The Cardinal: OHS' Newspaper

Climbing To the Top and Batting Over the Fence

By: Decarus Wright

Subheading:  OHS varsity baseball Coach Jeffrey Fraker speaks on his team this season and the rise of champions.

Trying to climb to the top, the Cardinals baseball squad has made this season one filled with improvement and taking the right steps towards a championship.

This year the Cardinals have a record of four wins with four games left on their schedule. Their head baseball Coach, Jeffrey Fraker says “That is a big improvement. We have been involved in a lot more games and we have had an opportunity to win them. We have a great chance to win all 4 of those games so, 8 wins will be a bigger improvement.” With a potentially four more opportunities to win and notch up eight wins, the Mighty Cardinals a climbing upward and improving with each game.

            The best game Fraker says the team played was an away game against Campbell when they pulled off a 7-0 victory. “We had great pitching and great hitting. Everything was perfect.” It was the first time the Cardinals beat Campbell as an away team in seven years!

Another great game was a game early in the season against East Jackson County. The Cardinals scored clutch runs and played great defense to win the game in the 7th inning. It was their first win of the year and a proud victory!

            The team’s success is credited with the entire team and its three top players: OJ Gibson, amazing 400. Rabbus has one homerun along with Middleton. Gibson is leading the team with 19 RBI’s. They are being scouted by colleges such as: Reinhardt college College, Andrew College, and a few other schools.  Fans, community members and OHS couldn’t be even prouder of our boys!

            Much of the Cardinals improvement has been due to hard work in practice. The baseball team’s practices during the season are an hour and a half every day. Off-season practice is two and a half hours a day. In practice, the players use batting tees with big blocks of wood. “When players hit, it gives them a horrible swing, but it improves their power,” adds Fraker. The high school baseball season is a grind. The cardinals play 3 games every week. Their games are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, that’s why having practice, is important. 

            One piece that Fraker feels his team needs to win a state championship is pitching. Pitching has been the Cardinals Achilles heel this season. “We have a junior, two sophomores, and a freshman that pitch for us right now. They are getting better day by day.” One player that he feels is raising his game is senior, Demetrius Campbell, he hits well and plays good defense.  Freshmen Martin Logan and Jeff Peterson, are tackling each practice with passion. “They just hit the weight room and get stronger,” states Fraker. As the last four games are bringing the season to an end, with hopes of wins for each game the Cardinals keep the eyes on the prize and their bating pointed at the fence. Kyle Middleton, and Xavier Rabbus. Gibson and Middleton have batting averages around  an

amazing 400. Rabbus has one homerun along with Middleton. Gibson is leading the team with 19 RBI’s (runs batted in) and Rabbus is in first or second place in all of the team’s categories. “These guys work hard. In the offseason, they do anything to get the job done. To add to that, all three are being scouted by colleges such as: Reinhardt college College, Andrew College, and a few other schools.  Fans, community members and OHS couldn’t be even prouder of our boys!

            Much of the Cardinals improvement has been due to hard work in practice. The baseball team’s practices during the season are an hour and a half every day. Off-season practice is two and a half hours a day. In practice, the players use batting tees with big blocks of wood. “When players hit, it gives them a horrible swing, but it improves their power,” adds Fraker. The high school baseball season is a grind. The cardinals play 3 games every week. Their games are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, that’s why having practice, is important. 

            One piece that Fraker feels his team needs to win a state championship is pitching. Pitching has been the Cardinals Achilles heel this season. “We have a junior, two sophomores, and a freshman that pitch for us right now. They are getting better day by day.” One player that he feels is raising his game is senior, Demetrius Campbell, he hits well and plays good defense.  Freshmen Martin Logan and Jeff Peterson, are tackling each practice with passion. “They just hit the weight room and get stronger,” states Fraker. As the last four games are bringing the season to an end, with hopes of wins for each game the Cardinals keep the eyes on the prize and their bating pointed at the fence. s (runs batted in) and Rabbus is in first or second place in all of the team’s categories. “These guys work hard. In the offseason, they do anything to get the job done. To add to that, all three are

all three are being scouted by colleges such as: Reinhardt college College, Andrew College, and a few other schools.  Fans, community members and OHS couldn’t be even prouder of our boys!

