The Aquilian – November 2020 – Vol. 83, No. 2

The Aquilian

November 2020 Volume 83 Number 2

Gonzaga College High School Men For Others Since 1821

19 Eye St, NW Washington, DC 20001

Presidential Election Results By: John Ferrara ‘22 Editor The relief of completing such a longgg election process (I would’ve put one “g” for every insult hurled by one candidate toward another during the campaign, but there’s no way I could fit that into a 500 word article), one that picked up steam nearly two years ago, has served as a breath of fresh air to most.

However, I can’t stand to let the opportunity to talk about the election one more time slip away. In the aftermath of one of the most impactful presidential elections ever, there are a spew of both positive and negative events that are crucial to discuss.

Although Election Day was on November 3rd, votes for Joe Biden and Donald Trump came pouring in weeks before ballots begun being counted thanks in part to the drastic increase in people sending in mail-in ballots. In fact, this election

cycle witnessed the greatest early-voter turnout of all-time, with over 101 million people partaking in their civil right prior to the voting deadline. Mail-in voting has not been an entirely positive experience, however, as the process has drawn loads of skepticism from pundits on both sides of the aisle. President Trump himself tweeted the night of the election about the topic, claiming that “they (presumably, the Democratic Party) are trying to STEAL the Election,” through the use of mail-in voting. Trump was not alone in making these allegations, as many right-leaning analysts have claimed that mail-in voting laws have made it incredibly easy for forged ballots to be included in the total tabulations. While there have been isolated occurrences of potential voter fraud, nothing has been proven by either party yet. Still, new information about voter fraud (or non-voter fraud) could emerge in the coming

weeks, as the Trump campaign filed a catalog of court cases in many swing states across the country just hours after election night, all of which are attempting to disqualify thousands of ballots that do not meet the specific and detailed requirements of sending ballots in via mail.

Aside from that pressing point, this election should offer a great deal of optimism for anyone concerned about the future of the United States’ democracy. According to Bloomberg, over 161 million people took part in deciding our next president, a figure that far surpasses any previous election. That bump in the number of votes can be credited to the increase in the amount of voters from nearly every demographic when compared to 2016. Crowds of people from all races, classes, and occupations took to the polls/ballots to cast their votes. Ideally, this trend of increasing voter turnout will continue in future years,

but most experts are unsure about whether or not such large groups of people will continue to cast their votes in election years that are not as polarizing and dramatic.

Finally, after days of anxiously waiting for the votes from a few key states to be counted, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were able to officially (for now) take on the titles of President-Elect and Vice President-Elect, respectively. This new administration will certainly create new policy during its time in power, as well as tear down much of the legislation instituted under the Trump regime. As we now enter the lame duck period, or the span between the election and Biden’s inauguration, Trump might begin to push through his final ideas that he may have been saving for a potential second term. Many have speculated that during this ten week timeframe, we may see President Trump pardon many of his political allies and close

Arrows on the Floor, 3

Meet the New Staff, 4-5

NBA News, 7

Raising King, 8

friends who ran into legal trouble during the last few years.

In terms of Biden’s plans for the future, his team recently rolled out their new transition website, BuildBackBetter.com, which lays out the President-Elect’s four most pressing matters that he’ll aim to resolve once he takes a seat in the Oval Office. Covid-19 relief, economic recovery, improving racial equity, and limiting climate change are all outlined plans that will be the Biden administration’s main focuses during its first 100 days in office.

This election process has been tiresome, and it is not over yet. Court cases must be settled and an inauguration still must commence. While some look forward to the future and others reminisce on the past four years, it’s hard not to feel both a sense of uncertainty and excitement as we enter a new era of American politics.

The Aquilian 2

Why Aren’t We Watching?

Mock Election

By: Luke Wood ‘22 Contributor

By: Jackson Baldrate ‘23 Contributor

With the end of the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup, World Series, and the commencement of the NFL and college football seasons, you would think that everybody has been tuning into ESPN and watching live sports. After all, we are encouraged to stay inside, so this should leave plenty of time for people all across America to tune into their favorite team’s game.

Surprisingly, people aren’t really watching sports as much as one might think. Nobody is watching sports simply because they are watching other things.

When people think of watching the NBA Finals, they usually think of sitting in front of the TV on a crisp summer night, watching two teams battle it out in front of a packed crowd.

Well, this year’s NBA Finals, like many other sports, was played much later than previous years. People just aren’t used to choosing whether they want to watch the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup, or

A few days before the presidential election started, Gonzaga conducted a mock election of its own, where students and faculty could make their voices heard and vote for their preferred candidate. This mock election provided an insight into the political views of the people in the Gonzaga community. The “polls” were open for three days, from October 27th to October 29th, and nearly 750 students, staff, and faculty cast a vote.

In elections, one of the most important statistics is “voter turnout”, which shows how many people show up to vote, as a percentage of the total population. Normally, in presidential elections in the United States, voter turnout hovers between 50 and 60 percent. The 2020 presidential election is expected to see the highest turnout in over 100 years when all of the votes are counted, around 66 percent. There are about 1,000 students and faculty at Gonzaga, and 731 people voted in the election. This puts Gonzaga voter turnout around 73%, which is higher than any US election since 1900. One reason for this might be the simplicity of Gonzaga’s voting system. As opposed to the presidential election, where people have to register and vote in-person or by mail, voters only had to fill out a Google Form at Gonzaga. Many people have advocated for the simplification of the US voting system, in hopes that it would increase turnout.

The Gonzaga election and the presidential election also had different percentages. At Gonzaga, the winner of the popular vote was

the World Series. To put it simply, the different sports leagues are competing for viewers. Also, remember watching the packed crowds on TV? Those crowds aren’t packed anymore. Only a handful of reporters and broadcasters are allowed to watch the games in person.

Part of watching a game is seeing the crowd’s energy

Anthem

By: Jalen McMurray ‘21 Contributor “Land of the free, home of the brave” Land of the free?

