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Sport Summary of the Week:College Football

Now This Is America’s Game

By Tyler MacDonald

As evidenced by the success of the Bachelor and the Kardashians, America loves drama. They don’t care who suffers, they just love a juicy story.

There’s no wonder, then, why people love college football so much. Nothing in the dang game is fair.

Almost every FBS team plays someone from a whole new level of funding below them in the FCS. There’s technically nothing stopping all the best recruits in the nation from going to the best school (hello, Duke basketball). There’s no equalizer in the offseason, the terrible teams stay terrible.

A bunch of high and mighty folks vote on deciding the fate of award winners, playoff contenders and bowl teams.

We live in America, and we love the upsets and blowouts and powerhouses that make so many parties suffer. If you want a balanced fair league, you’d watch the pros duke it out. No surprise that CFB ratings are on the rise while NFL ratings are stable.

With that said, let’s celebrate this Bohemian Rhapsody of a sport we call college football.

Biggest Risers

Texas-Last year at this time, the Longhorns had the third largest market and a .500 record. With that kind of money, they should’ve steamrolled teams. Instead, Texas was once again America’s college football joke. Nowadays, they’re 9-4 and preparing for a New Year’s Six Bowl. What are the keys? Sam Ehlinger averaging 5 touchdowns per pick will do. Oh, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey caught for 1109 yards. The Horns are now doing what they should be with their money.

Quinnen Williams-After losing his mother to cancer, Williams buried his pain deep inside. He was 12, and he always declined to ever say anything about her since. His masterful hand movement also carries his mother’s name written on his wrist tape every game. His rise from this hardship is only in addition to heading to Alabama as a 3 star recruit, almost certainly destined to spend 4 years riding the bench. No one expected him to become a star for the Tide with 8 sacks as a nose guard.  He must’ve just known within himself that his heart would’ve gotten him to a place as exalted as this.

Kyler Murray-Going from backup to Heisman winner is quite impressive. Murray got there by leading the league in efficiency as a runner and thrower. He carried a middle of the road Oklahoma defense to a chance at a national championship. Funny how all the heisman finalists were backups last year. Life in college football can be poetic at times. Murray will famously be playing for the A’s in baseball this summer. Cue the collective sigh of hopeful NFL scouts.

Biggest Flops

FAU-Many people were willing to believe that Florida Atlantic was going to make it to golden bowl game, Kiffin’s crew riding off into the sunset. Singletary’s 22 TDs were not enough to help the team past a 5-7 record. Maybe, people should consider lowering the bar for this team that struggles to recruit anyone better than a 3 star. Kiffin is still a good coach, he just has a lack of talent on his squad.

Miami (Florida)- Some fans may have a faint memory of 2017’s turnover chain. Other than that, very few people care about the once-dynamic Canes team. The fall has been massive after a shot for Miami to make their way to the College Football Playoff. Shortly following a season that had the team draped all over the college football spotlight, Miami has been handed an invite to the lowly pinstripe bowl. Woo. There’s only one stat category that they got better in, and that is field goals made. Epic. Just to add to the pain, Miami lost two 4 star recruits to Florida in the same day. Stellar.

Head Coach Change for Colorado

Mel Tucker to Colorado-Buffs fans should rejoice. Tucker spent the last years at Georgia as defensive coordinator. He led that defense to a top 10 ranking in each major category in both of his years at that position.

Best Upset

Old Dominion Downs #13 Virginia Tech-Old Dominion isn’t very good at football. Their domination of Tech by two touchdowns was their first ever win against a ranked team in school history. Old Dominion whooped Tech, too. Virginia Tech led for 0 seconds in the matchup. Old Dominion, ever poised to celebrate, had joyful faces throughout the game. Two unanswered TDs finally wrapped up business against the Hokies. The mood on the Old Dominion sideline exploded with joy after the latter in the pair of scores. It was only right near the end of the contest when the 24 point underdogs realized they were going to achieve far more than covering the betting spread.

League Leaders

Passing Efficiency-Kyler Murray,QB, Oklahoma (205.7)

Rushing TDS-Darrell Henderson, RB, Memphis and Devin Singletary, RB, FAU (22)

Tackles For Loss-Nate Harvey, LB, East Carolina and Sutton Smith, DE, Northern Illinois (25)

Passes Deflected-Bryce Hall, DB, Virginia (20)

Total Tackles-Ben Burr-Kirven, LB, Washington (165)

Field Goals Made-Andy Smyzt, K, Syracuse (28)

Yards Per Punt Return-Marcus Hayes, WR, New Mexico (21.2)

Stats used from Sportsreference.com

CBS Sports video archive was also used for research on games and players.