            Much of the Cardinals improvement has been due to hard work in practice. The baseball team’s practices during the season are an hour and a half every day. Off-season practice is two and a half hours a day. In practice, the players use batting tees with big blocks of wood. “When players hit, it gives them a horrible swing, but it improves their power,” adds Fraker. The high school baseball season is a grind. The cardinals play 3 games every week. Their games are every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, that’s why having practice, is important. 

            One piece that Fraker feels his team needs to win a state championship is pitching. Pitching has been the Cardinals Achilles heel this season. “We have a junior, two sophomores, and a freshman that pitch for us right now. They are getting better day by day.” One player that he feels is raising his game is senior, Demetrius Campbell, he hits well and plays good defense.  Freshmen Martin Logan and Jeff Peterson, are tackling each practice with passion. “They just hit the weight room and get stronger,” states Fraker. As the last four games are bringing the season to an end, with hopes of wins for each game the Cardinals keep the eyes on the prize and their bating pointed at the fence.

 

Volume 4, Issue 1

How mighty are the OHS Mighty Cardinals?

Soccer, Osborne vs. Marietta
by Yuleni Romero

The Osborne Cardinals, both Junior Varsity and Varsity, soccer teams are something everyone looks forward to watch this year. Each game is full of action. Each game is filled with intense game play. What more can students expect from such an exciting sport? 
        So far, Osborne has had a reputation of numerous victories from both Junior Varsity and Varsity. In fact last year our soccer team went undefeated and made it to regions. However, the dedication of the players is not surprising with great coaches like Coach Aaron Foster, a social studies teacher at OHS, and Richard Horton, a social studies teacher at OHS. The friendship between students and coaches really seems to show out on the field and just might be what keeps their reputation and game play up to everyone’s expectations.
        We started off the year with an away game but the first game many remember was a home game Friday, Feb. 26, 2010. 
        Our very own Osborne cardinals went up against the Marietta Blue Devils.
Early in the day before the game, you could hear several people in the halls already predicting the score of the games According to some the Osborne winning streak would continue, while others worried about the Blue Devil’s defense. 
        The amount of fans and supporters we get during the game is also a huge deal. Students, parents, and fans of the sport come out to support the school and team. The cheers and yells are heard in the entire field. In comparison to the Marietta team we seem to have a real love for the game. At the start of the game, we got the team pumped-up and ready to go.
        The Jv game took place at 5:30 after school. Many of the Jv players are new comers that have shown hard work goes a long way.
        The game started off with so much energy from both sides of the feild. Osborne’s perseverance came out as the crow went wild with a starting goal made by sophomore Eric Guiterrez. According to friends and fanatics, Guiterrez is one of greatest soccer players the school has. For this reason Guiterrez has a place in both Jv and Varsity team.
        While the force and efforts that the team put in, it didn’t seem to be enough. Astonishingly, Marietta won 2-1. 
        Though the junior varsity team was upset, the varsity was next to show off what they could do. Starting off the game, either team could win. Consistent with the opinions of fans and students, Varsity games are looked forward to more then anything. As the game began, the stress of the previous game could be felt in the air. Both teams seemed to want to confirm that their school was better. Yet, Marietta’s confidence started to shrink as the Varsity team played an outstanding game.
        Even though our Junior Varsity team didn’t have much luck the Varsity won 2-0.

