Category Archives: Sports

Highland basketball tryouts

By: Jafar Abdi

Basketball season is here! With the excitement of the sport also comes teams and tryouts. Here at Highland, we have 3 different teams for you to play on: B-Squad (also known as C-Squad), JV (Junior Varsity), and Varsity.

According to Stack.com, “Feeling nervous before basketball tryouts is completely normal. Some of those nerves typically stem from fear of the unknown. When you don’t know what’s going to happen at a basketball tryout, it can be difficult to feel confident and prepared.” But what’s important is that you play hard and work even harder. Now here is what to expect.

Tryouts were November 20th-22nd, with the C-Squad trying out at 3-5PM and the other teams trying out at 5-7PM. There were a lot of basic offensive drills like either handed layups but there was also some defense like sliding/shuffling.

There was also around 30 players trying out, and the coach would most likely choose around 12-15. Players who already played for the C-Squad last year wouldn’t be chosen by the coach to play again, so good luck to them on the higher squads!

On top of regular drills, there was lots of conditioning with the coach having players doing “suicides” which is running up and down the court multiple times at a sprint.

Besides the actual content of the tryouts the actual players would be mostly freshman, seeing as the upperclassmen were trying out for the higher squads. Not to say that a sophomore or junior couldn’t participate in C-Squad tryouts, but that there were not that many people that age.

The coach would be looking for players who could be a leader on the court, with good sportsmanship, and were hard working, so you needed to make sure to give it your all.

The 1st game of the season was on Tuesday, Dec 5th, with Varsity and JV losing and C-Squad winning. All-in-all, basketball is a great sport to play, and it’s an even better feeling when you can play for your school. I wish everyone good luck and hopefully they have a good season!

Sports schedule for: Dec 18-23

  ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: DECEMBER 18 – DECEMBER 23  
MONDAYDECEMBER 18 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
TUESDAYDECEMBER 19
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:15pm / 4:15pm  6:00pm Boys Basketball vs. Holy AngelsHOME
5:30pm / 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. South St. PaulDoug Woog Arena
WEDNESDAYDECEMBER 20
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:15pm / 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. Christ’s Household of FaithHOME
5:00pm Wrestling Triangular vs. Edina / RosevilleHOME
5:00pm / 7:00pmJV: 3:30pm V: 4:45pm | 9:15pmBoys Hockey vs. Spring Lake ParkFogerty Arena
7:00pm5:00pm | 8:30pmBoys Swimming vs. CentralHumboldt High School
THURSDAYDECEMBER 21
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:45pm2:20pm | 5:15pmNordic Ski Race – ClassicBattle Creek
FRIDAYDECEMBER 22
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
SATURDAYDECEMBER 23
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    

Sports schedule for: Dec 11-16

  ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: DECEMBER 11 – DECEMBER 16  
MONDAYDECEMBER 11 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm Girls Basketball vs. Recording ArtsHOME
TUESDAYDECEMBER 12
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm / 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. Hill-MurrayPolar Arena
WEDNESDAYDECEMBER 13
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm Wrestling Triangular vs. Washington / TartanHOME
5:30pm / 7:00pm4:15pm | 8:30pmGirls Basketball vs. MPLS SouthwestSouthwest High School
THURSDAYDECEMBER 14
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:45pm2:10pm | 5:15pmNordic Ski Race ClassicElm Creek
4:00pm / 5:15pm 7:00pmJV/C: 3:15pm V: 5:45pm | 8:30pmBoys Basketball vs. Two RiversTwo Rivers High School
5:00pm / 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. SimleyCharles M. Schulz Highland Arena
FRIDAYDECEMBER 15
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:30pm3:15pm | 7:00pmBoys Swimming vs. Humboldt/WashingtonHumboldt High School
5:00pm / 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. SimleyWSP Ice Arena
SATURDAYDECEMBER 16
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am7:00am | 5:00pmWrestling InvitationalTrinity School at River Ridge
B – 10:15am JV – 2:00pm V – 6:00pm Boys Basketball vs. CooperHigh School for Recording Arts
1:00pm / 3:00pm Boys Hockey vs. River FallsCharles M. Schulz Highland Arena

