BOYS BASKETBALL & BOYS SWIM & GYMNASTICS

Sophomore Anthony Bahl competes at a regular season meet.

PHOTO BY CASIE DRAVES

Wrestling team sends eight wrestlers to state after placing second overall at semi-state and sectional, regional victories

BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor

The boys wrestling team has made history this season as they won their 19th sectional in a row. They also won their third regional title in a row. At their most recent meet on Feb. 13, the team were able to finish second at semistate. The team will be sending eight wrestlers to the state meet on Feb. 19. While they set their sights on the state meet, coach Branden Lorek reflected on the history that the team has already made this season.

“19 straight Sectionals is a pretty big deal, and I’m proud to have been head coach of the team for five of those titles and an assistant coach for the other 11,” Lorek said. “Yes, being a part of 16 of the 19 straight Sectional titles is pretty special for me, because I have a lot of great memories. I’m proud of my wrestlers, managers, and coaching staff for helping keep that streak alive.”

Junior Nicholas Tattini also reflected on the sectional win.

“It feels great to contribute to our 19th straight sectional title,” Tattini said. “Everyone on the team contributed to the win and I think that’s one of the things that make it special.”

Sophomore Anthony Bahl is proud of the sectional win, but has already shifted his focus to the state meet.

“It feels cool to be a part of such an accomplishment and to continue this legacy, but what all of the team is chasing and grinding for is blue state title rings,” Bahl said. “I’m confident that we have worked harder than any other team in the state and that’s why we accomplish our goal.”

The hard work is necessary in order to beat last year’s second place finish at state and achieve a state win. The team will have to play to their strengths and their best qualities. Lorek believes that the team’s best quality is their teamwork.

“I believe the strongest quality of our wrestling team is their relationship with each other and their willingness to compete,” Lorek said.

Sophomore Korbin Bolde agrees that teamwork is the team’s best quality.

“The strongest quality of the team is that we all have each other’s back and we help one another improve,” Bolde said.

Senior Alexie Westfall believes that the team’s best quality is their persistence.

“I think the strongest quality of the team is persistence and perseverance,” Westfall said. “Wrestling is so unbelievably mentally and physically demanding and an exhausting sport. So it’s very important to have a team that will stick it through the long practices and the early morning runs before school. You have to commit all of your energy to personal improvement and pushing your partner to their max to help them reach it.”

Improvement is a result of hard work, and Westfall has seen improvement.

“I’d say my confidence in my abilities have significantly improved,” Westfall said. “I’ve pushed myself to be more of a dominant and offensive wrestler in matches than previous years.”

Westfall believes that the rest of the team has also put in the work necessary to compete at a high level at the meet.

“As a team we’ve been putting in the effort since the summer time with lifting and training. We’re coming back this year for first at state,” Westfall said. “I’m really optimistic that the team will pull through and kick butt.”

The team will compete at the state meet tonight at Bankers-Life FieldHouse in Indianapolis.

Gymnastics to face top three teams in state at DAC meet

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief

Despite the struggles of competing in a pandemic, the gymnastics team has stayed strong. The Bulldogs’ only losses this season came from three other DAC teams (Chesterton, Valparaiso and Lake Central) who also ranked first, second and third respectively in the state. Head Coach Ami Pysh knows her expectations coming down the stretch.

“With this being my 20th year as head coach, my goals are always to get out of sectionals as a team. That is very difficult, as this is the best area for gymnastics in the state. Only three teams make it out. I do not think it’s an unreachable goal though. My gymnasts are very talented,” Pysh said. “I just have to help them stay mentally tough, which is the name of the game in a sport like gymnastics. To defy gravity daily and overcome real fears, while in an individual spotlight is very tough. When the team is as talented though as ours, it makes it very motivating for all of us.”

Senior Leah Dexter has taken a leadership role this season and says that she loves the effort her teammates put in day in and day out.

“We have a very dynamic team this year, lots of new gymnasts and everyone has been working hard. Each girl brings something different to the team,” Dexter said. “It’s definitely different leading the team this year, I try to make it lighthearted and fun for everyone because there’s been some change due to COVID. I try to make sure everyone is doing okay and try to be there as much as I can.”

Sophomore Ysabel Maunes believes that the best moment of the season was the team’s win against Portage.

“The high point of my season was probably our meet against Portage, where we got our highest team score so far, the 110.2. I also got my highest floor score of the season at that meet,” Maunes said.

Maunes also noted how the team’s bond helped them grow.