Free?

Being free “Enjoying personal rights or liberty” Rights?

Right to walk with a hood on?

Right to walk with a bag of Skittles in my hand?

Right to take a knee?

Right to live?

Land of the…

Home of the brave With help from the Gonzaga Poets & Writers and its moderator Mr. Joe Ross, The Aquilian plans to feature a work of poetry written by a Gonzaga Student in each issue.

The Aquilian Founded In 1940 Gonzaga College High School 19 Eye Street NW Washington, DC 20001 Men For Others in the Jesuit Tradition Since 1821

as they cheer on their team; it’s exciting and entertaining. Now, viewers are practically watching a competitive scrimmage - no big arena, no halftime show, no rowdy fans. Watching sports is simply not as entertaining as it once was.

Nonetheless, sports viewership should be up because they are always on, right?

Well, unless you live under a rock, you are probably aware of the 2020 presidential election. News channels draw in many viewers as they provide information on the presidential election, coronavirus, and many other local and national topics. Televised sports are also competing with various streaming services. Services such as Netflix and Hulu have gained millions of new members over the past few months. People like being able to watch what they want when they want.

While watching sports is enjoyable, the empty crowds, constant change in schedule, and lack of energy have taken a toll on televised sports.

It’s just not as enjoyable as it once was. People would rather watch the news or an episode of their favorite Netflix series.

Editor-in-Chief Gabe Brady ‘21 Features Editor Reid Norton ‘21

the Biden/Harris ticket, with 53.1%. The runner ups were Trump/Pence with 40.5%, Jorgensen/Cohen with 4.3%, and Hawkins/Walker with 2.1%. Although not all of the votes have been counted yet in the presidential election, Joe Biden is currently in the lead with 50.6%. Donald Trump is in second place with 47.7%, Jo Jorgensen has 1.2% of the vote, and Howie Hawkins has a mere 0.2%. At Gonzaga, Biden has a sizable 13 point lead over Trump; while, in the presidential election, Biden is only leading by 3 points. Also, an interesting difference between the two elections is the amount of votes for third party candidates. In the Gonzaga election, third party candidates combined for 5.4% of the vote; whereas, in the presidential election, they only combined for 1.4%. In the real election, voters often feel pressured to vote for one of the two main candidates because they don’t want to “waste their vote.” However, in the Gonzaga election, there was not anything at stake, so people likely felt that they could vote for their preferred candidate. This could explain the discrepancy between the votes for third party candidates.

Voting is a crucial part of any democracy, and millions of Americans vote for their favorite candidate every four years. This year, Gonzaga’s election helped provide insight into the political views of students and faculty at Gonzaga. Gonzaga’s election also helped show that easier access to voting leads to higher voter turnout and less pressure in an election leads to increased voting for third party candidates.

Editors Will Buffaloe ‘21 Jesse Dolojan ‘21 Luke Elliott ‘21 Patrick Fogarty‘21 Charlie Neill ‘21 John Ferrara ‘22 Andrew Schaefer ‘22 Moderator: Dr. Harry Rissetto

Arrows on the Floor By: Teddy Friez ‘24 Contributor Gonzaga recently made use of arrows as a method of controlling the flow of students walking through the halls. This policy was implemented as a means of minimizing student-to-student contact between classes, which is supposed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

However, these arrows are not without their disadvantages. The most obvious is that students are unable to see the arrows until they are within close proximity. This can waste time and force students to navigate a seemingly endless maze of invisible barriers that prevent them from getting to class. For example, my third period class is located in Cantwell Hall and my fourth period class

is in Ruesh Hall. When I got out of my third period class, my first intuition was to simply move through the hallway that connected Cantwell Hall to Ruesh Hall. However, this didn’t exactly work out as planned. When I reached the hallway that connects the two buildings, I was stunned to see these ridiculous arrows that had the audacity to stare me in the face (or realistically the feet) and tell me that I wasn’t able to go that direction, just because they were arbitrarily pointed towards me.

While I thankfully made it to my class on time, the gall of those arrows left me forever scarred. I know there’s supposedly a pandemic or something, but it felt a bit ridiculous that a task as simple as walking down a hallway was instantly made ten times

more difficult by these annoying purple arrows.

While I understand the administration’s desire to protect us from a deadly disease, I think these arrows could be implemented in a different way, so as to improve convenience. For instance, I think that larger arrows could be implemented outside each of the buildings as well as on the walls in order to make them more immediately obvious to students.

While most people are familiar with the Coronavirus pandemic, there is also a lesser-known, frankly more severe pandemic: an inconvenience pandemic. While the current system does its job, it is still not perfect, and there remains some room for improvement.

ers and friends again, and I have really enjoyed being in the city.” Junior John Ferrara added that virtual learning can be difficult at times listening to long lectures and coming to school for in-person learning “has helped me stay focused and learn new material better.” Similarly to students, teachers have also had positive feedback.

Ms. Washington said, “Hybrid [learning] has been far better than strictly distance learning” and referred to being back on campus as a “much-appreciated gift.” Mr. Cowan had a similar opinion saying “It has been an absolute joy to have students in the classroom again.” Mr. Hartnett agreed by mentioning that “being able to talk, laugh, and pray with people in person has been restorative.” Even though Gonza-

ga has moved to the hybrid model, the Gonzaga band is still quite different. In his first year as Gonzaga’s band teacher, Mr. Wood has done an excellent job making adjustments as a result of the pandemic’s restrictions. Although brass and wind players cannot physically play their instruments in school, Mr. Wood stated that “active listening, music theory, music history, and outside guests” have been used to help students. Additionally, all students in the band have created their own individual practice plans to track progress. Overall, the Gonzaga community has been very pleased with the outcome of hybrid learning, and as long as everyone is responsible in regards to safety, there is no doubt that this success will continue.

