THE LINE O’ TYPE ! k c a B e r ’ We
Page 2......... 2.........Mask Mask mandate Page 3......... 3.........MHS MHS Speech Team Page 4......... 4.........Black Black HIstory Month
February 14, 2022
www.lineotype.com
Volume 105, Issue 1
Page 6 ........Star Wars Lego review
The 2022/21 LineOType staff is back in print! LO’T staff work to create the first printed paper in two years.
Page 7 ........Boys Swimming wrap up
Photo by Mrs. Norcross
News February 14, 2022
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2022 Winter Olympics marred by ongoing controversies By: Sophia Brockway to training equipment, and, at times, seemingly illogical covid testing regime.” Russian LO’T News Editor
The 2022 Winter Olympics have been long anticipated by a world locked down for the better part of two years despite a mountain of controversy surrounding theBeijing Olympic 2022 logo Courtesy of Wikipedia. host country, China. One of the controversies surrounds China’s mistreatment of the Muslim and Uyghur population. According to CNN, Washington D.C. has gone far as to label this as a “genocide.” NBC reports accusations of forced sterilization, sexual assault, torture, and forced labor in mass detention centers where these citizens are being held. China has denied this and says they were “lies created by anti-Chinese forces.” Trying to save face, China countered by choosing to use a Uyghur athlete to light the opening torch, which was not well received. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie described it as a “provocative in-yourface response to Western nations,” and the World Uyghur Congress called it “shocking and insensitive.” Another controversy has been the restrictive quarantining conditions of athletes. In “the Bubble” created to separate the games from the city in hopes of reducing the spread, athletes are tested consistently, and those who test positive are relocated to a hotel within the bubble to quarantine. Athletes who have quarantined have spoken out about the poor conditions on social media, reporting, “inedible meals, little to no access
athlete Valeria Vasnetova said “I’ve lost a lot of weight, my bones are sticking out… I’m so tired because I only eat the pasta; the rest is inedible.” Other complaints have been about the small size of the rooms, unfair quarantine schedules, and hygiene of the rooms. The International Olympic Committee has stated they have a “support network in place to deal with athletes’ concerns both individually and collectively”. But the debates don’t end there. Another issue is athletes claiming the Chinese refs are biased and benefit Chinese athletes, specifically in speed skating. There have been several questionable penalties that have advanced the Chinese athletes to medals. In the men’s 1000 meters, the race was neck and neck between a Hungarian and Chinese athlete, and officials were forced to do a video review. After watching the video it appeared Hungary had beat China by a millisecond when suddenly Hungary was penalized for a lane change and for obstructing the Chinese skater on the final turn. Though China’s skater retaliated by shoving with both hands, he was not penalized. This resulted in Hungarys disqualification and China receiving gold. This call has been widely criticized with no comment from the Hungarian athlete. In the short track men’s relay, China came out with gold only after the disqualification of Russia and US athletes. South Korean skater Kwak Yoon-gy said to reporters, “Looking at the way China won the medal, I felt bad that my younger teammates had to watch something like that. I thought to myself, is this really what winning the gold medal is about? It all felt very hollow.” Regardless of the relentless controversies, many athletes are still happy to be included and are gushing about the experience. The U.S. has yet to get gold but has received four silvers and one bronze. American figure skater Nathan Chen scored a world record 113.97 points in the figure skating short program. More excitement is yet to come with other Olympians like Chloe Kim, Shaun White, and Mikaela Shiffrin.
