the lance - St. Thomas Aquinas High School

October 2015
THE LANCE
Type
The Most
Loved Week
Allison Vernier
Advisors: Mrs. Faigley & Miss
Sara Konery
Staff: Andrew Addessi, Owen
Milnes, Gino Pellegrene, Eric
Baron, O’Neal Long, Jaret Knox,
Allison Vernier, and Hannah
Ohman
Featured in this Issue:
-The Civil Wars Band Review
-Cross Country Preview
-Interview with John Laubacher
-Conduct Cards at a Glance
-Homecoming Preview
The most loved week of the whole
school year could quite possibly be
Central Week. This is the week where
we show our school spirit. We show
that we are one hundred percent
behind our football team as they go
and take on the hated Crusaders.
Central Week was the week of
September 14th. The week started out
with an all school liturgy, showing that
our faith is going to give our team the
support they need to beat Central.
Tuesday the 15th started off with a
bang! It was Character Day. This is the
day that we showed Central just how
crazy the Knights can be! Everyone
dressed up as his/her favorite
character from a TV show, book,
movie, or play. We had everything
from Cupid to the Ninja Turtles.
Our student section cheering on our Knights
Photo Taken By: Maddie Brahler
Nicole McGervey, Mary Kate McHugh,
and Katie Hiestand celebrating character
day-Photo Taken By: Maddie Brahler
Wednesday the 16th was the all loved
Pajama Day! We put Central to sleep.
Everyone snuggled up in class in his/
her most comfortable pjs. Thursday the
16th was Black and Gold Day! IT WAS
GAME DAY!!!!! We showed Central
that we have more school spirit than
they do! Everyone was decked out in
that black and gold that we love so
much! We backed our Knights in battle
and let the cheers begin, celebrating
during our pep rally.
The football game was September
16th. At 7 o’clock at Sirpilla Stadium,
the Knights were ready to go into battle
against the Central Catholic Crusaders!
It was a bad night for the Knights! The
score was 39 to 0 with Central on top.
Better luck next year for the St.
Thomas Aquinas Knights. Despite the
loss, we still love our school, and more
so we still certainly love our knights!
Wrath of the Conduct Cards
By: Andrew Addessi
I
n a world plagued by improper sock length, students with water bottles, and unshaven
faces, one man has taken action against it all. That man is Mr. Stanek and his Conduct Cards.
The school is always susceptible to change each year, and one such change this year is the
new Conduct Cards. Introduced as a way to better the behavior levels at St. Thomas, the
Conduct Cards will help establish an organized system for penalties and behavior correction.
The Conduct Cards rely on a point system. For example, if a student were
caught cheating on a test, the student would lose fifteen points and be given a
card by the teacher, which the accused must sign or risk losing even more points.
The card will then be filed away in case of future reference. The reason for the
cards being put into place at all is to eliminate any confusion on punishments for
different rules being broken. However, if that student were to lose a minor five
points, the person would not have to fret; the Conduct Card does not affect GPA
and is only a pass or fail grade. If the student was to lose more than 35 points
though, the student would not be eligible to play sports for the coming seasons
until an understanding was reached or his/her behavior improved.
Conduct Cards can be given out for a number of reasons, including disorderly
conduct, profanity and violation of classroom rules. A new rule this year is the
reverting back to having cell phones turned off and in lockers. Due to it not being
listed under the list of infractions, it would fall under the Other category and, if
caught with a phone in class, usually results in it being taken away for the day.
Points on the Conduct Cards will be especially important for this
year’s Seniors as the quiet room in the library will only be accessible
to Seniors with a perfect one hundred points on their conduct grade.
However, the rules of the quiet room were recently changed. Now,
this perfect one hundred score will only apply to Senior girls, as they
are the only ones allowed in the room, due to an unfortunate
misdemeanor earlier this year. The rules of the school are always
susceptible to change, though, and the quiet room may yet be open
to everyone soon enough.
While St. Thomas remains an upstanding school, it is still a high
school and with that, naturally, comes misbehavior. Seeing that most
other schools in the area had similar systems in place, Mr. Stanek
fashioned his tools and armored up for the battle with misconduct,
breeding the Conduct Cards. How everything will play out is yet to be
seen, but until then, behave or else suffer the wrath of the Conduct
Card.
