Will he last? - My High School Journalism
Will he last? - My High School Journalism
Will he last? - My High School Journalism
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8<br />
T<strong>he</strong> Southfield Jay / October 2006<br />
Self Selfish Self ish pla player pla er ers er<br />
dis distr dis tr tract tr act t tteams<br />
t eams<br />
By Emanuel Johnson<br />
Sports Editor<br />
Let’s get straight to it. T<strong>he</strong>re is no individual<br />
whose talent is so great that t<strong>he</strong>y can<br />
be excused for being a distraction to t<strong>he</strong>ir<br />
team.<br />
Players like Terrell Owens, Randy Moss,<br />
and Ron Artest are outstanding talents, but<br />
why has none of t<strong>he</strong>se players ever won a<br />
championship?<br />
In Owens’ case especially, t<strong>he</strong>se selfish<br />
players bring may<strong>he</strong>m w<strong>he</strong>rever t<strong>he</strong>y go. In<br />
San Francisco Owens spent years trying to<br />
be t<strong>he</strong> focus of t<strong>he</strong> team. W<strong>he</strong>n <strong>he</strong> went to<br />
Philadelphia, his ego was so large that <strong>he</strong><br />
wouldn’t play if <strong>he</strong> wasn’t paid t<strong>he</strong> hig<strong>he</strong>st<br />
amount for NFL receivers.<br />
Never mind t<strong>he</strong> fact that <strong>he</strong> was already<br />
being paid millions of dollars; <strong>he</strong> should be<br />
more concerned with his play than his pay.<br />
Already this year in Dallas, <strong>he</strong>’s been a<br />
distraction with his alleged suicide attempt.<br />
No, I don’t believe <strong>he</strong> did it purposely, but<br />
it still makes it hard to concentrate on football<br />
w<strong>he</strong>n one of your star players is overdosing<br />
on pain killers.<br />
Owens is a great receiver, maybe one of<br />
t<strong>he</strong> best in history, but until <strong>he</strong> improves his<br />
attitude about his work, <strong>he</strong> won’t be able to<br />
achieve much no matter w<strong>he</strong>re <strong>he</strong> plays.<br />
T<strong>he</strong> lockerroom incident sidelined Blue<br />
Jay quarterback Dominique Barnes is proof<br />
of t<strong>he</strong> influence that t<strong>he</strong>se types of athletes<br />
have over today’s youth.<br />
Barnes, much like Owens, is a p<strong>he</strong>nomenal<br />
talent – <strong>he</strong> is one of t<strong>he</strong> cornerstones<br />
that holds this year’s team toget<strong>he</strong>r – but <strong>he</strong><br />
has a tendency to let his talent blind his judgment.<br />
He is influenced by star athletes who<br />
behave similarly.<br />
That’s not to say that <strong>he</strong> can’t improve<br />
upon his attitude. Of course <strong>he</strong> can. But t<strong>he</strong><br />
professional athletes set too many poor examples<br />
for Barnes and ot<strong>he</strong>rs to follow.<br />
Until players like Owens and Barnes learn<br />
that t<strong>he</strong>y need t<strong>he</strong> support of t<strong>he</strong>ir team to<br />
accomplish what t<strong>he</strong>y want to accomplish,<br />
t<strong>he</strong>y won’t be able to do much to <strong>he</strong>lp t<strong>he</strong>ir<br />
teams.<br />
Spor Sports Spor ts<br />
Guts Guts on on t<strong>he</strong> t<strong>he</strong> gridiron<br />
gridiron<br />
Jays aims for winning record<br />
Set!: Senior linebacker Soweuzochi Aguwa (right) and junior lineman Johnathan<br />
Lamb (down) await t<strong>he</strong> snap of t<strong>he</strong> ball from t<strong>he</strong> North Farmington Raiders.<br />
Southfield defeated t<strong>he</strong> Raiders 27-7 in its homecoming game.<br />
By Erika Pritc<strong>he</strong>tt<br />
Staff Writer<br />
T<strong>he</strong> Blue Jays faced major adversity during<br />
t<strong>he</strong> week of homecoming.<br />
T<strong>he</strong> team played without starting quarterback<br />
Dominique Barnes, who was benc<strong>he</strong>d<br />
indefinitely for lockerrrom misconduct.<br />
Sophomore Eddie Beale stepped in and<br />
led t<strong>he</strong> team to a 27-7 homecoming victory<br />
over t<strong>he</strong> North Farmington Raiders.<br />
Southfield <strong>High</strong> <strong>School</strong>’s Varsity Football<br />
team has progressed significantly since <strong>last</strong><br />
year’s 4-5 record. With a current record of<br />
3-4, t<strong>he</strong> Blue Jays are making a run for a winning<br />
record, with or without Barnes.<br />
According to Brian Webster, a senior and<br />
one of t<strong>he</strong> team captains, “We’re extremely<br />
focused and a lot more organized than we<br />
were <strong>last</strong> year. We’re a more disciplined team<br />
and tend to work well with t<strong>he</strong> system.”<br />
Led by second-year Coach Tim Conley,<br />
t<strong>he</strong> team works hard and makes concerted<br />
effort in performing well at each game.<br />
“T<strong>he</strong> football team works hard, and you<br />
can actually tell t<strong>he</strong>y’re working hard,” said<br />
