Last Updated: 7:28 am, August 27, 2010

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5/5
2010

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Teamwork important for water polo

By Dylan Schultz

The CHS varsity water polo team is off to a respectable 8-10 start for its 2010 season.  Leading the team in their quest for a successful district tournament showing are J.B. Garfinkel, Luke Madson, and Brett Downey.

Garfinkel has led the team in scoring with 81 goals already this season.  He will be the team’s key to success in post season play for a conference, district or state title.  However, Garfinkel is far from the most important part of the team.  He has a supporting cast of competent swimmers that aid him in his final season at CHS.

Six other players, male or female as water polo is a coed sport, assist Garfinkel in the pool during a game.  One of these six is sophomore Alex Yepez.  Yepez starts for the team and enjoys his experience as a part of the water polo club.

“My favorite part about water polo is passing and shooting,” Yepez said.  “Proper combinations of these concepts make for memorable and beastly goals.”  Although offense may be a more enjoyable part of the game, a successful water polo team has both a relentless offense and a shut-down defense.

The CHS offense is an “umbrella” formation.  There is a hole-man who sits in front of the opposing team’s goal.  Two wings, one on each side of the pool are apart from each other on either sides of the goal.  Two drivers are also in position on the sides of the pool, ready to swiftly swim down towards the goal to receive the ball.

The wings can pass up to the hole-man or the drivers.  If the drivers do not receive the ball, they return back towards the middle of the pool and essentially switch positions with the wings.  The team looks to for a set, passing up to the hole-man, so he can shoot and preferably score.

The defense is much less organized, but still effective.  Each guard simply swims with his opponent, man to man, to attempt to keep him from shooting, passing, or receiving a pass.  It is essential that each defender guards one offensive player or else somebody will become open to pose as a threat of scoring.

“The most difficult part about water polo is endurance,” Yepez said.  “A good water polo player must be able, more or less, to swim quickly for 20 minutes straight. It is challenging to guard very fast offensive players and to get around quick defenders.”

Teamwork is an important part to water polo as it is much more difficult to maneuver in water as opposed to on ground.  The team aspect to the game was lacking at first to the Clayton club, but they have gotten better as the season moves along.

“The team is moderately successful because of the determination and hard work all team members put in as well as the leadership and skill exhibited by our strongest players,” Yepez said.  With the end of the school year approaching, districts for all spring sports is not far off.

The water polo team hopes to immortalize themselves by putting a plaque up on the walls of CHS.  Yepez has high aspirations for his team while looking towards the future.

“I think the team will do well in districts because we have improved a lot since the beginning of the season,” Yepez said.  “We now go harder and cooperate better. These attributes will lead us to some success.”

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5/5
2010

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Ultimate frisbee rewards, is worth the hard work for players