- Volume 4. Issue 1 -

Rifle Team Soars to New Heights

by Yuleni Romero

        Osborne High School’s rifle team is recognized as one of the best, according to its students, because of its many victories at competitions. Really, who hasn’t heard of them? With an outstanding 9-1 record, this season has been very successful. “We’ll probably have like 10 [wins] soon,” says Chief Rodney Fagan, OHS rifle team instructor. “Our rifle team has had a great amount of victories, but the most memorable has to be Westlake.” The Cardinals competed against Westlake several times without success but recently defeated them to ensure a place in the playoffs. 
        Despite a winning season so far, the rifle team faces many challenges at the start of every season. When beginning competition season, it becomes very hectic as only 10 students are taken to a competition and around 36 students show up for tryouts. During the first few days of tryouts and practice, students see how much work is required and some stop attending. After-school practice lasts four days, and the team shoots on Thursdays. 
        For those who do not know much about a rifle team, it’s hard to accept that most of the work is mental and involves a lot of concentration. “A person must be really strong mentally,” stated Fagan. If they aren’t, they will only have trouble in this sharp-shooting sport. 
        Anyone who would like to try out should be prepared for what they are getting themselves into. For example, many think that because they can hunt, they are prepared to be a rifleman. This is not always the case. The team is not just about hunting and shooting. Students must be mentally focused on the fundamentals of what they are going to be doing and what their goal is. “The target is about the size of a quarter,” Fagan emphasized. If you can’t focus, you can’t hit this small target. Although no accidents have occurred, students must be cautious and focused at all times.
        For those who are focused, the benefits are endless and most of the members exceed academically. The way they learn to focus and succeed during practice really helps them maintain balance in their daily school routine. For instance, Bernardo Trevino, an OHS senior, made Osborne proud last year by breaking the school’s shooting record. It didn’t stop there; this year he broke his own shooting record. Trevino’s dedication really shows in his outstanding performances.
        According to Fagan, the team’s improvement and qualities show their commitment to performing at the highest level. Bernardo Trevino, Jacob Furman, Daniela Berrones, Ceron Hargrove, Roxana Funez, Sonia Martinez, Cory Flowers and Roberto Molin plan to continue their winning spree and perhaps even win the playoffs.

- Volume 4, Issue 1 -

A Future Superstar: Emmit Rice

by Decarus Wright

        OHS senior running back Emmitt Rice had a great season, putting up stellar stats. Rice is a future star.
        During the Cardinals 2009 football season, he had 179 carries for 820 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. Rice led the team to an improved 3-7 record following a dismal 1-10 record in 2008. After a surprising 2-1 start, the Cardinals slowed down and were 1-6 in their last seven games.
        Despite this loss, we are making room for improvement. Rice’s role in this improvement, while small, is lasting. He believes he set a standard for OHS running backs to look up to and surpass. “I feel I’ve left a great mark on the five running backs on the team. We all looked up to one another,” he says.
        As a native of Columbia, Mississippi, Rice has eight siblings in his family but only three are still living at home. He attended four different schools before OHS in 2007. “Life was pretty good for me growing up,” Rice reflects. “I always look for the positive things.”
        Rice got involved with football as a teen, and his first-ever game came as an OHS freshman against Pebblebrook. “It was kind of scary because we were big rivals, and we always talked crazy stuff before the game and we won,” he remembers. 
        Rice has grown through football during his career at OHS by overcoming shyness and meeting more people. This has made him a better person, he believes, by being a leader and having confidence that “you can get the first down when the game is on the line.” Rice has this attitude not only in how he plays the game but how he lives his life, and he applies this tenacity towards other sports as well. 
        Rice is also a member of the track team, and says he got into track because he is competitive and “always wanted to be the fastest on the team.” He runs an impressive 4.5, making him one of the fastest on the team. Though he participates in two sports, he does not let them interfere with his school work. Rice admits he is on the track team so he can be faster at football, but loves track because of the strength and agility it affords him. He acknowledges that he does not like to play fullback because there is a lot of blocking involved. “I just like to run the ball,” he says. “I never liked full contact. That is why I run hard.”
        Looking back on his senior season of football, Rice feels that the team could have done better. Three of the Cardinals close losses came against Pebblebrook, Paulding County and Cass. Rice’s proudest moment of the season came when he jumped over two defenders who were trying to tackle him. He feels his weakest moment was the way the season ended with a 3-7 record, humbly admitting it might have been better if he had worked on his blocking. 
        Reflecting on his years at OHS, Rice says he is sad that it’s almost over but feels he has left a great mark on Osborne football. He hopes that when he leaves he will be remembered as a humble, loving guy. Rice thinks that his time at OHS has prepared him for the future.
        Rice has a 2.5 GPA. “This all started my freshman year when I really did not take my classes too seriously. Other than that, now I am doing good and passing all my classes,” he explains. Rice’s favorite subject is math, his weakest is language arts.  He tries his best to be a good student so that he can get into a good college.
        Not only a football player and a track star, Rice is a member of the after-school OHS chorus group, The Sound. He says he started singing in the locker room and his teammates encouraged him to join the chorus and be in the talent show. Rice participated in the talent show and developed a new love for music. 
        For his future, Rice hopes to attend the University of Southern Mississippi. He says he has been scouted for college teams but hasn’t decided where to attend. Rice also hopes to play in the NFL someday, specifically for the Green Bay Packers because of their tradition and amazing defense. If he does not make the NFL, he wants to be a sports trainer and, in some way, be a part of professional football. With some luck, and if he continues to work hard, professional football could have a place in his future.

