson County Courts. The process is still in it’s very early stages and will be for a while. As far as the length of his sentence, where he will be detained, and the police records being available to the public, everything is very far in the future. If Will is found guilty it will be the end of his life outside of prison. All there is to expect now is that justice will be served.

If Will gets 25 years then it’s not impossible that he could be rehabilitated. Though prison has not has a great tracvk record with that it’s best to stay optimistic. For Will’s sake and for the sake of anyone he comes in contact with. Don’t mistake the hope for optimism with sympathy. If he is guilty then he will be punished justly.

the trend’s contribution to the school vandalism the remark “That’s what it is being attributed to, but committing a crime and calling it a trend is still a crime” Ball said.

A crime and trend are clearly not synonyms for each other. When inquired about the duties of the bathroom monitor, “we were told it was to stop the vandalism.” Ball said. A decline in the restroom vandalism rate has surfaced in accordance with bathroom monitoring, so this strategy has been effective.

Not only are these social media trends affecting schools, but even everyday life and in other public spaces. Each month, a new TikTok trend is said to arise which is causing schools to take away things like hand sanitizer until the vandalism comes to a halt. It is evident that when a “trend” is taken too far, it can become very problematic. In essence, there is really no point in considering vandalism a trend.

Ball touches briefly on this subject, stating how much it has impacted teachers in the school. ​Students, teachers, and the administration have all been affected by these vandalous acts. Fortunately, this

trend has been quietly slowing down and is very rare to see now. However with TikTok’s popularity and the creativity of destructive youth, there’s no telling what could be next. It’s entirely possible something just like devious licks will sprout up again or maybe even worse.

Social media trend leads to vandalism in schools

By Andrew Woodworth

How odd, no soap dispensers, paper towels, hand sanitizer..

This is what happens when people let a social media trend take control of them. This trend is known as the ‘Devious Lick’. This has happened to schools all over the country and has caused some school staff to become, ‘Bathroom Monitors.” One school staff member and debate instructor, Ms. Jo Ball claims, “ I did not get a college degree to sit in a bathroom and monitor kids.” Teachers spend part of their lives gaining an education now just to sit in a restroom and monitor kids. Teachers spending their plan periods sitting in the bathrooms can be considered a colossal waste of time. Not only is it a waste of the teacher’s time, it has been awkward for some students. With this knowledge, it is odd that students would continue to do this and continue to label this a trend.

This is evidently how many other staff members feel in that regard.

This trend seems to be based much more on rumors than first hand evidence. “I’ve had a student report to me that something had been vandalised but I’ve never actually seen it.” Ball said. Additionally, when asked about

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FEATURE OCTOBER 28, 2021

Concerts during COVID A look on concerts during quarantine and after

By: Mallory Brooks

After a rough year and a half, concerts are finally starting back up again. Ever since the pandemic started and artists had to cancel their shows, the world has been eager for live shows to come back.

Back in 2020, when the pandemic shut the world down, a lot of artists postponed, or even cancelled, their shows and tours.

Multiple famous music festivals, such as Coachella, Lollapalooza and even Broadway were canceled.

As the year went by and things weren’t getting better, many artists did livestream concerts for their fans and charity. Billie Eilish did an online concert called “Where Do We Go?” in October, part of the proceeds going towards Crew Nation. Niall Horan did a live streamed show last November at the Royal Albert Hall for the charity We Need Crew, while Louis Tomlinson did one in December, all the proceeds going towards his 4 THE EYRIE

tour crew and other stage hands, and Liam Payne did multiple shows benefiting the Trussel trust, both through the website Veeps.

The music industry has taken a hit over the last 18 months.

A lot of people were out of a job for a long time because the way most artists and crew make their money is from live shows, and if live shows don’t happen, nobody gets any money. So much goes into putting on a live concert and when they can’t happen it is very hard for all those people to get paid.

But now that things are slowly going back to the way they were, concerts are going to look a little different.

Most, if not all, venues are requiring masks, vaccination, or proof of a negative covid test to be let inside. A lot of them are also using mobile tickets and cashless transactions, but it is still a risk for artists to tour in some places, like Texas for example. The governor has banned vaccine passports,

which some venues are trying to work around, but it is a risk going against state law by trying to enforce public health.

Kane Brown, however, did not require any proof of vaccination or negative covid tests, and though masks were required, close to nobody actually wore them the correct way. Situations like this are risky and could deter people from wanting to go to shows.

However, lots of other music festivals and concerts are opening back up, such as Lollapalooza, which happened at the end of July and early August this year.

Lollapalooza had every attendee show proof of vaccination or a negative covid test, and were required to wear masks if unvaccinated. Two weeks after the festival ended, results showed that out of the 385,000 people that attended, only 203 (0.05%) people tested positive for Covid-19. This shows that a big festival, like Lolla, is not a super-spreader event.

Even though some tested positive, this is a good sign for the future of concerts, showing that the world can get back to doing them, if they are not big risks or super spreaders. The fact that it was outdoors also played a big role, more space for people to social distance instead of being crowded into an indoor venue.

As the days go by more artists are starting their tours back up again. Harry Styles is only going on tour in the United States for the time being, stating on Instagram, “To everyone in the UK, and across the world, I can’t wait to see you again, but for obvious reasons it is just not possible at this time.”

Styles is requiring masks and proof of vaccination or a negative covid test, following the respective venues safety guidelines.

Phoebe Bridgers is also going on her tour, but moved all the shows to outdoor venues, as stated on Twitter, “In the interest of safety, I’ve decided to only play outdoors for the upcoming tour.”

Bridgers is requiring proof of vaccination or proof of negative test results and masks.

Broadway reopened on September 14th, 2021, and lots of people were excited to finally get back to seeing theatre shows again, and in full capacity. To get into shows, ticket holders are required to show proof of vaccination and must wear masks.