College Corner
By: Eric Baron
As the seniors are preparing to go on to college, they are faced with the tough choice of what
school to choose. It turns out that many fine schools are in our great state of Ohio, either public
or private.
Miami University is a public college located in Oxford,
Ohio. The school was founded in 1809 and
is named after the Miami tribe of Native
Americans. Miami has a liberal education
core with over 100 majors to choose from.
At the Oxford campus, there are over
17,000 students enrolled. In addition to
other Ohio campuses, Miami has a campus in Luxembourg that some students study for a
semester or a year at. The tuition for Miami is just over $13,500 for in-state students, but over
75% of students receive financial aid from scholarships and grants. Students with a 26 on the
ACT with a 3.5 GPA in high school are eligible to receive up to $2,000 a year in scholarships.
For any student interested in athletics, Miami is a Division 1 school with 8 men's and 10
women's teams. All around, Miami University sounds like a pretty good school.
Xavier University is a private school in Cincinnati, Ohio.
They are a Jesuit Catholic university founded in 1831. They
are a relatively small school with a student body of just under
5,000 students. Their students are very involved in service of
the local community, and the city really benefits from them.
Xavier has over 90 majors and a 12:1 student to faculty ratio.
The tuition is a little over $17,000 for undergraduate studies,
but a lot of financial aid is given out. They are also a Division 1 school athletically and have 18
sports teams. They have a good basketball program and have been seeded as high as 3rd in the
NCAA Tournament. Xavier sounds like a
small school with a lot of potential benefits.
More Roster Additions!?
By Jaret Knox
Q: Hobbies?
Every single year I have been at Saint
Thomas Aquinas, at least one new teacher has
been added to the mix each year, but this year
we have not one, but two new individuals: Mrs.
Botti, our new study hall monitor, and a new
religion teacher for the freshmen, Mr. Laughlin.
Below is the transpiring of my interviews with
our new teachers.
Q: What is your full name?
Botti: My full name is Kristine Ann Botti.
Laughlin: Mine is Zachary Laughlin.
Q: For how long have you been a
teacher?
Botti: I taught for 29 years, but was then out of
the classroom for 11 years while raising my
children. During that time I did private tutoring
and worked for Sylvan.
Laughlin: I have been a teacher for three
weeks, but I was also a student teacher.
Q: What’s your favorite TV show?
Botti: My favorite TV shows are “Castle” and
HGTV’s “Fixer Upper.”
Laughlin: My favorite TV show is Shark Tank
Q: Favorite Color?
Botti: My favorite color is periwinkle.
Laughlin: Mine is yellow.
Botti: My favorite hobbies would have to be
reading, crafts, and interior design.
Laughlin: I love biking, playing guitar,
farming, having bonfires, reading, and hanging
out with people.
Q: Do you help with any
extracurricular activities?
Botti: I do not at this time, but maybe in the
future.
Laughlin: I am not, but I can help anywhere
that I am needed! I ran track and played
football, and I could play guitar at mass.
Q: Any goals for this year?
Botti: This year, above all else I want to make a
positive difference in someone’s life.
Laughlin: My goal is to make Christ more
present in my students’ lives.
Another year, another wave of additions to
the Aquinas roster. From what I can gather
from the interviews, both are very nice and
friendly; the responses I received from these
teachers seem to show things are headed in a
very positive direction both for the teachers and
the school as a whole. With the help of these
two bright, new teachers, it’s looking to be
another great year for Saint Thomas Aquinas.
It’s Service Time!
​O’Neal Long
It is that time of the year again for everyone. Now if you're a new incoming freshman or
a slam-packed senior, you need service hours! Well luckily ​The Lance​ can help!
● 1st Assembly of God
-­​Where​: 1921 West Main Street Louisville, OH 44641
-​When​: First Thursday of every month
-​What You Would Do​: Help serve and/or make meals to give to others. They usually serve 90-100
people, so they need some help!
● Stable Solutions
-​Where​: 12381 Easton Street Alliance, OH 44601
-​When​: Time will vary
-​What You Would Do​: Help the physically or mentally disabled ride horses, clean out stalls,
help out in the office, or anything they need help with that day
-​Contact Information​: 330-733-3132
● Men Who Cook
-​Background Information​: Local cooks gather together and have a little “cook off” and people will taste
test the food. All the money from the ticket buyers will all go to charity
-​Where​: Talk to Mrs. May for more details!