“The team chemistry this year has been great, considering our normal team bonding events did not take place this year. Since we could not have big team gatherings outside of the gym, we just tried to really appreciate our time together in the gym, at practices, and meets. Our freshman and other newcomers seemed to connect pretty instantly with the upperclassmen,” Maunes said.

The DAC meet is tomorrow in Chesterton at 11 a.m.

Freshman Alana Lockhart completes a tumbling pass in her floor routine with a full.

PHOTO BY GILLIAN GATLEY

Junior Colin Gingrich competes in the 200 meter freestyle.

PHOTO BY GILLAN GATLEY

Boys swim hopes for sectional win

BY NOAH THOMAS co-editor-in-chief

The boys swimming team is heading into the sectional finals in Munster this weekend after placing fourth at DAC last week. The season has been a long ride for the seniors going through COVID-19 protocols and trying to navigate their final season. Senior Kyle Harvey says that COVID-19 has not affected their team chemistry.

“Team chemistry has been pretty good, we’re all super close because we spend so much time practicing together, even when everything was still shut down we would have zoom meetings and we would meet up in parking lots, socially distanced,” Harvey said. “Yeah, people get quarantined, people get sick, the team has done a great job staying flexible and staying in shape through some brief breaks we’ve had to take.”

Coach Blake Yeager sa that he is continuing to make sure the team is at their best.

“Come in every day and work hard. Don’t take the day for granted because the next day you could be quarantined,” Yeager said. “We make sure the athletes are wearing masks, distancing themselves in the lanes, and sending swimmers home when they are not feeling well even if it is for something that may not be Covid symptoms.”

Senior Josh Murry looked back at his four years in the program and believed in his hard work and all the inspirational moments in his career. He also reflected on the highpoint of the boys season.

“The highpoint of my season, and I’m sure the highpoint for the rest of the boy’s team was that we managed to beat the Munster boy’s team after more than a decade. Winning by one point, we stole the meet. This was a truly defining moment in our legacy, and I’m super happy to have been a part of that,” Murry said. “This past season has taught me a lot of things. One big thing would be an appreciation for my teammates, as we had come so far, and overcome so much. This realization spans over all four years of my high school career, and without the troubles that we encountered, I don’t believe I wouldn’t really see the true gravity of how much these people influenced my life. If anything, this season showed me how much I really took for granted. I am truly thankful to have been a part of this amazing experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

As the boys prepared for sectionals, Murry had a few words of inspiration about his goals and team goals as they head into the postseason.

“As the last few weeks spell the end of my high school swimming career, I’m looking forward to ending the season off right by winning sectionals and conquering state. Our team has worked very hard for this moment, and I have no doubt that we’ll deliver,” Murry said.

INKLINGS 25 Boys basketball rebounds after Chesterton loss

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor

The boys basketball team’s season is well on its way. The team is now 10-2, starting the season off with a 6-0 run before a loss to Chesterton. Senior Felix Meeks thought that even though the team took the loss hard, learned some valuable lessons from the experience.

“I feel that every sport comes with winning and losing. Now of course no one wants to lose but sometimes the great teams have to lose a game to show where errors took place. It showed us a lot in what we just can’t let happen again. So in a way I’m glad we lost but I’m also not happy we lost,” Meeks said.

Meeks says the team looked through these errors carefully to better the team.

“Our coach laid out what we did wrong and what can never happen again if we want to win in the end. We took that and we worked every day that week to make sure those things never happened again,” Meeks said.

Fixing these errors seemed to have worked, as the team responded to the loss by winning the next four games. According to coach Clint Swan, the team’s hard work in practice contributed to the success.

“It has all started in practice for us. They came back from that loss with three great practices and picked up a nice win over Michigan City at home,” Swan said.

That win streak came to an end after a 60-49 loss to DAC leader Valparaiso. Before the game had happened, Swan made it clear he was more concerned with the team’s development rather than any particular result.

“I’d just like to see us continue on this trajectory of getting better each day. We’ve never been a team that’s really hung our successes and failures on wins and losses; rather, we have just concentrated on our continued development day to day, week to week, and have just let the score take care of itself,” Swan said.

With that loss behind them, the team has four games before they get themselves ready for sectionals, which Meeks is excited to be able to lead his team into as a senior.

“As a senior I know there’s always talk about leading the team and pressure is on senior year, but not with me at least. We are in this together. We pick each other up. I am more than grateful to be part of such a great team. If we don’t win one more game this season I would love this team even more than I did while we were winning because I know they have my back and I have there’s until the end. I feel no pressure,” Meeks said.

Meeks believes that the team’s chemistry that has grown over the season will help carry them to postseason success.

