By: Thomas Becker Our Girls Basketball team is doing tremendously well this year, with a current record of 9 wins and 4 losses.
In a very exciting game, the team managed to defeat Holy Cross 63-62 with a buzzer beater shot in overtime on January 18th. On the 22nd, the girls team managed a victory over Chatham Hall with a final score of 68-15. Prior to that, the team had another great win against VES with a score of 50-38. Other recent victories include a total victory of 67-11 over Fuqua followed by a much closer game against Covenant where the team won 51-46. In older games, the team has not done quite so well, with a 49-28 loss to LCA and a much closer 34-33 loss to Holy Cross, which we have managed to return the favor more recently. In the future, we can look forward to seeing how the team does as they continue to face challenges and other skilled opponents. By: Valeria Lopez As colder weather is approaching, fall sports are coming to an end. Winter sports are now in session with Roanoke Catholic offering boys and girls swimming, and boys and girls basketball. Although having three losses, the Girls Varsity basketball team hit off with a great start, leaving them with a 4-3 record so far.
There are a lot of different age groups on this Girls basketball team, due to the fact there are not enough girls for a JV team, however they all blend together seamlessly. From freshman to seniors, expectations remain the same. “It’s great to have a team that supports us, even though we are little freshman” says Meg Hemphill. However, being a new member on the team can be difficult “I was kinda nervous to join, trying to join, but once I got on the team and we started practicing and stuff, chemistry built and it felt like I knew the players for a while, eventually,” said Zya Johnson Some have a special connection to one another “It’s nice being on a team with my sister, finally we can play together for her senior year, Meg Hemphill. Others view basketball in a meaningful way, “For me, being a senior on this basketball team means a lot because I’ve been playing basketball since I was really little… it’s kind of scary when it’s all coming to an end,” Maggie Clark. The Girls Varsity Coach also has a great impact on the girls. “Coach Brhhm, he’s not the normal coach, like he doesn’t make us run and stuff. He is very chill and if you just listen to him, he’s great,” Zya Johnson. “Our coach, who is probably not like most coaches, he’s very like goofy and crazy and we are able to enjoy it and have fun and just goof around while also playing hard, work hard,” Maggie Clark and Emily Hemphill. Brhhm also taking a special meaning, “BRHHM, uh, means Basketball Requires Hard work, Heart, and Mindset. So that’s pretty much the motto that we have and try and play by,” Emily Hemphill. However, girls Basketball is still overlooked, with 144 people choosing boys basketball over girls. “Boys basketball is probably received better by people, probably because it’s more entertaining because guys are like 6’5 out here, having like a 12 foot vertical so yeah that’s entertaining to see someone windmill over another person,” Isabella Myers. “ I think the boys sports over the years, they are just more recognized as real sports than girl sports because of the view of women over the years and kind of how like they haven’t really been recognized as being able to do things that boys can,” Isabella Alvarez. “Girls basketball is more fundamentally sounded than boys is,” Dylan Simpkins. “Boys basketball is like a lot faster paced and we can dunk,” Brooks Hagadorn. However girls are not giving up just yet. With this some expect big things to happen this year. The 2019-2020 Girls Varsity Basketball season is just beginning and have big things planned. BY: Thomas Becker The final score of the Championship game on Friday the 15th was 22-18. Some factors that may have caused our teams downfall, according to the players, they were overconfident, had the lack of good vibes, and had some plays that could have been performed better. The Celtic’s Championship streak was ended that Friday with a loss against Saint Michael the Archangel. After three straight years of being the VISAA Division III state champions, our school was finally denied a fourth win as the team lost a game for the second time this season. The first loss was against North Cross, a competitive team in the Division above our school, and their arch-rivals. While the team ultimately lost the game, victory appeared to be in grasp, with the Celtics leading for a majority of the game. A failed drive by the Celtics down near the opposing team’s endzone lead to a long drive by Saint Michael for a game winning touchdown with little time left for a comeback. The final kickoff went out of bounds, and the Celtics final play was cut short by a high snap that was fumbled and barely recovered, securing the Celtic’s loss. “It was whack” said player Chris Schaible, when asked about the game. By Kawuan RayOn September 8th, the Roanoke Catholic Celtics faced off against the Charles City Panthers, taking the win with a final score of 65-6.
