Category Archives: Sports

Basketball

Who is St. Peter’s college? A 2022 March Madness Cinderella

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By: Toby Martin-Kohls

March Madness kicked off earlier this month with its first and second-round games, and with it, another Cinderella team was born.

No. 15 seed, Saint Peter’s, was written off as an afterthought coming into this year’s NCAA Tournament, as prior to their win, No. 15 seeds went 9-135 all-time against No. 2 seed foes.

They came into the first round as 18.5pt underdogs. That means that Vegas sports betting casinos thought Kentucky would win by 18 to 19 points.

They beat Kentucky in OT, 85-79, and busted many brackets. According to data from ESPN’s Tournament Challenge, Kentucky was the fourth most popular Final Four choice, with 13% of entries picking the Wildcats.

It was a great story, a small school beats a college basketball blueblood. They played again in the second round against a No. 7 seed, Murray State, that went 30-2 during the regular season, and did the improbable again, winning 70-60.

So, you may be asking like many, what and where is St. Peter’s University?

The private university is located in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was established in 1872 by the Society of Jesus. It is a Roman Catholic school. They are a smaller college, with only 2,600 undergraduate students and 800 graduate students. This is also what makes their run in the tournament so special.

Their basketball facilities are miniature compared to what Kentucky and other D-1 programs offer. St. Peter’s plays in the Yanitelli Recreational Life Center nicknamed the Run Baby Run arena. It holds 3,200 people, compared to Kentucky’s Rupp Arena which holds 23,500.

Because of the many disadvantages these smaller colleges have, it shows that anyone can succeed in the Big Dance. St. Peter’s can join the very exclusive list of No. 15 seeds pulling off major upsets.

As the all-time record indicates, it is a rare occurrence. Hopefully, we can witness more great games from St. Peter’s throughout the tournament.

Baseball

Everything you need to know about the MLB lockout (aside from the fact it’s over)

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By: Abby Altman

What is a lockout?

There are basically 2 kinds of labor stoppages. A lockout and a strike. A strike is a stoppage initiated by the Union side; in this case, the player’s union. A strike would revolve around the player’s union refusing to work.

A lockout is when the stoppage is initiated by the management; in this case, the team owners. Basically, the MLB owners were refusing to allow work to be done, or games to be played. 

In a baseball sense, a lockout means that games and practices can’t be held, trades can’t be made, and free agency is put on hold. 

The lockout already put a halt to spring training, and regular season games have been canceled through April 7th by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. This is the first time the league has lost games due to a work stoppage since the 1994-95 players’ strike.

The MLB Players Association (MLBPA) had its main focus set on getting more money for younger players. They were asking to increase the minimum wage pool, and install a pre-arbitration bonus pool. They were also attempting to curb anti-competitive strategies. 

On the other side of the lockout, the league and team owners were looking to expand the postseason, to either 12 or 14 teams. The 2 sides remained in disagreement over tax balance thresholds, the increase in minimum salary, and the size of the pre-arbitration bonus pool. 

Early in negotiations, 3 major changes were made to the league. 

The first change, and perhaps the smallest of the 3, is an increase in base size. The league has agreed to change the base sizes from 15 square inches to 18 square inches. The increase in size will likely reduce injuries, as the larger the base is, the more room runners have to slide around the fielder, avoiding more collisions. The MLB is also hoping this will lead to an increase in stolen bases. 

The 2nd confirmed change is the installation of a pitch clock. One thing fans and non fans can agree on is that baseball is not a quick moving game. The addition of a pitch clock is an attempt to speed up the game, estimating it can bring the game from an average of 3 hours, all the way down to 2:40. MLB’s plan includes a 14 second timer between pitches with empty bases, and a 19 second timer with runners on. 

By far the most significant and most protested change is the banning of shifts. The MLBPA and the MLB have agreed to ban defensive shifts. Shifts are one of the most analytical parts of the game, making it possible for a hard hit ball between first and second base to result in a routine ground out. 

Left handed batters are by far the most shifted on batters, with big names such as José Ramírez, Joey Gallo, and Max Kepler facing the shift over 90% of their at bats. While banning the shift will allow for more hits on offense, it is a large part of the defensive game, and will change the way defense is played for many. 