-​When​: November 7th from around 5:30-8 PM
-​What You Would Do​: You would bus tables and clean them up after the people are done. You
are supposed to wear your uniform top with khakis. Talk to Mrs. May please, only
around 10 people are needed for this
● Emmaus House
-​Where​: Right behind St.Thomas Aquinas
-​When​: On Tuesdays and Thursdays during your study hall
-​What You Would Do​: Helping out the retired priests and just keeping them
company
*Please talk to Mrs. May if you plan on doing this! You need a permission slip from her
●
Soup and Bread Sale
​
-Where and When​: Talk to Mrs. May for more details
-What Would You Do​: You would help make the soup and bread and also be serving it
​As always, you are welcome to go to Mrs. May about more information on these service
opportunities. There are always new opportunities coming and going, so please stop by Campus
Ministry to check them out!
Homecoming Preview
Allison Vernier
It’s that time of year again. The big
The Homecoming dance is the following
homecoming game, and the dance that
night, October 17th. Tickets for the dance
everyone looks forward to is right around
will be sold in advance during 5th and 6th
the corner. Who will the King, Queen, and
their court be this 2015 season?
Juniors and Seniors will get a chance to
lunch mods. The cost for a single ticket is
fifteen dollars and thirty dollars for a
couple. The proceeds made from the dance
vote for the students they want to be on the
will be divided amongst the four classes. This
Homecoming Court. The voting will take
money goes towards future dances, like
place the week of October 5th. The rally,
prom. The theme for the dance is Halloween.
where the king and queen and their court is
The colors that you will see decorating the
announced, will be on October 13th. Who will
gym are purple, orange and black, your
represent our school as the royal court?
basic Halloween colors. At the dance, like
The big homecoming game is against
last year, there will be a photo booth, which
Cleveland Central Catholic. The game begins
lets you take funny pictures with your
at seven o’clock on October 16th. At the
friends.
game, the King and Queen and their court
This year’s homecoming festivities
will be crowned. Come out and support the
should be a lot of fun. Make sure you buy
Knights.
your tickets ahead of time and join us all
out on the dance floor.
Band Review: The Civil Wars
The Civil Wars are the talented duo
of Joy Williams and John Paul White.
Two of my favorite
albums are
White and Williams formed the band in
Barton Hollows and
forgotten years of music. Sadly, they
songs are so
2008 and began refurbishing the
broke up the band in August 2014 and
will not be producing any more music
The Civil Wars. The
thoughtfully done and
crafted with meaningful words that no
together, but their music is still
one can resist listening to them! Instead
their old American folk style and a bit of
the songs flow together and fill your
beautifully worked and thought out. With
Indie folk twist, it is not like the “normal”
music of the upbeat world.
of just meaningless and random lyrics,
mind with an antique melody! If you are
looking for a new and different type of
music, I would say The Civil Wars are a
good choice!
The Civil Wars’ album cover The Civil Wars
The Civil Wars’ members Joy Williams
and John Paul White
Fight Club​ by Chuck Palahniuk A Book Review by Owen Milnes Chuck Palahniuk’s ​Fight Club ​is considered a modern classic, and for good reason. The book chronicles an unnamed protagonist who battles with insomnia, but alas his doctor does not believe that having insomnia is a form of suffering so the protagonist finds relief in impersonating a terminally ill person and attending support groups. He then meets a peculiar man by the name of Tyler Durden who is by all means an extremist in everywhere. Together the two form an underground, illegal Fight Club to serve as a strange form of therapy for insomnia as well as any other problems that people need to deal with. Eventually the club starts expanding nationwide, into a project that Tyler likes to call Project Mayhem. Palahniuk’s ​Fight Club ​is a masterpiece. The story is highly original and the characters are tangible. The narrator portrays the typical everyman, and Tyler, the dark side beneath every man. It is a modern day Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it works quite well. The writing style is unconventional but it works quite well for the story seeing as it is told from the point of view of an insomniac. This book earns a 4 / 5 for the writing style due to some vagueness that occurs throughout crucial moments, and a 5 / 5 on the actual story for containing a unique plot, interesting characters, and as well as for being a breath of fresh air from the teenage dystopian love trilogies that plague modern literature. Summer is always a time of enormous titles, all vying for
moviegoers attention. Age of Ultron fought and Shaun
the Sheep leapt into this month’s review. Now we’re...
