Volume 20 Issue 4 May 2022

Sandra Day O’Connor High School

25250 N. 35th Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85083

Volume 20. Issue 4. May 2022

thetalonohs.com

Softball team slides to success

By AAYUSHI DATTA

News Editor

Varsity The experience and talent they possess has

them achieve great results throughout the season. and this has given them the opportunity to play at Bullhead City against other teams all around the state.

The team has been extremely triumphant this season.

PHOTO COURTESY OF JO MYERS Beach volleyball smiles big after winning their state title.

OHS beach volleyball brings pride to campus with State Championship

By ANANYA THEKKEMELEPATT Opinions Editor

had our Varsity As the 2021-2022 school year comes to an end, the OHS varsity beach volleyball girls made and sometimes you may sure to make this season moment but at the end the moments and incredible said.

Luckily, the OHS beach state champions, beating Xavier Prep 4-1, they’ve proven that they are a

credit their success to

OHS beach volleyball program being able to shine and break barriers, intent in achieving their the 2021-2022 season is goals.

champion team like Xavier

the talent amongst these athletes is phenomenal.

“The talent is

the

eight

time

state

match; every single match Beating

such

a

girls should be applauded

Sydnee

beach volleyball coach.

Every season, every numerous challenges they

tough competition. Considering that the

time earlier in the season.

every single game. I think said

included

Jump to Page 12

exception.

“We have

D1 athletes committed to continue,” play at the next level this

games. We beat a high national-ranking team.”

rival Xavier,” said Ashlyn Rough, senior.

Jump to Page 12

PHOTO BY AAYUSHI DATTA Riley Lauffer, senior, pitches well against Boulder Creek.

Ms. Liptow psyches out the system

By ANANYA THEKKEMELEPATT Opinions Editor

psychology teacher, educating and inspiring students.

From studying psychology in university, to doing research, to becoming a case manager, leading her

a team.”

OHS students as much as possible.

Page 4

A&E Page 9

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the empirical aspects but it’s also very philosophical.”

Jump to Page 7

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The Talon

May 2022

Graduation Schedule • May 10 & 11, 2022 - Senior Finals • May 11, 2022 - Last day for seniors • May 12 & 13, 2022 - Senior Checkout • May 16, 2022 - Graduation: State Farm Stadium 1:30 p.m.

Senior Column: Lindsay Steinberg

By LINDSAY STEINBERG

Copy Chief

As a freshman, and if I’ll be completely honest, all the way up until senior year, I was introverted and more often than not a ball of anxiety. have those moments, but I’ve noticed myself being able to grow. Though, when I look back and decide if I’m okay with the fact I kept to myself for so long, it doesn’t really matter, as I wouldn’t be where I am now.

Being online junior year was probably a huge reason I wanted to start off senior year hopefully a bit more social, which I think I did.

Or at least tried to. And I contribute a large part of that to the fact I simply lost care in what others think, or the fact I was much more willing to talk to others.

One thing is I always put so much pressure on myself really felt like I was truly

myself, which once again, was another thing that shifted once senior year came around and I let myself change my mindset.

So for anyone who thinks they’re trapped in their own minds, which I personally believe everyone is, even if it’s only the tiniest amount, it’s not something to worry about. Everyone is. And use this as a reminder to do what you enjoy, don’t do things for the sake of others, even if you think it’s the most niche interest ever, it’s what makes you, you, and it should be celebrated.

While these years are said to be some of the most memorable, I don’t doubt that for a second but, there is still so much life left to live and you can’t let four of your And if one thing is for certain, will I miss high school? Absolutely not. Will I miss the memories I’ve made and the amazing people I

thetalonohs.com

Senior athletes continue their sports journey in college By

KAITLYN SMITTEN

Sports Editor

One of the most unique experiences an athlete can get is the ability to play their sport in college. Many student athletes but how did they get from the young child playing their sport in the street to playing in one of the highest levels of athletics one can?

Many student athletes dream of the opportunity to one day play in college or even\ play professionally. The recruiting process itself is very high stakes and can sometimes cause more stress than anything.

“The hardest part is staying positive and to continue pushing. It is hard to go through the recruiting process because there are so many kids that want to go and play at the next level and there are only so many Czosnyka is a senior football player who is committed to play at Northern Arizona University. Similar to many other athletes, he is excited to play in a new environment against other players with the same passion for the sport.