Broadway brings in so many tourists and when it shut down, they lost all of them, so opening back up is something very exciting for everyone. It does come with some complications for the performers though. Most contracts with the performers have expired, some need to recondition their voices and bodies, some are even dealing with the lingering effects of covid. Aside from those reasons, it is still a very exciting thing that tickets are being sold and tourists are coming back.

Music is such a big part of so many people’s lives, and the industry starting up again is something so good for the world. It is important that everyone can gather safely again.

The more people that get vaccinated, the faster concerts can come back, the happier everyone will be.

OCTOBER 28, 2021 FEATURE

Image By: Mallory Graybeal at Style’s show on September 15th, 2021 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis.

Image By: Charlie Mowrey of Broadway on October 10th, 2021 in New York City.

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NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2021

A New Wave of Vaccinations Vaccine Companies Racing to Authorize Vaccine for Ages 5-11

By Sydney Slaton Over the last year, COVID-19 vaccine companies have been working to receive an emergency usage authorization from the Food and Drug Administration Pfizer, in particular, hopes to receive an Emergency Use Authorization by 2022.

The notion that children five years and older may be able to get vaccinated before the new year is a light at the end of the tunnel for many. Junior Hailey Lancaster is one of the many people who are excited about the vac6 THE EYRIE

cine’s expansion, and cannot wait for the vaccine to be approved.

“Covid is still going strong and if we can, we must get vaccinated to get back to a somewhat normal life.

I think the FDA realizes this and is trying their best to get it authorized as soon as possible,” Lancaster said.

After hearing how efficient Pfizer is with their quest for an E.U.A., many are optimistic that the company’s prediction of a late 2021 authorization is correct. Including Dr. Jennifer Mellick, who is the head doctor at Pediatric Partners,

who advocated for the vaccine in her interview.

“Pfizer has already requested authorization for the vaccination of 5-12 year olds, I want to say last week,” Dr. Jennifer Mellick said.

Now that Pfizer has submitted their results for authorization, the company has to wait for the FDA to read them over, analyze them and decide whether or not the vaccine is safe for children. “[Pfizer is] hoping to have a response from the FDA within three to four weeks, so it’s very possible that we might be looking at Pfizer’s E.U.A. as early as the end of October, early November,” Mellick said.

However, the FDA has many factors to consider while reviewing Pfizer’s trials. One big concern is how the possible side-effects of the vaccine affect children’s body’s and if they could be different or worse than in adults.

OCTOBER 28, 2021 NEWS

“Keep in mind, kids are not just scaled down adults — they have different immune systems and metabolisms. You really have to do the careful trials to make sure you got the dose right and there aren’t any surprises,” Dr. Francis Collins said in an interview for Good Morning America.

One of the few and very rare side-effects of not only the vaccine but also COVID-19 virus itself is myocarditis and pericarditis and while that is a factor for the FDA to consider it likely won’t deter them from approving it.

“The rate at which [myocarditis and pericarditis] occurs in the vaccination versus the rate at which it occurs in the actual infection is much, much, much, lower,” Mellick said.

Along with the rare heart related sideeffects, parents and children might experience the more mild side-effects related to the vaccine, but this is normal

as Mellick says “all vaccines have side-effects.”

“What we’ve seen from the studies that have been submitted are pain at the injection site, soreness, possibly some fever, body aches, fatigue.

They’ll probably be some very, very, very, rare potential allergies.

That’s a known side effect of most vaccinations, but again very, very, rare,” Mellick said in regards to the common side effects of vaccines.

Due to the nature of the vaccine, professionals such as Mellick feel that long lasting side-effects are unlikely.

“I’m not really concerned about any other long-term sideeffects because the type of vaccination, the mRNA, really doesn’t stay in the body. So it’s just the immune response

and the immune response is going to be really a bigger concern with the vaccination,” Mellick said.

The COVID-19 has made a major impact on the pandemic this year and, thankfully, teenagers and adults were able to receive it, and now it is finally time to vaccinate more of the larger population by protecting children from ages 5-11.

“I do think the COVID-19 vaccine is necessary. We need it to prevent ourselves from getting sick. We need it to stop the virus from reaching the people with a weaker immune system. I do not want them to depend on a ventilator when all we have to do is get vaccinated to protect those who can’t protect themselves,” Lancaster said.

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PHOTO OCTOBER 28, 2021

TOP LEFT Senior Raleigh Jonas performs during the choir concert on Oct. 7 PHOTO BY Andy Forest TOP Sophomore Skylar Saragusa performs during the fall production of ZooDate PHOTO BY Devon Schmidt RIGHT Senior Carter Stelting performs during the choir concert on Oct. 7 PHOTO BY Devon Schmidt

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OCTOBER 28, 2021 PHOTO

ABOVE PHOTO BY Edsel Quintana Puente LEFT Ketrick Miller dances in the middle of the circle during the homecoming dance on Sept. 25 PHOTO BY Coral Netten

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NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2021

DIY Halloween Treats

By Sydney Slaton

As Halloween approaches many of us may find ourselves in need of a quick dish to make for a party we are attending or hosting, this is the place to get ideas for simple DIY treats to bring to your friends and family.

Starting off with a spooky Brownie Dirt Pudding, perfect for parties with the chocolate pudding base with crushed Oreos layered in.

The first thing you’ll need is either a nine-by-nine pan of brownies, although store-bought will always work, to put on the bottom of the cup. Then you’ll need a box of instant chocolate pudding, after you

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follow the directions listed on the box you need to crush up as many Oreos as you see fit into crumbs.

Then layer the pudding over the brownie and add the crushed Oreos on top. Finally, if you’d like, add Halloween-themed candies.

Another recipe you could try is witch hats made with strawberries and Oreos. The first things you’ll need to get are black and green chocolate melts which you can find at most grocery stores.

After you melt the black chocolates, dip some strawberries into them.