The Avengers: Age of Ultron
By: Andrew Addessi
Long ago in an ancient era, in the distant year
of 2008, Iron Man came to theaters, and this film,
unbeknownst to many, would spark a franchise
that is still going today. Avengers: Age of Ultron
has been the latest Avengers film to grace movie
theaters across the nation. With the returning cast
and some new super heroes joining the fray,
Marvel relentlessly dominates the movies once
again. While it was a tough task to live up to the
bar that the first Avengers film set, the newest
installment proved to stretch fairly close to it.
We find, Tony Stark, still traumatized after the
first Avengers, and he is is seen constructing a
machine that could help to protect humanity from
the threat of another alien invasion. Of course, this
robot is not content being the puppet of humans
and wishes to be the puppet master. So begins the
nearly frantic, non-stop battles for the remainder of
the film. The movies are beginning to reach a point
where if you have not seen the previous movies in
the franchise, you will be lost in the newer film.
With newcomers like Quicksilver and Scarlet
Witch, a few of the characters are left with not
enough to do and are only there for the fights.
However, quotes from Ultron, Biblical in reference,
draw forth interesting metaphors, adding an
uncommon depth to the usual super hero clash.
The audience is able to look into the heroes’ minds
and psyches without straying into unnecessary
emotional baggage.
Yes, Marvel’s cinematic universe is still cranking
out movies faster than the Flash and are showing
no signs of slowing
down. Age of Ultron,
while it has room for
improvement, carries
on the traditional
level of films that we
have come to
expect. Ultron claims
victory over a solid
7/10.
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Disney’s Wall-E has been said to be a film of
few words. Shaun the Sheep, however, is a film
with absolutely no words. Aardman has done such
an impressive job at keeping the art of claymation
alive in the film industry with movies such as
Wallace & Gromit and Flushed Away. Their latest
film boasts charming characters and a colorful
adventure for a simple sheep by the name of
Shaun.
Shaun and his flock endure the mundane
routine of living on a farm day after day…that is
until Shaun devises a plan for a day off. However,
this plan quickly unravels as the farmer ends up
accidently being transported to the city and
suffering from amnesia. In a series of
misadventures, Shaun does everything he can to
get everyone back to the farm. Seemingly like an
extended short film, Shaun the Sheep is never
boring or lacking in its humor. Of course, the plot of
the film is not the strongest, but it simply did not
have to be for a film like this. It is a fun movie to
watch with friends, family, and anyone really. In
their own quirky genre, Aardman produced a
surprisingly well done movie.
Some people rush to the
theater for action packed
films like Taken; others run
there for horrors, while
others flock to the theater
for films like Shaun the
Sheep. The adorable film
offers an hour and a half of
pure fun. This film has a
close shave with a 7/10.
Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation
Review
By: Jaret Knox
(Warning: article contains potential spoilers)
Tom Cruise, or should I say Ethan
Hunt, is back in full force in yet another
Mission: Impossible movie! And this time,
Hunt will have only the support of his closest
friends to back him against his most powerful
enemy yet, known only as the Syndicate!
The movie, as with all Mission:
Impossible movies, is chock full of action
from beginning to end. There are large
amounts of fight scenes where Ethan and his
new, perhaps double-agent partner, Ilsa Faust,
fight off countless enemies using either their
fists or their firepower. There is even a scene
where Ethan hijacks a nuclear plane by
himself- from the outside of the plane! I give
this movie an easy 10/10 scoring in the action
section.
Since this is not a horror movie, I
cannot give a rating on how scary it is, but
there are great moments of suspense perfectly
blended into the action of the movie. This is
best portrayed in a scene where the British
Prime Minister is in mortal danger from the
Syndicate, and Ethan has to choose between
two gunmen aiming to assassinate the Prime
Minister in a theatre. There is also a scene
where Ethan nearly dies, and the world is put
in great danger, but I will not spoil any more
of the movie than that. In suspense, I give the
movie an 8/10 for not having major suspense
throughout but having some great scenes that
will have you on the edge of your seat.