By Jack Holds

Between blistering winds, torrential thunderstorms, and tornado warnings throughout the St. Louis region, the weather was beautiful the first weekend of May, which meant Ultimate Frisbee was on.
The 2010 Missouri State High School Championships were held in Cottleville at the “Soccer Pitch” sport complex, west of Clayton, on May 1 and 2. For Ultimate players from CHS, this meant a 40-minute drive both ways and an exhausting day in the heat.
CHS won the first game of the day against Ladue, a huge win for the team. It became clear over the next nine hours that one of the main reasons for the win was the energy everyone had in the morning which began to evaporate as the sun came out.
“With how few subs we had, it was impressive that we beat Ladue,” senior Jack Harned said. “We were super tired after a few games, and with five throughout the day, it was tough to keep playing with strength.”
Junior Scott Jeffery, who had been at the state tournament all day, pointed out that hustling and hard work in the first game was a reasonable expectation but after that, with so few people, fatigue was inevitable.
“Each point exhausted half of our team and we didn’t have fresh legs going out on the field while the other teams did,” Jeffery said. “Our team couldn’t compete with that after the first game.”
The next three games spanned five hours; with only 12 people, some trickling in and out, CHS players were fighting to keep up with the other teams. Said games were all lost but that didn’t mean people gave up. The team was there to have a good time, and that’s exactly what they did in the fifth game of the day, as senior and team captain Julian Katz pointed out.
“As the team began to tire during the day, we focused more on having fun, which resulted in our hilarious antics against Marquette in the final game,” Katz said, referring to the general fooling around and lack of defense.
In retrospect, with a few power bars and an extremely determined mindset, the team could have taken down Marquette. However, as Clayton frisbee has shown over the years, the team is more about having a good time and enjoying the hysterically funny moments than vigorous, stubborn winning. That being said, one could argue that it’s no wonder that hippies are famous for frisbee, but senior Orion Wilkinson thinks otherwise.
“I think Ultimate sneaks under a lot of peoples’ radars because they think its just a bunch of stinky, lazy hippies,” Wilkinson said. “It’s actually very physically demanding and a great game on many levels.”
Katz expanded this idea.
“Frisbee is a great sport because of the combination of athleticism, skill, and teamwork that is essential to any successful team,” Katz said.
The entire team agrees that more people are definitely going to be necessary in the upcoming year. With many seniors leaving, including Katz, who has done a great deal of organizing to the benefit of everyone, even fewer people will be available and new recruits as well as current team members will need to step up their game to fill in for those who will be lost.
Senior Jacob Grady said that he has been to all the games and it is disappointing occasionally to see few people showing up and very little support from the freshman and sophomore classes.
“We definitely need more people to show up. When you have only three subs, people just get tired fast,” Grady said.
Wilkinson reiterated this necessity for more people and the overall effect it has on the team.
“More people should play on the team because there’s power in numbers,” Wilkinson said. “If there are more subs, everyone plays better; they have time to rest and go back out on the field, ready to perform.”
Although it is never too late to join the team, those considering frisbee should look into the sport and CHS team, which will be in great need of support next year. It is easy to learn, enjoyable exercise, and a great way to get a wonderful tan every weekend.

Published:

4/14
2010

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Gold leads Hounds in box, on mound and behind plate