Finally, once the chocolate dries, dip the flat end of the strawberries in the green melted chocolate and put them on top of an Oreo that has also been dipped in black chocolate.

The next treat we have for you to try is extremely fun and simple, Pumpkin Pretzels.

Just like the last recipe, you’ll need chocolate melts but this time in orange. Melt the chocolate and dip pretzels in and add a green M&M turned sideways onto the top of the pretzels for the stem.

For the next recipe, Hallow-

een Bark, you’ll need almond bark, you can find this at most grocery stores just like the chocolate melts, pretzel sticks, Halloween-themed Oreos and candy corn. While the almond chocolate bark melts, lay parchment paper out on a cookie sheet and spread out the broken Oreos, pretzel sticks and candy corn on it. Pour the almond bark over the cookie sheet, dust on some Halloween sprinkles and set the whole thing in the fridge to cool.

After that, the only thing left to do is break it into pieces and enjoy.

The last treat for you to try is Mini Bats, using mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, Oreos, a little bit of melted chocolate, and edible eyeballs. First, unwrap the peanut butter cups for the body, then break the cookie part of the Oreos in half for the wings. To attach the wings add a drop of melted chocolate on the back of the Oreos and put them on top of the peanut butter cups. Use the same technique to attach the edible eyeballs to the inner corner of the Oreos and then you’re done!

Spider peanut butter cup cookies (put after spider pb cups) Another treat with Reese’s peanut butter cups are Spider Peanut Butter Cookies. Use your favorite peanut butter cookie recipe After they get out of the oven, place them

OCTOBER 28, 2021 NEWS the refrigerator for 10 minutes as they get firm. Melt some chocolate by putting chocolate chips in a plastic bag in the microwave for 20-second intervals while kneading in between.

Next, we have Frankenstein rice krispies. The first step is the rice krispie part of the recipe, you’ll need six cups of rice krispies cereal, three tablespoons of butter, four cups of mini-marshmallows, and green food coloring. Melt the butter and marshmallows in a saucepan on medium heat while stirring constantly, add the food coloring once it is all melted. Then pour the cereal into the pot and stir to mix them together. Pour the cereal and marshmallow mixture into a 9-by13 pan and let cool in the fridge for 30 minutes. Now you’ll need more black chocolate melts, melt half of them down in the microwave in 30-second increments while you stir in-between. After cutting the rice krispies into rectangles, dip one of the smaller sides into the black

chocolate, then set them onto a sheet of wax paper to harden for 2-3 minutes. Use black frosting to attach some candy eyeballs just below the chocolate and pipe on a mouth with the frosting.

The final step is using the frosting to attach mini marshmallows to either side of the face as the bolts, you could cover the marshmallows in a silver color-mist if you really want to be fancy.

The last recipe we have for you to try is Chocolate-Covered Pumpkin Marshmallows. This is a super easy recipe, you just need to melt orange chocolate melts and dip the marshmallows in them and

add a pretzel stick for the stem. You can also add orange sugar sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet or add swirls of green chocolate at the top by the stem for leaves Try any of these five DIY Halloween treats for your Halloween parties or for yourself this weekend.

Happy Halloween!

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Fall Rituals

FEATURE OCTOBER 28, 2021

An outlook on what students at our school have to say about the fall time.

By, Brooke Burbidge It’s fall time! The air is full of pumpkin lattes and apple cider. Fall this year spans from Sep. 22- Dec. 21. One local place that most people love is the Louisburg Cider Mill. Opened in 1975, the Louisburg Cider Mill is one of the most popular places to go in the fall time. They make fresh donuts and apple cider. Annie Hamilton, a freshman, loves the fall foods and atmosphere.

“I like it a lot because they have a lot of different things to do instead of just picking pumpkins,” Hamilton said.

Many other students love the food and just go for it because it’s their favorite fall time treat.

Freshman Campbell Redus thinks the Cider Mill is a great place to enjoy a snack.

“The sugar donuts, they are the best,” Redus said about his favorite Cider Mill treat.

At the Cider Mill you can create memories with your friends and family.

“Sitting and drinking hot apple cider and donuts watching the live band perform is my favorite memory,” Hamilton said.

When you go with a group of people there are many photo opportunities. Many people are excited about the weather in fall on chilly mornings.

This season will be just the same as last year’s, with friends and family embracing the fall time.

“I love spending time with my friends at the cider mill,” Hamilton said.

With fall here, families take on their traditions like pumpkin patches.

“We go to this pumpkin patch Shocky. We have been going there since my sister was 9 and she is now 30,” Hamilton said.

Many fun fall traditions

for families are repeated during the fall, like taking pictures because of the yellow, orange, and red leaves.

“Take family pictures and go to the pumpkin patch,” Redus said was his family tradition.

Food is a big part of fall.

Companies and restaurants come out with things themed around pumpkin and spice. Many home goods stores also come out with pumpkin and leaf themed items.

Some families decorate their house for the fall time and make subtle changes to make their home festive.

“We set pumpkins outside after carving them. We set certain decorations on our tables, and by the fireplace.” Hamilton said.

Many people like the food and treats companies have to offer only in the fall.

“Candy corn pumpkins [and] donuts from the cider mill are my favorite,” Hamilton said.

Art by, Sylvia Grimsley and Ashley Rottinghaus

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OCTOBER 28, 2021

FEATURE

Halloween Saga The spooky season is opon us, find out about Halloween history

Art by Ashley Rottinghaus

By Maggie Flannery

Halloween has always been known for ghosts, candy, and trick or treating, but Halloween has such a rich history and some of it is really weird.

In the beginning Halloween was named Samhain. It was a festival to ward off ghosts. People would light bonfires and wear costumes during Samhain.