Sports schedule for: Dec 4-9

  ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: DECEMBER 4 – DECEMBER 9  
MONDAYDECEMBER 4 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:10pm JV Girls Hockey vs. South St. PaulDoug Woog Arena
TUESDAYDECEMBER 5
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:00pm / 5:30pm 7:00pmJV/C: 3:15pm V: 5:45pm | 8:30pmBoys Basketball vs. MPLS SouthSouth High School
5:00pm / 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. Moose LakeRiverside Ice Arena
WEDNESDAYDECEMBER 6
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:45pm2:10pm | 5:15pmNordic Ski Race – SkateBloomington Hyland
4:30pm / 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. Two RiversHOME
5:00pm / 7:00pmJV: 3:30pm V: 5:00pm | 9:00pmBoys Hockey vs. South St. PaulDoug Woog Arena
5:00pm / 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. HastingsWSP Ice Arena
6:00pm Gymnastics vs. JohnsonHOME
THURSDAYDECEMBER 7
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:30pm / 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. SPAHOME
5:00pm4:00pm | 7:00pmWrestling vs. CentralCentral High School
FRIDAYDECEMBER 8
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:00pm / 5:30pm 7:00pmJV/C: 3:15pm V: 5:45pm | 8:30pmBoys Basketball vs. Hill-MurrayHill-Murray
5:00pm / 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. Dodge CountyWSP Ice Arena
5:00pm3:30pm | 7:00pmBoys Swimming Conference PreviewHumboldt High School
SATURDAYDECEMBER 9
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
 6:30am | 5:00pmWrestling InvitationalMaple Grove High School
1:00pm / 3:00pm10:45am | 5:15pmBoys Hockey vs. Rochester LourdesGraham Arena

Scots vs Mankato East

By: M. Ahmadad

An unfortunate loss occurred for Scots Hockey on November 24th, their first official game being held at the Tria Ice Rink the day after Thanksgiving, against Mankato East. The match started of with both teams having close shots on net, until Scots Hockey had the first goal. They then had a second goal from player #6, Mustafa “Moose” Ahmadad, a defenseman. He was also the first player to be put into the penalty box at the very start of the game.

With the Scots up 2-0, the parents of Mustafa’s teammates were patting his mother on her back and laughing. But the confidence did not last long as the other team began playing more aggressively, getting one goal in, and then another, tying the score until they were up one: 2-3.

In the final minutes of the 3rd period, Scots Hockey chose to pull their goalie and go full offense on the rival teams’ end, but this only lead to Mankato managing another far-stretch shot, that didn’t really even look that cool or surprising, but the other team went crazy over it anyways.

After the game, I asked my brother for his thoughts, because I was pretty sure I was supposed to find a recent personal news story for my current events class.

“I mean I’m pretty chill ‘cause I got my first goal of the season, and I wanna get put on offense instead of defense, so I mean…next game I bet I’m gonna get another,” he said before going to eat food. He was relatively happy over his own shot, but didn’t talk about the ending score.

My mom was also quite satisfied that Mustafa started off strong, but more worried about a minor ankle injury he received. My dad also feels similarly, though my younger siblings find the loss very funny because of how the Scots took the lead quite well before getting lapped in points.

They did win against Baldwin on November 28th, 2-0, so that’s nice. You can watch a livestream of the game at: https://www.meridix.com/event/240246

Best winter sports

By: Brennan McMahon

Winter is the best season in a lot of people’s eyes and there are a lot of sports that you can only play in the winter. For most people this is a time to gear up and get ready to have some fun.

#1 Hockey

Hockey is undoubtedly one of the most popular in America and Canada, and it is also starting to grow in other countries as well. While this sport can be played indoors in the summer I still feel that it deserves a spot on this list because anyone can throw on a pair of skates, grab a stick and go play at a local outdoor rink that are all over the place in many cities. Hockey is a high speed sport with high contact levels, but everyone is playing with blades on their feet and on a thick layer of ice. You can also shovel off the snow on a local pond or lake and play there. The goal of the game is to score a rubber disk into the opposing team’s net while they are trying to stop you. The Scot’s hockey season is just starting, so cheer on our teams at future home games.

#2 Skiing

Whether you do downhill or cross-country everyone involved loves skiing. This is a super fun sport that is bound to make you love the snow even more. Downhill skiing is when a machine takes you to the top of the hill and you use gravity to pull you all the way back to the bottom. Cross-country skiing is when you use poles to move you forward on a course. Both of these sports are popular sports with racing teams and just families having fun. The Scot’s cross country skiing team is just starting sign-up if you want to join.

#3 Sledding

Sledding is not really an organized sport, but it has a spot on this list just because of the sheer number of people that go sledding each year. You can’t drive past any hill in the winter and not see a dozen kids having fun sledding down the hill.

Why soccer is better than American football

By: Alexander Martinez Martinez

St. Paul, Allianz field Highland vs Central

Both soccer and American football are great sports but I think soccer is better. I think American football has more complicated rules; in soccer there’s many rules but they are easy to understand. In football the game stops a lot because of the downs and time outs during the games. Soccer also stops for free kicks, penalty’s, and fouls but they aren’t as frequent and don’t take as long to do compared to American football.

There’s nothing much you need to know about soccer to play or watch as it’s a very simple game. All you need is a ball and a few friends; you can play anywhere and anytime. There’s no complicated rules or special equipment you need.