By admin

Senior catcher and pitcher Graham Gold has gotten off to a torrid start to the baseball season.
Gold has helped the team to a 7-5 start while catching, pitching, and batting in the cleanup spot in the order.
“Coming in to this season, we had a clean-up hitter in Matt Militello who we really wanted to be our number three hitter so the other team had to pitch to him in the first inning,” varsity head coach Craig Sucher said.  “We tried some different things, and knew we had to find somebody hit behind Matt [Militello] that people would take seriously.  In a sense, Graham has become our Matt Holliday but we pay him much less.  As Graham has emerged as a legitimate threat, our team got much better, not just from his production but because people are more compelled to pitch to Matt and help his production as well.”
At the plate, Gold is hitting a team-high .500 with two home runs and 15 RBI’s.  One of Gold’s two home runs was a grand slam against Affton on March 31.  In that game, Gold finished four for four with six RBI’s to lead the Hounds to a 14-7 win.  Gold’s .778 slugging percentage also leads the team.  Gold’s numbers are a drastic improvement over last season, when he batted in the seventh hole for the most part.
“I really like hitting fourth, right behind Matt, because by the time I come up, someone is on-base almost every time,” Gold said.
Even though Gold has a hit in every game but one, there are still things that he needs to work on at the plate.
“At the plate, Graham needs to be more consistent,” Sucher said.  “He was white-hot one week and while its not realistic to expect that he can keep up that pace–he gave up too many at-bats the next week with two strikes.  Baseball is a game of adjustments and our opponents are mindful of our statistics and are pitching Graham more carefully.  He needs to recognize this and be prepared to hit more off-speed pitches early in the count.”
While dominant at the plate, Gold’s contributions to the team have come in almost every aspect of the game.  When catching, Gold must be able to shut down the running game, adjust to hitters in split-second scenarios, and still be able to nurture the predominantly upper class pitching staff.
“Even though I like pitching the most, because you control the game in a sense, I also like to catch because the catcher is really the guy who is calling the game behind the scenes,” Gold said.
Not to mention that the Hounds have a pitching staff that is much stronger than in recent years.
“My favorite pitcher to catch is probably Chase [Haslett] because I have been catching him for a while and he will do whatever I tell him to do,” Gold said.
Haslett is a Division I prospect according to several recruiting websites, and Gold has done a great job of guiding Haslett to his 2.93 ERA (second on the team).
“Graham is a great guy to have catching because when I’m really struggling he always knows what to say or do to calm me down,” Haslett said.
On most teams, the catcher is a leader of sorts, and on the Hounds, Gold is a perfect example.
“Graham is a natural leader,” Sucher said.  We have talked throughout the season about our players having a quiet confidence in their ability so that they never get too high with their successes and too low with their failures.  Staying in the middle is critical because in baseball as much or more than any other sport, the successes and failures come so quickly.  A player has to constantly be mentally strong.  Graham had a historic week two weeks ago, where it seems like he would never make an out or a mistake on the mound or defensively.  This past week has been different, it was a rough start on the mound, sore arm, and less productive at the plate.  Graham is a leader though because you can’t tell by his demeanor whether is was his great week or something less than that.  Graham keeps it in the middle and leads by example.  It is a lesson that many of our other players can benefit by learning.”
Haslett’s 2.93 ERA is second only to the ace of the staff himself, Gold, who has a 2.47 ERA.  Gold has relied on a filthy two-seam fastball to keep hitters at bay and produce a meager .150 BAA (Batting Average Against).  Although for the most of the season, Gold’s pitching has been downright nasty, he still thinks he has room for improvement.
“I still need to be able to consistently throw strikes in order to get ahead in counts and keep my pitch count down,” Gold said.
Sucher echoed Gold’s opinion.
“On the mound, I think Graham is still not at his best,” Sucher said.  “When he is, and at times he has been, he has guys swinging early in the count.  Graham exemplifies the approach of pitching to contact which keeps pitch counts down and makes it possible to go deep in games.  Again, at times, Graham has done this by using two-seamer to get in on right-handed batters and cutter to go away.  He still needs to develop better command and more consistently pitch ahead in the count.”
Gold will be looking to stay hot as the season rolls on and the Hounds continue to rely on his production.
“I expect Graham to continue to be a great leader, productive in the middle of our order, a competitor on the mound, and a hard-nosed catcher,” Sucher said.
That will be key in the Hounds’ tough upcoming stretch of games.  The Hounds play four games in four days from April 13 to April 16.  On April 16, district rival MICDS will be coming to Clayton for a 6:30 Friday night game.
“I can’t wait for the MICDS game because we are going to bang for sure,” Gold said.
Indeed the team looks prepared to do just that, as they are currently averaging close to ten runs per game.  Much of this can be attributed to Gold’s newfound power.
“In the offseason I did a lot of cord work and lifted a lot of weights to build up for the season,” Gold said.  “Because of that, I am definitely hitting much better this year, and my warning track power like Charles’ [Goodman] has become home run power to all fields like Matt’s [Militello].”
Sucher also agreed that Gold’s newly toned physique was quite noticeable from the start of the season.
“Physically, Graham added noticeable strength,” Sucher said.  “And offensively, Graham is doing a much better job of staying behind the ball and hitting to the opposite field, something that he can do better now that he is stronger.”
If Gold can keep us his hot start to the season, the Hounds have a much greater chance of success.
At the same time, Gold’s off the field contributions have also been essential to the winning record the team carries so far.
“Graham is just a great guy to have in the clubhouse because he keeps the mood light,” senior outfielder Charles Goodman said.
Gold truly has been a leader in the batter’s box, on the mound, behind the plate, and in the clubhouse.

Published:

4/14
2010

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Clayton Lacrosse starts 4-0

By admin

The Clayton boys’ lacrosse team has started the season 4-0, with big wins over Webster Groves, Fox, Wentzville, and Republic.  In starting off the season with a 9-6 win over a much more populous school in Webster Groves, the Hounds showed that they are here to play with the big boys this year.

In the Webster game, the Hounds pounced on the Statesmen early, and led 6-0 after the first quarter.  The Hounds were able to hold on for the 9-6 win thanks to big contributions from senior attack and captain Max Goldfarb who led all scorers with four goals.

On the season Goldfarb has nine goals and three assists, which leaves him fourth on the team in points.

“That Webster game was probably my personal best so far this season,” Goldfarb said.

Following the Webster game, the Hounds had a rematch of the 2008 state title game with the Fox Warriors.  In that game, Fox scored with six seconds left in the first overtime to take home the state title on Washington University’s field.  That game has stuck with many of the Hounds, and the team came out fired on April 6 against the Warriors.

“I was really ready for that game, especially because of what happened against them two years ago,” Goldfarb said.  “It might not have been the state title, but I was still ready to beat them.”