Edit** following the writing of this article, the 2 sides reached an agreement, and baseball is scheduled to resume on April 7th. 

The MLBPA and the MLB have agreed on several more changes to the game of baseball. This includes a 12 team expanded postseason and a universal designated hitter. This means that pitchers will no longer bat in the National League, and all 30 teams will hold a designated hitter position in their lineup.

Nordic Skiing

Highland Park girls win Minnesota’s nordic skiing state championship

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By: Abby Altman

Winning is not a new thing for the Highland Park nordic ski teams. Earlier this season, the girls team won their 8th consecutive conference title, while the boys won their 6th. Both teams then won their respective section races, qualifying once again, for the state meet in Biwabik, MN. 

The girls team has had an incredible history at the state meet. In the 3 seasons prior to 2022, Highland’s girls took 2nd place, 1st place, and then 2nd place again. With recent year’s results in the back of their minds, the Highland girls were excited and ready to race. “The team energy was very high,” said junior skier Chloe Koch. 

The state meet is split over 2 days, with the classic pursuit race on day 1, and the relays, followed by the skate pursuit, on day 2. 

After day 1, with the classic races behind them, both teams were looking ahead to day 2. The boys team was sitting in 6th place, led by junior Davis Isom. Isom had a great race and was sitting in 5th place for individual results. 

The girls team was in 1st place, just 3 points ahead of Duluth East, perhaps the team’s biggest competition. “A few of us had less desirable races,” said Koch. She stated that, “The mood dimmed a little,” after day 1. The girl’s top racer, senior Molly Moening, finished her race in 3rd place. Moening had won the individual state championship 2 years in a row, in 2020 and 2021. 

The morning of day 2 started with the boys relay sprint. The boys relay team was made up of senior Alex Pfankuch and junior Max “Shaggy” Reemstma. The relay team took 6th overall, adding 147 points to the boys team’s total score. 

The girls relay consisted of 2 seniors, Rayna Axelson and Silja Earl Tornianian. The girls raced hard for a 4th place finish, behind both major competitors, Duluth East and Forest Lake.

After the relays, the girls team was in 2nd, 6 points behind Duluth East. The boys were in 6th. 

“Everyone was more nervous going into the second race because we knew that we were a few points behind,” said Koch. 

The skate race was pursuit style, meaning the entire race is a game of catch-up. Moening, starting 3rd, was unable to pass the top 2 finishers, finishing with a 3rd place finish in her senior year state championship. 

For scoring, the top 3 finishers point total is added to the team’s score. Moening finished 1st for the team, 3rd overall, followed by Hanna Koch in 12th and Chloe Koch in 20th. Duluth East’s top 3 scorers finished in 14th, 18th, and 23rd overall.

The end of the state meet came down to the wire for the Highland Park girls. “Everyone was cold and I think most people didn’t think we won,” Koch said of the team’s spirit immediately following the final race. “We went into the tent to warm up and that’s where Coach Moening told us we won.” Brad Moening is the Highland Park Nordic and Cross Country coach.

When it came down to it, Highland Park edged out Duluth East by a slim 3 points, claiming their 2nd state championship in 3 years. “We all started to cry and hug each other,” said freshman racer Alex Pundsack. “It was happiness, relief, tiredness, and plain joy.” 

The boys team finished in 5th place, meeting their goal of a top 5 finish. 

3 skiers on the girls state team will be graduating this spring, but Highland houses a strong, young varsity lineup, ready to fill those spots and try to bring home another state trophy next year. The boys team is losing just 1 senior to graduation, and hope to come back even stronger next season. 

Soccer

Qatar, host of the 2022 World Cup

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By: Liibaan Yusuf

One of the biggest events this year is the World Cup. What is the World Cup? It’s one of the most important soccer, or football, events in the world, with the big grand stage happening every 4 years. However, there are almost always games going on, whether they’re qualifiers or friendlies between countries.

The World Cup is also a big deal to governments across the world. Hosting the World Cup is a big responsibility and many countries try to join in on the opportunity. Hosting the World Cup, may cost a country at first, but it puts it on the map.