- Volume 4, Issue 1 -

The Retirement of Tedy Bruschi

By Patricia Little

 

       A perfect player is settling down for retirement with the New England Patriots. According to Sports illustrated, Tedy Bruschi has announced his retirement from New England Patriots. Bruschi spent his entire career in New England. At the age of 36 he returned from a mild stroke. In 2005 he played for 8 months. His time on the field declined last season and was playing with a second defense team unit. He has never played for any other football team. His one and only unachieved goal was to win a fourth championship.

       Bruschi was at a news conference when he said, “your body doesn’t heal as quickly”. He missed training from camp and one exhibition game because of undisclosed injury. During the season he had a lot of health problems. At Massachusetts General Hospital 4 ½ years ago, Bruschi walked out unsteady when he had been admitted two days early on February 16, 2005. He had felt numbness in his left arm and left leg and had blurry vision, when he was diagnosis with a mild stroke. The stroke was caused by a whole in his heart, how ever he made a recover and came back just in time for the seventh game of the season.

       Bruschi had made 10 tackles against the buffalo Bills. He led the team with a victory for the first time in 2006 despite his surgery. He was also the Patriots leading tackler again in 2007.

       Over the course of 2008 Bruschi performance had declined. The rookie Jerod Mayo has emerged as the leader in the middle of defense. Mayo had stated that Bruschi, “took me under his wings when I first came here and told me one day he would pass the torch on to me and the rest of the team.” Kevin Faulk, the running back joined the team as the longest-tenured Patriot. When Faulk talks about Tedy Bruschi, he always states “leadership and inspiration.”

 

- Volume 2, Issue 1-

 

New Coaches, New Thoughts

An Inside Look at the New Girls’ Basketball Coach

By Marica Corry

Ms. Lisa Williams, an administrator at OHS, has stepped down to turn over her throne as the Head Coach of Osborne High School Girls’ basketball Team. Some may think this was a bad idea and just plan stupid; however the new coach has show promise. After sitting down with Coach Mike Marchese, a new physical education teacher and the new Head Coach of the Girl’s basketball team, it is easy to see that he has a heart for teaching and coaching.

Mike Marchese was born in Upstate, New York. He has played sports as a young kid, and at his high school, he believes basketball just stuck. I asked Mike Marchese why he wanted to become a coach, “It has been a goal for a long time now, but I love sports and teaching student or anybody who is willing to learn the game of basketball.” Mike Marchese recently coached at Campbell High School, as JV boys’ basketball coach and Medolcreek for three years. Now one has to wonder, what made him want to coach a Girls basketball team coming from coaching a boys’ team. “This was a great chance for a head coach position and,” he stated and added that he wanted to be part of the family, the OHS family.

With a record of 26-30 last year, Mike Marches has accepted his duties with high expectations from not only himself but the faculty, community and students watching his every single move. As a head coach he plans to take OHS girls basketball team all the way to the State and Regional competitions. I asked Mike Marchese, “How you going to make it happen for the girls this year?” He says, “I want to make sure at the end of the season my players will be able to play the best they can, I don’t want this to be just about winning game but about improvement and dedication.” Sasha Hall and I are the managers of the Girls Basketball team and we are very much excited to be working by Mike Marchese side. He added, “I been working with the girls for about two and half weeks, and found that I am a lucky, no thankful guy to be working with such great talent and poetical, they have good grades, they carry themselves like a young lady should.” With a big smile he stated,” They are well round girls, and I am ready to take them all the way.”

