Volume XLIV - Issue 5

VOLUME XLIV ISSUE 5 SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 BONFIRE DAY

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RECORD

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THE RECORD We Wear Big Helmets Part V VOLUME XLIV ISSUE 5 SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 Editor In Chief Andrew Cammon ‘14 Layout Editor Lucas McGartland ‘14 Content Editors Michael Herman ‘14 William O’Brien ‘14 Eric Stange ‘14

By Stephen Clark ’14 Football Captain This past weekend the Rebels traveled to the heart of Ladue to take on rival MICDS in the third game of Metro League play. After a sloppy first quarter, the Rebels went into halftime tied 14-14 with the Rams. Opening the second half

with another touchdown and leading 21-14 the Rebels looked off to a promising start to the second half. However, it was not to be, a mistake filled game allowed the Rams to make a comeback and win 26-21, in a heartbreaker for the Rebels.

Inspired by the loss, look for the Rebels to come out

flying against Westminster this Homecoming Weekend. The State Champion Team from 1973 will be honored and the Rebels will be playing to jumpstart their season again.

There is a barbecue at 11:30, and the game starts at 1:00. So come on out to cheer your Rebels to an important Homecoming victory.

Faculty Moderator Ms. Layton Contact theprioryrecord@gmail.com 314.434.3690 ext. 221

Tragedy Strikes Washington DC

By George Ahlering ’16 Staff Writer

The Record Disclaimer

The Record is the official student publication of Saint Louis Priory School in St. Louis, Missouri. It is produced by students/staff members. Its purpose is to inform students of events in the community; to encourage discussion of local, national, and international issues; and to serve as a training ground for budding journalists, photographer s, and graphic designers. The Record accepts contributions from all members of the Priory community, including students, faculty, and alumni. The Record will not publish content considered legally unprotected speech, including but not limited to: libel, copyr ight infr ingement, unwarranted invasion of privacy, or material disruption of the educational process. Student editors apply professional standards to the production of the newspaper and are solely responsible for all content, both explicit and implicit.

Letters to the Editors are always appreciated. Feedback not intended for publication is also welcome.

On Monday the 16th, at about 8:08 AM, a gunman entered the Washington Naval Yard, killed 12 navy personal, devastated the Nation’s Capital and the nation as a whole. This was the largest mass shooting in the US since the tragic events that transpired in Newtown, Connecticut in December, and the largest shooting at a military base since the Fort Hood shootings. This tragedy left 12 dead and 4 wounded, adding to the seemingly long list of gun violence related attacks in the US recently.

This tragic event reignited the debate on gun control laws in the US. Grant Dewey of the Minnesota Department of Corrections says that one should be careful of what is in the media because it can be misleading. He cites data that show that mass murders are on the decrease. In 1966, the term “mass murder” was coined after two incidents that left multiple

victims dead both times. Mass murders spiked in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but have since d r o p p e d d r a m a t i c a l l y.

Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, two studies that were released not long ago show that gun related violence in the US has decreased since the 1990’s. The release of these two studies was covered by many news outlets. The Federal Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that gun related homicides fell from over 18,000 in 1993 to around 11,000 in 2011. However, 56% of Americans believe it is higher.

In response to these findings, the Pew Research Center reported that “while mass shootings are rare, they capture public interest and are often viewed as touchstone events that help define the year in which the crimes occur.” The study also notes that maybe the number of gun related deaths in the US has fallen, but the number of firearms in the public’s hands hasn’t. After the

Reasons to go to Homecoming:

Newtown, Connecticut shooting in 2012, President Obama promised to pass gun control laws in the US to make it harder to purchase guns, adding background checks and other means in order to deter would be criminals. Although the nation hailed this promise, not many laws have been passed since. No major legislation has been passed at the federal level as all have either been stalled or have failed. A few states have passed tighter gun control laws, but not many. Some reports even suggest that states have passed more gun-rights laws than guncontrol laws since Sandy Hook.

In light of all these reports and data, it seems that the only logical and plausible solution to gun control would be to take smaller steps toward federal legislation. To further enforce the existing laws regarding gun control and to improve background checks on buyers would serve as a step toward reducing the likelihood of further tragic events.