Latest Covid-19 mask mandates drift closer to normalcy By: Siri Chintala Reflecting upon Judge Grishchow’s order of prohibiting date deprives students of due process. As a result, Judge LO’T News Editor
Governors in multiple states have listed a ban on mask mandates as Covid cases slightly decline compared to the past year. CNN asserts that in order to declare when mask mandates may not be necessary, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “continuously reviews data on the pandemic as well as the latest science to identify when changes to the guidance are recommended.” However, due to the lack of clarity of communication from the CDC, many state and local officials have begun taking matters into their own hands. Starting the chain reaction with a goal of “treating the coronavirus as a part of daily life,” the Governor of New Jersey, Philip D. Murphy will no longer demand schools, including students, to wear masks at all times. Following New Jersey’s ban on mask mandates, Oregon, Connecticut, Delaware, and California plan on removing some of their mask mandates, taking effect in March. While other states lift bans on mask mandates, Illinois has also entered into the heated debate. According to the Chicago Tribune, Illinois attorney Tom Devore filed a suit and requested Judge Raylene Grischow to authorize a temporary ban on mask mandates, claiming that the man-
Grishchow granted Devore’s appeal, allowing over 170 school districts within the suit to ban mask mandates. According to NBC Chicago, as of February 9th, 2022, Gov. JB Pritzker announced that the state will end its mask mandate on February 28, but the mask mandate will remain for public transportation, long-term care facilities, and schools, contrary to the recent court decision, which the Governor has appealed. Regarding his intention to keep the mandate in place for schools, Pritzker contends: “School outbreaks impact hundreds, even thousands of people across a community – and there are a whole lot more infections when districts are maskless. Schools are unlike most other environments — there are far lower vaccination rates for school-aged children than adults, higher exposure daily to younger children who aren’t yet vaccine-eligible, and more difficulty maintaining distance in hallways and gyms. The equation for schools just looks different right now than it does for the general population. Schools need more time – for community infection rates to drop, for our youngest learners to become vaccine eligible, and for more parents to get their kids vaccinated.”
schools to carry-on with mask mandates, Gov. Pritzker claimed that “poor legal reasoning should not take one of our most effective tools off the table.” That said, Pritzker deemed that Grishchow’s decision caused many school administrators confusion as they needed to make haste decisions regarding their schools’ Covid guidelines. Based on a source from the IIDPH, Covid cases seem to have sharply declined since the beginning of January, which has continued to spur controversy over the necessity of mask mandates.” Ultimately though, as the government relies on the data to make recommendation for the rest of the nation, the state of Illinois and the students and staff attending school in Illinois must wait a little longer to see how the mask mandate debate will play out. Freshman Tamiya Gray and sophomore Blessing Akou correctly wear their masks while working in the library. Photo by The Line O’Type staff.
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Feature
February 14, 2022
MHS speech team hopes to MHS Theater By: Maranda Bargren take the cake and eat it, too LO’T Feature Editor
By: Molly Neels LO’T Copy Editor L i k e many organizations sidelined by the pandemic, the speech team was no different. For those who don’t know, the speech team is a group of students who write or perform 8-minute monologues in 13 different events, each with different rules and criteria, during tournaments held at different schools in the area. A judge determines winners based on the criteria of each event. While the school used to have a team before the COVID-19 pandemic, the team was unable to continue with the new guideline in place. Despite the MHS Speech team starting from scratch in the 2021-2022 school year, new Coach Erika Seabloom is “excited about taking a large chunk of our members, especially since all our Regional entries were all first-year participants.” Despite having a brand new team and a brand new coach, the team is gearing up for their biggest tournaments of the year: Regionals, Sectionals, and State. After placing 2nd overall at Regionals, the team is preparing to have a successful Sectionals tournament. Sectionals for the 2021-2022 year will be held at Morris Community High School on February 12. Diya Vishwakarma, a junior in Oratorical Declamation and Impromptu Speaking, says that she’s “ready for competition” and “ready for the challenge.” In addition to its competitive events, the next big event on the calendar for the speech team is Dessert Theatre. Dessert Theatre is a fundraising opportunity for the team and also provides the participants a chance to share their hard work with others on the team, friends, and family. Katie Rhea, a sophomore in Dramatic Interpretation and Humorous Duet Acting, exclaims that she “can’t wait for people to see all of our hard work.” While the performers are presenting their pieces, dessert will be distributed to members of the crowd for them to enjoy. The event is set for February 25 at 7:00 p.m. in the MHS cafeteria, and because Dessert Theatre is a fundraising event, admission is $7. The MHS Speech team welcomes everyone to attend a fun night of speech and yummy desserts.