In American football it is played in four 15 minute halves which I think is just a waste of time and should be played in longer halves like in soccer. In soccer, one game is 90 minutes (1 hour and a half) where it’s separated into two 45 minute halves. Some of the wasted time from fouls, free kicks and penalty decisions are added to the end of the halves.

Nothing is too predictable in a soccer match as one tiny mistake from either team could really change the flow of the game. There’s no breaks or timeouts which makes it a fast paced game that keeps the excitement high when both watching and playing.

A big difference between American football and soccer is the amount of people watching the sport. American football has around 390-410 million fans worldwide while soccer has around 3.5 billion worldwide, making it one of the most watched sports in the world.

An event in soccer that really shows what it is about is the World Cup. It’s where players from all over the world play for their countries’ international teams. and battle it out on the field to determine the world champion. This sport is not just about the great goals and skills performed by the players but about bringing many people together as it is loved by billions of people.

It always brings joy whether you’re playing or watching this sport. They are both really enjoyable and great to watch but I prefer the fast skillful and continuous gameplay of soccer. These are some of the many reasons why I think soccer is a better sport than American football.

Sports schedule for: Nov 27-Dec 2

ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: NOVEMBER 27 – DECEMBER 2  
MONDAYNOVEMBER 27 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
  Boys Swimming Begins 
TUESDAYNOVEMBER 28
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm / 7:00pm Girls Hockey vs. MinneapolisWSP Ice Arena
5:00pm / 7:00pmJV: 2:00pm V: 3:15pm | 7:30pmBoys Hockey vs. BaldwinUnited Civic Center Ice Arena
WEDNESDAYNOVEMBER 29
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
 2:10pm | 5:15pmNordic SkiElm Creek Park Reserve
5:30pm / 7:00pm Girls Basketball vs. SPASt. Paul Academy
THURSDAYNOVEMBER 30
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
FRIDAYDECEMBER 1
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. HiawathaHOME
6:00pm Gymnastics Conference PreviewHOME
SATURDAYDECEMBER 2
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
10:00am Wrestling InvitationalRush City High School
1:00pm / 3:00pmJV: 11:30am V: 1:00pm | 5:15pmBoys Hockey vs. HopkinsHopkins Pavilion

Best places to play basketball around the St. Paul area

By: Jafar Abdi

Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the country, with this fame comes the creation of many different places to play basketball. Whether it be an outdoor park or a gym there are many different places to play this sport. But which ones are the best? Let’s get into it!

#1 YMCA Midway: The Y is a gym franchise found all over the country with many different locations. It usually contains a pool, weight-lifting area, a basketball court, and many other places to get active. The YMCA I will be talking about is the Midway location. The gym is on the upper floor and is only 1 court, it has 2 rims and many benches dotted around the floor. The hoops are single rim, but regulation size and height. It’s open from 7 AM-5 PM on the weekends but 5 AM-9 PM on the weekdays. It isn’t usually too packed during the school year, but with the addition of summer memberships, it can get filled with younger kids during the break. It earns 7/10 from me.

#2 YMCA East-Side: The YMCA gets featured again? Yes, and I am here to review it. The YMCA has multiple locations around the area so I am going to do it again. I’ve already gone through the motions and you must know what the Y is about, so let’s actually review the court. The hours are the same as the Midway location, but the court is different. It has 6 rims: the 2 regulation ones and 2 more 9ft rims on either side. The traffic is a bit different since there is no summer membership, but it’s more popular than its Midway counterpart throughout the year. It also has a laminated wooden court, different from the other YMCA. It earns 8/10 from me.

#3 Hamline Park: This will be the only outdoor court I will be reviewing and also the only park on the list so it is a bit unique. Hamline Park takes up a whole entire city block, featuring a soccer court, a playground, a jungle gym, and a blacktop which is the only thing we are reviewing today. It is a typical outdoor court with 2 hoops regulation height and dimensions but double-rimmed. It is placed in a pretty central location but still doesn’t get too much traffic; the only regulars are pretty much people who live close by. It is a bit old with the 3-pt line faded out on either side but for an outdoor park that’s pretty normal. It earns 6/10 from me.

Sports schedule for: Nov 6-11

ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: NOVEMBER 6 – NOVEMBER 11  
MONDAYNOVEMBER 6 
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
TUESDAYNOVEMBER 7
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
WEDNESDAYNOVEMBER 8
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
    
THURSDAYNOVEMBER 9
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
6:00pm Girls Swimming Section PrelimsRichfield Middle School
FRIDAYNOVEMBER 10
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
6:00pm Girls Diving Section FinalsRichfield Middle School
SATURDAYNOVEMBER 11
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
6:00pm Girls Swimming Section FinalsRichfield Middle School