Category: Sports

By Aaron Brown –

Poor Tim Tebow. With the Manning Sweepstakes over, is Tebow next?

Tebow has just been “thrown” out of his starting spot by Peyton Manning, What’s next for Tebow?

“I wouldn’t say I feel bad for him,” said Robert Ayers, a defensive end for the Denver Broncos, according to ESPN.  “It’s a business. And I’m pretty sure Tim understands that. … We wish him luck, no matter what he does. I hope he’s here. He’s a great leader, a great locker room guy.”

“I don’t understand why people do not believe statistics,” said Cody Straub, a huge Tebow fan at Penn Manor. “He went 7-4 as a starter last year with a playoff win over Pittsburgh. Quarterbacks are judged on winning, right?”

The Broncos signed Manning for five years for 98 million dollars, making him the highest paid player in the league based on annual salary.

One option he could have chose was to sit the bench and learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL, National Football League. This option would be a very good learning experience for Tebow, but will keep him off the field for at least five years.

“I know what kind of player Tim Tebow is, what kind of person he is,” Manning said, according to Chicago Sun-Times. “What an awesome year he had this year. If Tim Tebow is here next year, I’m going to be the best teammate I can be to him. He and I are going to help this team win games.”

Another option for Tebow was for him to get traded and start another sweepstakes for a very winning quarterback. There were already teams that are eying up Tebow. The possible sites for the next “Tebow Time” are Jacksonville, Cleveland, New England, New York, where he got traded to, and Miami.

“If other opportunities present themselves to him, I’m going to wish him the best,” said Manning.”He’s going to be a great player wherever he is.”

“I really want Tebow to go to Buffalo,” said Brad Snyder, a junior at Penn Manor, before he was traded. “He make a huge difference in ticket sales and winning games.”

Now fans in New York will always be yelling “Tebow Time”.

With Tebow, comes hard work, a great leader, and a winning tradition, both in college and professional football.

“Tim Tebow is a great kid. If I want someone to marry my daughter, it would be him,” John Elway, executive of the Broncos and two time Super Bowl winner with the Broncos, according to Chicago Sun-Times said. “But I think with the opportunity to have Peyton Manning’s services, we had to take advantage of that. Now that it’s happened, we have to go back and address Tim and see what the best situation is for the Denver Broncos, as well as him.”

By Jordan Rineer-

Penn Manor starts off the lacrosse season at Hempfield on Fri., March 23,  at 4:15.

“Starting off the season playing our biggest rival on their home turf… I don’t need to hype it up anymore than that,” said Penn Manor Junior lacrosse player Adam Hess.

Hempfield is considered one of the best teams in the state. Hempfield Senior CJ Bosch committed to University of Maryland Baltimore County who is ranked 30th in D1 Mens Lacrosse rankings. two Juniors Nick Valentino and Matt Senft both committed to Drexel University which is ranked 26th in D1 Mens Lacrosse rankings.

But Penn Manor has been looking for revenge since last season’s opening day loss to Hempfield 14-5.

“With Township not being as good as they usually are, Hempfield is our main focus.” said a lacrosse player who wanted to remain anonymous.

“We need this win to start off a good season,” said senior lacrosse player Alex Kirk.

Penn Manors five captains were named this week: Brady Charles, Alex Cummins, Alex Kirk, Adam Hess and Harrison Manning.

Penn Manor has never beat Hempfield in boys lacrosse.

“We are trying to make history here,” said Kirk.

“We need to be confident, we need to expect a win, said junior lacrosse player Adam Hess.

Penn Manor’s defense should have a strong point with Alex Cummins taking charge for the defense.

Penn Manor’s midfield is led by a veteran first string, with a lot of varsity experience from Ryan Dicamillo, Adam Hess and Brady Charles.

The attack line is a senior-filled force with Mitch Domin, Alex Kirk and Harrison Manning, with help from Junior Matt Hatch off the bench to contribute.

Pay attention to the Penn Manor lacrosse team this year as they look to make a run in districts and leagues.

“We are looking for Charles and Manning to create and make plays for others against this strong Hempfield squad,” said Hatch.

 

 

 

By Daulton Parmer –

There is so much commotion about Peyton Manning and where he’s going to play, the other one, the other Payton may get lost in the frenzy.

Sean Payton is the coach for the New Orleans Saints suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell  for allegedly paying Saints players to hurt players on opposing teams.

The defensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints was said to have paid his players to physically knock their opponents out of the game. Which was dubbed “crush for cash” by the Associated Press.

‘The NFL said the scheme involved 22 to 27 defensive players, targeting opponents including quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. “Knockouts” were worth $1,500 and “cart-offs” $1,000, with payments doubled or tripled for the playoffs.” according to a report filed on ESPN.