“Being able to play football for another four years and getting to meet new people, said.

The recruiting process can be heavily competitive, but athletes have to consider many factors when choosing a school. Most players focus on the coaching staff and the decision.

“The coaching staff really won me over.

They are great humans and they know how to get the most out of each player. They can

PHOTO COURTESY OF BETH COTY Coach Cassidy Chriest (left), Kaycee Coty (middle), senior, and Coach Josh Gibbs (right) celebrate as she commits to Blue Field University. is committed to continue his volleyball career at the University Of California, Los Angeles. He has also had an amazing support system behind him, including coaches and teammates at OHS. “My teammates have really motivated me by letting me see the potential I have and Not only is a dedicated coaching staff important in these young athletes' dreams of playing in college, but so is a positive environment and teammates who are supportive and encouraging of other athletes' goals.

“My mom, she's been there since the beginning and she's paid for it all, went with the traveling. She's always been there in the

Riley Valentine, senior.

Valentine is a senior softball player who is committed to play for Arizona State University. Like many other athletes, she has had an amazing amount of support and faith throughout her softball career.

“My family is always there for me and has helped me grow with the sport. They

Beck is a senior hockey player who has chosen to further her academic and athletic career at the University of Utah. She has had a very positive and supporting family,

Another factor when choosing a school is location. Many young athletes do not want to be too far from home and hope that schools close to their families give them offers, so that they have the comfort of home nearby.

“They have a great program and one of the best coaching staffs in my opinion. They are also in a good location and I wanted to go to school in California so that worked out

One of the most exhilarating parts of playing a sport is reaching higher competition and getting better and better as games are played. Playing at a high level also means that there are going to be either other players on other teams, or even teammates, who push everyone around them to be better and better.

“I love to compete and be challenged.

There are a lot of great players and I can't

Rama is a senior volleyball player who

run.

“If I could go back I would have started playing more competitively younger, but other than that I am just excited to play at

Editor-in-Chief:

Sports Editor:

Staff Writers:

Gabriel de Souza

Kaitlyn Smitten

Michael Brown Heaven Parson

Copy Chief:

News Editor:

Lindsay Steinberg

Aayushi Datta

Adviser:

Features Editor:

Cindy Garraway

Victoria Kirova*

Opinions Editor:

Photography Editor:

Ananya Thekkemelepatt*

Abby Mills*

Guest Writers:

The Talon is published as a forum for student opinion at Sandra Day O’Connor High School: part of the Deer Valley The Talon is an award winning publication with dozens of awards for it’s staff members as well as ranked the

top online publication and one of the top print publications in the state. Letters to the editor must be signed and dropped off in Room 508, e-mailed to thetalonohs@gmail. com or mailed. Letters may be edited for content and/or space

consideration. Obscene or libelous statements will not be printed. are of those of The Talon staff and do not Visit The Talon online at thetalonohs.com to see stories weekly.

Cian Ryback Blake Lockwood

*Denotes member of editorial board.

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What is your favorite part about How have you changed from high school? freshman to senior year?

“I got to say it’s meeting all these new friends because I had just moved here when I started high school my freshman year. So it was just meeting new friends, meeting all these great teachers, learning from them. And finding what I’m really interested in—as a passion.”

“I’m definitely a lot more outgoing; I broke out of my shell a lot. I barely had any friends and barely talked to anyone freshman year, but a lot’s changed. I think band definitely helped with that—you kinda had to break out of your shell—they kinda made you.

Definitely being in leadership, you had to be that outgoing, cheery person for all the freshmen coming in.”

How did COVID-19 impact What do you your experience with high value in life? school?

Kayla Hindi Nicholas Felides

“Just the close people around me. I work. I care about my job a lot because I “I lost out on a lot of experiences. I didn’t really get to go to a lot of football games, care about the people there. Same with all my friends, they motivate me. My softball was canceled early, stuff like that, so that kinda sucked. But I also lost a main thing is just making the people around me proud. That’s the main thing lot of friends that weren’t really close to me and just pulled me down so it made me I aim for.” more me, and I got to meet people that bettered me and made me happier as a person.”

Interviews and photographs by Abby Mills and Lindsay Steinberg

You’re interested in psychology, is that going to be your planned major?

