Mr. Coate predicts victory for ’99 season
By Allie G.

Eighth grade social studies teacher Mr. Coate is the new coach of the sixth and seventh grade girls’ basketball team. When interviewed, Mr. Coate said that he enjoys coaching basketball a lot. A basketball player himself all through high school, Mr. Coate has four years experience coaching seventh grade girls basketball. He also has one year's experience coaching a freshman girls team. "I like to coach basketball" explained Mr. Coate, "because it’s a nice diversion from being a teacher. You get to work with kids you don’t teach."

Basketball practices are held every day for about two hours after school and on Saturdays. Practices start out with stretching which is very important. Offense and defense drills come next. Then, the team practices game situations. Scrimmage follows and lastly they play. Mr. Coate's strategy is for the team to come out right away and get a good lead. Throughout the rest of the game he coaches the girls to stay patient and to minimize the turnovers. Occasionally, some players will be on the court longer than others, depending upon the game situation.

There are ten games this season. Mr. Coate commented that he thought that the thirteen girls on this year's team will win a lot of the games. The are two new recruits from the sixth grade, Ashley H. and Nat C. Ashley and Nat said they were glad to be there. According to Mr. Coate, the team has a pretty good chance of winning the conference this year, though their competition will be very fierce.

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Cross Country team couldn't have been better
By Kimberly C.

Mrs.Krisik said that the cross-country team did great this year. For the season, the girls team, and the sixth and seventh grade boys took first place, and the eighth grade boys finished in third. The fastest time this year, nine minutes and four seconds,was set by the conference winner, Drew H. (8th grade). Seventh grader Frank S. also won his conference with a nine minute, twenty-four second victory. His classmate, Adrianna C. finished sixth in the girls' conference with a ten minute, forty-three second finish.

Seventy students joined cross-country this year. Mrs.Krisik said that everyone worked really hard and that's what made it a great team. She also said that even though all the runners improved all through the year, both H's, Drew and Aubrie (7th grade), worked really hard and showed progress. Frank S.(7th grade),and Mark K. (7th grade) showed a lot of heart and determination. Adrianna C. (7th grade), Brianna Cataudella (7th grade), Katie P. (7th grade), and Kathryn K. (7th grade) gave a hundred percent at every practice.

Ms. Krisik said that she loves coaching cross-country. It is her favorite sport. She really likes seeing kids improve their times and their self-esteem. She also commented that she couldn't have asked for a better team that had so much character. Ms. Krisik said that she is looking forward to next year and to possibly setting-up a cross-country camp in the summer 2000.

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Eighth grade girls basketball team ready to roll
By Abby W.

This year’s eighth grade girl’s basketball team has of thirteen players, two managers, one scorekeeper (Rory B.), and the coach is the boys' physical education teacher, Mr. Anderson. Last year, Mr. Anderson coached the sixth and seventh grade girls. This year he followed his those players to the next level and left coaching the sixth and seventh grade team to Mr. Coate. Mr. Anderson said that he was going to stay with eighth grade for a while now.

According to Mr. Anderson, there will be at least thirteen games this season. "We're off to a good start this season," commented Mr. Anderson, "and I believe success will continue if we put a lot of time into our game and preparation." Basketball practices consist of fitness, agility training and skill development drills, as well as strategic playing plans. A typical game involves a lot of physical play and intensity.

When Mr. Anderson was asked how he chooses which girls to put in a game, he emphasized the importance of good sportsmanship and a mastery of the plays. "I try to give everyone on the team a good opportunity to play." He had also added. "I believe that girls have a lot of potential and that they will put it to good use with their ability!" "I believe every game this year will be a fight to the finish, there will be no such thing as an easy game."

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Basketball teams give it their best
By Michele B.

Determination. That describes the Chargers girls teams in the first home game against Blackhawk. The look on their faces was plainly saying, "We will win." Although they didn’t win the first night, they gave it their best and that’s all anyone can do.

Sportsmanship was a key factor in this game. You could even call it character. At the end of the game everyone lined up for high fives. "So what," you say, "that’s traditional." Well you should have heard the "congratulations" and "good games" coming from the Chargers. Those things weren’t said in a false tone either. Our team was sincerely happy for Blackhawk Middle School.

Although Blackhawk won both games, the Chargers didn’t give in easily. They fought hard to win. The determination of this team was incredible. They would not give up. They definitely did not make it easy for Blackhawk. I saw 100% effort. It would have helped, though, if there was more encouragement from the stands.

Every car needs fuel to move, right? Well the same with the basketball team. If no one is encouraging them from the sidelines then they will not play nearly as well as they should be able to, and I think that’s what happened. There might have been many people from Peacock, but they all acted as dead as doornails and as silent as mummies. The opposite is true for Blackhawk. Everyone there could have been on the cheerleading team. We need you out there.

Don’t let us down again.

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NFL produces some surprising winners
By Matt G.

Several teams have been very impressive this season, and surprisingly, they're not last year's dominant clubs. The Redskins, for example, are notable for their strong offense behind quarterback Brad Johnson. The Redskins are very talented with great players. The Chargers have also looked very good. But their offense is just basic smashmouth football with nothing fancy. They just score big on basic plays. This analysis also applies to the Tennessee Titans, who have improved since last year.

The most amazing team right now is the St. Louis Rams. They are a miracle team. They play like they’ve always been a good team. They have great offensive weapons in players Tony Banks, Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. The Detroit Lions have become a great football team this year because of the leadership of Charlie Batch and Herman Moore who have taught the Lions how to win.

Last but not least, there is the new and improved Bears. They're a better team then last year, that’s for sure. But they’re still making mistakes in practically every aspect of the game. Though the Bears are still trying to improve their offense, but their defense is doing great. I still don’t think they will be awesome, but they will be good. Let’s conclude with a moment of silence for WALTER PAYTON.

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The Bears are on a roller coaster
By Alex J.

The season started off with so much hope (hence the word started). The coming of rookie Cade McKnown filled Bears fans with excitement. The Bears won their season opener against Kansas City, 20- 17. I attended the season opener, and the Bears played well. Many of the faithful Bears' fans started to realize that they could have a winning team this year, but with losses to Oakland, Seattle, Philadelphia, Washington, and Tampa Bay, the Bears seemed headed toward another disappointing year.

At times this year, however, the Bears looked really competitive. They beat three very talented teams, Minnesota, Green Bay, and Kansas City. They also beat the pathetic Saints led by Da- coach, Mike Ditka. Both the Bears' offense and defense have played well. Curtis Enis has provided a good running attack, and the Bears' three quarterbacks have occasionally been surprisingly good. Kick-off and punt returner Glen Milburn is one of the best in the business. He is having an all-star like season. The defense has no real standouts, but they play aggressively and work hard.

If the Bears improve a little in every aspect of their game, they can be play-off contenders. They are 4-5, and it appears, unless they win every game from now on, that they will again miss the play-offs. I expect them to play well in the memory of Walter Payton. You never know. The miracle win in Green Bay could lead to a perfect 9-0 finish to the season.

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