For example, in the past, World Cups held in Russia (2018) and Brazil (2014) were both fairly big for their time. Brazil had spent $15 billion USD on various investments towards the preparation of the 2014 World Cup. Russia had spent upwards of $11 billion USD towards new stadiums, metro systems, and employment for security and other positions. 

However, the upcoming 2022 World Cup is unlike any we have seen in the past. Qatar has said to have invested $220 billion USD towards this year’s sporting event. Qatar, is substantially smaller than every country to have ever held a World Cup since the creation of the massive event.

Qatar has a history of extravagant spending, especially since the discovery of oil in the Middle East. The ruling Thani family is a family known for scandals and hidden secrets. Even though Qatar states they have invested $220 billion USD, there have been numerous scandals and issues hidden behind closed doors.

One of the biggest scandals, is that many expats come to Qatar from various countries, particularly those who come from less wealthy areas of the world. They come to Qatar for promises of work and wealth, however, this industry is built on lies and deceit. Passports and work clearances are taken and kept hostage by employers and they’re paid low wages. They work out in infamous Qatari heat. There have been many stories of people dying from heat exhaustion and other heat related causes. 

However, Qatar has passed historic new laws and regulations calling for investigations into employers who’ve been caught violating workers rights. In fact, in April of 2021, the Qatari government put $824 million USD towards paying migrants who had COVID. Before this, manual labor workers who were sick would have no benefits or income for their time sick. In August of the same year, Qatar passed a law for a national minimum wage of 1000 riyals, about 300 more riyals than the previous minimum wage. “Qatar is the first country in the world to introduce non-discriminatory minimum wage,” according to the ‘International Labour Organization’. 

Though Qatar has been known to have human rights issues, it would seem as though hosting the World Cup has led it to start paving the way for human rights in the Middle East. Hopefully, this will provide a fresh start for all through a shared interest for those around the world.

Football

Rams defeat the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI

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By: Abby Altman

On Sunday night, the Los Angeles Rams became the 2nd team in NFL history to become  Super Bowl champs in their home stadium. This rare feat has now been accomplished in consecutive years, last year being won by the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.

The Rams took an early advantage in the game, stopping the Bengals on 4th and 1 in their first drive, gaining excellent field position at their own 49 yard line. The Rams capitalized with a 17 yard bullet from Matthew Stafford to Odell Beckham Jr. in the end zone.

The Bengals responded with a field goal drive, propelled by Ja’marr Chase’s 30 yard catch at the 15. Evan McPherson’s kick was good from 29 yards, to close out the 1st quarter Rams 7, Bengals 3. 

The start of the 2nd quarter began with a Rams touchdown to Cooper Kupp. The extra point was fumbled by Rams placeholder John Hekker, and intercepted by the Bengals, holding the score 13-3. With 5 minutes left in the half, the Bengals charged downfield, capping off their drive with a touchdown pass to Tee Higgins, made by the Bengals RB Joe Mixon.

2 minutes into the Rams drive, Stafford attempted a short pass to Odell Beckham Jr., which resulted in an incomplete pass, and Beckham on the ground with a non contact ACL tear. He walked off the field with assistance, and was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game.

 The Rams were unable to score, ending their drive with an Interception in the endzone just before the 2 minute warning. The Bengals, unable to score, headed into the locker room with a score of Rams 13, Bengals 10.

The Bengals came out of halftime fired up. It took just 12 seconds for the Bengals to take their first lead of the game, on a 40 yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins. The Bengals almost immediately got the ball back, on an interception by Chidobe Awuzie, intended for WR Ben Skowronek, who was in the game replacing OBJ. The interception turned into a Bengals 38 yard field goal by McPherson, putting the Bengals up by 7 in the 3rd quarter.

The 4th quarter started with the Bengals up by 4. With 12 minutes left in the game, Joe Burrow was sacked, and went down with an apparent knee injury. Burrow limped off the field, but declined medical attention. Burrow said he wasn’t coming out of the Super Bowl.