hopes
to
“The story takes place during the Great Depression, so it is mainly about trying to lift people’s spirits during hard times,” said Ms. Callahan, the choral director of this production. This is something that many people can relate to in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Be-
wow
crowds
“All Shook Up” in 2020, they also wanted to ensure that it was family-friendly to reach a larger audience. Similar to MHS’s fall production “You Can’t Take it With You,” which involved a cat, this production will also involve an animal. For this musical, Sandy, Annie’s dog companion,
After winter break, auditions promptly began for this year’s spring musical, “Annie,” which will be performed in the Bartlett Performing Arts Center on March 10, 11, and 12 at 7 pm. “Annie” is a story that takes place in 1933 and follows the path of an orphan named Annie (Chloe Knobloch). At the orphanage Annie lives in, her caretaker, Ms. Hannigan (Lena Slininger), is abusive. After multiple escape attempts, Annie eventually makes it to the mansion of Daddy Warbucks (Chase Portner). The rest of the story pertains to her adventures of living in luxury and the measures Ms. Hannigan is willing to cause MHS Theatre hasn’t will be played by Maddie, go to take it away from her. performed a musical since Social Studies teacher, Ms.
with
“Annie”
Guerdet’s dog. Concerns are often raised about an unprofessional dog being included in the play, but Maddie is well prepared. According to Guerdet, “We’ve attended a couple rehearsals to get her used to it, and she has adjusted really well.” This will be the last Moline Theatre production of this school year, so the cast and crew will be working extra hard to produce something that will stick with people. There is a lot of work yet to be done, but Moline Theatre hopes to produce something breathtaking. The cast and crew welcomes students and staff to attend the musical on March 10, 11, and 12 at 7 pm at the B.P.A.C.
94th Academy Award nominees striving for excellence in all areas
By: Averie Taylor LO’T Feature Editor This year’s academy award nominees have not only achieved the honor of qualifying for one of the most prestigious film awards but outdone themselves by being nominated for several awards in different categories. According to ABC, the 94th Academy Awards are set to be held on March 27, 2022, at the Dolby Theater at Hollywood and Highland center. A couple of the most prominent movies have not only been nominated for one of the categories but 10 or more. The top five most important categories are as follows: best picture, best director, best screenplay, best actor, and last but not least, best actress. The Power of the Dog, directed by Jane Campion has been nominated for 12 categories and four of the five most important categories, beating every other movie nominated. The western psychological drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch has scored a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and gives hope to female directors in the male-dominated field. Another success in Hollywood is undeniably, Dune, directed by Denis Villeneuve and adapted from the novel by Frank Herbert. The film has been nomi-
nated for an impressive 10 awards and for two of the five most important categories. Dune made nearly 400 million dollars in the box office and has created a large following after only the first movie in its series. Belfast, depicting the love and struggles of a close-knit Irish family in the ’60s, was directed by Kenneth Branagh and has been nominated for 7 awards, three of which fall into the top 5 categories. Branagh made interesting artistic choices through the editing of the film, one of the most significant being that the film is almost entirely in black and white. This bold decision will definitely set Belfast apart in all of its categories. King Richard, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, is a biographical film about Richard Williams, father of Serena and Venus Williams, depicts the impact that Richard had on his daughters’ lives and careers. The film reflects on the fight the black American community faces to gain the same recognition as their white counterparts. The 94th Academy Award nominations are not only succeeding but excelling in their quality, opening up opportunities to win several awards. Set your alerts and be sure to watch this year’s Oscars ceremony!
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Focus
Focus
February 14, 2022
Minorty Leaders of Tommorow sheds light on Black History Month and hopes to recruit more members
By: Diya Vishwakarma LO’T Focus Editor
Diversity and expression of different cultures are vital to society’s health and well-being but are also important within the walls of our own school. One new group that has helped to highlight this diversity is the Minority Leaders of Tomorrow club. The group represents the idea of belonging for all people. MLT is an ongoing club that started off as the QC Scholars, but because of some election issues, Coach Ritchie took over this club and reinvented it to be the Minority Leaders of Tomorrow. Black History Month is a huge deal for this club. Coach Ritchie says, “We are working on skits and presentations for students and staff for Black History Month, and you all should be excited for what we will bring in the next couple of weeks.” Junior Corynn Holmes, an active member of the club, also takes a great interest in Black history. She is involved in the club as the vice president and says, “Black History is American history, and we need to start embracing that so that we can better ourselves as a society.” Holmes spoke of a recent Zoom the club did with Stanford University’s Black Advisory Committee in which members
“
Black History is American history, and we need to start embracing that so that we can better ourselves as a society.