“

May 2022

5

I want to take classes that will help me learn how to interact with people because I’m a people person and I thought about being a teacher, a lawyer, all these things so I just feel like taking classes that help you understand people will help with whatever I want to major in, in the future.

“

Bryn Schlink What will you miss the most about high school?

“

How close everybody is in high school. In college you guys are just a number, there’s so many people you’re not really close to.

Here, you go around everybody, the same people, the same classes as everybody.

I’ve gone to school with half these people since I was in middle school. In college it’s just all new people so it’s scary.

“

What was it like tearing your ACL? It was a really rough process. It was physically a long journey. It affected my mental health more than I thought it would. I started having an eating disorder and it sucked. But you know I persevered through that. It’s nice to know that if there’s an obstacle in my life, sports, school, career, whatever it is, I can get through it.

“

“

Catalina Johnson

What are you looking most forward to after graduation?

Obviously there’s more freedom and then I can explore which career paths that I could want to take and then also just have more friends and continue to learn other things.

“

“

Kaycee Coty

Luke Fisher

News

4Page 6

thetalonohs.com

May 2022

tion

By KAITLYN SMITTEN

Sports Editor

OHS students go to the extreme

By ABBY MILLS

Photogra

From

BMX

racing

to

PHOTO COURTESY OF PRADYUMN PRADEEP Practicing

a

sport

is

Continue reading at thetalonOHS.com

4May 2022

Features thetalonohs.com

Page 7

Wordle captivates audiences young and old

By GABRIEL DE SOUZA

Editor-in-Chief

First released in October of 2021, Wordle has since come to dominate a segment of the mobile gaming market that it has seemingly created itself. The crossword-like puzzle has become the globe’s latest obsession, as people of all ages and backgrounds compete to see how few tries it takes to solve that day’s Wordle.

Although it may appear an intricate game, Wordle, at its core, is much more straightforward than one would imagine. With only six attempts to guess one Wordle’s simplicity is what has attracted many to play.

“It’s funny because you tend to think of it as complex, but it’s actually super simple when you get down to it,” said Seth Gardiner, junior.

Wordle’s daily aspect and the fact that each day competitors have the same word as each other, have led to the game skyrocketing in popularity.

“It’s something to look forward to for the next day.

It makes you focus in on that one game per day. If you don’t get it in a certain

amount of tries, you have to go back and hopefully get it the next day,” said Cade Hall, sophomore.

Many players enjoy the competitive nature of Wordle, appreciating the way the game can easily bring people together each day.

“I think it’s kinda fun just to compare with the people in my friend group. I know personally it’s kind of fun to see that this person got it in this many tries, this person got it in this many, and I got it in this many,” Gardiner said. “It’s cool to see where you’re at compared to other people guessing the same word.”

Although most players enjoy the social aspect of Wordle, there are still some people who just like the way it makes them use their mind.

“Sometimes [I’m competitive] with people, but most of the time, I’m more competitive with myself,” said Brooklyn Smith, it out, I get really annoyed.”

For some players who are competitive by their own nature, Wordle is just one more way for them to express their desire to dominate

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA “I compete to get good grades, I compete to do better at Wordle; it all kind of relates because sports have given me that competitive edge,” Hall said.

With all the buzz and excitement Wordle has brought, several games with a similar format have risen

to be nearly as popular as the game they are inspired from.

“There’s a game called Quordle and it’s four Wordles at once, you have nine guesses to get it in. It’s kind of fun too, it makes you think a little more,” Hall said.

Other than games that concern words and letters,

the Wordle hype has also brought games that have a unique take on the Wordle format.

“They’re all so fun because you use a different part of your brain besides vocabulary, like Heardle, you have to think about your memory of songs,” Smith said.

Many believe that people’s universal infatuation with Wordle is due to its simplicity, which is able to connect people of all backgrounds.

“From teenagers to old[er] people, everybody likes it.

It’s not hard, it’s fast, and everybody has to use their brain the same way,” said Ronda Cunningham, English language arts teacher.

Amusement aside, Wordle’s ability to make players thoroughly think about how to put letters in different positions and to expose them to words they did not already for students at OHS. “It’s critical thinking; it’s making them think; it’s helping them with their vocabulary,” Cunningham said. “I’ll have kids who didn’t know what the word meant. They’re learning new vocabulary, they’re learning how to put letters together.”