“I was completely shocked when I heard this, I could never participate in anything like this. Football is a man’s sport and should be played with respect,” said Penn Manor High School football player Joe Timmins, a Comet linebacker.

The Saint’s bounty incident is being overlooked. And Super Bowl Champion Sean Payton will be suspended for the 2012-2013 football season, along with his general manager Mickey Loomis, only for half the season, though.

Bounty Hunter = One who hunts predatory animals in order to collect a bounty(money). According to thefreedictionary.com

This scandal wasn’t for just last year, it’s been around for a few. In the 2010 NFC Championship, captain Jonathon Vilma offered $10,000 to anyone who knocked Brett Favre out of the game. The game checked in with two roughing the passer penalties and a few cheap shots at Favre that injured his ankle.

Payton is the first NFL head coach to be suspended. He has been accused of trying to cover up the system of extra cash payouts that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday called “particularly unusual and egregious” and “totally unacceptable.”

Payton hasn’t given much to the press about his suspension, but he is shocked to say the least.

“I think the entire team thought maybe there would be a four-game suspension, but not a year.  ‘Are you OK?’,” said reporter Michael Smith.

Payton responded with, “No, I am not OK.”

To add onto his suspension, he will also be going throughout the year with zero payment. Losing about $8 million.

The news shocked the entire NFL community.

“I am speechless. Sean Payton is a great man, coach, and mentor. The best there is. I need to hear an explanation for this,” tweeted on Twitter from long friend/player of Sean Payton, Quarterback Drew Brees.

 

New team. New coach. Same goals.

Last year the Penn Manor’s girls lacrosse team made a deep-spirited run to the state semi’s before seeing it come to an abrupt end.

The Comets are no longer led by head coach Jim Miller, instead taking over the reins is former assistant coach Kim Marsh.

Marsh, a counselor at the high school, was an assistant on last years’ state-semi team, and hopes to keep the Comets headed in the right direction.

This year’s team has to replace a stellar group of seniors that were headlined by Maddie Hess and Alicia Burns. Hess is now a member of the Virgina Tech Hokies lacrosse team.

Making up for the those two is an obvious challenge, they accounted for a ton of the Comets offensive production, as well as providing leadership in the locker room.

The Comets do return some key players from last year’s stellar squad.

On offense you have to look no further than senior Emily Eddowes. Eddowes was an offensive force last year and will look to pick up the slack this year. Eddowes committed to Rollins college for lacrosse and will play there in the fall.

Fellow senior Courtney Fatta will play for Thiel college at the next level.

Defensively the Comets will be led by seniors Amanda Nolt and Megan Schlegelmilch.

Eddowes and Schlegelmilch are the captains of the squad.

“My job is to keep everyone in line and to keep the practices because that’s Marsh’s philosophy,”said Schlegelmilch.

Schlegelmilch also noted that there are some differences between Marsh and former coach Miller.

“There is a set practice schedule so we know what to expect instead of it being up in the air,” Schlegelmilch explained ” the drills are concise so we get to do a lot of things.”

Not a senior but with lots of experience, the Comets will gladly welcome the return of junior goaltender Lauren Ali.

“We should be a lot better ( with Ali),” explained Schlegelmilch.

The Comets boast a formidable roster but will have to prove themselves against tough league oppennts such as Manheim Township and Cocalico.

“Township didn’t lose any girls and they have six or seven D-I (Division I) scholarship players,” explained Schlegelmilch.

“It going to be us and Cocalico for a league spot, they have two really good twins,” said Schlegelmilch.

Schlegelmilch was positive about the team’s chances.

“We have the potential, but it (their success) will depend on everyone’s indivdual motivation.”

She noted that they were a young team as a whole, but that the youth could help them.

A mixture of  young athleticism and senior experience should make the Comets competitive in every game, but the test will be how cohesive they are on the field.

Only time will tell.

The girls’ begin their season on Fri. March, 23.  They open on the road facing Hershey.

It’s a Hershey team that two years ago handed the Comets a shocking upset in the district semi-finals.

The girls will be looking to avenge that bitter defeat.

By Connor Hughes and Jake Shiner –

It’s not everyday an all-time great is looking for a new team, but Peyton Manning is on the market.

The Super Bowl winning, record breaking, injured neck, golden boy is up for grabs for whichever team can reel him in.

Manning has had meetings with Broncos, Cardinals, Dolphins and Titans officials.

Students and alumni alike don’t know where the future hall of famer will go, but they certainly have their opinions.

“Arizona, because Kevin Kolb isn’t good and Peyton Manning is one of the best to ever play the game,” said Penn Manor alum Jessen Smith.