Junior Corynn Holmes
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February 14, 2022
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The History behind Black History Month Poems by Harlem
By: Alexis Havercamp LO’T Copy Editor
of that club advised Moline club members to get more involved, not just in MLT, but to get more involved in all school activities and organizations so that their voices can be heard everyone. Another MLT member, Senior James Steele is also very inspired by the history behind this month, saying, “Black History Month not only serves as an excellent reminder of black heroes of the past but is a signal to continue shaping the world in the pursuit of a future with greater equality” One of the challenges the new group has faced is attracting members. The group is currently looking for more members regardless of race, sexuality, and opinions. They are trying to make a more inclusive group and celebrate academic and athletic accomplishments that the team members achieve. Coach Ritchie says, “We want to reach out to other schools and community members who are interested in our club. We want to bring awareness to everyday social issues for ALL groups of people.” If you are interested in joining Minority Leaders of Tomorrow, you can talk to Coach Ritchie @aritchie@ molineschools.org or stop by his room.
Have you ever wondered why Black History Month is in February? The answer is: It’s complicated. According to History.com, Black History Month originally started as Black History Week in 1926 and was the 2nd week of February due to the fact that both Abraham Lincoln’s and Fredrick Douglas’s birthdays were that week. According to The New York Times, it evolved to a month when college students at Kent State University proposed Black History Month, which was first celebrated in 1970. According to Harvard.edu, Carter G. Woodson popularized Black History Month and worked with a legion of African American teachers during the Jim Crow era to celebrate and raise awareness about the contributions of black people in the nation’s history. Black History Month is celebrated in February in the U.S., Canada, and Germany, some other countries recognize October as Black History Month. According to The New York Times, every president since Ronald Regan has issued a Black History Month proclamation. Joe Biden released his first proclamation in support of Black History Month and said, “We do so because the soul of our
According to History.com, “Hampton was an honors student from the Chicago suburbs who, as a youth leader with the NAACP, successfully campaigned to have a non-segreagated swimming pool built in his hometown.” He experienced a series of negative and racially motivated interactions with the police after becoming an advocate for African Americans living in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago and joined the Black Panther Party in 1968 as one of the original members of the Illinois chapter. Hampton founded the Rainbow Coalition in 1969, which was a movement against police brutality, racism, classism, and white power but was killed that same year during a police raid directed by the FBI to “neutralize and destroy the Black Panther Party.” One of the most recent Black Americans associated with Illinois is Barack Obama, the 44th U.S. President, and the first African American to be elected to that office in 2008. According to Senate.gov, Obama was born in Hawaii, went to Columbia University, and moved to Illinois in 1985 hoping to “improve living conditions in poor neighbor-
hoods.” He went to Harvard for law school and “became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review.” Before being e l e c t e d President, Obama represented Illinois as a senator. In 2009, Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for international diplomacy. He was in charge of the recovery of the US Photo of Fred Hampton economy and Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org the Affordable
Nation will be troubled as long as systemic racism is allowed to persist. It is corrosive. It is destructive. It is costly. We are not just morally deprived because of systemic racism, we are also less prosperous, less successful, and less secure as a Nation.” At Moline High School, Black History Month is being recognized and celebrated by clubs like Minority Leaders of Tommorrow and the History Club with different activities and events. While in class, teachers are also incorporating Black history into lessons in various ways. As the month of February continues, be sure to take a moment to reflect on some of the amazing achievements Photo of Carter g. Woodson, Father of Black History Photo of Black Americans credit: NPS in this country.
Renaisance poet Langston Hughes Harlem
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?
Black History Month honors Black Americans, many notablesfrom Illinois By: Arsh Kaur Ida B. Wells led a huge anti-lynching and women’s sufLO’TCopy Editor frage crusade. She was also one of the founding members Black History Month, marked to honor contribuof the National tion and sacrifice, is a time to learn about global Black Association cultures. As the shortest month of the year, let’s reiterfor the ate that Black history should be taught year-round, and Advancement Black History Month is merely a time to highlight the of Colored achievements of Black Americans. And while many are P e o p l e appreciating Black culture around the nation, the state (NAACP). of Illinois has many notable Black leaders to highlight. One such person is Ida B. Wells. She was a journalA n o t h e r ist and activist who was born in Mississippi but who later famous Black moved to Chicago, and she played a huge role in the civil Illinoisan is rights movement by shedding light on the conditions of Fred Hampton, African Americans in the South. According to Britannica. an American com, after the Civil War ended, her parents got active with activist and the Reconstruction Era and stressed the importance of educhairman of cation for their daughter. After the lynching of three of her the Illinois friends, Wells wrote an expose on lynching, which educated Photo of Ida B. Wells chapter of Courtesy of Special Collections Research people on racial segregation but enraged many locals due to Center, University of Chicago Library and the Black the challenge of the white power structure. In her lifetime, Britannica.com Panther Party.