Jumped from page 1: Ms.Liptow psychs out the system within the system, Liptow decided to leave case management. She decided to

PHOTO BY ANANYA THEKKEMELEPATT Ms. Liptow, psychology teacher, diligently prepares for class.

Though she went to ASU, Liptow also conducted ethical research on animals at the University of Arizona to learn about the impact of physical trauma to the brain. “[My research] was focused on traumatic brain injury rodent studies,” Liptow said.

“We analyzed neurally what ended up happening over the progression of time.” was sparked due to how impactful it could be in one’s life. Soon after college and her research, Liptow became a case manager, working directly with patients.

“I immediately went into case management… mentally ill,” Liptow said.

“Mental illness is a wide spectrum. It looks very different in everybody, even the same disorder.”

As a case manager, Liptow worked with a variety of people in many different situations, some even being drastic and nerve-wracking.

“With that in mind you just had to be a little more make [me] nervous in some instances,” Liptow said. “But it was also exciting to get to help people in that kind of manner.”

Case managers interact with people that come from different backgrounds, requiring them to leave all biases out the door before ever assisting the patients with anything. When working

with people who are mentally ill, it is very important to approach their case with an open-minded attitude to create an environment for them to get better and not feel judged.

“Overall, you just have to remember that everyone is at a different point in their life and circumstances play a huge role in behavior so we would never actually know what was happening internally with that person to make them react in whatever way they ended up doing that,” Liptow said. “So just knowing that you may never know what that person is going through gives you a little bit more sympathy or understanding.”

But due to many issues

“Overall, it is when the morality of the company is not upheld,” Liptow said.

“Uphold your own beliefs.

If you have a moral code, don’t follow somebody and conform to what the job wants just because it’s a paycheck, there’s always other options out there and there’s lots of places that are going to maintain their moral code. So go with your gut.”

Along with being asked to do things that she did not agree with, the system is also extremley restricting with how much professionals can help vulnerable patients.

This limited environment can prevent case managers from truly helping and does not “You can only do so much and there’s a lot of limitations and limited access and limited resources out there in general so that in itself is a whole feat to battle,” Liptow said.

As an educator, Liptow strives to educate and spread awareness to the future of the industry, the current high school students, so that the

“To change the system… you need to take care of yourself, that’s going to be the most important because when you’re taking care of yourself then you can start helping others,” Liptow said.

For anyone potentially psychology, she advises to before assisting others.

“Know who you are and feel comfortable and stable in who you are before getting be emotionally exhausting, so you need to have that foundation before you can really truly help others and in an impactful way,” Liptow said. “Establish boundaries whether it’s with your clients or students, upholding those both parties.”

Finally, she acknowledges stress-inducing and empathy and understanding is what get through it all.

“Don’t stress too much…

Life is going to come regardless so just enjoy all the little moments,” Liptow said. “Being compassionate, that goes a long way.”

4Page 8

Opinions May 2022

thetalonohs.com

DVUSD lacks in food quality and nutrition

By BLAKE LOCKWOOD

Guest Writer

PHOTO BY BLAKE LOCKWOOD Taquitos that are provided at the OHS cafeteria daily.

PHOTO BY BLAKE LOCKWOOD “Freshly” served beans from the OHS cafeteria.

The unheard realities of Russia and Ukraine

By CIAN RYBACK

Guest Writer

Continue reading at thetalonOHS.com

Arts & Entertainment May 2022

thetalonohs.com

Song reviews: Summer 2022

Page 9

By LINDSAY STEINBERG

Copy Chief

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GENIUS.COM

“As It Was”

by Harry Styles

“First Class”

by Jack Harlow

“Take My Hand” by 5 Seconds of Summer

“Familia”

by Camila Cabello

Harry Styles returns to the music scene after his Love on Tour with the release of “As It Was.” WILLOW. “pyschofreak” was not

After the release of a previous After two years without a release

clear to the fans that more music

there was little expectation set

Harmony or her past relationships

with 8.3 million streams.

in their ten years of existence.

platforms.