And the Hounds did just that.  The team rolled to a 13-7 win, as junior Josh Goldstein and senior attack Jordan Stern led the way with five goals apiece.  Junior Sam Muslin tacked on two goals and a game-high five assists in the winning cause.

“That was definitely our best team game so far this season because our offense was able to gel against a very strong defensive Fox team,” Stern said.

It couldn’t have come at a better time in many Hounds’ eyes.

The team followed up their victory over Fox with a another win over Wentzville to run their record to 3-0.  In that game, Goldstein had seven goals and Stern added four of his own to lead the Hounds.

The team followed up their third road win with their first home win on April 10 at Gay Field, beating visiting Republic 14-5.  The team led 9-3 at halftime and never looked back.  Goldstein and Stern led the team in goals yet again, tallying five and four respectively.

On the season, Goldstein leads the team in points with 26, but Stern is hot on his heels with 22 points. The team is averaging 13 goals a game, one of the highest marks in the state.

“Our offensive chemistry is really good,” Stern said.

That much is clear with the team returning all of its offensive starters with the exception of star all-everything Terry “Lethal” Ellis, who will be playing Division I lacrosse in the near future.

Five Hounds are already in the double digits for points including Goldstein, Stern, Muslin, Goldfarb, and junior attack Gabe Nicolazzi.  The team has scored 52 goals on the season while allowing just 26 goals against on the season.  At the same time, the team still feels that they have several things left to improve.

“We still need our defense to get a little stronger to help us in the long run,” Goldfarb said.

The long run likely includes a deep playoff run for the Division II Laxers.  Before they can start to think about the playoffs though, they have a tough schedule the rest of the way.

“We’ve got tough games against Ladue and Pembroke Hill that will really tell us a lot about ourselves,” Goldfarb said.

The team takes on the Kansas City based Pembroke Hill on April 14 in Kansas City.  The Ladue game will be a matchup of the top two teams in Missouri Division II high school lacrosse and will be the last game of the season.  The rivalry matchup will be played on Friday, May 14 at 7:30 at Gay Field.

“Everyone should come watch our home games because we will be scoring a lot of goals this season and should be fun to watch,” Stern said.

If the team’s offensive production remains consistent along with newfound decent goaltending by junior Seth Thornton, then the Hounds certainly have a chance to reach their ultimate goal for the season.

“We want to win a state championship, it’s as simple as that and anything less will be a disappointment,” Goldfarb said.

Published:

4/14
2010

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Girls’ soccer kicks off season with early success

By Jonathan Knohl

After winning the district title last season, the Clayton girls’ varsity soccer team hoped to build off of last year’s superb season. After losing the class of 2009, which primarily filled last year’s starting lineup, the Hounds entered a search to fill in the gaps. At the beginning of the season the varsity squad added three freshmen to improve its roster and chances of making it to the postseason. The Hounds also had to find an interim goalkeeper to take Bree Northern’s spot while she was away playing for her club team.

Sophomore Andrea Stiffelman rears back for a throw-in in the Hounds' 1-0 loss to Burroughs.

Sophomore Andrea Stiffelman rears back for a throw-in in the Hounds' 1-0 loss to Burroughs. (Caroline Stamp)

The Hounds started off the season on a good note by coming out victorious in their first two games. The first game of the season the Hounds took to the field against the visiting Berkeley Bulldogs in a conference matchup. It didn’t take much to win that game as the Hounds smashed them 10-0. Leading the team to victory were forward Karley Woods (4 goals) and goalkeeper Amanda Wagner.
The next matchup was against the ABC League powerhouse Principia Panthers. The Hounds defeated their opponents 2-1.
That weekend the Hounds were forced to play the John Burroughs Bombers. Unfortunately, the Hounds were unable to find the back of the net that game, handing them their first loss of the season. The final score was 1-0.
The next weekend the Hounds were faced with a busy schedule, having to face Parkway North, Normandy, University City and Jennings. The Hounds managed to go 3-1 that week, improving their record to a solid 5-2 and undefeated in conference play.
“The season got off to a great start, outscoring our opponents by 12,” sophomore Karley Woods said. “We hit a few minor speed bumps against Burroughs and Parkway North, but I think we’ll have a pretty successful year for the most part.”
The Hounds are led by scoring threats Karley Woods, Meg Sutter and Allison Baylys.
“We have a lot of good players this season with a lot of talent,” sophomore Amanda Wagner said. “I think if we work hard and our work ethic remains the same, we will be one of the better teams in the area.”
Unfortunately, the Hounds have not even touched the hardest part of their schedule, when they will have to play Ladue, Webster Groves, Brentwood and Rosati Kain.