“I feel we’ve grown to love each other. We grew to play off of one another and that’s what great teams do. They love each other and they play off of one another. We have an amazing group of kids and an outstanding group of coaches. With that I don’t think there’s anyone in the state that’s going to beat us,”Meeks said.

The team will try to start a new streak tonight at Lake Central. The team’s sectional draw is Feb. 21 and broadcasted by the IHSAA.

Girls swim team ends season with sectional title

BY SAMUEL BREWER co-sports editor

The girls swim team ended their season just as well as one could hope: with a sectional title.

Finishing the meet with 471 points, they beat 12 other teams, the closest being Munster and Lake Central with 454 points each. According to senior Alyssa Hoover, it was something that has been in the making since last year.

“It felt absolutely amazing. Ever since Sectionals last season where we lost, we made it our goal to come back harder and stronger this season so that we wouldn’t lose again. And we achieved that goal which was so awesome,” Hoover said.

Also happy with the performance was coach Blake Yeager, citing that much of the drive came from missing out on the title last year.

“Last year the girls team just missed out on winning sectionals so they were very motivated this season to not let that happen again. The goal the entire season was to win the sectional so it was a great feeling. As a team we had many swimmers step and beat the swimmer next to them,” Yeager said.

Although the team won sectionals, not one swimmer ended up qualifying for the state meet. To Yeager, it didn’t matter.

“The team’s mindset was to win sectionals. State was always a hope but that was going to be gravy for us,” Yeager said.

Furthermore, the team managed to win the title without winning a single event, junior Kylie LaChapelle notes that this shows the multitude of varsity level swimmers the team has that led them to this victory.

“The team has more depth rather than a few swimmers who get all of the points. Even though we may not get first, we are able to get the points through getting second and third. We are able to work together to get the points we need to win,” LaChapelle said.

Hoover wasn’t focused on the team’s lack of individual victories. She was more concerned reminiscing over finishing her final swim meet as a senior.

“It was a bittersweet moment. I was very proud to be able to represent my team one last time and score some points for them, but it was also very sad because I knew my time as a bulldog was quickly coming to an end so I made sure to leave everything I had in the pool,” Hoover said.

According to Hoover, one of the most memorable things that she will remember about her high school swim career is the friends she’s made along the way.

“The thing I’ll remember most is definitely the friendships that I’ve made on the team. When you spend multiple hours a day with the same people, you form a deep connection that’s pretty special and is definitely going to be hard to leave behind when I go to college,” Hoover said.

LaChapelle is excited for the chance to help lead her team as a senior next year.

“I am very excited to be able to lead my team next year. Being a captain this year, I hope to be a captain next year and continue my role to help lead this team,” LaChapelle said.

INREVIEW

BY ROSALIE DEGENHART assistant editor The Weeknd’s Super Bowl half-time show

This performance was the epitome of glamour and pop culture. The Weeknd performed his top hits, like “Blinding Lights” and “Starboy,” while wearing an iconic red suit. He performed on a stage in front of a exotic skyscraper scenery, as well as dancing on the football field surrounded by dancers that were cloned to represent him and his recent plastic surgery.

Bridgerton

This Netflix original captured the lives of aristocratic families during the early 19th century of London, England, specifically Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Hastings. The storytelling is superb, the drama enticing, the fashion and scenery draw dropping and the music eccentric with its classical take on modern music. This show depicts what every girl wants to live out: a fairytale romance. However, viewers should beware of some inappropriate scenes.

“Survivor: Cagayan” pulls in viewers with captivating cast and game play

BY EMILY HELMUTH co-editor-in-chief

Survivor, one of the longest running reality TV shows, released two of its most popular and well rated seasons on Netflix at the end of 2020. To avoid spoilers for other seasons, only one of these seasons, “Survivor: Cagayan” will be reviewed in this article, as the other season on Netflix (“Heroes vs. Villains”) features all returning players.

“Survivor: Cagayan,” despite airing nearly seven years ago and almost 14 years after the first season of “Survivor,” truly embodies what the show is about. Its cast is made up of all new castaways, many of whom are now modern survivor staples. Like some prior seasons, “Cagayan” had a theme. In this case, the theme was brawns vs. brains vs. beauty. Unlike prior seasons, this theme was executed extremely well, as many times throughout the season these trait-specific tribes lived up to their names.

What makes this season stand out though, is its cast. The cast is made up of all new players, including Kass McQuillen, an attorney, who oftentimes angers her fellow castaways due to her brutal honesty and Tony Vlachos, a New Jersey police officer, steals several scenes with his comedic and over the top personality.