Choir’s voices charm the OHS community

By VICTORIA KIROVA

Features Editor

happy place. I take a lot of

prove their excellence yet

them to showcase the skills

Choir enthusiastically poses after giving an exceptional performance at Boulder Creek.

of pivotal memories from the past. since

elementary

PHOTO COURTESY OF KIRK DOUGLAS

The show choir at OHS has

school.

community. extracurricular senior. inspiration from their family

in our church choir all the

positive impact on the lives

activities

within our community. We’ve

immense amount of talent “We also went to the

for music. impact in my life ever. I choir is the connection that people make with each other.

the future.

10 May 2022

The Talon

thetalonohs.com

Crossword: Pop Culture 1

DOWN 2

3

4 5 6

8

7

ACROSS

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Letters to the Editor Dear Editor, The bathrooms at OC have progressively gotten worse throughout the school year, nearing unusable and detrimentally disgusting.

The girls bathrooms have seen clogged toilets, scattered feminine products, and gaping holes to the unsanitary corners of the open space. In almost every single one of the bathrooms, the trash can between female stalls has been broken, the repulsive used products lying beneath the bent and damaged industrial addition.

Talking about feminine products, there aren’t any in the bathrooms, inhibiting girls’ resources for something no one can control. And as far as a lack of things in the

freshener too much to ask for?

The bathrooms are a sanitary concern, a disturbing place, and one of the worst parts of the looming establishment, we call high school.

True Van Dyke, freshman

space they are used for, is a big one. The stalls at OC have two inch windows between the end of the doors to the median, peeking through to whoever is seeking privacy inside of them. You would only know this if you can even withstand the horrid smells that consume you as soon as you step inside the bathrooms. Sure, the students here are partly responsible for concocting the different smells that linger, but is a spritz of febreeze or an air

teachers, whether this be making connections through learning or just getting to know the concepts of time management skills. Either way, it brings the adults teaching the classrooms and the students together for a safe and secure learning environment.

In 2019, a similar tactic was used. This was called “Eagle Hour.” It lasted until 2020 and was practically the same thing as “Talon Time” except with less supervision.

Dear Editor, Starting in 2021, the Sandra Day O’Connor school administration came to a conclusion to add what is called “Talon Time” to help students catch up with work and tutoring. Allowing people to study and take time out to focus on work due for the week. This has taken place every week on Tuesdays and Thursdays and has been going on for about a year now.

Talon time has greatly

1. Theater’s last performance 2. “You are the bane of my existence.” What show is this line from?

4. “Greatest night in the history of television” 7. Member of Simon Cowell’s boy band 8. A living vampire/anti-hero in Marvel 9. Mr. Slaps-a-lot

How the members working at SDOHS structured the new and improved “Talon Time” is exceptionally better than anything they have ever done. The amount of time and help provided has made school more diverting. With this, scholars can bring their friends along to help with similar activities. Talon Time has turned not only into a fun learning experience but also a positive atmosphere to reach for help.

Cooling down and refreshing your mind through reading and taking an hour break is strongly encouraged.

If grades are met to the extent of the ability of the student, teachers are more than willing to give out break time which is indeed why this has become something to look forward to during the week.

Cameo Grissam, junior Dear Editor, I believe that there should be a culinary class provided for students to take during their four years of high school.

Students in the program learn about nutrition, cooking techniques, seasonings laws, safety and sanitation principles and food-service career opportunities. Cooking

3. Kanye West’s nightmare 5. Surname of student interviewed in “Choir’s voices charm the OHS community” 6. “Come Home the Kids Miss You” singer 10. Broke one of their Grammys 11. First K-pop group to hit no.1 on Hot 100 12. When Jim Carrey turned into an Eggman

SEND US A LETTER Have something to say about the school? We want to hear your opinions. Submissions must be between 100-250 words.

Email submissions to: thetalonohs@gmail.com is an important skill that has utility outside of a career and can bring much joy important for high schoolers, especially older ones, because they will be on their own soon in college cooking for themselves and they will need to know basic skills to make sure what they are making is nutritious and good for them.

Cooking classes, given their usefulness in a society that continues to change, should play an important role in high school. Today, people struggle with making healthy meal choices, something that continues to trigger the outbreak of lifestyle diseases.

But that would not be the case if we had more chefs in the society who can prepare healthy meals in eateries.

Karley Ament, senior Dear Editor, At Sandra Day O’Connor High School there has been an increasing problem with the student to parking ratio.

Compared to other schools, OC has a very limited number of parking spaces, which is a problem for the majority of students that need to drive to school. Many students that live more than walking and biking distance might really

need a spot, especially if their parents can’t take them or if there are no buses that go to their house.