NE WS

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America’s Cup: Oracle USA Capps Historic Comeback

By Andrew Cammon ’14 Editor-in-Chief The America’s Cup. If you think about this competition at all you probably picture sailing boats, wistfully gliding across the water. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The America’s Cup is the oldest continually contested sporting prize in history; it predates the modern Olympics.

The Cup is contested every three to four years, and the competition design is very unique. The defender of the Cup sets the stage, choosing the venue and vessels, designing the course, and deciding the format of the race. The contenders then compete in the Louis Vuitton Cup; the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup competes in the America’s Cup, a one-on-one thriller against the defender of the Cup. The America’s Cup has only grown more thrilling throughout its history; no other sport has aged as well. Yet most people know nothing about it; this is the first year that the America’s Cup has been held

inshore, the first time that crowds have been able to watch the races. This was also the first time that the race was broadcasted on television. Yet the large crowds for this America's Cup were only able to clearly see part of the race,

recognition, the America’s Cup is strictly competition for competition’s sake. The boats are insanely expensive, entry into the Cup even more so. The America’s Cup is strictly the world’s largest countries, corporations, talents, sums of

and the television coverage was limited.

But this secrecy, this mystery, this is what makes the America’s Cup so great, that is why it is one of the last pure sports. Because it does not have a huge audience or tons of

money, technologies, and egos duking it out on the open seas for sport.

And despite its 162 year history, this America’s Cup was one of the most exciting ever on account of the boats and the most thrilling competition in

the history of the Cup. The AC72 catamarans used in the America’s Cup are the result of a completely blank check. Each boat is nearly 100% constructed from carbon fiber composite.

Sails were deemed too inefficient to power these boats.

Instead of a mainsail, the AC72 sports a 131-foot “wing sail.”

This wing sail is a 2798.6 square foot sheet of carbon fiber transfers energy from the wind more efficiently to the boards than sails, allowing the AC72 to sail at twice windspeed. In addition to wing sails, the boats raced in this America’s Cup were able to hydrofoil. In this hard-tocontrol state, the AC72 skims the water supported only by its daggerboards, with its two hulls lifted completely out of the water. As a testament to the all of the new design and technologies employed, these catamarans sail at an average of 43 knots (50mph) compared to the 12 (14mph) knots of the sloops in the 2007 America’s Cup. Racing these boats and... continued on page 5

from, but I couldn’t figure out who to ask and now it’s almost too late.

So I’m in some serious need of love doctor advice, thanks guys!

-Kraftigguy14*-3 Doctor O’Brien: Glad you came to us Kraftigguy, it’s not too late yet! So you’ve just gotta call up all your lady friends and find one thing out: who’s willing to pay for your predance dinner. Everyone loves dancing but what’s even better is a first class meal for free.

And let the ladies know that

you plan on going somewhere fancy. If they’re paying for you, Mcdonald’s is not on the menu. Another added bonus is when your parents give you a little extra money to pay for you and your date’s meal, you get to pocket that to pad your wallet a little bit. It’s a win-win for both parties: you get a nice free dinner and money, and the lady friend gets to go to homecoming with Kraftigguy.

But time is ticking; I say you start calling all your ladies at X period. Good luck!

Doctor Rund: Wow Gus lets be honest here you're afraid to talk to girls . . . .So there is only one solution: You must go stag.

When you go stag you gotta look fly. Look good= feel good = ladies. Simple equation and it works every time. So now your walk in you get that nod from Mr. Finan and its go time. First stretch a bit cause your gonna be dancing all night long, and remember pulling a quad is always a no-no. Then go up to that babe that was staring at... continued on the next page

Love Doctors

By William O’Brien ’14 Content Editor & Andrew Rund ’16 Love Doctors Hey guys, it’s Gus here, I’ve been a fan for some time now. I have a Dr. Rund and Dr. O’Brien poster hung up in my room. Anyway, I have a problem in my love life. As I’m sure you know, homecoming is tomorrow. One small problem, I haven’t asked anyone yet.