Kolb had only a measly 9 TD passes in his 9 games played during the 2011-2012 season. (8 INT’s)

“As a Colts fan, I believe he will go to the Broncos because he is supposedly impressed with their organization,” said avid Indianapolis fan Harry Manning. “Or maybe the Dolphins because he has a house in Miami.”

Miami is a very likely possibility.  Already has a house there, perfect weather, what’s not to love?

But what about his home town, Tennessee?  The Titans have one of the best running games in the league and a new coach who’s ready to win as soon as possible.

“He’ll go to the Titans because he played college football for Tennessee and he loves it there,” said Hartley.

There are many possibilities for Manning.

So why isn’t every NFL team trying to acquire him?  Well, there are a few question marks with the new free agent.

First and foremost, his health.  Peyton Manning started every single game for 14 seasons straight. That being said, he didn’t take a single snap for the Colts last season.

Manning has had a series of neck surgeries, and has only recently started throwing the ball.

What will happen when Dwight Freeney comes full-speed at his former teammate, seeking revenge for the years of untouchable practices?  Will he be able to take a hit?

Only time will tell, but a group of NFL teams aren’t too concerned.

Each team has pros and cons:

Broncos

Pros – John Elway.  One of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game.  He runs the show in Denver, and he seems to be fed up with running/quarterback Tim Tebow.  He will let Manning run the offense the way he wants.

Also, their defense finished a respectable 11th overall in total yardage given up.

Cons – No star wide receiver, terrible weather.

Cardinals

Pros – One of the best wide receivers in the league, and a head coach who is used to older, already accomplished QB’s. (Kurt Warner)

Cons – Suspect defense.

Dolphins

Pros – Not too many compared to the other competing teams

Cons – They just traded their best receiver, Brandon Marshall, to the Bears.

Tennessee

Pros – Manning’s hometown, they have a great run game and a good enough defense.

Junior Ian Noll agrees that Tennessee is the best option for the currently team shopping Manning.

“Titans, because Vince Young era was awful,” said Ian Noll. “Also, Manning is better than Hasselbeck. They are already making the right moves with their new offensive line signings.”

Many teams are trying to convince Peyton Manning to play for them, but the one thing for sure is that wherever he signs, he will absolutely make a huge, positive impact.

 

 

 

By Jay Jackson-

It is March and now you know what time it is. It is March Madness and students are starting to get excited.

“I can’t wait to fill out my bracket,” said Robert Warfel, ” Even though I know I won’t win.”

The match ups for the tournament will be announced Sunday night during Selection Sunday. There are a handful of teams that are gunning for one of the four number-one seeds.

Kentucky is probably a lock for the first overall number one and Syracuse will definitely be a number one as well. However after that it is a hodgepodge of teams that have a chance to be a number one seed.

Kentucky: According to most, Kentucky is by far the best team. People can’t argue with their dominating performances in SEC play. They got through their tough league play with no losses. Their only loss came on a desperation three to Indiana early in the season. They have victories over  North Carolina, Louisville, Kansas and two wins over Florida.

Syracuse: If Kentucky is the best, then Syracuse is next in line. They, as well, went through their tough regular season with only one loss to Notre Dame. They had wins over Florida, Marquette, Georgetown and Louisville twice. The Syracuse Orange look to be a lock for a number one seed.

Kansas: Kansas is playing their best basketball of the season at the right time. Each game they seem to get better and better. Kansas has some tough losses to top notch competition and one really bad loss to Davidson. The Jayhawks have beaten Ohio State, Kansas State, Missouri, and Baylor twice.

North Carolina: With the pure talent they have on their team they should be either one or two. Carolina has slightly under achieved. Four of the starters are projected to be drafted in the first round. Their peak of disappointment was at Florida state where they were blown out of the gym by 33 points. However UNC has been playing better and better and they just dominated Duke at Cameron Indoor stadium.

Missouri: Best guards in the nation. They were looking like one of the top three programs in the country before they blew a 19-point lead in the second half against Kansas recently. The Tigers just lost two straight to Kansas State who swept them this season and obviously Kansas. They had a tough schedule and had a very good season under their first year head coach. Nobody expected them to make this big of a splash.

Duke: After Duke got beat down last Saturday it seems to be an outside chance that they get a number one seed. They had a tough out-of-conference schedule this year. Duke is ranked number two in the RPI. They have big wins over Kansas, Michigan State, and North Carolina. Duke lost to Ohio State, Miami, Florida State, North Carolina, and a terrible loss to a weak team in Temple.

By Brady Charles –

Lacrosse is shaking off its cobwebs, and coming into the 21st century stronger then ever.