The 4th quarter remained scoreless until there was just 1:25 left on the clock, when Stafford connected with Kupp for the touchdown, putting the Rams up by 3. With 45 seconds left in the game, on 4th and 1, Joe Burrow was sacked, ending the game Rams 23, Bengals 20.

Joe Burrow was sacked 7 times in this game, 5 more times than Stafford, putting a heavy emphasis on the lack of a Bengals offensive line.

Burrow went 22/33 on Sunday, with just 1 touchdown, and no interceptions. Ja’marr Chase had 5 receptions for 89 yards, but was not able to land any of them in the end zone.

Stafford went 26/40, with 3 touchdowns, along with 2 interceptions. Cooper Kupp had 8 receptions for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kupp was named Super Bowl LVI MVP.

Sports

2022 Winter Olympics

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By: Caelyn Hippen

What are the Olympics?

The Olympics are an international sports event that takes place every 4 years. This year, the Olympics are taking place in Beijing. There are almost 3,000 competitors from 91 different countries. The Olympics have been a tradition for nearly 100 years. Another interesting thing about the 2022 Winter Olympics is that, in an attempt to increase gender equality, mixed events have become a core part of this year’s games.

What is the history of the Olympics?

The Olympic Games are a 16 day festival that originated in Ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago. The Olympics were then revived in 1896. The first modern Olympics had 280 athletes from 12 nations, in 43 events. The games were named for their location at Olympia, as the games were started to honor the gods. The Winter Olympics were later added.

How many events are there?

The 2022 Winter Olympics is expected to set a record with 109 events in 15 sports. The sports for this year’s games are: alpine skiing, biathlon, bobsled (the sport where 2 to 4 people slide down a track in a runner sled called a bobsled), cross-country skiing, curling (sport played on ice where athletes slide rocks made of granite closer to the target, known as the house), figure skating (watch Alysa Lui, she is team USA’s youngest athlete this year), freestyle skiing, hockey, luge, nordic combined, short track, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboarding, and speed skating.

What is the most popular sport in the Olympics?

This year, the most watched Olympic sport in the USA is figure skating. According to Google, skating overall has always been one of the most popular sports. In 2014, the most watched sports in the USA were figure skating and ice hockey. In 2018, ice skating overall was the most watched sport across the world. Figure skating has 5 events to watch – men’s individual, women’s individual, pairs, ice dancing, and the team event.

Are there new events this year?

The 2022 Winter Olympics will feature 7 new events. These events are: women’s monobob (this event is new this year for the women, in previous years this event has only been available for men), men and women’s big air skiing (sport where athletes ski down a ramp, fly into the air, and perform as many flips and spins as possible before reaching the ground), mixed team relay in short track speed skating, mixed team ski jumping, mixed team snowboard cross, and freestyle skiing mixed team aerials.

Basketball, Hockey, Nordic Skiing, Scoreboard/Schedule

Sports schedule for: Feb 14-19

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ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: FEBRUARY 14TH – FEBRUARY 19TH
MONDAYFEBRUARY 14TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
3:45pm2:20pm / 5:00pmBoys/Girls Nordic Ski MeetComo Park Picnic Pavilions
4:00pm / 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. St. Paul AcademyHOME
TUESDAYFEBRUARY 15TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
7:00pm Boys Basketball vs. HumboldtHOME
8:00pm Boys Hockey vs. KennedyHOME
WEDNESDAYFEBRUARY 16TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
Boys – 2:00pm Girls – 3:00pm Boys / Girls Nordic Ski State MeetGiants Ridge
4:00pm / 5:30pm 7:00pmC/JV: 2:45pm/6:45pm V: 6:00pm / 8:15pmBoys Basketball vs. RooseveltMPLS Roosevelt High School
4:30pm / 6:00pm Girls Basketball vs. MPLS SouthHOME
5:00pm / 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. SimleyHOME
THURSDAYFEBRUARY 17TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
Boys – 9:00am Girls – 10:30am Boys / Girls Nordic Ski State MeetGiants Ridge
FRIDAYFEBRUARY 18TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:00pm / 5:30pm 7:00pmC/JV: 3:15pm/6:45pm V: 6:00pm / 8:15pmBoys Basketball vs. HardingHarding High School
SATURDAYFEBRUARY 19TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
Football

Joe “Brrr” Burrow & Cincinnati Bengal’s phenomenal season

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By: Salman Said

Joe “Brrr” Burrow has had an outstanding postseason this year. His path to the Super Bowl has been remarkable, from defeating the Las Vegas Raiders to battling to remain alive against the AFC South’s top seed, Tennessee Titans. Joe Burrow led his team to its first AFC North title since 1988.