Hybrid Learning

By: Noah Potholm ‘22 Contributor As Gonzaga moved into the second quarter of the 2020-2021 academic year, it also shifted from all virtual learning to a hybrid model.

In this model, students have been split into three groups, and each school day, one of the groups comes to campus for in-person learning while the other two continue to attend class at home. So far, this method has been quite successful since students as well as the faculty and staff have done their part in wearing masks and social distancing. Recently, I spoke with a couple of students about how their hybrid experience has been going. Senior Greg Kopp has really been enjoying hybrid learning stating that “It is great to see teach-

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GonzagaFest!

By: Will Buffaloe ‘21 Editor I’m sure you’ve heard it 100 times by now, but this year has been unprecedented.

From the election to COVID to our everyday lives, everything we’ve done has been different. So, in an unprecedented move, the SGA has moved GonzagaFest entirely online, where all four grades will have the chance to compete in a series of creative, quarantine-themed games!

In this all-virtual GonzagaFest, prepare for a year’s worth of sports students can do from the comfort of their own home. I’m not talking about golf, or cornhole, or Among Us, I’m talking about such classics as Waste O’ Space and Showerless! What are these exotic games, you ask? Well, Waste O’ Space awards points to people who can find the most useless hobby to pick up during quarantine. Currently, Senior Cole Wofford is in the lead for his hobby of soap whittling, while sophomore Cooper Henson is not far behind for his unique collection of antique sprinklers. Showerless, on the other hand, is a real fun romp. Each participant tries to go as long as possible without practicing any hygiene. The game is perfect for quarantine, as the only people that have to put up with your fun new smell are your family!

Of course, those aren’t the only games in the new

GonzagaFest competition.

With so many games already at your disposal, why not play one? Perhaps the most popular activity in the new GonzagaFest, playing board games alone has become a fan favorite among the Gonzaga classes. It’s easy to see why! All you have to do is send in a picture of yourself playing games like Checkers, Monopoly, or Hungry Hungry Hippos all by yourself and you’ll automatically get 5 points for your class!

You could play The Game of Life with your family, but when you play Life on your own, you’re basically a god to those minuscule people.

Those people may think they have agency, but they are all enslaved by the will of your infinite power…

Finally, there’s Costco Crashers! With the apocalypse right around the corner, there’s never a better time to irrationally stock up on dehydrated meals and toilet paper! That’s why 100 points will be awarded to whichever class can collectively horde the most items from a local Costco. So, grab a cart, run maniacally into a Costco, begin screaming unrelated quotes from The Office, and start crashing into shelves and other carts left and right as you try to collect a ton of food you’ll never eat and toilet paper you’ll resell for heinous prices!

Let the games begin Gonzaga!

Don’t Pan(dem)ic! Halloween Survives 2020 By: Charlie Neill ‘21 Editor We are all disappointed that Halloween is over. CVS replaced the Halloween candy section with three or four aisles of Christmas decorations. Your neighbor removed the slightly scary 10 foot tall inflatable ghost from their front yard. Saddest of all, It’s now No Shave November and I can tell not shaving is already a bad idea. In spite

of Mayor Muriel Bowser officially cancelling Halloween, costumes this year were still pretty impressive. I saw some downright terrifying large respiratory droplets and a bunch of classics like Bob Ross and a pumpkin. For some reason lots of kids were Santa Claus (does no one realize Christmas isn’t for two months?). Instead of trick or treating, most kids just went and bought bags of candy.

That’s both a brilliant idea and a clear sign of how the younger generations are falling apart.

Gonzaga’s Halloween festivities were a huge success. The grand opening of GonzagaFest 2020 -- Pumpkin Smash from the Belltower -- was exhilarating. Finn Scanlon and the Senior class took the lead in the points contest, and apparently Mr. Kilroy has been practic-

ing his pumpking throwing skills. Word on the street is that he snuck a peek at the ideal launch angle from Ms. Kelley’s WebAssign solution binder just minutes before his toss.

So while Mayor Murial Bowser and Santa may be co-conspiring to end spooky season (some suggested the Covid pandemic is simply a hoax that would disappear four or so days after October

31st), and Halloween looked a little different from years past, the Halloween spirit still survives. After all, the first nine months of 2020 have been a real life scary movie.

In spite of the downsides of the last day of this year’s October, we each tried to make the holiday as fun as physical distancing could render, and still ended up with some good times to remember.

The Aquilian 4

Meet the Newest Members of the Gonzaga

By: Luke Elliott ‘21 Editor

Mr. Steve Beaulieu Miami, FL; Majored in English at Florida International University; New England Patriots and Miami Heat; 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins; House of Leaves

by Mark Danielewski; Ugh. Wendy’s?; Favorite Quarantine Pastime: Origami; Favorite Superhero: Spider-man; Fun Fact: My first name is actually “Steve.”

It isn’t short for “Steven.”

Mr. Andrew Bevilacqu a Delaware County (“Delc o”), PA; Majored in English at Fordha m University; Philadelphia Eagles; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; Waw a is the best; Favorite Q Pastime: Runn ing or bingewatching a good TV show ; Fun Fact: I was once an extra on an episode of It’s Always Sunny in Ph iladelphia, but unfortunately my scene was cut!

Ms. Shelly Farace Marietta, GA; Studio Painting and Art Education at the University of Georgia; All The Small Things; Shawshank Redemption; the Harry Potter Series is my all-time favorite; Taco Bell; Quote to Live By: “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Maleficent; Favorite TV Show: Stranger Things!

Ms. Kate Griffith Majored in Math and Angwin, California; at Gonzaga UniverSecondary Education ore time in the thesity (though I spent m t It That Way” - a ater building!); “I Wan - I wrote my Honors classic; Harry Potter e Christian themes thesis in college on th e Fast Food Restauin the series; Favorit it! rant: In n’ Out - I miss

Ms. Amy Harper Follansbee, West Virginia; Majored in Nursing at West Virginia University; Pittsburgh Steelers/Penguins; “Poison”

by Bell, Biv DeVoe; Best in Show; What She is Looking Forward to the Most at Gonzaga: wearing more purple; Fun Fact: I was a cheerleader at WVU and I always wanted to be a Radio City Rockette, but unfortunately I am too short.