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4/14
2010

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Woods leads Hounds to promising 5-2 start with talent, hard work

By admin

With speed, agility and hard work, sophomore Karley Woods has had an impressive start to the 2010 soccer season. Woods has already tallied 11 goals and two assists in just five games.

Woods dribbles up the field in the Hounds' 1-0 loss to Burroughs. (Caroline Stamp)

Woods dribbles up the field in the Hounds' 1-0 loss to Burroughs. (Caroline Stamp)

She started playing soccer at the YMCA when she was five. At 11 she began playing select and played varsity as a freshman last year, racking up five goals and assists.
“I didn’t have a main role, but I got a lot of playing time,” Woods said. “It helped me develop a lot.”
Woods has stepped up this season to fill the void left by last year’s leading scorer, Olivia Hayes.
“Her greatest strengths are her work ethic and quickness,” coach Paul Hoelscher said.
Woods’ potent combination of talent and hard work make her one of the team leaders.
“Karley provides positive leadership,” Hoelscher said.
Not only is she talented, Woods is versatile and able to play multiple positions.
“She plays the attacking mid in a 4-5-1 system.  She plays great defense and provides a target for counter-attacks,” Hoelscher said.
Woods’ two-way contributions are especially effective in a system with just one forward. She can be played in the defense while acting as a second forward on offense.
“With just a single forward, Karley often becomes an attacker in the offensive end of the field,” Hoelscher said.
Aside from her scoring success, Woods is beneficial in motivating the team with her hard work.
“She always works her hardest in practice and games and keeps the rest of us working hard too,” senior defender and captain Sonja Petermann said.
Woods said that she loves soccer because she can control the game and there is freedom for the player.  However, she is ambivalent about her future in the game.
“I’m not sure if I want to play soccer in college because it’s such a big commitment,” Woods said.
Hard work and young talent have helped the Hounds to a 5-2 start, with no loses in conference play. Woods will continue to work and contribute for what appears to be the beginning of a successful season.

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4/14
2010

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Local SLU, Mizzou and Illini fans in for treat in seasons to come

By Jake Bernstein

As national champion, Duke still celebrates, locals have to be wondering if one of our teams could be the last one standing in future years. With Butler making the championship game, it really shows that a small school can beat national superpowers like Syracuse and Michigan State and have the ability to contend for the national title. Missouri and Saint Louis University (SLU) both enjoyed relatively successful seasons, while Illinois was a bit of a disappointment.
Entering the season, SLU, Missouri and Illinois were all coming off different seasons, but headed in the same general direction. Each school had an emphasis on youth this year.

St. Louis University forward Cody Ellis, right, pulls down a critical rebound against Richmond forward Darrius Garrett, left, during the final minutes of play at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, Saturday, January 9, 2010. St. Louis defeated Richmond, 63-58. (Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)

St. Louis University forward Cody Ellis, right, pulls down a critical rebound against Richmond forward Darrius Garrett, left, during the final minutes of play at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, Saturday, January 9, 2010. St. Louis defeated Richmond, 63-58. (Chris Lee/St. Louis Post-Dispatch/MCT)