It may have been the first sport in North America, and it may be the fastest growing sport in the United States today, but the sport went into a long hiatus until a steep rise in popularity in the 21st century.

Lacrosse was first created by the Native Americans as a preparation for war, it was later adapted and raised by the Canadians. According to US Lacrosse, youth participation has increased 138 percent since 2001, and no sport has grown as quickly at the high school or college level in the past decade.

Everything about the sport is fast.  Lacrosse is a sport of quickness and speed, not brawn nor size.

“Anyone can be good no matter what size, it’s all about your stick skills and how well you can use your body,” said Harrison Manning, a senior attackmen for the Penn Manor lacrosse team.

With no required size, anyone can play the sport whose popularity is drawing athletes from other sports.

“It’s really interfering with baseball since they’re in the same season. I played baseball growing up, but once I was old enough to play lacrosse there was no doubt that’s what I wanted to play,” said junior midfielder Adam Hess.

“A lot of kids are making the transition from baseball to lacrosse,” said Hess.

Manning also guesses that the reason for lacrosse’s popularity is because kids love the fast-paced play and excitement.

Lacrosse is a sport gathering people from all different cultures and regions around the country.

“The growth started in the Northeast and is now spreading to the South and is very popular in the West now,” said Hess.

Although its popularity is spreading throughout the country, the best teams in the country still reside on the east coast.

“The powerhouse teams are still the teams from the Northeast such as Calvert Hall, Boys Latin, Conestoga, Haverford, West Islip, I don’t see that changing,” said Manning.

Lacrosse is not only a sport, it’s a lifestyle for some.

“It’s definitely trending. I see kids everywhere wearing lacrosse pinnies, people love the perception they get,” said Manning.

The growth of the sport is leading to a “overflow” of so called “Lax Bros.”

The stereotype of a “Lax Bro” includes having a very strange way with their words.  Lacrosse jargon includes words such as flow, lettuce, bro, gnarly, Rip the Duck, spoon, bucket. The fashion includes lacrosse pinnies, pastel shorts, mid-calves, fitted hats, and long curly hair.

“I think their whole perception is pathetic, it makes no sense to me,” said senior Bob Warfel.

” I don’t understand it, the words they use don’t make any sense,” said senior Sara Bennis.

Although some may not understand the culture of Lacrosse, the rise of the sport is surging.

 

 

By Daulton Parmer-

As each basketball season continues, it seems as if more and more compression wear is being worn in games. What is the point of wearing them?

“I wear a shooting sleeve because it keeps the sweat off my hands,” said Marc Summy, Penn Manor basketball player. “The less sweat on my hands, the stronger I am at controlling the ball.”

Many basketball players, high school, college, and professional are all starting to wear either an arm or leg compression sleeve, or both.  Compression sleeves are sleeves with two holes at each end made from stretchy material to slide over the arm or leg.

Allen Iverson was the first to start this back in 2000 after having elbow surgery. The sleeve acted as a compression bandage. Iverson believed this arm sleeve would help the healing process move faster, while protecting it against further injury. Iverson continued wearing his bandage after his elbow healed, and other players followed, making sleeves not only for medical reasons, but for straight fashion.

Most athletes feel if they look great, they feel great, and in return perform great.

“Man I just wear the sleeve because I like how it looks,” said NBA All-Star Dwight Howard. “I started wearing it in practice it felt good one day and I thought ‘Man, I should wear this in the game. It might make my shot look better,” said Howard after an interview with Randal Stevens, a writer for www.ballerstatus.com.

Some NBA players also wear the sleeve to cover any inappropriate tattoos.

The sleeves don’t end with the arms.  Slowly working down the body.

Knee, calf and whole leg sleeves are now participating in basketball.

Recent studies have that the ”Basketball leg sleeves incorporate compression technology which keeps the legs warm and promotes healing and blood flow while protecting the legs from scrapes and bruises during play,” according to ‘CSS TECH’, a company that specializes in customization of compression sleeves..

The calf sleeve acts as a muscle energizer. It keeps the muscle tight and warm. It allows the best performance for the longest time. Without the sleeve, the muscle would start to grow weaker after performing for a long period of time and start to get droopy, according to ‘CSS TECH’.

Other types of compression wear are completely about protection.

Special type of sleeves, both leg and arm, contain a pad on either the elbow, knee or shin.

Compression shirts and shorts are also being worn with padding on them.

“I wear the compression shorts with the padding on the thigh. One knee (to the thigh) and you could be out for a few days,” said Summy.

The shirt contains special padding protecting the ribs.

Suiting up for basketball is almost the same as suiting up to go to war now.

No one knows what will come next.