Currently Halloween is more for candy and family, but also the occasional ghost. “ a lot of times we have a reformation party at our church.” Teacher Michelle Kinzer said. Reformation is a 16th-century movement for the reform of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church. What is also interesting is that back in the eighth century, Pope Gregory III established All Saints Day. This day was made to honor all saints. All Saints Day was actually on October 31, the same day as Halloween or earlier known as Hallows Eve. Student Sydeny Peterson participates in a more modern tradition of trick or treating. Sydeny Peterson said “ … my church does this thing called Trunk or Treat thing where you go around to different cars and get candy,”Sydeny Peterson said.

Peterson also celebrates Halloween with her church In the Medieval Times, trick or treating was something poorer people would do by visiting homes of wealthier individuals and exchanging soul cakes for a promise to pray for the dead relatives. Now, trick or treating is the opposite.

Children dress up in a costume of their favorite character, and go door to door saying “trick or treat” to get candy. The person at the door puts candy into the kids bags.

For people in high school, trick or treating isn’t really an option.

Instead, most students opt for a Halloween party. Or they get stuck handing out candy.

“A lot of times we stay at home and hand out candy,” Kinzer said about what she does on night Halloween The idea of black cats started in the middle ages. This is because the people of the time believed that witches would turn into black cats to avoid detection. This is why we think that a black cat walking in front of our path is bad luck.

Librarian Amy Brown said she felt bad for black cats getting a bad rap.

“It makes me feel sad... for the black cats,” Brown said about the black cat superstition.

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FEATURE OCTOBER 28, 2021

Last Minute By: Teresa Foster & Gianna Comelli

Halloween is very close, and I’m sure many people need a last minute halloween costume for Sunday October 31st, 2021. There are lots of easy costumes that are probably just sitting in people’s closets, but they’re worn as regular clothes. Even if the correct clothes aren’t available all you need is some makeup and a certain hairdo, then boom, it’s a costume.

From personal experience, I know certain people don’t even think about what they are going to be until the actual morning of halloween. Many people don’t even have an actual costume, rather they just claim they are some random or made up character from a show and call it a day. In past years I have known what I want to dress up as, but I wait until the last minute to go out and get the materials I need to present myself in the costume I desire.

I’ve even seen people put on a onesie and that’s it...That’s their costume.Throughout experience the realization comes that it’s not always about creativity, but sometimes just about having an actual costume. So, if you’re reading this right now and still don’t have your Halloween costume, better yet an idea for a Halloween costume then you’re in luck! I will name a few easy, quick, (mostly) at home already, somewhat creative, and other not as creative last minute Halloween costume Ideas.

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Costumes 1.

Cute Animal

All that’s needed is to wear the color od the animal, paint some whiskers on your face, and if you have them throw some ears on

2.

“Euphoria”

Who doesn’t want an excuse to look amazing?

Find your most flashy and dramatic outfit, match it with your makeup. The end result will have you feeling euphoric!

4.

From the latest tik tok trend. Dress in all black then throw a carved pumpkin on your head, and you are now a humpkin!

5.

Cowboy

For some people, this isn’t much of a costume, rather their everyday wear. All you need is a flannel, jeans, boots, a leather belt, and if you want to go all out add a hat then Yeehaw cowboy.

3. Where’s Waldo?? 6.

If you have a red and white striped T-shirt, blue jeans, and a beanie, then it’s a guaruntee your friends won’t be able to find you all night.

Jack-O-Head

Throwback

Become your favorite icon or trend from the past.

There are ednless options and decades to choose from. Blast to the past and thrive through the times.

OCTOBER 28, 2021 FEATURE

Right or Left?

Creepy or Cute?

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FEATURE OCTOBER 28, 2021

Fall T r e n d Lets s get cozy By: Gianna Comelli Fall is a period of crisp leaves, brisk air, and warm drinks. After a long blazing summer, it’s about time we get a breeze going. TIme to roll up our windows and put on some extra layers! We might as well look forward to our favorite styles and activities.

Fashion is constantly changing depending on the season. With the weather cooling down, it’s crucial to pull out your fuzziest sweaters and biggest sweats you can find. Certain styles are definitely going to make a statement

Photos found from Creative Commons

As we bring out the scarves and beanies, we might as well curl up at a good coffee shop with a warm drink.

The question is, however, what to drink? Halle Pierson, senior, has some strong feelings towards Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Pierson said “It just gives me that fall feeling and transports me right into the pumpkin patches”. On the Contrary, Pippins felt the well known Latte is over hyped. Pippins said, “The pumpkin overpowers the drink, and it’s too sweet.” Pippins would rather enjoy a “White Chocolate Mocha Syrup, Sweet Cream Shaken in Extra Caramel Drizzle Latte”.

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Now, we’ve already established that visiting the local coffee shop will be a must, but there’s other things to do. Invite your peers over and have a movie night, bake some Pillsbury pumpkin cookies and paint pumpkins. Don’t worry about creativity when Pinterest exists, just look up designs! There are also good locations, such as pumpkin patches, and cider mills to take cute pictures and enjoy some fun.

OCTOBER 28, 2021 FEATURE

Abby Davis and Andrew Nehrbass as well as Ellie Fritz and Josh Hurlbutt both visited the Louisberg Cider Mill for fun Obviously outdoor picnics, and trips to the lake wont do anymore.

It just doesn’t capture the fall spirit. Luckily, there’s more to look forward to.

Call up your friends and get dolled up because it’s time to go to the Louisburg Cider Mill. This is a popular stop for most people as the fall months stroll in. Enjoy the delicious cinnamon sugar donuts, and some warm apple cider. Don’t forget to visit the pumkin patch!

35 students were surveyed at random to answer the ongoing question...

Pumkin Spice Latte Caramel Latte Other

34% 54% 14%

Best Fall starbucks Drink?

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FEATURE OCTOBER 28, 2021 Worlds of fun during Sept. 17- Oct. 30 transforms into a spooky, festive, halloween event; the Haunt. Tickets are $72 including tax and the “fright lane” pass is an extra $60. If someone purchases the flight ticket they won’t have to wait in line.