SLU, as the youngest team in the nation, had not one junior or senior this year, so the entire team will be returning for the 2010-11 season and presumably the 2011-2012 season. Because they lost two the best players in SLU history last year to graduation in Tommy Liddell and Kevin Lisch, many college basketball analysts predicted SLU to have a lackluster season and finish near the bottom of the conference standings. SLU’s team impressed sophomore Charlie Harned, an avid college basketball fan and big-time follower of Gonzaga, this year.
“For being so young and for the Atlantic 10 Conference being so tough, the Billikens had a great year,” Harned said.
Missouri entered this past season coming off a fantastic National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament where it made a run to the Elite Eight. However, it too lost two great players to graduation in Leo Lyons and Demarre Carroll.
Therefore, analysts did not predict Missouri finish very high this year, even though it had a great season in 2008-09. Missouri did in fact finish two spots higher in the Big 12 standings and the team was better than expected. Rick Kordenbrock, who got his bachelors and law degree from the University of Missouri, agreed that the team performed well.
“I thought it was a very good year for what they had,” Kordenbrock said. “They were athletic, but they were weak in terms of their inside game, with a lack a scoring and rebounding in the post.”
Illinois also lost a couple players last year, though neither as important as Lyons or Carroll to Missouri. And unlike Missouri, Illinois finished last season on a sour note, getting upset by Western Kentucky in the first round of the tournament.
However, because Illinois was not losing a star player, the Illini began the season ranked and was supposed to make an impact in college basketball this year on the national level. A late season collapse ruined Illinois’ otherwise decent season.
Though SLU, Missouri, and Illinois all finished their regular seasons’ with losses that hurt their resumes, each team had the opportunity to play postseason basketball.
SLU, after being passed over by the NCAA and NIT tournaments, was selected to play in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). While the team won its first three games to make it to the championship, it lost the final to Virginia Commonwealth. Harned attended the finale against Virginia Commonwealth.
“The atmosphere was great, even though they lost,” Harned said. “Chaifetz Arena is built in a unique way so that no matter where you are you can see everything. The SLU students get real into the game and it was loads of fun.”
In losing its final regular season game, Missouri hurt its season and its NCAA tournament resume. Even so, Missouri made the tournament and upset seven-seed Clemson in the first round. Following this game, it lost to second seeded and eventual Final Four participant West Virginia.
“The Nebraska loss really highlighted the inconsistency of the team,” Kordenbrock said. “I don’t think it affected their morale too much though as they came back with the win in the NCAA tournament.”
This year, Illinois was one of those famously called bubble teams. Unfortunately their bubble popped on Selection Sunday and it was passed over by the NCAA tournament selection committee. Instead Illinois was selected as a first seed in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). They won their first two games before losing to eventual champion Dayton in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Freddy Barnes, an Illinois fan, thought that the NCAA snubbed the team, but he still watched it play in the NIT.
“They deserved to be in the NCAA tournament, they beat quality teams that were in the tournament during the season, such as Michigan State, who made the Final Four,” Barnes said.
All three could possibly make the NCAA tournament next year, as so few players are being lost to graduation. With SLU losing no players to graduation next year, Illinois only losing one major contributor and with Missouri having the depth to overcome their losses, next year could be a great year for local college basketball fans.
According to Harned, SLU has nowhere to move but up.
“I think next year is SLU’s year,” Harned said. “If they have a real tough non-conference schedule and show they can compete with bigger schools then they will make the NCAA tournament for sure. [SLU coach] Rick Majerus sure knows how to build a program.”
Kordenbrock also has been impressed with Missouri’s coach Mike Anderson.
“Anderson is an excellent coach, and I love his style of play,” Kordenbrock said. “Its fast-paced and exciting, the way the game should be played. He should be able to get to the Final Four, and my hope is that before he leaves Missouri, he will be able to accomplish this.”
This year, Illinois, specifically, killed itself with bad losses. Barnes thinks Illinois can’t settle for less than great with so many contributing seniors next year.
“This year they lost games they shouldn’t have lost to mediocre teams,” Barnes said. “Next year they need to stay in the moment and not get ahead of themselves. If Illinois doesn’t finish in the top three in the Big Ten, and doesn’t reach the sweet sixteen next year, I think the season will be a disappointment. Those should be their goals because they clearly have the talent to accomplish both.”
With such young players and highly thought of coaches, what could stop the teams from improving in the future?
“The only problem I could see in the future for SLU would be not giving Christian Thomas a scholarship,” Harned said.
“Missouri has broken my heart so many times in March,” Kordenbrock said. “Even with legendary [Missouri] coach Norm Stewart, the team couldn’t get past the Elite Eight.”
In collapsing at the each of the past two seasons, as Barnes mentioned, Illinois has not met their expectations in succeeding in March.
SLU faces a possible lack of recruiting in the future, Missouri faces the pressure of being the first Missouri team ever to make the Final Four and Illinois faces the prospect of another late season collapse. All will have to overcome their problems in order to find the success each team is looking for.
With so much promise and youth in the SLU, Missouri and Illinois basketball programs, next year and years to come should be very exciting for local fans. 