Mr. T h Arling omas “Ma c” to John C n, Virginia Kimmitt ; a ing th rroll Unive B.A. Histo ry fro e Mea rsity; m t N Favor ite Mo Puppets), “ irvana (co ve L v & Sta r War ie: Good W ake of Fire r” s ; Mos ; ill Hu zaga: te nt R ties; S etreats and xcited for a ing o se t Know mething He rvice oppo Gon: I’ll t r alk m Wants Stud tuniof mu usic a sic! ll day ents to - all ty pes

ivera an y Kokol-R il m E om Americ . r s f r y r M to is ; B.A. H Gators; Tampa, FL niversity of Florida ; Chi;U Holy Grail ar: University e th d n a thon a so F Monty Py of Gonzag t r ve a P e it r o seniors ha d n a s r potle; Fav io ; Batts! My jun My studen e and so welcoming ose th om to protect e been awes r e th ’s e re. H s; Fun man for su t protect themselve o n ! who could mber is 42 u n y k c lu Fact: My

Mr. D a Stillw le Johnso ater, M n liams i n n e s C Deee ollege; G ota; Econ omic -Lite; roove s H Favo rite Q amilton is in the H at Wilby Ro uaran eart b Rock n tin y C “You reek Park e Pastime Chernow; ’ve g ; “Ca : Exp ot l It too r k me to stop an pe Diem” oring about d sme and all of ll 3 t - I am he options 0 minutes the roses ”; to fo really into p r my favo weigh out ri opula r mus te 90s son g ic!

ey /Secn Lawr ylvania: Math era D . r M ns niv wn, Pen holic U ies; Haverto ucation at Cat nd Phill vie: d a E s y e l r a g a d o on elphia E y; Favorite M d a l i h P Da e sity; - Green Hotel; Favorit w e i v g t n s on Lo ng DC Budape i r d o n l a p r x G e: E ater The e Pastim ive By: “Be w n i t n a r a l L Qu orite Vi uote to v a Q F ; e ; e k i ce Le my b .” - Bru th Ledger). d n e i r f my (Hea e Joker h T : n i a l

College High School Faculty & Staff Mr. Mic ha Moonac el Libunao-Ma ie, cal Fordham NJ; B.A. in The intal o logy from U Driver; G niversity; Paras ite and B reen Lan aby te that he’s based on rn - it’s super co ol t trum; Qu h ote to Li e emotional spe c ve By: “ take wha You can t you’re o n p ly re giving is not an in pared to give, an vestmen d Baldwin t” - Jame ; Best Fa s st Food Five Gu Restaura ys; Fun nt: Fac singer fo r a band t: I was the lead called “T he Gene rals.”

Mr. Kevin Reilly Hometown: Lovettsville, VA; College: Majored in Athletic Training at James Madison University; Favorite 90s Song: MMMBop by Hanson; Favorite Movie: Avengers Endgame; Best Fast Food Restaurant: Taco Bell; Quote to Live By: “Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza.” - Michaelangelo; Favorite Part of Gonzaga So Far: The community and comradery.

Mr. Andrew Wood Alexandria, VA; B.A. in Trumpet Performance from James Madison University; Anything by Blink-182; Best Book He’s Ever Read: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; Best Fast Food Restaurant: Cook Out; Quote to Live By: “Love ought to manifest itself more in deeds than in words.” - St. Ignatius; Favorite Superhero: Doctor Strange; Fun Fact: I recently started learning to play the violin!

e s at th ts c i t y l por len Ana ke Al Business ry; D.C. S ing u L .

Mr Ma VA; s be gton, illiam and h my Cap n i l r A GOAT I of W ough, wit e e h g t e l , s l Co nd thr vechkin i ore exotic a h g throu the list. O ething m r League; g ie om toppin orer. For s f the Prem site; Best c o ra goal-s e Everton ad and Pa s. You o v k o R also l ax - Fury nt: McDan formed at ra er M Mad od Restau n Fact: I p s younger. o a u Fast F he vibes; F r when I w t e t know nedy Cen en the K

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Ms. Lucy Mugford Excelsior, Minnesota; Secondary Education and Spanish at Marquette University; Minnesota Twins and Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball; Favorite 90s Song: Bidi Bidi Bom Bom by Selena; Favorite Movie: Coco!; Best Fast Food Restaurant: Shake Shack; Favorite Quarantine Pastime: Knitting and making pom poms; Favorite Part of Gonzaga So Far: How outspoken the community is on social justice issues!

th, SJ try and i m S er V. e: Chemis Dame; h p o t hris olleg anNotre Mr. C lle, NC; C versity of e by St. Fr i if vi Ashe n at the Un Devout L estaurant: a e R Russi Intro to th ast Food ndays!); e F ; b Su t h s Cras s; Be onald’s on ou are and e l a S y to cis de fil-a (McD “Be who rward nts o F : k g y Chic to Live B is Lookin the stude ufl g e Quot ; What He ga: Gettin act: He is ” F a l l z it we st at Gon ents; Fun o im the M do exper o t n! back ussia R n i ent

Mr. Ia n Denve Wuertz r, CO ( bu home) ; Creat t Seattle is m i ve Wri y seco versity nd ting ;C Neil G olorado Ava at Seattle U ai la n ite; Yo man, but Nev nche; Anyth ii u can’t ng by erwher be e a unive rsal tru at a Wendy’s is my favorth People 4 to Kno ; Something for4 - that’s He Wa w Abo love w ut nts rit bilitati ing fiction; F Him: I absol u ng fear un Fac tely t: I of chased by a fa peacocks ev have a demily o e f them r since I wa s as a ch ild.