Also to skip the lines for the roller coasters the “fast pass” is an extra $60. Hunter Davis, a freshman, was asked what his favorite part about the haunt was, he said “Running around the little maze.” He also said his rate of the experience was an “8/10” he says “it was worth the money.” Haunt is very expensive but from my experience below it was a 9/10 experience. That’s including the people, atmosphere, thrill, acting, makeup, and haunted houses.

The Haunt starts at 6:30 pm with a parade of all the scary characters that will be out that night. During the parade they have horror music playing, and security officers making sure everyone is safe. They have these white lines all around the park that people can’t cross, but the scarers can cross over. There were clowns, zombies, vampires, werewolves, scarecrows, scary rednecks, witches, skeletons etc.

The parade lasted about 45 minutes and it was honestly really cool. A 9/10 experience. After the parade everyone goes to ride rides or to go to one of the terrifying haunted houses. My friends and I went into two different haunted houses. The first one was called Ripper Alley, the wait for that one was about 20 minutes. Keep in mind we headed to that haunted house as soon as the parade was over. Ripper Alley was about a 6/10 in scary level. It was more distturbing than anything and there were alot of dead ends. And many jump scares. The second haunted house we went to was Bloodshed, the wait for that 18 THE EYRIE

one was about 50 minutes to an hour. The scary level on that was a 9/10. I was on the verge of tears in some parts of it. It really triggered my fight or flight, and lets just say I ran. People jump scare you repeatedly, bloody murder scream at you, and chase you. It was such a rush and so much fun. The only complaint I would have would be, the people in front of us were being slow and we got caught up with them towards the end; when then made it hard to run away from the creepy women, screaming at you. And it was just frustrating having people walk slow, when its supposed to be a fast, terrifying haunted house. But besides that buzz kill towards the end, it was still intense, but overall a positive experience.

The Haunt

A review of the yearly, thrilling, borderline terryfying event at Worlds Of Fun By: Reese Bratkovic

Halloween

Hereditary The movie Hereditary is hard to watch. Not because it is a bad movie, but because it seems like the goal of the movie is to upset the watcher. Most movies rely on jump scares or gore to be scary. On the other hand, Hereditary makes it scary through lots of other elements. Hereditary does a good job of giving the watcher enough information so they know what is going on but not enough information to know what’s going to happen, which leaves an unsettling uncertainty. Hereditary does an amazing job in making the watcher feel unsafe and uneasy. The thing that adds to the suspense and fear

The movie Halloween (2018) is not worth the watch unless the watcher has seen all the other Halloween movies and is a big Halloween fan.

The movie is just boring and slow.

It tries to go along with the story and themes of the other Halloween movies but misses. They threw in some gruesome murders and jump scares and hoped that would save it. Halloween is bland and lacks a the most was the way inverting common assumptions was so big in this movie. A common assumption is that home is a “safe place” but in Hereditary home is where your mom chases you, and dead cultists are chilling in your attic. A common assumption is someone you meet at a support group is trying to help you, but not in Hereditary, they are a leader of an evil cult instead.

Overall, Hereditary is not a pleasant movie and is disturbing but it’s worth watching to see the unique ways they use to scare the watcher.

OCTOBER 28 2021 FEATURE fear factor. All the Halloweens are not bad though. The Halloween series is an amazing classic horror movie series. Most of the other Halloween movies are better than this one. There are so many better horror movies to watch than this one and i don’t recommend going out of your way to watch it.

5/10

7/10 Signs The movie Signs, directed by M. Night Shyamalan was a fantastic movie. This movie is 100% worth a watch. Signs’ main themes are family and faith, and they are portrayed in such an amazing and unique way. The character development is so good, within a short time of the movie it shows how life events can have such a big impact on a person. It can also completely change someone’s faith and demeanor. the suspense this movie has to offer is never ending. You’re always on the edge of your seat wondering what is going to hap-

pen next. Even though this horror movie is about aliens they go with it in such a way where there is a scary sense of realism. Even after the movie is over the viewer is left with a feeling of fear. This movie overall is a masterpiece, not just in horror, but in the way the movie so perfectly unfolds.

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OPINION OCTOBER 28, 2021

Away From the World Without WiFi at school, students have no connection to the world outside of school.

By: Abby Wallace

School used to be a place that students enjoyed coming to.

They got to come to school with the comfort of knowing that they could send a quick text message to someone without having to worry about the other person getting it. Now, school is feeling more like a prison every day.

Having WiFi at school is something that should be provided to students. Teachers have their own WiFi passwords they can use for their devices, so why don’t students? It has a lot of benefits to the education status of students.

An argument commonly made by teachers and administrators is that students having access to the internet would create more of a distraction to them and it would become more of a problem than before.

While that is a good argument to make, some students disagree

“I would check my phone less during class [with access to

Art by Mia Wood

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WiFi] because if I need to text my parents something really important, I keep checking my phone so I know they got it. Especially if I’m in a dead zone it makes it really hard,” sophomore Alyssa Fleming said.

While some teachers disagree with the thought of students getting WiFi, others find it useful as well. They see it as a way to turn homework in and text family when needed.

“If we want kids to move to paperless learning or have kids turn work in without taking it from them, then having WiFi is needed,” Michelle Kinzer said.

Some teachers are worried about being able to control phone usage in classes compared to now. However, it also depends on the student.

Most students listen to their teachers when they tell them to put their phones away the first time.

“My kids are pretty respectful in general about having their phones out, but some of them are horrible

about it. They wedge it in their laps or try to use Photomath on quizzes,” Kinzer said.

While there are negative attributes to having WiFi in school, the benefits outway them. There are going to be students who make it harder for teachers and administrators on anything regarding privileges at school.

For a while, students had access to the WiFi network Onboard.