Don’t get me wrong I have plenty of lady friends to choose

1) Babes

PUZZL E S

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Sudokus: Easy, Medium, and Hard

Crossword Puzzle ACROSS ACROSS 1. Kidney-related 6. Historical periods 10. Q-Tip 14. Betel palm 15. Alley 16. Novice 17. Fancy dresses 18. Computer symbol 19. Bridle strap 20. Appraisal 22. If not 23. Ear-related 24. A literate person 26. Not stiff 30. Ribonucleic acid 31. Sweet potato 32. Double-reed woodwind 33. Hearing organs 35. Talons 39. Interrupt 41. Honorable

43. S S S S 44. Sea eagle 46. Roman emperor 47. Got together 49. S 50. Feudal worker 51. Pass by 54. Obtains 56. A promiscuous woman 57. Deductive 63. Tropical tuber 64. Head 65. Pueblo brick 66. Arab chieftain 67. Chooses 68. Electrical pioneer 69. Risqué 70. Orange pekoe 71. Consumed DOWN 1. Indian music 2. God of love 3. Recent events

4. Skin disease 5. Lariat 6. Eradicate 7. A vehicle that races 8. Nameless 9. Guard 10. Contour 11. Brandish 12. Come up 13. Silly mistake 21. Caused by streptococci 25. Every single one 26. Prospector's find 27. Nile bird 28. Nonvascular plant 29. Autocratic 34. Serving no useful purpose 36. Air force heroes 37. Alert 38. Blackthorn

Love Doctors, Continued you while you were stretching in the corner and start twerking, cat daddyin, doing the dougie, or whatever is in your arsenal of dance moves. Dancing is the key to success on homecoming if you like it or not. In my recent studies of love a dancer

is 5 times more likely to have success then a non dancer. But, If the girl is not feeling you go up to the next girl. I guarantee at least 5 girls all over you by the end of the dance. My main advice is go up to Kitownsme1235’s girl, rumor is

she's not too happy with him.

This should help Kraftigguy, take it from a two time lovers choice award winner. If need love tips during Homecoming come up to Dr.O’Brien or Dr. Rund; we’re sure to help.

2) Cascada will play

40. Applications 42. Cantankerous 45. Sailing competition 48. Part of a tea service 51. Fruity-smelling compound 52. Andean animal 53. Golden 55. Condition 58. Back of the neck 59. Bright thought 60. Outlay 61. Competent 62. Low-fat

MOVIE S

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After Earth Review: Is it a Movie Worth Getting?

By Rohith Perla ’15 Staff Writer Near the end of May, the movie After Earth came out in theaters. I went to see it, and I had mixed feelings afterwards.

The plot is that a calamity on Earth causes the planet to become inhabitable, and humans are forced to colonize another planet – Nova Prime.

H o w e v e r, t h e i n d i g e n o u s species on Nova Prime were the S’krell, and they intended to conquer the entire planet.

Would the S’krell wish to let humans settle on their territory?

Probably not, so the humans

created this elite military corps called the Rangers. They fought back against the S’krell. There were other alien creatures on Nova Prime called the Ursa.

They could literally “smell a person’s fear,” because the human body releases pheromones when the person is afraid, and the Ursa can smell these. As a consequence, the Rangers were struggling.

However, one ranger named Cypher managed to control his fear, and this technique was called “ghosting.” He taught this technique to the others, and Nova Prime was theirs. The movie begins with Cypher’s

son, Kitai, going on his father’s last voyage through space, and at first, everything appears to be fine. However, the ship then goes through an asteroid belt, and crash lands on Earth, which is now a quarantined planet.

The ship splits apart in the atmosphere, and both parts land far away from each other.

Cypher’s legs are broken, so he instructs his son to go retrieve a beacon from the other part of the ship. Kitai proceeds to attempt this mission. However, the plants and animals on the planet evolved to kill humans, and there are frequent thermal shifts, and Kitai needs to get to

a safe spot before the shift. And if that is not bad enough, the ship was transporting an Ursa, and chances are that it managed to break free of its cage. The teaser trailer is good, because it captures all of the best parts.

But, they are few and far from each other. It is a touching story between father and son, but overall, the background, plot, and action scenes in the movie are not noteworthy. The wiser decision when deciding to see this movie would be not to get it, because there are many better movies to see than After Earth.