Mr. Patrick Edwards Rockville, MD; College: B.S. in Environmental Science from University of Maryland; Favorite Sports Team: Tottenham Hotspur; Favorite Movie: Good Will Hunting; Best Fast Food Restaurant: Chickfil-A; Quote to Live By: “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” - C.S. Lewis; Favorite Superhero: Spider-Man; Fun Fact: I spent four months studying in Costa Rica in college!

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The Dingell Corner: November Power Rankings

By: Bobby Dingell ‘22 Contributor Hey y’all, I’m back for the 2nd edition of The Dingell Corner and as the weather gets colder, the amount of offense in the league is declining. While this is depressing, we have to realize that Thanksgiving is approaching. As we all know that comes every year with a very average Bears v. Lions noon game where Joe Buck will go on and on about Khalil Mack until his drawers fall off. What I’ve noticed this season so far is that it definitely deserves an asterisk next to it in the record books because it has been riddled with so many positive Covid-testings and injuries that it’s going to be crazy to see which team even gets lucky enough to hold on and take it all home if we even get that far. You know what, Let’s just end this introduction on a positive note and say that this has been an awesome season so far all throughout the craziness and as a fan and spectator I can’t wait for what’s to come up until February.

ally, for the exception of Jaire Alexander who has been playing at an All-Pro level. He really is playing great and has been putting the opposing WR1s on an absolute island week in and week out. If they can outscore everyone, they’ll be fine and make a run at it. I have also declared that Aaron Rodgers is my new pick for this year’s MVP. He is balling out.

them to lose a few games early in the season, but I’m confident in Kyle Shanahan’s coaching that he could get them right down the stretch. Anyway, I don’t even know who their RB1 is anymore. Which is a problem

day when it counts.

New England Patriots It has not looked like it’s their year to win the AFC east division after a devastating last second fumble loss to the Bills weeks ago. That disaster has

Cincinnati Bengals I didn’t have much faith to start the season, but they have really gotten productive performances from their draft picks this year in Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins.

Tier II: The Contenders Tampa Bay Buccaneers They have been good, but nowhere near where Tom wants them.

Jacksonville Jaguars They are really bad this season, but I wanted to make a point by making the last tier of this list filled with the NFC east teams and the Jets, so I had to put them 27th on the list.

Arizona Cardinals They have the grit it takes to pull off big wins, which is something you can’t coach in the NFL, which is why I like them a lot, but I don’t see them taking down any of the three blue bloods in the AFC if they made it to the Super Bowl.

New Orleans Saints They need slant-boy (Michael Thomas) back if they want to start taking down the highscoring teams they have in their Tier I: The A-List schedule like Green Bay, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Pittsburgh Steelers They are winning the games etc. they need to and dominating the ones that they should win. Their Indianapolis Colts Tiktok wide receiver group is Phillip Rivers has lost enough about as strong as the Chiefs has juice in my mind to put them been in recent years, but what out of the race for the Super really separates them and makes Bowl, but they are a very well them a super bowl favorite, in rounded team that has a shot at my opinion, is their defense. the playoffs.

Whenever I watch their games, I really am beyond exhausted Tennessee Titans though of the announcers every This team has been definitely week saying that this team is up underperforming as of late for there with the 1978 Steel Cur- how hot they got at the start tain. In my mind it is not even of the season. AJ Brown is up close, but hey, Joe Buck can just there with DK and Terry for top sophomore receivers which say what he wants. hasn’t been talked about much.

Kansas City Chiefs Their offense is stellar, but I Buffalo Bills think in a one on one matchup, They have established a head the Steelers would hold them honcho spot at the top of a subup enough with their defense to par AFC East division. They’ll outscore them, though Patrick make the playoffs, but won’t go Mahomes’s arm is unmatched far. Sorry, no fold-up tables this by any other quarterback in the year Bills mafia :( league.

Las Vegas Raiders Jon Gruden has coached them Baltimore Ravens Their loss to the Steelers weeks up collectively to play rough, ago was convincing that they old-fashioned football which can hang with the best, but La- makes them a sleeper in the AFC mar just hasn’t shown enough to whom everyone has seemed to make me think that they can win forget about. the big one this year.

Chicago Bears One of the most solid defenses Seattle Seahawks Their games are usually pretty in the league, but without their close, but they find a way to D their offense would have win. There’s lots of leadership them up in the ranks of the NFC on this team that could lead East. Darnell Mooney is a beast them to the Super Bowl coming though at WR. He gets better each week and we will watch out of the NFC. him breakout after this is published. I called it.

Green Bay Packers Their big three in Rodgers, Adams and Jones have what it San Francisco 49ers takes to keep defensive coordi- They have been affected by innators up at night. Their defense jury this season more than any hasn’t had anything going, re- other team, which has caused

scared to get out of the pocket and gets loose until late in the games when they are down and it’s sad to watch. The huge contract he received this offseason is what’s to blame and I predict they won’t be back in the playoffs for a while.

Tier IV: “The NFC East”

Miami Dolphins Their Defense has been impressive to watch, but with lack of experience in Tua, it may be hard for him to get the offense going against one of the higher scoring teams in the league.

Los Angeles Rams They are a good team that has had a lot of frustrating losses and these seem to be driving them down the power rankings list week by week. However, Sean McVay is a bright young coach who is definitely learning from this season.

Los Angeles Chargers Justin Herbert is on course to win Offensive rookie of the year which is exciting for Chargers fans (who even is a Chargers fan lol), but the rest of his team has been very middle of the pack for what I’ve seen so far.

Tier III: The Pretenders Cleveland Browns They have good days and they have bad days. I have been impressed with how they are still fighting after losing their stars in Nick Chubb and Odell Beckham Jr., but it’s going to be hard for them to finish strong this year with Baltimore and Pittsburgh coming up on their schedule again.