Onboard allowed students to use their phones with every app able to work. However, the school district started changing the password once students started using it more and more. Onboard is now restricted to about 500 people in a school with close to 2,000 students. OS guest is still available to students, but it restricts the apps on phones. The only form of communication that works is messages. If students try to use another form of communication, such as Snapchat, then it won’t work. Students, however, found a loophole around this with a personal hotspot they could download on their laptops called Connectify.

Connectify allowed students to create their own WiFi source by using their laptops and it allowed them to use any app they wanted to on their phones. This school year, however, the website was blocked and the hotspot quit working for students who had it downloaded from the year before. It seems like the school district is trying to do everything they possibly can to ensure students have no access to their phones.

Another argument made is that there’s not enough funding for WiFi access to students, but a lot of students are willing to pay for WiFi at school. Having close to 2,000

OCTOBER 28, 2021 OPINION

students in all five schools pay $5 can allow funding for better WiFi to students. It’s a solution to the issues the administration is worried about.

There are a lot of kids who just want to be able to text their friends and family when needed, just like other school districts can.

“I would pay up to 5-10 dollars for WiFi. Even if I have to pay a fee at the beginning of each semester,” sophomore Avery Mullins said.

The benefits outweigh the challenges, though. Students are willing to pay to just text their parents without worrying about the message sending, teachers want students to be able to keep their homework to study with, they want to make it easier on themselves while grading and easier for the students to turn work in after they’re done with it.

“If we want to go more digitally based, then having students be able to take a picture and upload their work on their phones during school hours is needed for the future,” Kinzer said.

Art by Sylvia Grimsley

Photo by Veronica Blalock

Student is doing school work on their phone in class

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OPINION OCTOBER 28, 2021

Is eHallpass truly worth the inconvenience?

By: Mireya McInnis

The program called eHallpass is meant for both teachers and administrators to track where students are moving to. Though I’d like to believe that the inventors of this program, Eduspire Solutions, intended for it to receive such negative feedback.

The main source of this negative feedback is coming from who this program affects the most, the students. As of a recent poll 94% of students don’t see eHallpass as being worth it.

eHallpass is set up to control and monitor students as they move through different locations, but as Senior Corbin Dozier pointed out that “a lot of us are adults,” and “we can go to the bathroom or a teachers room without someone or something monitoring us”.

“At first it was used to know where people were, time, place, that kind of thing,” said Mrs. Roth.

eHallpass was first used to help track and monitor students who had interacted with those with COVID-19. “At first in COVID had to do seating charts, and know where kids were,” said Mrs. Roth.

We all remember the seating charts that were made for each class, but were difficult to keep socially distanced in depending on the classroom size. Though we now no longer have socially distanced seating charts, the administrators decided to keep the program.

“From what I can tell no one actually uses the data from it for that purpose. It seems like an unnecessary hassle,” said Senior Rowan Farha.

Farha’s statement is one 22 THE EYRIE

Is eHallpass worth the inconvenience?

94%

6%

YES

NO

that has been made by most who answered the poll. It’s not the teachers fault, but a lot of them forget to turn off the pass once a student returns. Students only are allowed so much time to use a pass before the administrative team starts taking them away. Another reason teachers forget is because they are busy teaching.

“It was told to us that it wouldn’t be disruptive during class but it actually is,” said Mrs. Roth in her interview.

“I understand why they’re using it and they want to see where students are but it interrupts in the middle of teaching, I have to stop the pass and it is very interruptive.

More than I think they thought it would be” said Mrs. Roth.

eHallpass is very disruptive to the learning environment and takes time away from both the teacher and other students when someone creates a pass.

“It’s a pain to set up,” said Junior Kyle Christensen. It’s incredibly difficult for everyone to do, especially with such spotty wifi.

“It takes too long plus half the time people can’t connect to wifi” said Senior Benji Tan. This is a complaint made by many students and teachers.

The unstable wifi connection makes it difficult for students to get their laptops to even get connected to turn in assignments, so one could imagine how difficult it is to get onto the eHallpass website.

“Why not just go back to the handbook,” said Benji Tan. Most students wish to go back to using the student handbook as our hall pass because it was a lot simpler.

OCTOBER 28,2021 OPIION

“I could look quickly and sign while I keep teaching,” said Mrs. Roth when talking about her experience with using the student handbook. ​ “I think it is beneficial for administrators for them to find kids and know who’s out and to be able to control the numbers of people who are in the bathroom at a time,” said Mrs. Roth.

While it might be beneficial for the administrators to decide how many students can be in the bathroom at once, for students it’s quite the opposite.

“They think that they can make the situation better by closing down and limiting the number of restrooms so that they can regulate it. However, the biggest consequence is that more people are trying to go to the same place and because of the limit less people can get to the same place,” said an anonymous Senior.

From previous school years, there used to be a lot more bathrooms in the school that were available for students to use. Now, most of those bathrooms are either closed or now reserved for teachers.

Unfortunately the freshmen and sophomores don’t know what it is like to be able to go to the bathroom or visit a teacher without creating an eHallpass.

“It used to be so simple to ask to go to the bathroom, now I have to go through multiple steps just to go to the bathroom,” said Senior Braden Swaim.

“We didn’t have it before, and I think it worked better that way,” said Senior Ella Rademaker.

“We didn’t have it before, and I think it worked better that way,” said Ella Rademaker.

Artistic or appropriation?

There is a diffference in artistic and appropiative costumes, the question is where does that line stand?

By:Teresa Foster

With Halloween just around the corner, people are putting their costumes together.

Costumes are a big deal, and everyone wants to be the best dressed when halloween night comes.

People think of all sorts of creative costumes, and some inappropriate ones. What costumes can be seen as appreciative and what costumes are deemed as appropriation.

First off, someone’s culture is not something to dress up as. That is who they are and their lifestyle, it is not something to wear as a costume.

“If your costume is offensive to someone’s culture or making fun of something, then you shouldn’t wear it.”

- Jacqueline Jose-Flores

A costume is something fun or scary, if you’re imitating something people can find offensive then get a different costume.