Skiing: LET IT SNOW

 

Why This Season is Shaping Up To Be Better Than Last Year

By Jadyn Heil (Thursday)

Every winter, people around the world tie up their boots and fly down the slopes. Skiing is an international sport that is loved by people around the world. People love the freezing cold wind that whips your hair, and the adrenaline rush when you fly off a jump. Skiing is enjoyed by many people, at least, when there is enough snow.

Last year, ski resorts all around Colorado were left without snow, leaving people desperate for skiing. At powderhorn, many people who bought season passes were unable to get their money’s worth, so they were given summer passes for free (downhill biking). The quality of the snow that we did get was not good. There was ice everywhere, and maybe one good powder day in the whole season. Even Wolf Creek, known for having the most snow in Colorado, only got about half of their annual inches last year.

This year, however,  December has only just begun, and we have already received a few inches of snow, just in Fruita, probably more in the mountains. Although Powderhorn has not yet opened, most people are expecting it to be a pretty good season, or at least, better than last year.

Powderhorn Resort is also a great place to ski if friends and family are coming to town for the holidays because the resort is lined with good quality timeshare locations, something a lot of other resorts do not have. That way you and your family can get up and ski, and warm up right after finishing.

At FMHS, their ski and board club is just about ready to hit the slopes and all the students are anxious for the opening day, a week from today.  

A student at the Fruita 8/9, Rianna Bradley, says, “IMMA SHRED THE SLOPES!!!” Obviously, she is extremely excited and can’t wait fo the season to begin. Rianna is a very talented skiier, and usually does double black diamonds, which are very difficult runs. Unfortunately, last year, many of these difficult runs were not open, so Rianna feels out of practice. Also, due to a surprising incident resulting in amnesia, Rianna seems to believe she isn’t as good as she is, so she will probably be sticking to blues this year.

Skiing is a great way to get outside in the winter and is definitely worth trying if you haven’t. Although it can be pretty expensive, there are many ways to get discounts on season passes, such as the ski and board club here at the 8/9.

Also, one last reminder, when you see those snowboarders out there, remember that you are cooler than them. Snowboarders are the source of all evil, including, but not limited to; bad snow days, wind, and ice.

(DISCLAIMER: this article is not meant to offend anyone. It has been published for entertainment purposes. Also, Rianna Lynn Bradley never suffered from amnesia. However, this is the only false statement.)

 

FMHS Dance Team Is Ready To Make The Cut

Dance Team Prepares to Take the Dub

By Jadyn Heil

 

Last year, the FMHS POMS team was one slot away from making it to finals. This year, they are back, ready to show up their competition. For the past several weeks, they having been working very hard to make it to the top four this year.

This upcoming competition is one of the major highlights of their year-round season, and their new routines are full of new tricks, and much more advanced than last year. Sophomore Brooklyn Belnap says, “This competition is a super big deal. Our new routine is much more complicated, and we have been busting our booties to make finals!!” Obviously, the girls have been putting in lots of work, and can’t wait to show everyone how much they have improved.

This season has been one of their best seasons so far. From performing at the homecoming game, to preparing for their biggest competition yet, the FMHS dance team is ready to take home a win. This past weekend, the team went to Denver, where they competed with 23 other hip hop groups in the Denver Colleseum. They took 6th place with a score of 80.65, which was very close to the teams in front of them.

Brooklyn’s favorite thing about performing is the adrenaline rush she gets when she walks on stage. The sound of the people cheering, but most importantly, the dancing itself. Her view about performing is, “you only have a minute and a half to show months of hard work, so you really have to give it your all, and show everyone just how passionate you are about dance.”

Brooklyn and her teammates spend hours going over technique and choreography, and they are all hoping that their months of hard work and dedication will earn them a spot in finals.

Sports Summary of the Week Presents:

NHL Hockey

It’s Just a Violent Soccer on Ice!

Tyler MacDonald

Hockey. Bloody fights and speeding skaters. Screaming slap shots and crippling hits.

 

For the stereotypical Canadian sport, hockey ain’t too nice. Not that we should complain. It is a unique game that’s got an extremely fast and chaotic nature to it. It has a beautiful bizarre streak.

Did you know that the games are broken into three periods? Hockey has a world cup and players from around the world play it. People lose teeth and break their bones to win in this game we call hockey. So, let’s give this legendary sport its due with a rundown of its highlights, standings, and also the juicy storylines that give the whole league life.