Washington Football Team With Terry McLaurin being named captain and Coach Ron Rivera announcing that he is officially done with his cancer treatment, this team has had a lot of momentum going their way. This year definitely won’t resolve in a super bowl, but it has the making to be a feel good season for Washington fans after a long time of exhaustion and stress to possibly see their really taken them out of play- boys hosting a first round playoff contention from what I’ve off game when January comes seen so far. This team will still around. end up being interesting though to watch and see how the wise Philadelphia Eagles Master Oogway (Bill Beli- Carson Wentz has played with check) rotates and manages no pride on his chest in a terJared Stidham’s playing time as rible start to the season. He isn’t the backend of the season rolls leading with any confidence and on. has thrown about as many picks as he’s thrown touchdowns.

Detroit Lions And as William Wallace would They need to get the ball to say, “Every man dies, not every D’andre Swift more if they real- man truly lives.” and that’s what ly want to establish a run game Carson is doing on the field in the upcoming weeks. Matt right now. Playing scared Stafford is severely underrated this year and it is a shame with New York Giants all the offensive threats he has. Average play from a below average team. They will have a Minnesota Vikings good pick though next year in If they can ride on Dalvin the draft to look forward to.

Cook’s injury-prone back long enough they will finish the sea- New York Jets son well. Frankly, I bet by the This is the most controversial time you all are reading this, decision I’ve ever had to make. that he’s probably already got- And while I know all the Cowten hurt and been out with boys stans are going to come afanother high-ankle sprain or ter me, so just hear me out. My something stupid. decision came from watching the games of recent and seeing Atlanta Falcons the Jets fight a bit more against They blow leads. better teams than the Cowboys have and that is why I put them Carolina Panthers here.

They have been a dark horse team for the first half of the sea- Dallas Cowboys son in taking down some big I know that you guys think you teams. Robby Anderson and have two wins technically, but Teddy B have been a great con- y’all are the team as of now, nection together along with DJ without Dak and that team has Moore on the come up. I see the same amount of wins as the them overall as a store-brand Jets, but with less fight. version of the Seahawks but without the wins.

Denver Broncos This is a prime example of a team playing better than they actually are early in the year.

However they do have a few wins under their belt, so they Houston Texans are able to get it done on Sun- Deshaun Watson is playing too

By: Jackson Brewer ‘24 Contributor The NFL season so far has been full of surprises, including maybe the worst division of all time (we’ll get to that later), a couple surprising contenders, and the New York Jets.

The Jets (at the time of this being written) are 0-8 and it is very possible that they could go 0-16. The max they could go in my opinion is 1-15, with a possible win against the Patriots (where’s Tom?). This puts them as the frontrunner in the tank for Trevor Lawrence race, with maybe the only other contender being the Jaguars. The Jaguars are one of three one win teams left in the NFL, with the other two teams being the Giants and Texans.

The problem with these two teams is that the Texans play

NFL Midseason Report the Jaguars this Sunday, a game I believe they will win, which would put them at two wins and virtually out of the race. The problem the Giants have is that they have to play the Cowboys in week seventeen, an almost guaranteed win for the Giants the way the Cowboys are playing. I also believe that the Giants will get another win somewhere, maybe against the Bengals or Eagles, to make them a 3-13 team. The Texans in my opinion will go on a hot streak sometime this season, maybe against the Patriots, Lions, and Colts, and I think they will also beat the Jaguars in week nine, giving them a record of 5-11.

The Jaguars though, will probably finish 1-15 or 2-14, just looking at how hard their remaining schedule is. They are likely to draft the second

best quarterback in the draft, Justin Fields. But now let’s talk about the most interesting thing so far this season.

How awful the NFC East is. The NFC East is one of the worst divisions I have ever seen, with every team basically only winning against other teams in the division, and getting crushed by everyone else. The NFC East has only won two games against teams that aren’t in the NFC East, which is pretty horrible. The one bright spot in this bad division is the Washington Football Team, who I enjoy watching while the Bears aren’t on. The Washington defense is very good, with the bright spot being their pass rush led by rookie Chase Young and veteran Ryan Kerrigan. The Offense could be better, but I think this team has the potential to

NBA Draft Hot Takes By: Drew Norton ‘23 Contributor As the NBA begins to plan for the 20/21 Season, there is still some unfinished business to take care of: The NBA Draft.

The Minnesota Timberwolves own the first overall pick in the draft this year.

They lost 4 big pieces at the trade deadline, so it’s essential that they make some smart pickups through the draft. A lot of people are wondering if they are going to take Lonzo Ball’s brother, Lamelo, with the first overall pick. I believe it’s unlikely, as they already have a young talented point guard in D’Angelo Russel so Lamelo doesn’t exactly fit their needs. They need a shooting guard to compliment D’Angelo. The best available is a 6-5 225 pound shooting guard out of The University of Georgia named Anthony Edwards.

His game is comparable to that of Donovan Mitchell and would solidify the T-Wolves backcourt.

The Warriors are on the clock with the #2 pick and are in need of a center or power forward.

I think they will take the 6-9 power forward/center out of USC named

Onyeka Okongwu. He is an exceptional defensive player and the Warriors are in need of an interior presence. I believe he has the potential to be a great all-around player as he develops his offensive game once in the league, similar to Anthony Davis. The Charlotte Hornets hold the third overall pick in the draft and they are in need of just about everything. They will likely take the best available player. I would go with James Wiseman with the third pick.

Wiseman is the most intriguing player in the draft this year. His season at Memphis was cut short due to a suspension related to possible recruiting violations, but at 7 foot 4 and 240 pounds with superior athleticism, he was a dominant player in his limited time there.

As the season gets underway in late December, my sleeper pick to win the NBA

title will be the Golden State Warriors. The team will be getting their two stars, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson back. They also acquired Andrew Wiggins from Minnesota who has the potential to be their number 3 offensive threat. Draymond Green is still under contract and at power forward, will anchor their defense. On top of all of this, they have the number two pick in the draft.