If an explanation is needed as to why a costume is funny because it’s ‘dark humor’ then It’s not a good costume.

Costumes that aren’t appropriate are Geisha’s, Native American attire, Mexican attire/ Dia de los muertos, ‘rasta’, bollywood, or blackface of any kind. An explination shouldn’t be need as to why these arent okay. These attire’s are people’s ethnic cultures NOT costumes to play dress up in.

There are certain costumes that are harder to distinguish whether they are appropriate or not, like some disney characters for example.

Now, dressing as a prince/ princess is different from wear-

ing something of that culture they come from. It’s a fine line between acharacter and culture. As an example, dressing as someone from moana, mulan, aladdin, pocahontas, etc.

These can be tough to decide whether it’s okay for a child to wear. Kids don’t understand cultural appropriation; they just want to dress like their favorite prince/ princess.

As an adult there is no excuse for wearing an inappropriate costume besides pure ignorance.

There are many other costumes that are not ethical to wear but not necessarily cultural appropriation.

Dressing as a homeless person, zombie version of someone who recently passed, trans/homophobic costumes, misoginistic costumes, Holocaust victim, or costumes that promote body shaming. Most of these named costumes are obvious to people that they shouldn’t wear them, but some people just don’t understand that some things just aren’t ethical to wear.

Edsel Quintana-Puente said “I like when people show our culture, when it’s used as a racial costume [then] it becomes a problem,” People of other cultures appreciate when others use or do things from their cultures,it is a way to unite. You an easily appreciate a culture without appropriating it by wearing a costume. If you have to question wether or not your costume is okay or not, hint hint, it’s not.

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OPINION OCTOBER 28, 2021

Gay Student Alliance Here at olathe South we need to make a better effort to make everyone feel equal and heard. Treat our peers as we want to be treated, the golden rule.

She / Her They / Them He / him

By:Teresa Foster

Pronouns are used in everyday conversation, so it is important to be intentional in the way we use gender pronouns towards others. This makes sure we all work together to create an inclusive and safe enviroment for everyone.

It is okay to not know every term or even understand what it’s all about. As long as people are willing to listen and learn when people tell others who they are, then it’s okay.

Some people may question, what even is a pronoun? A pronoun is the word used to refer to the people talking or a person being talked about.

Humans use pronouns unintentionally and to some of us they don’t seem like a big deal, but this is not the case.

Pronouns used towards us show how we indentify and how people identify us. Being called the wrong pronoun consistently can be very draining and insulting.

There is nothing wrong with not knowing someone’s pronoun , especially if you have called them something different for the period of time that you have known He/She/Them.

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It is important to create oppourtunities to share pronouns with people, so others know how to refer to them and vice versa. This crates a comfortable enviroment for everyone.

This takes practice.

Most people don’t even think twice about pronouns, so it can take some adjusting to get used to making this part of a normal routine. Always use someone’s preferred pronouns, and if a mistake is made apologize and correct it.

To respect the entire LGBTIQA+ community, an effort has to be made to understand the community.

Each letter has meaning behind it.

L stands for lesbian, G stands for gay, B stands for bisexual, T stands for trangender, I stands for intersex, Q stands for queer/questioning, A stands for asexual, and the + stands for all the other parts of the community that don’t have a letter such as non-binary and pansexual.

For someone who doesn’t know what they stand for, that can be very confusing. Be respectful of everyone, and it’s okay to ask questions. At our school everyone has the right to feel welcomed. This means understanding and loving one another for who they are. To ensure this, we can all keep in our hearts the golden rule to treat others the way you want to be treated. Wether you agree with something or not.

Pride is a lot more than being a part of the LGBTIQA+ community, but respecting everyone around you and taking pride of your true self no matter what. Be respectful and love yourself.

L G B T Q

OCTOBER 28, 2021 OPINION

ABOVE LEFT PHOTO BY James Neely ABOVE TOP PHOTO BY Audrey Stover ABOVE BOTTOM PHOTO BY Ava Meyerhoff LEFT PHOTO BY Jrodyn Napier

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PHOTO OCTOBER 28, 2021

TOP LEFT Sara Almon serves the ball at home on Sept. 28.

PHOTO BY Lydia Kline TOP Accompanied by her parents, senior Sydney Albers watches the remaining seniors being recognized during senior night on Oct. 14.

PHOTO BY Veronica Blalock RIGHT The student section throws neon powder at the beginning of the football game on Oct. 8 PHOTO BY Coral Netten

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OCTOBER 28, 2021 PHOTO

ABOVE Pointing her flag, senior Sarah Jenson performs during the Olathe marching festival on Oct. 9.

PHOTO BY Devon Schmidt LEFT Junior Skylar Gary hits the ball during regionals on Oct. 8.

PHOTO BY McKinzi Sowels

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SPORTS OCTOBER, 28 2021

NFL Trade Deadline is Approaching

NFL teams are making their final trades before the week 8 deadline approaching.

By Gavin McAferty The NFL trade deadline rolls around week 8 in the NFL, annually. It’s a time where teams feel the pressure of the deadline and go after players they need to make their team better. Following the deadline there are no more trades allowed until after the season concludes. In this article, teams will be scaled by how much they are in need of new players.

Although they have a new developing rookie quarterback under center, the New York Jets are still in need of help on the offensive side of the ball. The Jets are in desperation mode because they are tied for second in the AFC East and have the capital and players to get a good trade done. Marcus Maye, Safety, would be the perfect candidate to be traded as he is 28 years old. However, he is still at the top of the league in production, making him valuable to teams like the Ravens who lack depth there.

Another team that comes to mind are the Philadelphia Eagles. Howie Roseman, General Manager, has vastly struggled over the last few years and looks to put together a good team before he’s put on the hot seat. The hot seat is a term used to describe a manager, coach, or player that is underperforming and is viewed as a liability to the team.