Continued from Page 3, America’s Cup with the beautiful San Francisco Bay as a venue, the 2013 America’s Cup between Emirates Team New Zealand and Oracle Team USA was guaranteed to be one to remember. Few could have foreseen, however, one of the most thrilling races in America’s Cup history.

Penalized two points for

illegal weights used during races leading up to the Cup, Oracle Team USA started in the hole. The desperate situation was exacerbated by the Kiwi’s early dominance. To claim the Cup, a team had to win a best of 17 series. The Kiwi’s had jumped to a 7-0 lead when Team USA called to postpone the races one day, using their

only such liberty. The two teams split the following two races, and the Kiwis were one win away from claiming the Cup. And that’s where they would stay. Mounting the largest comeback in America’s Cup history, Oracle Team USA went on to win the next 8 races in a row, edging out Emirates Team New Zealand 9-8. This

thrilling comeback made headlines across all major news outlets, and has put the America’s Cup on the map.

This recognition and success should spur all America’s Cup teams, and especially Oracle Team USA, to new heights. The America’s Cup lives on and is more exciting than ever.

What’s so Insidious about Insidious 2?

By: Peter Hopkins ‘17 Staff Writer Director James Wan’s newest horror movie seems to be getting a lot of hype, and I would say most of it is deserved. The Insidious series has followed the story of the troubled Lambert family. The second movie is set almost immediately after the first, and turns the first’s cliffhanger ending into a generally good sequel. In the first movie, the main character was haunted by

multiple ghosts and one main demon. The sequel focuses on one ghost who haunted the father, a woman in a black dress. This alone is creepy enough, but as the Lamberts learn the ghost’s dark origins, you get the Goosebumps as it gets more and more insidious.

The franchise takes an interesting spin on an average ghost movie and makes it into something genuinely creepy.

The movie has its share of average pop out scares, but also has scenes that are truly scary.

These scenes are what defines the movie, the scenes where you are piecing the story together and fearing that the scare is just around the corner.

Overall I thought the movie succeeded at what it tried to do, but fell just short of being truly great. Some of the scenes just felt like they didn’t fit, but the scary scenes were good enough to hold it together. The movie will have some saying it was good and others it wasn’t.

Another sequel has already been announced and even the

3) Introduce your date to the monks

actors have responded with mixed emotions. Patrick Wi l s o n , w h o p l a y s J o s h Lambert, said that he “[doesn’t] know where else it could go” and that “[Josh Lambert has] been through the ringer, and I think the movie sets it up well at the end […] And that’s great, that’s how it should end”.

Overall Insidious Chapter 2 will have you scared but might leave you wanting a more solid plot and characters, which is why I give it a 7.5/10.

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M OV IE S & BLOG S

Insidious Chapter 2 Falls Flat By: Patrick Shanahan Staff Writer Rating: PG-13; Run Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes; Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Barbara Hershey, Ty Simpkins and Danielle Bisutti; Directed by James Wan. Warning: Spoilers for the original Insidious follow. Do not read this review if you have not seen the original.

James Wan is on a roll right now. Just within the last 2 months he has released two high-profile horror movies: The Conjuring and Insidious Chapter 2. That alone is something special. It’s hard enough to make two movies at the same time, let alone two decent ones. James Wan came close with Insidious Chapter 2, but ultimately he missed the mark.

Chapter 2 is set on the day following the first Insidious’ conclusion, and the Lambert family is found just trying to get away from the events that befell them on the previous night. But of course, the entities that have been haunting them are not yet done. As we know from the final scene in the

previous movie (Final Warning: Spoilers for the 2011 film follow), Josh’s (Patrick Wilson) nightmare, The Bride in Black, has taken control of his body and killed paranormal investigator/ family friend Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye). Needless to say, he’s no longer the man he once was.