 

-Volume 2, Issue 1-

A League on its Way to Greatness

An inside look on the UFL

by Decarus Wright

 

            The UFL stands for the United Football League’ which has four teams: the Las Vegas Locomotives, Florida Tuskers, California Redwoods and the New York Sentinels. The Locomotives colors are silver. The Tuskers colors are Blue. The Redwoods colors are green and the Sentinels colors will be black. All of these team’s background colors will be green and blue because the League Commissioner Michael Huyghue stated that green represents the grass and blue represents the sky. Also, the official game ball will have green stripes on it and the UFL logo that will be on these team’s helmets are green and blue. I think that these colors are pretty interesting because they stick out from the NFL.

The UFL had originally planned to start its league in 2008 with eight teams but had recently decided to start the following year. This league is a six game season that plays its games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The first UFL season will premiere on October 8^th, 2009, when the California Redwoods will take on the Las Vegas Locomotives at 11:00pm Eastern Standard Time on Versus Network. The UFL Championship will be played Thanksgiving weekend on November 27^th, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. These games will also be played in NFL like venues. The Florida Tuskers will play at the Citrus Bowl and Tropicana Field in Orlando, Florida. The New York Sentinels will play at James M. Shuart Stadium and two additional venues in the Metro area. The Las Vegas Locomotives will play at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The California Redwoods will play at the Home Depot Center including two more venues in California.

This season the UFL will have rules similar to the NFL but will have a little twist to them such as: (1.) No Tuck Rule- this rule is when a passer loses the ball while in a throwing motion, in the UFL it is a fumble (2.) Touchdown Celebrations- celebrations that are individual or group will be in the endzone (3.) Fumbling Out of Endzones- if the ball is fumbled out of the endzone, it will be at the fumbling spot to the team that last had possession (4.) Intentional Grounding- a quarterback is allowed to ground the ball anywhere behind the line of scrimmage if he is under pressure (5.) Instant Replay- all reviews will be reviewed upstairs by an official and he will only have ninety seconds to do so (6.) Overtime- both teams will be granted possession, when a team scores the other team will get a last chance on their next possession.

The UFL has head coaches who have coached for several years and have once played professional football during their career. New York Sentinels coach, Ted Cortell, played with the Atlanta Falcons for two years. California Redwoods head coach, Dennis Green was the running back for the BC lions of the C FL. Florida Tuskers coach, Jim Haslett played eight NFL seasons and Las Vega Locomotives head coach, Jim Fassel played one year in the NFL, This league also has former NFL players for teams in the UFL such as: J.P Losman, Tim Rattay, BJ Sams, Jermaine Wiggins, and more. This league has players that will be stars of the NFL someday. These guys really didn’t get that change. The UFL is a league on its way to greatness. This situation is good for the league because these guys have mentors that can help them get better day by day.

 

 

- Volume 2, Issue 1 -

OHS Track Team off to great start

Track Team striving for the best for a new and improved season
by Bena Hanyard

            OHS’s2009 Track Team has kicked off and had its first meet on March 4th, located at Paulding County High School. It was a Quad-Meet, which is when the team goes against multiple opponents.
            At the meet, the throwers did exceptionally well. Darnell Moore, an OHS senior,  placed 2nd in discus for the boys, throwing 114 ft., 5in. For the girls’ discus competition, Damesha Boney, an OHS junior, placed 1st and Dominique Stringer, an OHS junior, placed 5th. In the boys Shot Put division, Moore placed 5th. For the girls’ Shot Put, Boney placed 3rd and Stringer placed 8th. Moe (needs a last name and what class they are in) threw 28 ft and Coach Tedder said, “That is exceptionally good for her because that is the farthest she has every thrown.”
            The High Jump went well also. OHS triumphed with three of jumpers placing in the top two spots. Justin Browner, an OHS senior, placed 1st for the Triple Jump, jumping 42’ 9”. Joshua Henderson, an OHS senior, and Roland Assinzo, also an OHS senior, placed 2nd in High Jump, jumping 6’ 0”.
            OHS is truly proud of the effort that the Track Team gave at this meet and we all hope that they can continue this winning attitude throughout the entire season.
            The coaches for this year are: Coach Chris Wilson, Coach Sasha Tedder, and Coach Melanie Garland. Wilson and Garland coach the running, while Tedder handles the throwers. The coaching staff is hoping for an immense turn out of support for this season. The coaches optimistically believe they go to the State tournament this year, where they will compete against other top runners and throwers. The goal for the State tournament, according to the coaches is to try to be ranked in the state as one of the top runners or throwers.
            To prepare for this huge event, the team runs the OHS 3 mile-trail everyday and practices throwing Discus and Shot Put. They have been working hard to get in shape for this first meet. Browner, our victorious Triple Jumper, said, “We run a lot especially on the trial and we do stairs to get in shape.”  Henderson, our outstanding second place High Jumper, added by stating that, “We work out in the weight room doing things like rockets and Mario jumps to get our vertical hops better.” Two of the senior jumpers Josh and Justin said, “we did our best and we came out with a pretty good standing for that to be our first meet and hopefully everyone can do better next time.”
            In regards to the throwers’ practice Boney exclaimed, “We throw a lot everyday and we work hard at trying to get better and we also work out in the weight room to build our muscles.” Placing 1st in the shot put is great for her first competition every in this sport and the coaches were very proud of her and think she did her best. “I did try my best and I actually came out on top of everyone and I am happy that I did that,” Boney said gladly.
            Each player hopes that they will do better next time or at least get the same standings. The next track meet will be March 14 and will be held at South Paulding. OHS will compete against South Paulding hoping to get good rankings in each race so they can get closer to their goal to making it to state.