Finally, we are brought to its spy
rating, also known as how well Mission:
Impossible did its job in terms of living up to
the spy movie label. In terms of combat,
Mission: Impossible was flawless; with many
scenes where Ethan uses the art of stealth to
many more scenes where he has to resort to
his ninja moves, the fighting and stealth are
prevalent themes throughout. But do not
forget that all spy movies use high tech
equipment and random gadgets to get through
their missions; Mission: Impossible does a
sub-par job of this. As always, Benji carries
around his high tech laptop he uses to talk to
Ethan and hack enemy systems with, but that
is about it in terms of high tech gadgets used.
Ethan does not really need them anyways,
since he is an unstoppable spy warrior, but I
would have liked to see more from the
technology side. So, all in all, I give the
movie a spy rating of 8.5/10 for great spy
moments but not enough crazy gadgets to use
on the bad guys.
Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation is
a fantastic movie that needs to be seen by all.
With good moments of suspense, stealth, and
over-the-top action, I give this movie a final
rating of 9/10. The movie is a must-see for
the 2015 year and most likely one of the best
box office movies as well, and is yet another
hit addition to Tom Cruise’s already fantastic
track record.
The Inner Machinations of John Laubacher
A Senior Spotlight by Owen Milnes We’ve all seen him, running shirtless in twenty­degree weather, clad in nothing but sunglasses and short­shorts. We’ve seen the sweat stains he leaves behinds as he bounces his pectoralis majors. We’ve heard his booming roar when he sometimes screams for no apparent reason. But the question remains, who is John Laubacher? Q: What is the biggest accomplishment of your life and why? A: “My biggest accomplishment is running at the state track meet because it was an amazing experience that I had worked very hard for and dreamed about.” Q: I understand you were Junior class president last year, why did you decide to run and how would you describe your regime? A: “I ran mainly just to annoy my classmates who also wanted to win. I accomplished my goal but then had a regime that accomplished very little that helped the student body.” Q: You are the captain of the Cross Country​
​
team, under your reign the team has flourished. What has been the method to your madness? A: “When I took control of the team back in early 2014, we were struggling. We were a young team, but I had dreams of us being state champs! I encouraged others to run, and when that failed, I used force. I also believe that I and my teammate and beloved friend Jacob C [Jacob Caniford] inspired others to run with our success.” Q:What would you like to do after high school? A: “I would like to go to college and pursue a career in sports medicine. If that fails piracy is my next option.” Q: What is your biggest goal that you have not yet met in high school? A: “My biggest goal that I have not yet met is winning a state title! But this is the year!” Q:Who is the most inspirational person in your life and why? A: “My father, the Hammer of Christ, has long been my role model because he is a great man who helps others and is intimidating. And Jack Sparrow because he is cool.” Q: What is your favorite class this year? What is your favorite class of all four years combined at STA? A: “My favorite class this year is Honors Religion because it probes my brain and causes me to think. My favorite class in high school has been AP U.S. History with Mr. Doenges. It was an amazing experience.” Q: Who is your best friend? A: “My best friend is David Laubacher or Edward Walsh. They are both outstanding individuals.” Q: What is your favorite race to run in and why? A: “My favorite race is the 800 because you need speed but also endurance and because it’s very hard to run. But the 4x400 is also a favorite.” Q: What is your best running memory and why? A: “My best running memory is the 2015 regional 4x400 when our team qualified for state. This is my best memory because we weren’t sure if we were going to make it, and it was such an intense race.” Q:Why are your pecs so big? A: “I do a lot of push­ups so I can front people.” John Laubacher is much more than that weird shirtless kid that captains a bunch of other weird shirtless kids, he is an astute student, a compassionate and loyal friend, and a hard worker. Soccer Spotlight
By: Eric Baron
The boys soccer season season started recently and they are off to a great 7-1 loss start. This is thanks in part
to the contributions of new addition junior, Harris Knowles. He recently had a hat trick in a game against
Alliance. Harris formerly played for the US Development Soccer Academy which develops players for the US
national team. He played among some of the best players in his age group, and it helped him improve
enormously. I got a chance to talk with him about how the STA soccer season is going so far.
Q: How does playing at STA compare to your other playing experiences?
A: “Playing for STA gives a much more exciting feeling than anywhere else because of the stadium feeling
and crowd.”
Q: How has playing for the Academy prepared you to play at STA?
A: “It has helped me to become a better player”
Q: Do you prefer playing at STA more than elsewhere?
A: “Yes, because it enabled me to get a stable group of friends.”
Q: How difficult is it to play soccer and football at the same time?