That’s where one of the shining moments in the rollercoaster of a movie lies: the acting. Patrick Wilson shines, delivering a performance that really shows the decay of his character as he experiences some truly messed-up stuff. The duality of his performance is really something: the part of him that is an obsessed and demonic entity with complete disregard for human life and the side of him that is still loving father and husband. And for what little screen-time they have, Barbara Hershey (Lorraine Lambert) and Lin Shaye deliver some truly terrific performances, convincing us that they are legitimately terrified. But there were also performances that just didn’t deliver; Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins were just not as believable as they were in the first film. However, all this is forgotten and forgiven by the

terrifying performance of Danielle Bisutti as the demoness Miranda.

But while Bisutti’s and Wilson’s performances were certainly nothing to scoff at, the movie is barred by the fact that it just wasn’t that scary. It seemed that for every legitimate moment of tension and terror caused by Wan’s brilliant style of camerawork (of which there surprisingly weren’t many), there was a cheap jumpscare that just made you think: “Did they really just do that to me?”

The movie was also completely hilarious at times and failed at trying to be scary.

There were multiple moments where I found my friends and I laughing out loud at something we knew was meant to be scary or intense. And, believe it or not, this movie attempts to be funny at times through the characters played by Elise’s assistants from the previous movie, and it wasn’t funny at all. So, ultimately, the movie fails at two things.

The movie does have a final saving grace that does prevent it from being a bad movie: the parallels between the first and second. I went to the movie with one friend who had seen the original Insidious

five times and loved it (like me) and another friend who had never seen the first movie at all.

And I could tell that while my one friend and I were piecing together all of the brilliantly done lore and background, my other friend had absolutely no idea what was going on.

This is a good thing for those who have seen the original, but a major downside for those who haven’t. But u n f o r t u n a t e l y, t h e s e p l o t devices also negatively impact the film for both kinds of audiences as the plot and timeline become so convoluted that its hard to watch.

For every good thing Insidious Chapter 2 has to offer, there is a bad thing that makes you roll your eyes in disappointment. While I may have enjoyed the film initially, after mentally returning to it, I see that this film is riddled with many pitfalls, and this movie just couldn’t come out of the slightly-above-average territory.

Final Verdict: 6/10: While brilliant at times, Insidious Chapter 2 is ultimately just a disappointment that I could only recommend to hardcore fans of the original or of James Wan/ Blumhouse in general.

Michael Blogs: Homecoming Edition

By Michael Herman ’14 Content Editor As you all reading this are in the closing periods of your Friday afternoons you are probably thinking about how utterly sick your homecoming weekend will undoubtedly be.

As most priory students have ladies flocking to them you have probably had to literally beat dates off with a baseball

bat, so you're probably also thinking about how you're going to have a great time with your date while at the same time dancing appropriately.

This will provide so many hassles that in truth could be avoided. If you boys are like me and I know you are your dance moves can't be restricted just to one lady alone. A bird wasn't meant to be caged. It was meant to fly and that's

exactly what needs to happen at the dance. All of us whitebreasted nuthatches should come to the dance completely ready to get our freak on.

Alright so that sounds like a pretty sweet plan right? So all we need to do now is cancel on your date. Don't worry I'll take you through a step by step process on how to cancel. Just call your date up and tell her that you don't want to take her.

4) Free punch

Secondly say "it's not you it's me" simply explain to her that you understand that she probably can't dance as well as you can and you don't want to embarrass her. You're really helping her out. And if she has any further questions you can just refer her to me. Now that that's all taken care of you're probably breathing a bit easier because you really just saved... continued on next page

MUSIC

Editor’s Picks

Yeezus Review

By Tripp Miller Staff Writer At times Kanye West is thought about more for his public persona than his musical prowess. He accused George Bush of being racist out of the blue during a telethon, and he interrupted a VMA acceptance speech, to name just a few instances. The guy's a PR nightmare. In addition, his girlfriend? A Kardashian. There is a lot of contempt aimed at the guy. But to be fair, when you name your kid “North West,” you're just just opening yourself up to it.

In the music world, however, Kanye is a major force who is massively popular but still revered amongst critics.

Even the “Pitchfork” crowd accepts Kanye. He made a number of more traditional

albums in his early career, but the past few have been more experimental. There was total overhaul of 808's and Heartbreaks, where Kanye replaced his usual rapping with auto-tuned singing, the extravagance of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and now the raw electronic grind of Yeezus.