The Best Stories So Far

The Avs Are Good Again-The Colorado Avalanche are ranked 4th in the entire NHL just 2 years after a season they were historically bad in. In the 2016-17 season, Colorado hockey was last ranked in the whole NHL, winning only 26 games out of 82 throughout the season. Nowadays, they have an MVP candidate (Nathan MacKinnon) and the league’s leading scorer (Mikko Rantanen). The home team surely is representing Colorado in fine fashion, priming themselves to maybe even win a Stanley Cup this season if all goes well…

Brutal Falls-After a season that led them to the second round of the NHL playoffs, the Saint Louis Blues sure are singing their names nowadays. They’re 30th out of 31 teams in the league as of December 7. This is a team that’s good at nothing but terrible at nothing. They’re not ranked in the top half of the league in any category except injuries suffered to their team. However, they’re not in the bottom 3 of any category except wins. They’re keeping games fairly close as well. Their score differential, how much they win or lose by, is ranked 22nd in the league. They lose games by an average of about half a goal.

The Ottawa Senators are not ready to let the Blues take the title of ‘Biggest Pratfall’. Does going from a playoff semifinal appearance to 25th in the league count as a failure? This team is terrible in numerous categories. They lost a defensive superstar by the name of Erik Karlsson in a trade to the Sharks. Such a loss surely shows like a sore thumb because the Senators are allowing about half a goal per game more than any other team in the NHL. A lot of things are hilariously bad concerning this team, so let us sum up the worst of the worst. Teams are shooting 267 more shots on the Senators than the Senators are shooting on their opponents and they turn the puck over more than any other team. Falling, falling, still falling…

Roster Move of the Year-San Jose Sharks Trade a Jumble of Picks to the Ottawa Senators for Erik Karlsson and Francis Perron.

The Sharks made a very bold move for one of the best players in the game because they figured they had a shot at a championship if they had someone like Karlsson in addition to the rest of their surprisingly successful group. It cost them two first rounders and two second rounders to go along with the rights to some minor league players. The move certainly cemented the Sharks in the playoff picture, but the Sharks are sitting at 13th in the league right now. For the Senators, they can only hope their future picks can right their rocky ship, as they’ve been a joke without Karlsson.

 

Injury of the Year-P.K Subban, Defenseman, Nashville Predators.

Subban was the main reason the Preds made it to the Stanley Cup two years ago. He’s out for at least a month with an upper body injury. Nashville has a +/- of -15 when Subban is off the ice this year.

 

MVP Candidate-Nate MacKinnon, Forward, Colorado Avalanche.

MacKinnon is a really great team player above all. He makes his teammates score when he’s on the ice. He leads the league in goals created for his teammates, and he has the highest offensive efficiency rating in the league as a result. When he’s on the ice, his team has a +/- that’s 14 points higher than when he’s off. He’s got a wand instead of a hockey stick that makes his team win.Prove me wrong.

 

League Leaders

Goals Scored-Alex Ovechkin, Washington Caps (22)

Assists-Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche (36)

Offensive Efficiency-Nate MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (4.4)

Game Winning Goals-Yanni Gourde,Tampa Bay Lightning (5)

Adjusted Goals Against Average-Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators (2.01)

Goalie Efficiency Rating-John Gibson, Anaheim Ducks (6.1)

Goals Created-Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche (17.6)

 

Fruita Girls Basketball Has Begun

2018-2019 Varsity~ 3-0 by the end of week 1

By: Teddie Anest 12/6

         Fruita Monument girls varsity basketball began about two weeks on Thursday, November 29th. After months of preseason weights and open gym training, including a camp over the summer, they started off by playing the Palisade Bulldogs, “cross valley rivals” of the team.

         Though they only had about two weeks of structured practices before their first game, the team pulled a big victory over the Bulldogs, ending up 27 points at 60-33. In the game Kloe Bates, a junior shooting guard, had a career and game high of 22 points.

         Then, on Friday the Cats played at home against Eagle Valley (located in Gypsum, Colorado), leaving them in the dust at 55-10 by the end of the fourth quarter. In this game, junior Callie Allen a power forward, had a career high of 24 points.

Over the weekend on Saturday, the Cats played at home again after the freshman and JV teams against Littleton. They had a very close game but took the win 33-31. Every player in that game scored, moving them to 3-0.

         This week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the JV team and Varsity team will play in the Family Health West

Wildcat Classic tournament against San

Juan UT, Carbon, CO and Basalt, CO.           