Care Act. One again, Black H i s t o r y Month is a great time to reflect on all Black Americans, but many African Americans have made an impact right here in our home state of Illinois. They have helped inspire others Photo of President Barack Obama in this world Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org to succeed.
Photo of Langston Hughes Photo courtesy of billofrightsinstitute.org Langston Hughes poetry courtesy of poetryfoundation.org
Dreams Hold fast to dreams For if dreams die Life is a broken-winged bird That cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams For when dreams go Life is a barren field Frozen with snow.
6 Entertainment February 14, 2022
The Anticcipated Release of The Skywalker Legacy
By: Phineas Van Vooren LO’T Entertainment Editor
Star Wars is one of the biggest franchises in the industry right now, and with the addition of new game, Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga, fans will have more than enough content to enjoy. Lego Star Wars is one of the key pieces to the gaming side of Star Wars, as there are 5 predecessors to this game. This series sets itself apart from the others because it follows the saga of the Skywalkers. Throughout the game, players will go through each of
the 9 episodes in the Star Wars series, with each episode containing 5 core levels. The Skywalker Saga is also said to have a bigger focus on battles including vehicles, as the previous games had lackluster experiences with this area of the game. One of the newest features include the player being able to choose whatever episode they want to start with. In previous Lego Star Wars games, the player would have to progress
through episodes chronologically, but now the game developers believe it is better to let users choose where they want to start. The Skywalker Saga is making the series feel more like an open world game with these additions, plus it also allows players to be a part of the empire or the rebels. The Skywalker Saga is set to release April 5th of this year and will likely be the best game to release in the Lego series. Stay tuned for updates!
Picture walker
above is Legacy
gameplay from Courtesty
Star of
Wars The SkyTech Radar
Doctor Strange Set to Receive Long Awaited Sequel By: Henry Neff LO’T Entertainment Editor
Movie
poster
courtesy
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MARCA
Set to release on May 6th of this year, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is an upcoming Marvel Studios production starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange and will be the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film will be a sequel to Doctor Strange (2016), also starring Cumberbatch, and will guest star Elizabeth Olson as the Scarlet Witch. This film will follow the events of the blockbuster Spider-Man No Way Home, released in Decem-
ber of last year. It will also incorporate the events of the Disney Plus exclusive series Loki. Both influences focus on the implementation of the multiverse in the MCU. According to IMDb, Doctor Strange, with the help of his allies, will venture into the multiverse to face a mysterious adversary. The film’s title as well as the release date were originally announced in July 2019, along with the involvement of Olson’s Scarlet Witch. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the production of the film was postponed until late 2020.
Originally the film was set to be directed by the 2016 Doctor Strange director and co-writer Scott Derrickson; however, due to creative differences, Derrickson stepped down and allowed for Sam Raimi to take over as lead director. Production of the film was concluded in the summer of 2021. After a director swap and almost a year long production delay, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is finally going to be released on May 6, 2022, and fans can’t wait to experience the long-awaited sequel.