This gives them some great options: draft a future star or bundle the pick and Wiggins as trade bait to acquire a proven superstar, such as Bradley Beal. The Warriors are in a great position to make a “worst to first” type of run, so keep your eyes on them. I hope you all are as excited as I am about the upcoming season. Let’s just hope the bubble goes away soon, we’ve all had enough of that already.

win the NFC East and then get crushed by whichever team gets lucky enough to play them in the playoffs.

Now let’s talk about the playoff picture in both conferences. In the AFC the Chiefs, Steelers, and Ravens seem like locks to make the playoffs. The question is who will be the other four teams?

My prediction for those four teams are the Bills, Titans, Browns and Dolphins. The Dolphins would be a surprise, but with how good their defense has been looking over the past few weeks, I don’t think it’s a far stretch.

The teams just missing the playoffs are the Raiders and Colts who both finish with 9-7 records.

The NFC is a little more interesting, with three good divisions where virtually anyone can make it. Unlike

The Aquilian 7

the AFC where I had several locks, I only have one in the NFC, and that is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (I found Tom!). They have built a superteam on both sides of the ball, and they will be very scary come playoff time. The other six teams making it in my predictions are the Seahawks, Packers, Football Team, Cardinals, Saints, and Bears. People who know me will call me biased for having the Bears in there, but I think this team has a lot of potential and possibly the best defense in the entire league, most likely behind the Steelers.

After seeing how the first eight weeks of the NFL season went, I think that there is only one thing that we can say for certain about the rest of the season. It’s going to be a wild ride.

NBA Deals By: Luke Gormsen ‘24 Contributor Just three weeks ago, the Los Angeles Lakers won game six against the Miami Heat to secure a victory in the NBA finals, but what has been going on in the weeks since then across the league?

The biggest rumor around the league has been regarding the back to back MVP, Giannis Antetokoumpo, and his unfollowing of his teammates and coaches on social media. While, on September 8th, Giannis said he wouldn’t be requesting a trade, there have been rumors about the Bucks trading him, with the two biggest contenders being the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors.

There are also discussions for the trade of Oklahoma City Thunder star Chris Paul.

Paul said he would either like to play in New York, for the Knicks, or LA, for the Lakers, and while discussions are ongoing, nothing has been reached yet. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets, a team already full of talent, with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, hired longtime Phoenix Suns player and hall of Famer Steve Nash to head coach, as well as his former teammate, the star power forward Amar’e Stoudamire to be an assistant coach. This dynamic duo of former basketball stars certainly has knowledge for basketball, and they hope to bring Brooklyn fans a long

awaited championship.

In other news, the NBA Draft is on November 18th, and this is an opportunity for teams to acquire some young talent. Unlike other sports leagues, the NBA has a draft lottery, where teams are put in a drawing machine and are drawn, with the lowest ranked teams having the highest picks. This year, the Minnesota Timberwolves, a decent team who got lucky with the Lottery, have the first pick, with the Warriors second, the Hornets third, the Bulls fourth, and the Cavaliers fifth. While Lamelo Ball is the most known and famous of this draft class, he is not projected to go first.

Anthony Edwards, a shooting guard, is projected to go first, with James Wiseman, a center next, Deni Avidja, a small forward fourth, and Obi Toppin, a power forward fifth. Overall, this draft class is an extremely talented one with a ton of talent, and draft day will be a great opportunity for teams to build towards a coveted championship.

Raising King

World Series Recap

By: Patrick Fogarty ‘21 Editor

By: Billy Cannon ‘24 Contributor

Los Angeles native and revered Gonzaga English teacher, Mr. Ross, has been writing poetry since college.

Mr. Ross began his poetic career, inspired by authors such as Martin Espada and Langston Hughes, to express himself in a unique medium and create art others would read.

As an accomplished academic who has worked at the University of Notre Dame, Mr. Ross believes that studying American literature provides a vital perspective on the United States’ complex history and how it affects citizens today, especially in terms of racism. This prompted Mr. Ross to publish his fourth book of poetry, Raising King.

Raising King is an exploration of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. thought, experienced, and witnessed during his time fighting for civil rights. As a book of poetry, Raising King allows readers to feel more so than learn about King’s tragically short life, the impact he had on forwarding racial equality in America and the setbacks he overcame. It is vital that people comprehend the unfortunate reality and recency of 1960s America to maintain an emotional stake in continuing the civil rights movement. Prose cannot accomplish such a feat, but poetry can.

Mr. Ross uses his plat-

The Los Angeles Dodgers have won the World Series!

That sentence hadn’t been uttered since 1988, but in this pandemic-shortened 2020 baseball season, it’s finally true. The Dodgers took down the Tampa Bay Rays, four games to two, solidifying their hold as one of the perennial powerhouses of baseball with a World Series victory.

The Dodgers have won three of the last four National League pennants, but have experienced heartbreak every time. In 2017 they lost to the Houston Astros (*cheaters). In 2018, they lost to the Boston Red Sox. in 2019, they were ousted, as I’m sure you remember, by the eventual World Series champion Washington Nationals in the NLDS. But this year, the Dodgers broke through thanks to the fact that, well, they’re good at everything.

They’ve got some of the best pitching in baseball, with young phenoms Walker Buehler, Dustin May, and Julio Urias coupled with seasoned veterans Clayton Kershaw and the legendary Joe Kelly. Their bats are nothing short of amazing, with two of the top five in baseball in Cody Bellinger and Mookie

form to publicly advocate for social justice, a particularly important topic in the wake of this summer’s Black Lives Matter demonstrations. Mr. Ross supports and admires this private exploration of poetry, but strongly encourages students hesitant about pursuing publishing poetry to try and impact a wider audience with their art. Everybody has potential to create beautiful poetry and ought to share that talent with the world if they are comfortable. Gonzaga poets have collectively published Garden: Gonzaga Poets Respond to the Slavery Research Project and are currently working on a second publication.