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4/14
2010

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Controversy over NBA MVP rages on

By admin

There are certain debates that permeate throughout our culture. They arouse charged emotion and vigor. These arguments almost never end with any sort of conclusive answer.

<img src=”http://www.chsglobe.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Kobe-v.-Lebron-Color-223×300.jpg” alt=”The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, left, scoops up a loose ball in front of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant during the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)” title=”SPORTS BKN-LAKERS-CAVALIERS 2 AK” width=”223″ height=”300″ />

The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, left, scoops up a loose ball in front of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant during the second quarter at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010. (Phil Masturzo/Akron Beacon Journal/MCT)


One can hear these debates in living rooms in front of the television, at the dinner table, barbershop, the local community center, and the school commons. There have been different debates of this nature for generations.
There is Biggie or Tupac? The Beatles or the Rolling Stones? Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer? Larry Bird or Magic Johnson?
Today, across gyms, commons, restaurants, couches, and courts, one debate rages on: Lebron James or Kobe Bryant?
Writers, pundits, newscasters, and, to be honest, most of us, love to spend time and energy debating the title of best basketball player in the world. And the debate comes down to these two titans of sports.
Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar shooting guard, is 31 and has been in the National Basketball Association 13 years. After winning four NBA championships, one of which this past season, he is still going strong, averaging 27 points per game this season. They call him the “Black Mamba.”
James, the Cleveland Cavaliers 250-pound forward and native son, is six years Bryant’s junior but has already reached the individual pinnacle of his sport. He has no championships and one finals appearance to his name, and is tearing up the stat sheet with points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. Lebron is also known as “King James” or “The Chosen One.”
Fans hold strong opinions and stand by their favorite.
“Kobe is better. No doubt. He’s way more clutch than Lebron,” said senior Devonte Bell, star Greyhound basketball player and esteemed basketball expert.
Others don’t share the same opinion as Bell.
“Lebron is better for sure,” said senior Jeff Bader. “He’s got the all around game and helps his teammates more. Kobe is straight overrated.”
Team achievements are often used as a measuring stick for individual greatness. Many fans cite team championships as evidence for who’s the better player.
“Kobe is the best. He’s got them rings,” said senior Alozie Onwumere. “Four of ‘em.”
The different points of basketball ability can be endlessly debated. Kobe has the championships. Lebron has the assists and rebounds over Kobe. Some say Kobe is a better closer and a better shooter. Others may say Lebron is more valuable to his team than Kobe to his.
That’s why some fans use reasoning that’s not entirely basketball related.
“Kobe has always been my favorite player,” said senior Greyhound basketball player Maggie Lanter. “When it comes down to it, Kobe always hits the game winning shot. And he’s really really cute!”
Whatever reasons different fans may have for their pick, the competition for the title of best current NBA player almost always comes down to Kobe or Lebron.
However, some more daring fans step outside the box and choose another NBA player.
“The best player in the league is clearly Stephen Curry. He’s only a rookie and he’s tiny but he still does all work,” senior Augustus Heil said.
Senior Charles Goodma thinks both Kobe and Lebron are strong players, but not the strongest.
“However, J. R. Smith is the best player in the league and is the only player who could win the slam dunk and three-point shooting contests,” Goodman said.
Despite these aberrations, most everyone agrees that Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are the two players at the top of the list, but there is much disagreement on who is number one. And when both of their careers are over, even then there will likely be no definitive answer.
The debate will rage on and on, perhaps for generations to come. And that’s the way it ought to be.

Published:

3/30
2010

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Hockey Playoff System

By admin

Playoffs for high school sports generally consist of a one game elimination tournament between the top teams in the state. Baseball is the most widely known exception to this generality because a series is played for every round in baseball. Another common factor in the playoff system for most sports is that you must qualify for playoffs meaning that not every team makes the playoffs and the regular season matters.
Hockey, however, has a special playoff system compared to other Missouri sports. This is because every team in Mid-States Club Hockey Association (MSCHA) makes the playoffs. MSCHA consists of three individual tournaments, which correspond to the teams’ abilities. The tournaments are the Challenge Cup, the Wickenheiser Cup and the Founders Cup.
Since every team makes the playoffs, the regular season seems to have little effect on the outcome of the season other than determining which tournament teams will play in. However, even the seeding is not dependent upon the outcome of the season.
“Some teams make the Challenge Cup off of their school name rather than how they did during the season,” sophomore Gabe Jacus said. “Certain schools could win one game and make the Challenge Cup while a small school could lose one or two and not make it.”
The questioning of a team’s validity during the regular season has been a question pondered by players over the years because the timing of games during the regular season can be critical to the outcome of games. This is due to the club hockey season corresponding with the high school season and players being out of town.
“A lot of the season depends on whether or not teams have their top players in town,” freshman Josh Becker said. “For some schools like Christian Brothers College missing a few players doesn’t have the same effect as Clayton missing a few players.”
Many players feel that MSCHA had good intentions behind creating tournaments for all teams but feel that the decision on how teams are seeded or placed needs to change.
“I think that something is wrong when a team that has only a handful of wins makes the Challenge Cup last year when other teams don’t” sophomore Yates Sanders said. “There needs to be a better way of seeding teams in the future.”
The tournaments have a few major differences in the teams comprising the tournament. The Challenge Cup has the best teams or the teams that are from the larger schools. The Wickenheiser Cup is generally the small private schools and good small public schools. This leaves the teams that had very few positives to their season in the Founders Cup. Although this is not a rule, this seems to be the intentions behind MSCHA’s creation of three end of the season tournaments according to Becker and Jacus.
“I can’t think of a good way to seed teams but if there were more teams MSCHA would be able to do class sizes like in other sports but there just aren’t enough teams right now,” Becker said. “Hopefully in the future there are more teams.”

Published:

3/29
2010

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MLB Preseason/Predictions

By Jonathan Knohl

The start of the 2010 Major League Baseball season weeks away and fan anticipation is building as it gets closer and closer to April 4, 2010. Opening day will consists of two greatly anticipated games. Game one will be between the Seattle Mariners and the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Following that the greatest rivalry in all of baseball will take the field: New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
The real question is though, which team has what it takes to be crowned the 2010 MLB National Champions? Could it be the Yankees, Phillies, Cardinals, or who knows maybe even the Nationals. Last season, the New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s now a new season and a new team is out there to win it all.
In the National League it will be a heated race for the pennant. I predict that the four teams to make the playoffs will be the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Colorado Rockies. These teams all made the playoffs last year and have much to build off of which puts them all in contention of the NL pennant. I think the Cardinals will take out the Dodgers in a close one with help from their pitching staff and run support.
“Last season was a great year for the Cardinals organization and they have a lot to build off of from last year’s terrific season,” sophomore David Rhodes said. “There is no excuse though for this season. We have two of the best field players and two of the best pitchers in the league and a great supporting cast. I will not be satisfied with anything less than a World Series Trophy.”
In the National League MVP race, it will be a close one between Albert Pujols, Chase Utley, and Prince Fielder. Last season Albert Pujols won after finishing with a phenomenal season with 47 Homeruns and a .327 batting average, but is that enough to compete with the up and coming Prince Fielder? Also it will be an extremely close one for the NL Cy Young winner. This season it will be between Johan Santana, 2-time defending Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, Adam Wainright, and Roy Halladay. Last season had 2.79 ERA and will give Lincecum some more competition in the NL Cy Young race.
“Chris Carpenter is the definition of a comeback story.” sophomore Sam Fox said. “I think Chris Carpenter is the best pitcher in all of baseball! I have faith in him and feel pretty strong about him winning the NL Cy Young Award this season.”
In the American League, the defending World Series champions, New York Yankees will hope to make a statement and defend their title. That is why you should look for the Yankees to reach the World Series again. But before the Yankees win the AL Pennant again, they will have some competition between the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the Los Angeles Angels.
I predict that the AL MVP will be a close one. It will mostly be between Alex Rodriguez, defending champ Joe Maurer, Evan Longoria, and Mark Texiera. Texiera will mostly likely win. In the Cy Young Race it will be between C.C. Sabathia, Felix Hernandez, Justin Verlander, and possibly even Jake Peavy. C.C Sabathia will most likely take that win.
In October, I predict that the New York Yankees will defeat the St. Louis Cardinals for the World Series Trophy.
It’s a new season with new teams and different coaching staffs. It has been a long offseason and many teams are up for the challenge while the New York Yankees are off to defend their crown.