The course of action would be to fire said manager or coach. Their cornerbacks could be appealing to their arch rival, the Dallas Cow

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boys. Although they have Trevon Diggs, they still seek help in their secondary because Anthony Brown isn’t cutting it. Both Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox are productive and would make a secondary substantially better.

A bit of a sleeper dark horse team prior to the trade deadline are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With aspirations to be back to back world champions, the lack of help in the secondary and defensive line. Both of those defensive positions have been ravaged by injuries. The team signed Richard Sherman in late September and had to throw him into the starting lineup. Formally on the 49ers where he showed out at such an

older age at cornerback. Arguably a top 5 corner at the time, it was to many peoples surprise to see him play horrifically and then go down with a hamstring injury.

Top cornerback Carlton Davis III is on injured reserve with a quad injury. Sean Murphy-Bunting is as well after dislocating his elbow in the season opener. As a result, it would not be

A team that shouldn’t come as a surprise is the Green Bay Packers. It appears this is Aaron Rodgers last year with the team. Given everything that happened over the offseason, Rodgers didn’t show up to OTAs and expressed his frustrations with the team. General Manager, Brian

Gutekunst, needs to move some pieces to get a better secondary.

Kevin King and Jaire Alexander can only do so much. The secondary may hold up against the NFC North but it will be a different story against the Los Angeles Rams or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The most intriguing rumor is a three team trade involving two young quarterbacks. “In regards to the #Texans closing in on a deal that would send Deshaun Watson to the Miami #Dolphins, I am hearing that it could be a three team deal that would send Tua Tagovailoa to the Washington Football Team.” Coty M. Davis announced on October 20th.

If Washington is involved, one would expect that they will send some kind of assets to the Texans

and receive Tua in return. Given the state of the quarterback position in Washington, Tua might be an upgrade at the position. Dolphins would get Deshaun Watson and a few other players I presume. Brian Flores, Head Coach for the Dol-

OCTOBER, 28 2021 SPORTS phins, who is arguably on the hot seat stated “I don’t really get into rumors, Tua is our quarterback” October 22nd. Who knows if that will hold up with a very tempting offer.

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SPORTS OCTOBER 28, 2021

Skylar Thompson overcomes careerthreatening injury By: Gavin McAferty

During week two of the season against Southern Illinois, starting quarterback for Kansas State, Skylar Thompson went down with a knee injury in his right knee. Many believed it was over for him, however he came back very quickly. In his sixth consecutive year with the team, Thompson intends to make the most of his opportunity and come back to make a strong campaign for NFL teams to draft him, due to it being his last year of eligibility.

Head Coach Chris Klieman got emotional after seeing his starting quarterback go down on the field. Klieman sprinted onto the field, dropped to his knees, wiped away tears and reacted as if Thompson was his own son.

He followed Thompson into the team’s sideline injury tent and checked up on him. Coach Klieman described the scenario as “deja vu”, referencing a similar injury last season. The injury bug tends to nip Thompson. To coach Klieman’s surprise, Thompson is back out on the field instead of being ruled out for the season. His knee injury is not believed to limit him. Backup 30 THE EYRIE

quarterback Will Howard will be on standby.

Thompson’s presence would’ve been missed. The seasonending shoulder injury in 2020 that forced him to miss the Wildcats’ final five games last season where they went 1-4. Although that wasn’t fully on Howard, considering the Wildcats’ defense allowed 40.6 points per game during that fivegame stretch. Their offense averaged 18 points per game during the losing streak. To show what Kansas State’s offense would’ve missed, in his 37 career games, the 6-foot-2, 223-pound dual-threat quarterback has completed 60 percent of his passes for 5,261 yards, 30 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He’s rushed for 1,116 yards and 24 more touchdowns. Thompson had a 165.3 quarterback rating last season. All of those statistics are above average.

On Tuesday, September 28th, K-State announced that Thompson could throw again but his playing depended on his capability to run. It was a big step in the right direction for Thompson, as he couldn’t do anything

Skylar Thompson dropping back to pass against Iowa State.

Photo taken by Scott Sewell of USA Today

OCTOBER 28, 2021 SPORTS more than walk with a brace on his right knee a week earlier when K-State hosted Nevada. Offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham also said Thompson was able to do some contact work during practices leading up to the Oklahoma game. Messingham has frustrated Wildcat fans with his conservative play calling this season and KState isn’t capable of playing from behind. So you can see how people were surprised to see their offense rolling during week 5 against Oklahoma. Where Thompson threw for 320 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to top the Oklahoma Sooners and they lost 37-31.

Although they lost, it was still an impressive showing for Thompson and the Wildcats as the Sooners were ranked 4th in the AP rankings. The Wildcats hoped to carry the momentum and good performance into week 7 against the Iowa State Cyclones. It’s always a big game when Kansas State and Iowa State face each other. They call this rivalry Farmageddon, and the games in this series usually come down to the very end. Iowa State took control of the game early on by leading off with a 80 yard touchdown on the first play by running back Breece Hall. Breece Hall’s name was called a lot throughout the night as he ran for 200 yards and

2 touchdowns which led to the inevitable Iowa State win. However, K-State didn’t get any help from the officiating crew as a pass interference call was missed in the endzone and changed the tempo of the game. Following this gut check of a game, it won’t get any easier for the Wildcats. They’ll be facing conference opponents from here on out, their only game considered easy is against the Kansas Jayhawks.

Although as long as Thompson is under center, the Wildcats have the ability to beat anybody.

Skylar Thompson’s impact off the field shouldn’t go unnoticed.

As Thompson has put together a brand named “Stronger Together” in honor of his mom, Teresa Lynn Thompson who lost her battle to Breast Cancer. “All proceeds will go back to the K-State Johnson Cancer Research Center during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” according to Thomson’s official webpage.

Skylar Thompson hugging Noah Johnson.

Taken by a photgrapher at the Kansas City Star.

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