A: “It is somewhat fatiguing, but as long as I don’t focus on the fatigue, I
don’t really notice.”
Q: How many goals do you want to score this season?
A: “I will score as many as I can.”
Q: Will you continue to play at STA next year?
A: “I will, so I can continue to have the social aspect of high school play.”
Q: How do you think the team will do this season?
A: “I think we will make it to state.”
Harris is only one of the many talented player on the St. Thomas soccer team. With a total team effort, the
team looks to go very far with their success this year.
Aquinas Golf
By: Gino Pellegrene
Fore! Golf season is back and in
full swing. Former STA players join
the new team members with high
aspirations to move past district level
and onto state. The team played
seven 18-hole tournaments, which
started in early August, followed by
nine matches.
Match play is different because
it involves head-to-head competition
against another team in a 9-hole
round. Currently, the varsity team
has an overall record of (3-4). Head
coach Mr. Murphy, also a religion
teacher at STA, has led three
consecutive state runs in ’10, ’11 and
‘12. After questioning him about
this season, he replied, “We are
working hard to lower the scores.
Our goal is to beat JFK. Last
tournament we lost by five strokes to
them. To go to state we must beat
them.” Mr. Murphy’s prosperity in the
past does not guarantee success in
this season, which he elucidated.
The team mustered ten new
players this season, along with three
returning lettermen: seniors,
Chandler Kraft and Gino Pellegrene
and junior, Logan Newman. The new
players include juniors: Jaret Knox,
Cathy Moeglin and Drew Duplin;
sophomores: Katie Hiestand, JP
Dimarzio and Ben Crawford; and
freshmen: Colton Smith, Ben Pavlica,
Mark Wucinich and Ethan Hawkins.
Last Wednesday, Aquinas
participated in the NCL
Championship. The team won by an
impressive 13 strokes defeating JFK,
along with four other schools.
Leading the Knights was Chandler
Kraft with an imposing 79. Chandler
Kraft and Logan Newman were later
named 1st team all league.
STA Cross Country State Bound
By: Hannah Ohman
In June, 2015, the Girl’s STA Track team took the Division III state title. Now the girls are
hungry for another title in cross country. The varsity team consists of: Athena Welsh, Kalee
Soehnlen, Kacee Soehnlen, Hannah Soehnlen, Hannah Ohman, Natalie Vinci, and Emma
Pusateri. JV runners include: Elena Eimer, Liz Wheeler, Brooke Shaffer, Quinn Lamp, and
Caroline Popa. Team members gave great insight into how the team may compete for
another state title.
Senior, Athena Welsh, was asked “Do you think the team is ready for the state meet?”
She responded by saying “We are, but I think we need these last months of training and
the work to get there.” She was also asked, “What are your hopes of accomplishing this
year regarding your times and placement?” Athena stated, “I definitely want to run under
18 minutes, and I want the team to go and win states.”
Junior, Kalee Soehnlen, was asked, “What advice can you give to the underclassmen?”
Kalee stated, “Never put your head down even if you have a bad race. Everybody has a
bad race. Just push through it.” Twin sister, Kacee Soehnlen, was asked, “What motivates
you to move forward?” Kacee smiled and said, “I guess it is my team, cause if they weren’t
nice and cool to hang around I wouldn’t enjoy it.”
Senior, Emma Pusateri, was interviewed and asked, “To what do you owe your
success?” Emma sincerely stated, “My teammates, because we share the same goal and
also my parents because they have shown me success throughout life.”
Coach Eldon Jones was questioned, “How do you feel about this season?” He smiled
and stated, “I think we are ready to make a lot of noise at States.” He was also asked,
“What are the goals you hope to achieve this year?” Coach Jones replied, “I got a training
plan and we are only in the beginning stages, and it will progressively get harder as we
get ready for states.” Mr. Jones was also asked, “What are your hopes of accomplishing
this year with the team?” Coach Jones stated, “To be at the top of the podium, and for
everyone to run their best.”
It is my opinion that the STA Girls Cross Country team is one of the best in the state. I
believe our team can win states with hard work and dedication. Every member of the
team consistently commented on teamwork and teammates. The common goal is to win
states together as a team, and, I believe we all have the heart to reach this goal.