         This week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, the JV team and Varsity team will play in the Family Health West

Wildcat Classic tournament against San Juan UT, Carbon, CO and Basalt, CO.

         The freshman team will join them in playing and have their game scheduled on Thursday so far.           

         Though their season has just begun, the varsity has come out looking strong. The program has just gained numerous sponsors including Roberts Plumbing and Heating, Caldwell Banker Distinctive Properties and Academy Mortgage, along with lots of other contributors.

         The whole Varsity team of twelve is composed of four point guards, freshman Kylie Wells, sophomore Lauren Hansen, junior Bailey Rigsby and senior Rosa Lopez, four shooting guards, sophomore Rio Groves, juniors Kloe Bates and Lila Dere and senior Trinity Turner, two power forwards, juniors Callie Allen and Aiga (Iggy) Petelo, one small forward, junior Emily Roberts and a JV/ Varsity swing, Jazzy Brandon.

         The head coach, Michael Wells, has been coaching for five full seasons with the help of Darren Spoomer, Mark Vana and Lindsey Shaw. It is safe to say that all the coaches are proud of the work that the twelve varsity player have put in.

         Fruita 8/9 wishes you all luck in the upcoming tournament and games.

Mock Drafting The Current NFL’s Top 5 Picks

A Sneak Peek At The Drafters and Draftees

By Tyler MacDonald

For some NFL teams, the only thing to look forward to is the draft in April. They’ve been battered and broken and all they could ever hope for is a new player to save them.

The NFL draft will be here before you know it, with all of that juicy stuff that keeps people tuned every year. Oh yes, there will be blockbuster trades, reaches and steals to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Nothing is more exciting than the top 5 picks, so let us take a look at who may be in that esteemed group. Might we see 5 defensive linemen occupy the top 5 picks of the draft? How many teams will desperately trade up for a game changer? It is any persons’ guess until the much loved Mr. Goodell steps onto the podium to make the official draft announcements.

Picks are based off current win % and then strength of schedule as a tiebreaker. Trades are allowed (and included). These predictions won’t be the most accurate, but they’re just good old fun and speculation anyhow.

With the #1 Overall Pick, the Raiders Select:

Nick Bosa,EDGE,Ohio State.

This one is just poetic when you remember the Raiders are going to Nevada next season. Who will be the golden boy riding into Sin City in 2020 to save Jon Gruden’s laughable gang of athletes? The choice should surely be Nick Bosa, a perfect replacement for Khalil Mack. Bosa may have suffered a season-ending injury this season, but his lack of any other real flaws makes him seem easily the most impactful player for the Raiders to bring in.

With The #2 Overall Pick, The Jaguars Select:

Justin Herbert,QB,Oregon.

The Jaguars almost made their way to Super Bowl 52 when Blake Bortles was playing well. But nowadays, they’re stuck with no quality QBs on the roster to support their otherwise great roster. Herbert is a pro style QB with dual threat ability and great decision making. Jacksonville pounces on the chance to trade up from the sixth spot and potentially return to the playoffs.

With the #3 Overall Pick,the Jets Select:

Quinnen Williams,DL,Alabama.

The Jets defense stood no chance against Matt Barkley, soooo yeah. They need help. Williams is a difference maker on the D-Line, and he’s less risky than fellow world eater Ed Oliver.  Williams has been blowing off top O-lines all this season despite double teams 75% of his snaps. He’s got 66 tackles to go with 8 sacks. An injury free history and a spotless character record makes him far less risky than Oliver, who’s had both injuries and an incident with a coach.

With the #4 Overall Pick,the Cardinals Select:

Greedy Williams,CB,LSU.

The Cardinals have Patrick Peterson, but the need for a new DB is still clear. The Cardinals are 3rd last in the league in pass defense, despite having Peterson.  They let teams throw an average of 68% against their team. Williams is the best corner in this class, no contest.

With the #5 Overall Pick,the Giants Select:

Ed Oliver,DL,Houston.

Oliver averages .5 a sack, 9 tackles, and 1 tackle for loss per game as an interior defensive lineman. He gets double teamed on 80% of his rushes, too.He’ll collapse lines from the inside out if the Giants pick him in the draft. People just can’t block him. The G-men need him too, as they’re second last ranked against the run after trading away  the star d-lineman Damon Harrison.

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Can The Cavs Turn Their Season Around?

Probably Not...

By Tyler MacDonald

 

   You know your season is bad when your team is tied for last in the league. You know your season is bad when you’re second last in assists and rebounds per game throughout the NBA.