During the AFC Championship game, the Kansas City Chiefs, the team lead by 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes, seemed invincible. DraftKing, the popular sports betting app, had the Kansas City Chiefs as the favorites to win by a large margin, and over 58% of all game bets were on the Chiefs to win.

The game appeared to be over before it even started, and the odds against the Bengals further grew when the Chiefs took a commanding 21-3 lead in the second quarter. During halftime, though, something sparked in the now-nicknamed Joe “Brrr” Burrow.

In what some might say was his greatest performance, Joe threw 2 touchdowns in the second half and battled through the pressure. He then led his Bengals to an upset win in overtime against the Chiefs.

Joe has been dubbed Joe “Brrr” Burrow for wearing a fur coat and a brand new JP9 diamond pendant to the stadium for AFC Championship game. When questioned if the diamonds were real, Joe said, “They’re definitely real. I think I make too much money to have fake ones.” His moniker “Brrr” is derived from the new slang term “ice”, which means diamonds. His diamonds are “icy”, therefore the onomatopoeia “Brrr” has a double-meaning to it, as it also refers to his “cool” demeanor when playing.

Joe’s incredible postseason will come to a storybook ending on Sunday, February 13th. He’ll be facing the 2019 Super Bowl runner-ups, and NFC West first seed, LA Rams in this now, so-called, legendary Super Bowl match-up. The star-studded Rams, led by Matthew Stafford, and ostracized wide-receiver Odel Beckham Jr, will be going against Joe “Brrr” Burrow and Super-Star Rookie, Ja’Marr Chase.

Basketball, Dance Line, Gymnastics, Hockey, Nordic Skiing, Scoreboard/Schedule, Swimming & Diving, Wrestling

Sports schedule for: Feb 7-15

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ATHLETIC EVENTS SCHEDULE: FEBRUARY 7TH – FEBRUARY 15TH
MONDAYFEBRUARY 7TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
TBD Gymnastics SectionsTBD
5:00pm / 7:00pm2:30pm / 8:45pmBoys Hockey vs. SomersetSomerset Ice Arena
TUESDAYFEBRUARY 8TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
9:00am7:30am / 4:00pmBoys/Girls Nordic Ski SectionsTheodore Wirth Park
4:00pm / 5:30pm 7:00pmC/JV: 2:45pm/6:45pm V: 6:00pm / 8:15pmBoys Basketball vs. Como ParkComo Park High School
WEDNESDAYFEBRUARY 9TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm4:00pm / 6:30pmBoys Swimming and Diving JV Conference MeetHumboldt High School
5:00pm Wrestling Quadrangular vs. Como / Johnson / RichfieldHOME
5:30pm / 7:00pmC/JV: 2:45pm/6:45pm V: 6:00pm / 8:15pmBoys Basketball vs. HumboldtHumboldt High School
THURSDAYFEBRUARY 10TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
4:45pm / 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. TartanTartan Ice Arena
5:30pm / 7:00pm Girls Basketball vs. CentralCentral High School
FRIDAYFEBRUARY 11TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
5:00pm3:00pm / 9:00pmWrestling JV TournamentPatrick Henry High School
5:30pm / 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. SPA/MPADrake Arena
5:30pm / 5:30pm 7:00pm Boys Basketball vs. JohnsonHOME
SATURDAYFEBRUARY 12TH
TIMEBUS TIMESEVENTLOCATION
TBD Dance Team SectionsKennedy High School
TBD Gymnastics SectionsWhite Bear Lake High School
9:30am / 11:30am Girls Basketball  vs. Mound WestonkaMound Westonka High School
5:00pm / 7:00pm Boys Hockey vs. Coon RapidsCoon Rapids Ice Arena