In the words of John Lewis, Raising King is intended to motivate readers“to get in some good trouble.”

Nothing worthwhile is accomplished with ease and that sentiment holds true for the centuries long struggle for racial equality.

Betts. Corey Seager was redhot in the postseason, winning World Series MVP and tying the previous record for home runs in a single postseason. It all came together this year for the Dodgers.

The Dodgers took Game 1 behind home runs from those two bats, Bellinger and Betts, and chased Rays ace Tyler Glasnow after five innings and 112 pitches. The Rays tied it up in Game 2 behind two home runs from second baseman Brandon Lowe and 15 strikeouts from various pitchers. In Game 3, the Dodgers regained the lead despite a home run off the bat of Randy Arozarena, who would go on to set a postseason record with 10 home runs in a single postseason. Game 4 was by far the best game of the series, maybe of the season. The two teams went back and forth, and the Rays were down to their last strike with two on and trailing by one. Pinch hitter Brett Phillips, of whom almost no one had ever heard of, singled into left-center, scoring Kev-

in Kiermaier, and when the relay throw was muffed by Dodgers catcher Will Smith, scoring Arozarena as well.

In Game 5, with the series now tied at two, Kershaw took the mound against Glasnow for the second time in the series, and prevailed again, putting the Dodgers one win away. In Game 6, Arozarena hit an early home run to put the Rays up, and Tampa Bay was cruising behind Blake Snell, pitching an absolute gem: 5.1 innings, 2 hits, and 9 strikeouts. In what may go down as one of the worst World Series coaching decisions ever, Rays manager Kevin Cash pulled him after giving up a hit to the Dodgers’ Austin Barnes. The Dodgers went on to score two runs in the sixth and the Rays never scored again. Julio Urias retired the last seven batters he faced to give the Dodgers their first championship in 32 years. The Rays shouldn’t lose hope, though; there’s a good chance they’re going to be back in the World Series for the next few years.

The Lighthouse - Movie Review By: Joe Cooney ‘22 Contributor The Lighthouse is a period piece about two wickies, Ephraim Winslow (real name Thomas Howard) and Thomas Wake stranded on an island guarding a lighthouse. It is the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. If you haven’t seen it, stop reading this and watch it right now.

Everything about this movie is perfect, from the fact Robert Eggers used an almost square aspect ratio, to the fact he used an old lens to film it, to the black and white film. This is an instant classic if I have ever seen one.

To be fair I am kind of biased. This movie has all my personal favorite aspects of movie-making: it has incredible performances, very few close-ups (which I think clutter modern films), and an almost absent score.

I think this movie has the best cinematography of any movie I’ve seen, besides maybe Citizen Kane. There are so

many shots in this movie that are just absolutely gorgeous.

The shot of Wake and Winslow staring at the camera watching their boat drift away knowing that they’re on this island, isolated. It’s just the two of them and the lighthouse, nothing else. The shots in the lighthouse are purposefully not really in the lighthouse most of the time, but rather looking in through the walls. When the camera tracks Winslow through the lighthouse it goes through the walls and shows his separation from the rest of the world. In shots in their bedroom, the frame is divided in between their beds, which shows their separation from each other. They don’t even bother to learn each other’s names until a month in.

The end scene in the light of the lighthouse is one of the greatest sequences of all time.

It’s the type of experimental film-making that I love. The final shot of the movie (not trying to spoil anything) is one of the most beautiful shots of all time. The movie has finally

exploded and that final scene is what we’re left with before the end credits, which, I must say, are also breathtaking. This seems like an arbitrary thing to mention, but the song chosen for it is haunting and hypnotizing.

Who could have guessed that someone from Twilight could have put out probably one of the best performances of the decade? The final scene when he finally gets into the lighthouse is mesmerizing and is one of the best-acted scenes I have ever seen. The fact that he wasn’t nominated for an Oscar shows the academy’s favoritism in press coverage rather than actually finding truly good films or performances.

I don’t even know how to describe Willem Dafoe’s performance. Perfect, maybe? Every single scene this man is in is stunning. His deliveries of Wake’s monologues are outstanding. He owns every single word. Normally in a movie with this many (long) monologues, you might tune one or two out because sometimes

they’re just filler, but you can’t in this movie. Not because the writing is good, which it is, by the way, but because Willem Dafoe’s performance was not only believable but encapsulating too. He really felt like an old, lonely man, who has lost his grip on his sanity. Both actors churn out Oscar-deserving performances and they need to be recognized for it.

Something that truly cements a movie’s categorization as a classic is its symbolism. Think about the lighting in Casablanca, the cinematography in Citizen Kane, or the narration in Apocalypse Now. I did some research and the two main characters represent legends in Greek Mythology. Specifically Prometheus (Winslow) and Proteus (Wake). There’s a constant theme throughout the movie, which is gaslighting.

Throughout the movie, Wake constantly gaslights Winslow to the point where it becomes actively frustrating. Winslow is so disconnected from reality by the end of the movie, he

believes him. Wake manipulates Winslow into doing all the hard and redundant work.

Throughout the movie, Winslow resents Wake for this, but he does nothing about it.

One last point of symbolism I want to point out is Winslow’s loss of reality is shown through his name. Winslow, while drunk, tells Wake that his real name is Thomas Howard and that he’s on the run for letting a man die. At the start of the movie, he is sane, he is calm, and he is normal. He is Ephraim Winslow. By the end of the movie he is manipulated, he’s gone insane, and he’s become violent and angry. He turns back into Thomas Howard, the man who let someone die because he was too disconnected with his life to care.

I think the best movies of all time are being produced right now and the Lighthouse is leading the charge with its groundbreaking performances, immaculate cinematography, and its heart-stopping suspense. 99/100