Sports February 14, 2022
Moline girls basketball shoots for more success in post-season By: Vivian Veto LO’T Sports Reporter With a season record of 15-13, the girls basketball team has faced many challenges. Through Covid, injuries and quarantining, these girls have pushed through many obstacles yet still remain close friends and teammates. Junior forward Sam Veto believes, “The pandemic made our chemistry go down a little bit, especially with our season being much shorter. However, it was never gone because of how close we all are.” The girls rallied through the rough patches by working on their team unity by having pasta parties each week and hanging out often outside of school. While there were some negatives to overcome, there have also been a lot of positives of their season to celebrate. Senior shooting guard Caroline Hazen comments, “The greatest moment was getting to experience Senior Night with all of my teammates, coaches, and family.” With so many previous events canceled or put on hold due to Covid, Senior Night was very special. For the seniors, this year has been important in making memories, applying for colleges, and continuing their future in or out of sports. Senior point guard Kadence Tatum says that her future plans are to
Varsity girls basketball team poses preseason attend “Augustana College to study kinesiology and play basketball.” In addition to Tatum, Hazen will be attending The University of Northern Iowa in the fall to continue playing
Although they had some tough losses, one including Geneseo where they had only three starters due to Covid, senior shooting guard Bella Smith believes “We are a very defensive team, which is a very good thing because I believe that def e n s e w i n s games,but s o m e thing we need to work on is our offense. We need to look Bella Smith poses preseason. Photo by Katie down the Lewis post more and find soccer, and Jazmine Cun- the open shot.” With their ningham will be playing regular season over this soccer at Scott Community week they will begin to College. make adjustments in their
postseason which begins next week. While the team adapted to many changes that Covid threw at them, they also got used to a new coach.. On his experience in the new role, Coach Ritchie thinks “with being a new coach, the girls are learning new ideas and concepts, [and] it took a while to grow; and now that we’re into the season, they’re starting to understand what they have to accomplish. They learned to start playing better towards the end of the season when it’s important.” Similar to Smith, Ritchie feels that if they’re continuing to“play defense as well as we have in the last few games, it needs to continue, and we need to rebound a little better and just be more efficient offensively in the post season. Everything needs to get better game by game until we play in the championship.” Their regular season concluded after playing Geneseo on the 9th of February. The girls are looking forward to their first postseason game against United Township on February 15th at 7pm in The Panther Den. Good luck to the Lady Maroons as they enter postseason play!
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Boys Swimming The Moline boys swim team is led by a strong group of seniors, who are ready for the post season to start. Just this weekend, on February 5, the team placed third in the conference swim meet. Despite not placing first like they would have liked to, there is still a lot to reflect about this season. The team finished 5-2 in dual meets, losing to Galesburg and Sterling. Despite these losses, the maroons still have the biggest part of the season in front of them. Two weeks after taking third at conference, the boys will compete in the sectional meet, looking to send a few swimmers to the state meet the following weekend. When asked about this season, senior Henry Neff said “The biggest goal we’ve had all season is to prepare for state. We’re hoping to have a fast sectional to get us into state, The boys swim team poses after senior night and hopefully break some school records there.” Both Neff January 27, 2022. Photo by Ms. Hafner. and fellow senior Peter Adams are on the verge of accomplishing something they’ve had their eyes on for years. Both swimmers are hoping to be at their fastest times at the state meet, and finish off their careers as a swimmer at Moline in the best way possible. Adams is very confident about how the rest of the year will go. He says “We have By: Logan Sebben big goals for the end of the season and we are pushing LO’T Sports Reporter hard to accomplish them. It’s been nice to see the whole team improve, I have big plans for us in the next couple weeks and I’m excited to finish senior year with a bang.” The Moline boys swim team is led by a strong group Good luck to our swimmers as they look to finish off their of seniors, who are ready for the post season to start. season! Just this weekend, on February 5, the team placed third in the conference swim meet. Despite not placing first like they would have liked to, there is still a lot to reflect about this season. The team finished 5-2 in dual meets, losing to Galesburg and Sterling. Despite these losses, the maroons still have the biggest part of the season in front of them. Two weeks after taking third at conference, the boys will compete in the sectional meet, looking to send a few swimmers to the state meet the following weekend. When asked about this season, senior Henry Neff said “The biggest goal we’ve had all season is to prepare for state. We’re hoping to have a fast sectional to get us into state, and hopefully break some school records there.” Both Neff and fellow senior Peter Adams are on the verge of accomplishing something they’ve had their eyes on for years. Both swimmers are hoping to be at their fastest times at the state meet, and finish off their careers as a swimmer at Moline in the best way possible. Adams is very confident about how the rest of the year will go. He says “We have big goals for the end of the season and we are pushing hard to accomplish them. It’s been nice to see the whole team improve, I have big plans for us in the next couple weeks and I’m excited to finish senior year with a bang.” Good luck to our swimmers as they look to finish off their season!