senior spectator Lawrence Jenkins. “I personally<br />
didn’t believe in t<strong>he</strong> team, and it<br />
shocked me, actually, that our football team<br />
is doing well.”<br />
Currently Southfield is in t<strong>he</strong> OAA division<br />
2 and tied at third with a host of teams,<br />
including t<strong>he</strong> recently defeated Birmingham<br />
Seaholm. With a record of 5-1 and a recent<br />
22-15 victory over t<strong>he</strong> Blue Jays, Farmington<br />
has clinc<strong>he</strong>d first place.<br />
Photo by Josh Polito<br />
T<strong>he</strong> Blue Jays have made some drastic<br />
changes since <strong>last</strong> year’s dismal season, and<br />
t<strong>he</strong> fans who attend t<strong>he</strong> games can see it well.<br />
Faithful senior spectator Michael<br />
“Mudd” Harris says, “This year, t<strong>he</strong> coac<strong>he</strong>s<br />
are on t<strong>he</strong>ir job… t<strong>he</strong> team is making much<br />
better offensive decisions.”<br />
Teamwork is a big part of t<strong>he</strong> football<br />
team’s success. On t<strong>he</strong> offensive side, t<strong>he</strong><br />
Blue Jays have moved to a more spread receiver<br />
orientated style. T<strong>he</strong> offensive line,<br />
led by senior captain Emanuel Johnson,<br />
works hard to give star quarterback and captain<br />
Dominique Barnes time to find his favorite<br />
targets: wide receivers Donald Brown,<br />
Brian Webster and Gerald Scarber.<br />
On t<strong>he</strong> defensive side of t<strong>he</strong> ball, t<strong>he</strong> defensive<br />
line has done an excellent job putting<br />
pressure on opposing quarterbacks. T<strong>he</strong><br />
Blue Jays’ new 3-5 defense is designed to<br />
disguise blitz packages and confuse offensive<br />
players. Players like middle linebacker<br />
and defensive captain Cameron Ellsberry are<br />
allowed to utilize t<strong>he</strong>ir maximum potential<br />
in this defense.<br />
“I like our new sc<strong>he</strong>me,” said Ellsberry.<br />
“Our defensive line does a good job getting<br />
into t<strong>he</strong> backfield...It makes it easier for me<br />
to make more plays.”<br />
Southfield had a rocky start to t<strong>he</strong> season<br />
with a 14-20 loss to Bloomfield Lahser, but<br />
it was followed by two consecutive victories<br />
over Pontiac Nort<strong>he</strong>rn and Seaholm.<br />
After losing to state ranked number 4 Lake<br />
Orion, t<strong>he</strong> Blue Jays suffered a crushing 15-<br />
22 loss at Farmington.<br />
Sports Briefs<br />
Girls’ Girls’ bask basketball bask tball t tteam<br />
t eam<br />
sear searc<strong>he</strong>s sear <strong>he</strong>s f ffor<br />
f or r rrhythm<br />
r ythm<br />
Girls’ Varsity Basketball is currently 1-8. T<strong>he</strong><br />
team’s record has suffered due to t<strong>he</strong> loss of<br />
valuable players, like Skylar Miller (injury)<br />
and Pors<strong>he</strong><br />
D u d l e y<br />
(transfer).<br />
With t<strong>he</strong>se<br />
losses, t<strong>he</strong><br />
team remains<br />
with 10 dedicated<br />
players.<br />
“Many of our<br />
teammates<br />
have stepped<br />
up and risen<br />
to t<strong>he</strong> occa-<br />
Brittany March<br />
sion,” says senior<br />
Captain<br />
Brittany March. Toget<strong>he</strong>r t<strong>he</strong> team agrees<br />
that t<strong>he</strong>se setbacks will only make t<strong>he</strong>m a<br />
better team. -Personna Hover<br />
New ew c cc<strong>he</strong>erleader<br />
c <strong>he</strong>erleader<br />
<strong>he</strong>erleaders <strong>he</strong>erleader s added<br />
added<br />
Five new girls were added to t<strong>he</strong> Varsity<br />
c<strong>he</strong>erleading team. T<strong>he</strong>y are Jasmine<br />
Grayson, Brianna Robins, Brittany Summers,<br />
Marquita<br />
Swann and<br />
Danielle Fort<br />
- t<strong>he</strong> first<br />
freshman to<br />
be on Varsity<br />
in recent history.<br />
T<strong>he</strong> remaining<br />
members are<br />
captains<br />
Ashley Hall,<br />
E r i k a<br />
Ashley Hall<br />
Pritc<strong>he</strong>tt,<br />
Tatiana<br />
Johnson and Tomeka Kolleh. T<strong>he</strong> four <strong>he</strong>ld<br />
tryouts in which 48 girls showed up but only<br />
five made Varsity. Says Hall, “We are doing<br />
t<strong>he</strong> best we can with t<strong>he</strong> girls we have.”<br />
-Sahsha Daniel<br />
Senior Senior girls girls clinc clinch clinc h vict victor vict or ory or<br />
T<strong>he</strong> senior girls trounced t<strong>he</strong> junior girls 21-<br />
0 in SSC’s annual powderpuff football game.<br />
T<strong>he</strong> senior’s biggest contributions came from<br />
Ashley Hall, who scored two rushing touchdowns<br />
on reverse plays. T<strong>he</strong>ir final touchdown<br />
came on a run from Brittany Lane.<br />
Junior stand-outs were Meshawne Johnson<br />
at quarterback, Camille Zaidieh at running<br />
back, and Brittany Pugh at running back.<br />
-Emanuel Johnson