Girls take 1st place at Boardman Invitational The Road To A State Title (Part One) By Owen Milnes On a cold November 1, 2014, the STA Boys’ Cross Country team made their first state appearance since the golden age of runners such as Tony Migliozzi and Nate Addessi. To say the performance was a let down was an understatement. The boys got fifth out of sixteen teams and did not meet their goal of making it into the top 4, all of them running considerably slower times than what they were expecting. This year however is a different story. The boys team is currently ranked number 2 in the state, right behind returning State Champions Maplewood. Besides Maplewood, the Knights have no other competition in the division which is a complete change from last year. The St. Thomas Knights and the Maplewood Rockets have competed against one another twice thus far, with both times Maplewood eeking out a small margin of a victory. They will meet one more time before State at the Regional Meet and then the next week, at the State Meet. The Boys have been hard at work this past winter, training in highly inclimate weather and the improvement has shown greatly as shown in the table below as Runners 8 and 9 would make varsity on any other D3 team, and runners 8 through 12 would all be front runners at Canton Central Catholic. Spot on the Team: 1 5 6 Runner: Jacob Ed C. W. David L. John L. Justis P. Zach R. Owen M. Preseason Invite: 16:50 17:52 18:13 18:27 18:13 18:15 18:18 19:05 18:55 Glenoak Golden Eagle Invitational: 16:04 16:44 17:06 17:08 17:08 17:09 17:15 17:43 18:13 Newcomerstown Invitational: 16:24 17:14 17:18 17:52 17:45 17:30 17:40 19:35 18:29 Tiffin Cross Country Carnival: 15:59 16:32 DNR 17:18 17:14 17:13 17:55 17:45 18:01 Boardman Spartan Invitational: 16:30 16:42 17:02 17:59 17:22 17:35 17:40 18:05 18:25 2 3 4 Jacob Andrew A. P. 7 8 9 Because of these illustrious times, many believe that the Knights are on their way to a state championship victory, the first since 2007. The Knights have either won or got second in all of their meets, losing only to number one ranked Maplewood. In fact, the JV team has done quite well also, with part­time varsity runners Zach Richards and Owen Milnes placing first and second respectively in the Tiffin Open Race followed by Johnathan Kungle in fourth, Brian Patterson in fifth, and Eric Baron in sixth. These five rounded off the JV team score of 15 which is also known as a perfect score. Here are the JV times: Spot on the Team: 10 11 12 13 14 15 Runner: Johnathan K. Brian P. Eric B. Jonny P. Joseph L. Trey N. Trevor Y. Preseason Invite: 19:34 20:19 20:05 22:02 22:56 22:12 22:26 Glenoak Golden Eagle Invitational: 18:45 18:30 18:56 20:34 DNR 20:42 20:50 Newcomerstown Invitational: 19:42 19:20 DNR 20:31 20:52 DNR 20:42 Tiffin Cross 18:11 Country Carnival: 18:12 18:29 19:54 20:00 20:27 20:35 Boardman Spartan Invitational: 19:00 19:06 19:57 19:56 DNR 20:27 18:50 16 KNIGHTS FOOTBALL
By: Gino Pellegrene
America’s favorite sport has
returned! The Aquinas Knights start
the season with a total record of 2-3.
With wins over Elyria Catholic and
Minerva, and losses to Marlington,
Canton Central Catholic and
Crestwood, the Knights must put in a
laborious effort to make the playoffs.
St. Thomas Aquinas football is
Aquinas took on Canton Central
Catholic in game four with a home
led by new head coach Badre
field advantage. Last year Central
Bardawil, along with new sophomore
Catholic prevailed over the Knights in a
quarterback Jarryd Palek. Seniors for
mortifying 37-6 defeat. This year was
the Knights include: Trenton Davis,
identical with a final score of Central
Patrick McCarthy, Mason Deem, Joey
39-0.
Grosswiller, Rob Kostiuk, Carlos
Howell, Tommy McCauley, Andrew
Zellers and Christopher Doane.
The Knight’s home game against
Crestwood was last Friday, September
25. They led the game early, and the
Knights could not catch them.
Game Finals:
@Elyria Catholic 24-22 (W)
Minerva 30-7 (W)
@Marlington 24-7 (L)
Canton Central Catholic 39-0 (L)
Crestwood 39-13 (L)
The game this Friday, October
2, is away at Trinity High School.
Aquinas looks to bounce back from
their three game losing streak. Trinity is
3-2 and won their last two games. The
Knights need this win to acquire a .500
average record.