Other notable cast members are Yung Woo Hwang, a martial arts instructor, who is beloved by audiences due to his kindness to other players and Morgan McLeod, a former NFL cheerleader, who dumbstrucks viewers with her often vain comments.

No fan of “Cagayan” can forget Spencer Bledshoe, an economics student and “Survivor” super fan who just could not catch a break.

The memorable and unique cast along with their extremely over-the-top personalities leads to many unforgettable moments, ranging from one of the craziest idol hunts to one of the biggest mistakes ever made on “Survivor.” These twists and shifts in the plot keep viewers on the edge of their seats. When watching, I oftentimes found myself emotionally invested, and definitely yelled at the TV a time or two.

Also unlike other seasons of “Survivor,” where they become somewhat dull after the merge, this season’s merge only upped the excitement as the differing personalities from the tribes began to clash.

This season has it all, as there are villains for you to love hating and underdogs to root for. Despite some of the villainy and flaws seen, it is hard to not like and emphasize with the cast.

Arguably, the winner of “Cagayan” is one of the greatest players of the game in recent years. The constant drive and determination of this specific player gives the season a satisfying outcome, as unlike in other seasons I have seen, I felt that the winner truly deserved the win.

Overall, this season is a great one to watch for “Survivor” super fans as well as new fans of the show. The fast pace keeps viewers hooked and wanting more.

“To All the Boys: Forever and Always” INKLINGS 27 brings satisfying end to rom-com trilogy

BY EMILY BRISENO reporter

“To All the Boys: Always and Forever,” the final film in the “To All the Boys” trilogy is very different from the usual rom-com. In the movie, Lara Jean, Peter and friends have reached their senior year of high school and are planning their futures. Peter has received a lacrosse scholarship from Stanford, and, at the beginning of the movie, he and Lara Jean begin to plan their future together there. Their plans are altered when an unexpected event prevents them from attending Stanford together.

Lara Jean starts to rely on herself more and not become so attached to spending time with Peter. A school trip to New York City shows Lara Jean what else the world has to offer, and is a pivotal point for her character development as it shows her as a more independent and intelligent character. While Lara Jean starts to figure out what makes her happy, Peter is at first oblivious to the fact that they are not on the same page. The love story between Peter and Lara Jean seems to take a turn when they start to lack communication. They both do not communicate with each other which leads to them not being the most inspiring couple. There are many times throughout the movie that show Lara Jean and Peter do not have a healthy relationship.

Following the previous two movies, the girl power is still strong in part three. Lara Jean’s sisters and best friend Christine play a big part in her thought process and encourage her to do what will make her the happiest. Her older sister, Margot, tries to make her realize that her decisions should not be based on what Peter does.

The feminism is always a constant with Lara Jean’s younger sister, Kitty, who has a lot of endearing scenes and witty one-liners. Lara Jean also grows closer to a former foe, with the two of them creating an amazing friendship.

The movie also does an excellent job of showing parent-child relationships, as Lara Jean and her sisters adjust to their dad’s engagement with mixed emotions. The girls like their new future step mother and have a good relationship with her, but at the same time struggle as this is the first time their father has fallen in love again after the death of their mother.

Peter’s family also comes to light in this movie, as his father begins to re-enter his life, which brings up past emotions and pain in Peter.

The ending relates back to the beginning of the “TATB” series and how their relationship started: with the love letters. Lara Jean and Peter have a complicated relationship, but that’s what makes this a good series to follow.

Like its predecessors, this movie is extremely cheesy and at times unrealistic. Despite this, it is a nice feel good movie that shows an alternate version of 2020 we wish would have happened, as Lara Jean is graduating in 2021 in a world with seemingly no COVID-19 pandemic.

“To All the Boys: Always and Forever” is streaming on Netflix. It is the perfect series to binge watch if you want sappy romantic-comedies. This movie was a good end to the trilogy, as it follows the typical rom-com trope where it is heavily implied that everything works out the way the viewers want it to and that all the characters live happily ever after.

PLAYING FAVORITES

Girl Scout Cookies

Thin mints, Tagalongs, Samoas are just some of the staple cookies of one of the best times of the year: girl scout cookie season. The variety of these cookies as well as each type of cookie’s unique flavor keeps us buying more cookies every year.

WE’RE SO OVER

E-Learning on Snow Days

Before this year, snow days were looked forward to, as they felt like a small break in the stress given by school. Now, with eLearning happening on snow days, the magic of hoping for a day off is gone. Even if we do get a snow day, it is no longer a day off to relax.