Kawuan Ray stated, “the game was hard fought and each and every one of us ran hard until the last play.” Bob Price stated, “We dominated the game without any major setbacks.” El-Amine Shareef finished with a two carries for 25 yards, scoring one touchdown. On defense he had two solo tackles and one assisted tackle. Jerel Rhodes had two touchdowns for 50 yards, finishing the game with four solo tackles and two assisted tackles. The Celtics have started the season off with a 2-0 record thus far and are looking to keep their 34 game winning streak as they face off against Norfolk Christian on September 13th. By Dillon PorterAdrian Whorley ran for two touchdowns and threw for another to lead the Roanoke Catholic Celtics to a 72-7 victory over Bath County in the Celtics Friday season opener.
Kawaun Ray and El-Amin Shareef each had a scoring touchdown. Ray had three that earned a non-conference win over Bath County for the first year of this match up. Shareef (35yards) and junior Kawaun Ray (70yarder) (55yarder) (28yarder) both put numbers on the board from the ground. Senior Chris Schaible had 8 carries for 79 yards on the ground and no fumbles by any running back the whole game. The Celtics sealed the game early with a 58-0 score at halftime. Bath county's quarterback completed 3-of-11 passes for 26 yards with zero touchdowns, and was picked off three times by the Celtics. “We have come together more and more over the off season adding some new players and tonight I saw we were one big family,” said senior Quarterback Adrian Whorley. He also stated that he would like to lead his team to another state championship this year. The next opponent for the Roanoke Catholic Celtics is Charles City, just outside of Richmond VA. The game has been moved to Saturday, September 7th at Charles City due to Hurricane Dorian. By Daniel ConnellyA race has many different starting points, but only one ending point. One, and probably the second most important, is the mental game. Giles, our first meet of the year, was on August 28, and it was the true start to this Cross Country season.
For me, the race started about a week before. I started to visualize the race on my speed workouts and imagine anything in front of me as my rival, Dylan May. Dylan May is about three inches taller than I am, and from a distance he could be mistaken for me. He has beaten me in the last three years that we have raced each other. May earned the title of All-Timesland Runner of the Year award last year. As the days slowly went by and race day approached, I started to grow more and more anxious about this competition, seeing it as my last possible chance to race this talented runner. As I walked onto the bus, I started playing the beginning of my music. The music acts as a way to escape the reality of the race and allow my mind to focus on the task at hand. After reaching the small public school, the most painful part of any race starts. The waiting. I rest my back against a warm, chain-link fence, close my eyes, and ease into the music. After cheering on the Middle School race and watching the girls' varsity race start, I begin my two-and-a-half mile warm up. I continue listening to music but still run with the other six men that are preparing for the upcoming race. After I finish my warm up, I slip my spikes on, realizing that my spikes are a tad bit small and I won’t be able to wear socks. I join the other one hundred and six runners, and at the start line I clear my mind. I call to mind only one thing at this time, which is a lyric to a song I listened to on loop before the race: “My heart was pumping and my chest was screaming.” (From Boy in the Bubble by Alec Benjamin). The next thing I know, I’m right behind Dylan May, closing in on the end of the first mile. This is where the race really starts. I make my move and start my surge, passing Dylan and crossing the first mile marker ten seconds too fast at a 4:58. Dylan’s coach yells, attempting to break my mental race by saying, “Dylan just sit back he’ll die like he always does. Just wait and relax.” As I passed that marker, I realized two things: there is no going back, and this is going to hurt a lot, but there was no way that I was going to let this kid beat me. The second mile is really a blur, but as I start my climb up the steep hill, I have created a fifteen-second lead on Dylan. During the climb, the ATV kicked up a lot of dust, which finds its way into my eyes and lungs, forcing me to tear up and cough. I am working through the screaming in my chest and the thudding of my heart. We start our descent, and I hear my mother screaming that Dylan has reduced the lead to six seconds. He had opened up his stride, and since he is much taller, he covers more ground than I do, allowing him to gain on me. As we enter the football stadium, with roughly half a mile left, we break out into an all-out sprint. My Dad, from within the screaming crowd, says: “this comes down to who wants it more.” In the blink of an eye we are in the final stretch, fighting for every tenth of a second. The feeling in my arms and legs starts to fade, and all of a sudden, the ground feels like it is pushing me forward. The finish line is just ahead, and as I lean forward, I tumble into the gate. I have done it. I beat Dylan May with a time of 15:42, breaking my time from last year by two minutes. |
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