- Volume 1, Issue 2 -

2008-2009 OHS Sports Scores and Schedules

CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE
ALL SCHEDULES AND SCORES

Baseball Schedule/Scores       Boys Basketball Schedule/Scores         Boys Tennis Schedule/Scores
                               

Girls Softball Schedule/Scores         Girls Volleyball Schedule/Scores        Girls Tennis Schedule/Scores

                                    

- Volume 1, Issue 2 -
tables generated by Flo Brown and Quantavis James

A Good Start

Coach Horton talks about how far the OHS JV Soccer Team can go this season
by Decarus Wright

            The OHS soccer team has gotten off to a great start this season. How far can they go this year? In my interview with Horton you will get the story. In my interview with Coach Horton he talked about how far his team can go this season. The OHS JV soccer team has posted a 2-0 record in the beginning of the year. “If we keep it up we probably can finish the year unbeaten. We just have to keep playing hard and trying our best each game.” Horton said.  The team’s best margin of victory was an 8-0 victory over South Cobb High School.
            When questioned about the possibility of an unbeaten season he said that would be great but, we as a team know that there are good teams out there so we are just going to take it one game at a time. Horton also talked about how he was thinks with all the right tools this year. “We have some players on the team that we help us win more games.” Horton feels that part of the good play has been because of the hard work in practice.      
            “In practice we work on drills that I think will help us with our gameplay. We also practice key situation in games.” Horton stated. The JV team is undefeated because they have been working hard every game. He also talked about his next few games against tough opponents. “I knew being undefeated would get us targeted. Our next game is against a very good team, we must really prepare for this one. I am not the best coach out there, but at least I will have a well thought out gameplan.” Horton says.   
            On Monday, the soccer team will have to bring their A game as they take on Hiram High School as they look to remain unbeaten to stay with a perfect record. Horton thinks it does not matter would your team’s record is in the win-loss column. He thinks it is the heart, soul, and passion that you put in every game that you play. Like in a sentence before Horton says that he would like to stay perfect for the season and finish in 1st place in their region but he knows there are good teams out there.   
            In JV sports there are no state playoff tournaments. At the end of the season the top team wins the region championship. So teams of every sport basically play for nothing. “A region championship would mean a lot to me. We just have to keep playing hard every game.” Horton stated with emphasis. The key of success for this season so far has been a hard work ethic and brilliant play these last two games. Horton’s team can go far this year if they keep playing good soccer and do not get distracted.
            Monday’s game turned out to go as planned. Horton’s game plan succeeded as the OHS soccer team rose to a 3-0 record with a nail-biting 3-2 victory over Hiram High School. The Cardinals scored a last second goal with little time left as they outlasted Hiram. “I knew we it was going to be a close game. But, we hung in there and pulled it out,” said Horton with excitement after the game. This has been part of his plan. If Horton keeps this up good things could happen to the young cardinals towards the end of the season. Their great play has been the reason of their good start.

- Volume 1, Issue 2 -