The production this latest album is awesome. The highlight of this album has to be “Blood on the Leaves.” An interspersed sample of Nina Simone singing “Strange Fruit” (Bille Holiday), though it has nothing to do with the lyrics, is used extremely well.

A dark horn arrangement and some tasteful auto-tuning add to the already great song. As a runner-up, “Black Skinhead” has some pretty cool samples, with synth layers on top of

distorted guitars. Kanye's production is always consistent; what comes and goes are his lyrics. “New Slaves” is probably the best in terms of lyrics, with some biting social commentary on modern day racism. The low point is the track “I am God,” where Kanye's dialogue with a higher power is less than inspired: ”I just talked to Jesus/He said, "What up Yeezus?”. This comes a few lines after he demands croissants to be hastily prepared. Overall I give this album a mid to low eight. I was initially quite into it, but after a few listens I was minorly disenchanted. If you're an electronica fan, it might be worth buying for the production, but don't expect too much by way of lyricism.

Nevertheless, a solid, experimental Kanye record.

Michael Blogs, Continued your date's reputation. But it probably just dawned on you that your mom already purchased your boutonnière.

Fret not young lad we here at Michael Blogs have an answer for that too. To say wasting a boutonnière vexes me like a smoke alarm running low on batteries in the middle of the night is an understatement of mammoth proportions. Simply look up and find a fellow bro reading this article, odds are he too has already broken things off with his duck-footed date.

Offer to switch boutonnières with him and all things will be as "couth as kingdom come".

Now we must dive head first into dance etiquette. Firstly boys shirts tucked in please.

Can we please look classy rather than a bunch of buffoons walking around with our shirt

7 1 Love Me Again John Newman

2 Intro The XX

3 If So Atlas Genius

4 Bye Bye Bye *NSYNC

5 Animux Vox The Glitch Mob

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tails out. Secondly I would like to address neckties. Either half or double Windsor period, no questions asked. If you don't know how to tie one either come find me right now or continue reading this article and look it up on YouTube later.

Also knots all the way up. You don't look sweet half down and for god's sake let someone else be the fool who puts it on their head. Bowties. Clip-on is fine but tying one is just that much classier. Also if you are wearing a bowtie that does not give you the permission to go up to everyone else in the dance and "help fix" their bowtie. Vexers who do this make me fear for human society. The things that I would do to these people are so vile that decorum prohibits me from mentioning them in this publication. However if you see

a compatriot with his bowtie askew lend a helping hand.

Thirdly sneakers. I shouldn't even have to address this. Don't you dare show up in sneakers.

Everyone has a pair of shoes they wear to school. I don't care how well you think your Jordan's match your tie I'd rather you show up barefoot.

Lastly please thank your chaperones, trust me when I tell you that they don't want to be there. Don't be afraid to offer a dance to a lady chaperone please just do it with respect and remember to be a gentleman.

In closing I would like to say have a fun at the dance and I wish to let you know that this article is in no way a reaction to any female faculty members turning down my invitation to the dance.

5) Boutonnieres

Power Kanye West

7 The Catalyst Linkin Park

8 9

Bohemian Rhapsody Queen

Moth’s Wings Passion Pit

on 10 Come Eileen Dexy’s Midnight Runners

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SPOR TS

Cross Country Wins Spanish Lake

By Daniel Martin ’14 Cross Country Captain Only five days after putting together one of the best team finishes in Priory history, the cross country team traveled up to Spanish Lake to race yet again. This time, none of Priory's district rivals were there, so we got the chance to prove to the other schools that our success was legitimate.

Thursday evening, while Mother Nature tried to smother Saint Louis with heat and

humidity, a couple hundred runners hit the trails, all looking for a victory. Only one left with the trophy.

During the first hundred meters, some fast-running Clayton athletes took a wrong turn in the course, leading most of the pack astray, and leaving quite a few Priory varsity runners in the top spots.

Andrew O'Sullivan actually led the race for almost a mile, taking his normal first mile pace to new levels. A few miles later, Priory put almost ten

people in medalist position.

This was plenty to put away first place in the Lutheran North Invitational, winning an entire meet for the first time in several years.