    The Cavs made a point of achieving both of those feats so far this season. They’re a meager 4-16, winning only one in 5 of their games.

    Lebron is gone, and the Cavs clearly have lost their identity. If you put together a Mount Rushmore for Cleveland basketball, it is just going to be a bunch of Lebron faces looking disappointed at the often hapless squad surrounding him.

     Kevin Love is injured and will be for a while, Kyrie got traded to the Celtics, and we all know what happened with Lebron.

   The Cavs lost their stars, and now they’re trying to slow the bleeding as a motley crew tries to put together a competitive year for whichever fans remain.

    Those who still are on the Cavs may be able to put together an exciting season. Cleveland has put together 3 wins from their last ten, much better than the lone win they managed in their first ten games.

    Over this more recent span in November, the Cavs have a +/- of -6.5. That’s bad, but it is  much better than their previous mark of -7.9 in October. On the flip side, free throws

   

Field goals and 3 point shots are all getting shot at a slightly less efficient rate than they were in the first 10 games of the season.

   Any improvements the Cavs have made are not significant enough to get them more wins.  The Cavs are playing terrible yet still better than they were before. That’s obviously not going to get them an advantage over any other team than their past selves.

   No players seem to be saying there’s some sort of revelation going on in the Cavs locker room that would light a spark in them.

   It is time to face the truth. The Cleveland Cavaliers are almost certainly going to bounce back this season. Their players are doing the same what they did before statistically, so really it seems like a miracle is all that can save them.

   Cavs fans ought to just hold on until a high lottery pick falls into their teams’ hands. Having Zion or RJ would be worth the suffering, right?

I used the nba.com metrics tools to gather my information. They provided information on anything from net rating to traditional stats to home vs away comparisons for all teams and players.   

 

FMHS Swim Kicks Off

A Dive Into The Most Swim-Pressive Sport

By: Jadyn Heil

The swim season has finally started, and it’s looking to be a pretty good season for the athletes. Their coach, Sky Hirsch, has been pushing them hard to get them ready for their first couple meets, which took place on Friday at Delta and on Saturday at CMU. In fact, some of the athletes are overwhelmed by the amount of practices and how difficult they are. On Mondays, they have practice from 7 to 9 at night and have to get up and go to the college at 5:30 in the morning. It’s tough for these girls to get their homework done and get enough sleep.

A freshman new to swim, Mekenzie Clark, told me about their routine at practice. Everyday, they do ab workouts and swim workouts in the pool which made Mekenzie really sore, she says.

“The practices are really difficult especially if you’re new, but they are really fun and help you get in shape for other sports.” Mekenzie says she is doing swim to stay in shape for track in the spring.

It seems like although the swim practices are exhausting and take place at inconvenient times, the girls are enjoying the sport.

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CU Shows Out At XC National Championships

They Won A Natty

By Tyler MacDonald

In a dominant showing by CU’s storied distance running program, Colorado took home a women’s national championship and also a 4th in the nation finish for Men.

  Colorado also had the top individual women’s runner in the entire contest, Dani Jones.

   This isn’t anywhere near the best year ever for Colorado’s runners, but they still managed to pull past powerhouses like it was easy.

   Just to add a little perspective on how impressive the Buffs have been, let us take a look at the list of National Championship victories over the years for this team.

  The first one came in ‘00, with a women’s team that shocked everyone after CU was only ranked #10 coming into the Natty.

  Men would win it all in 2001 next, with the Torres brothers leading the way to a mere 1 point win over Stanford.

    In 2004, the women took another ‘w’ after placing all of their top 5 runners in the top 30 of the race. To put it lightly, that is a stunning feat of dominance.

  Not to be outdone by the ladies,  the men would also win in 04.

  Long story short, CU also became champions in 2006, 2013, 2014, and now in 2018.

  The most famous year in Buffs running history came in 1992, when the Buffs also contended for their first ever national championship but fell short due to injuries to some of their best players. The story was featured in the book  “Running With The Buffaloes”.

 The book really tells the story of how hard it is to be a student athlete in college. It takes the idea of working hard to a whole new level. It also reminds readers that college runners work their hearts out also. Raphael Torres once said in the story, “We’re true athletes, man. We run 100 miles a week. We just eat, sleep, and run.”

  Many people may not realize the price athletes pay to run at their very best. When CU stepped onto the podium after their big days for both sides, there is no questioning that they got what they deserved.

  This makes for the 27th ever national championship in CU history across all sports. Hopefully many more will soon follow.

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