Moline boys swimmer summary
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Sports February 14, 2022
Boys basketball remains red hot By: Trevor Francque LO’T Sports Editor
After asked for the team’s starting the goals regarding season 8-3, the the remainder of Moline Maroons the season, senior boys basketKyle Taylor said, ball team has “We want to finish continued on a the regular season 15 game winstrong and keep ning streak. At playing hard the way 9-2 in Western we are. We want to Big 6 play, the play our best in the Maroons are 1 postseason to make game behind a run.” rival Quincy. The Moline recently Maroons return to avenged action Friday two painful Brock Harding goes up for a layup against Rocky night against losses from United Township, Photo courtesy of Katie Lewis earlier in a team they beat the season. powerhouse Father Tolton, 62-46 earlier this The first was Moline’s the Maroons continue to season, at the Panther Den. recent 68-63 win against prove they can compete With an upcoming game Rock Island, led by juniors with the best. Junior Brock against Normal CommuniBrock Harding and Grant Harding recently scored his ty, the #3 team in 4A, MoWelch’s 26 and 19 points, 1,000th career point in an line (#11) looks to prove which also marked the first 84-66 win against Riverdale they’re one of Illinois’ top time Moline has beaten in the Eastbay Shootout. teams by chiseling their Rock Island since the 2018- As the college scholarship way up the rankings ladder. 19 season. More recently, offers continue to pile in, As the season the Maroons beat Quincy he continues to prove game comes to a close, the Ma76-57, again led by Hardafter game that they are roons remain red hot and ing’s 30 points. Before the well deserved. continue to clobber their game, the Blue Devils were While Harding is opponents. As they look undefeated in conference a strong team leader, other to make a run towards the play, holding a 2 game leaders have contributed to state tournament, Moline lead. the team’s success, speplans on taking it game With wins over cifically the team’s seniors, by game and focusing on teams such as Quincy, Kyle Taylor, Rob Pulliam, playing as a team. Rock Island, and Missouri and Alec Ponder. When Rob Pulliam pressures a Rock Island inbound Photo courtesy of Katie Lewis
Upcoming varsity events and times Boys’ Varsisty Conference Game Feb.11: Feb. 12:
Varsity Wrestling IHSA Sectionals
Feb. 15:
Girls Regional Game
Feb. 19:
Boys Swimming Sectional Meet
Success, records, and new beginnings on the mat By: Hannah Gault LO’T Sports Editor
season. their divisions. In addition to This year there Despite some are 6 seniors on the team, 3 tremendous obstacles over team success, individual of whom plan to continue the last couple of years, this wrestlers had incredible year’s wrestling season has seasons, too. In the regular wrestling in college. Kole Brower will be wrestling at resulted in record breaking season, both Kole Brower and Noah Tapia hit the 100 the University of Illinois, success. Overall the team Alec Schmact will be wreshas done really well. They win mark of their wrestling at University ended the regular of Wisconsin-Platseason with a win teville, and Parker against Galesburg Terronez will be and United Townwrestling at St. Amship on senior night brose University. and finished with Oscar Antu, Jordan a team record of Langenderfer, and 15 wins and only Aiden Lewis are 4 losses. The team the other 3 seniors then went on to not wrestling in finish third at the Moline Boys Wrestling Team at Joliet Regionals college but have WB6 meet with Photo Courtesy of Moline Wrestling Twitter still helped lead the 11 wrestlers placteam here at MHS. ing top 4. Just one Along with the weekend later,their success tling careers. Kole said incredible boys season, we continued as they clinched that “this season has gone great and hitting 100 wins can not forget to menthe crown as regional early in the season was a tion that there were 3 girls champions! Kole Brower really good feeling.” Kole who also participated on said that “winning the Moline’s team. This season regional championship as a also now holds the record for takedowns in a single is the first year that girls team had to have been the season, and Noah Tapia wrestling is a sanctioned best part of the season.” tied the single season pin sport in Illinois, which now But they aren’t done yet, on February 11th record of 32 pins. Individu- allows high school girls ally, Parker Terronez, Noah to compete and win at the and 12th the boys will Tapia, and Kole Brower state meet at the end of the compete in their sectional won their regional division season. wrestling meet in Granite Congratulations to City. There whoever quali- and Carmelo Cruz, Alec Schmact, Bradley Ledbetall of the wrestlers on all of fies will go on to compete ter, and James Soliz all their accomplishments this at state on February 22nd season and good luck to to close out the 2021-2022 placed second in each of