Cross country is looking at one of its best seasons in decades. Between the sophomores and seniors, ridiculous things are happening.

I can't expect too many of you to go watch a historic Priory race, but be sure to watch out for some great things from Priory's biggest sport.

NFL Football: Preview of Week 4

By Patrick Milburn ’17 Staff Writer Although Priory covers their varsity sports very well, I have noticed a gap in our coverage of professional sports. I could have written about English Premier League Soccer (I'm a Gunner for life), but I figured NFL would draw a larger crowd. It is, after all, the number one watched sport in America. So here are the games to watch this coming week: New England Patriots (3-0) @ Atlanta Falcons (1-2) So far the Patriots are undefeated, but have not faced very tough competition. They have played against two rookie quarterbacks and Josh Freeman.

Two of their three wins were by 3 points or less. In addition, Tom Brady only has new, young receivers open to him (although last week showed increased chemistry between them). This is the first time the Patriots face a legitimate QB and a somewhat efficient offense. The Falcons are much stronger than the Patriots’

earlier opponents. Despite Steven Jackson of the Falcons being out with an injury, the Falcons will just edge out the Patriots. 27 - 24 Falcons Pittsburgh Steelers (0-3) @ Minnesota Vikings (0-3) (London, England) This particular game is usually very special. In England, the NFL games played there are very well anticipated and draw considerably large crowds. If the Vikings lose this game and fall to a whopping 0-4, all the blame will be put on Christian Ponder's shoulders.

His career will be questioned if the season turns out to be a huge disappointment. The only thing that convinces me either team would win here is the fact that Pittsburgh has played poorly against weak opponents so far, and the Vikings have at least made the games close. 24 - 14 Vikings Philadelphia Eagles (1-2) @ Denver Broncos (3-0) Two of the most effective offenses in the league: the Eagles and the Broncos. The

Eagles attack is averaging an exceptional 207.7 rushing yards per game (1st in NFL) and 26 points per game (8th).

However, the Broncos’ offense, led by future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, has averaged 381 passing yards per game (1st) and 42 points per game (1st). Neither team has an amazing defense, so this should be a fun and high-scoring game to watch. 38 - 28 Broncos San Francisco 49ers (1-2) @ St. Louis Rams (1-2) Since The Record comes out every Friday and the Rams play on Thursday (National TV), I couldn't write about that game, as we have to submit our articles by Wednesday night. So as you are reading this, the Rams should be 2-2 after defeating the 49ers. We are playing at home, last year we beat and tied them. The 49ers have also been in a major slump, as they lost to the Colts by 20 and to the Seahawks by 26. Beating the 49ers is never easy, however, so it should be close. 17 - 14 Rams

6) Get Yo Freak On

Calendar Friday, September 27 7:00PM Bonfire and Car Smash Saturday, September 28 9:00AM Cross Country @ Hancock Invitational 1:00PM Homecoming Football Game vs. Westminster 7:30PM Homecoming Dance Sunday, September 29 Monday, September 30 Form I Retreat Lunch: Fried Chicken

Sesame Beef and Broccoli 2:00PM UMSL 4:15PM V Soccer @ Affton 4:15PM JV Soccer vs. Affton 4:15PM JV Football @Westminster Tuesday, October 1 Form I Retreat Lunch: Shepard’s Pie

Pasta Bar 1:00PM Creighton University 2:15PM Villanova University 4:00PM JV Soccer @ Chaminade 5:30PM V Soccer @ Chaminade Wednesday. October 2 Lunch: Roasted Turkey Breast

Taco Bar 9:00AM University of Delaware 10:00AM Rockhurst University 11:00AM Seniors Interview Workshop 5:30PM Form I PTC Thursday. October 3 Lunch: Sliced Smoked Brisket

“Breakfast for Lunch” 2:00PM University of Notre Dame 5:00PM Form II PTC Friday, October 4 Lunch: Vegetable Baked Mostaccioli

Fish and Chips 10:00AM Cornell College (IA) 11:00AM University of Evansville 1:00PM Davidson 2:00PM Seton Hall 4:15PM C Football @ Lutheran South 7:00PM JS Mixer