In the morning there are so many people that try and park on Hackamore due to this issue. However, even with these extra spots there aren’t enough for everyone to park, some even risking parking in places they shouldn’t just so they can go to class. These students that make it in time have to be there at 6am or earlier to even get a spot.

In the past few months though we’ve learned the school cares more about kids in sports coming to school by making them special parking spaces in the dirt path near student like me who lives 17 minutes away from the school, has to go park at my friend’s house and walk 15 minutes from the school.

This problem hurts students a lot by causing them to sometimes miss school by not being able to park and if they do in places they can’t, it causes them to to take into consideration the students’ situation and whether they should start caring about their students’ education.

Arianna Aguilera, junior

Sports May 2022

By HEAVEN PARSON

The OHS track team has a phenomenal history and this season has not changed at all.

Track has carried the title of district champions for years and this year was no different for the team after winning district champions for both boys and girls.

The busy season has consisted of nothing but consistent determination to perform their best during the championship season.

The team has been victorious in various events and they believe with the support they get from each other, championships will be no different.

strong and the girls teams are getting even stronger,” said Chandler Miller, junior.

Track has been serious about their long-standing reputation throughout the district and has been persevering through the hardships they have faced.

They have overcome multiple setbacks due to COVID-19, but they did not let them

“I think we’re all doing really well. Our relay teams and boy teams are really

“Last year's track was a lot of fun. There were COVID restrictions at the time but it did not affect meets too much,” said MacKenzie Greene, senior. “We did really well; we carried on the title of being district champions which we have done for many years now.”

Track’s hardwork and grit is visible in their performance this year giving the team and the track community hope for championships. The team has been very successful in their meets and although they believe it's important to have fun, they are serious about their performance at meets.

By GABRIEL SOUZA

more chances to hone their

multiple events that come together and compete in a single meet as a team. Track works hard everyday to improve their performances, which motivates them to do

Girls Although the OHS girls tennis team did not make it to the state competition this year, it is safe to say the team has accomplished much to be proud of. With highs and lows, the team successfully navigated challenges to come out ranked 31st in Division I. Before this season, many a full season due to the challenges that came with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year brought more time for players to play without any distractions.

“It’s been nice being actually able to play all of our matches without COVID interrupting it,” said Grace Todd, junior.

With the added game time this year, players have had

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thetalonohs.com

improved since [my] freshman year,” Todd said.

“Being able to play a lot more and having more time against other schools has improved my skills.”

Though many players improved this season, the team still competed against schools with strong teams.

“We play pretty tough schools, so the highlight [of been those wins that [we] didn’t think [we] were going to get but then [we] ended up persevering and pulling through to get those wins.

It’s overall really satisfying,” Todd said. can help players grow their skills further.

“Playing those better teams makes your skills develop

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA Alexa Lewis, senior, serves the ball during a match against Boulder Creek.

“The season is going well.

We've won some meets and overall have some very good performances, Elijah Goodwin is one of the highest in state for jav and Connor Kittleson has been running fast in the 100m,” said Mario Fernandez, junior. “Some of our season highlights are state, Tyler Olsen running 1:57 in the 800, Elijah’s throwing and obviously winning meets.”

Not only does track have a their bond with each other is even strongerThe group focuses on helping each other out and motivating one another to do their best and diligent work can bring.

“I think the environment of our team is really strong because we all support one another. Everyone all has their own individual challenges to overcome but with the help of coaches and teammates everyone comes out stronger,” Greene said.

because you’re challenged more; it leads to you playing better,” Todd said.

This year, the team has focused on strengthening their bonds with each other.

“I think we, as a team, have been doing pretty good,” said Allie Gardiner, junior. “[We] camaraderie than we’ve had in previous years, so that’s been helpful.”

The team often shares meals together after matches or tournaments, leading to a greater sense of connectivity.

“I feel like we’re more connected now. I feel like we do things together that we weren’t previously doing,” Gardiner said.

The team’s support of each other is a crucial aspect to the sport—and can make the difference between a win or loss.

“I think that if you’re not connected to your team you have no will to win,” Gardiner said. “The whole point of tennis is to get as many wins for your team as you can to win the game, so it's very important to be supportive of your teammates.”

Boys The OHS boys tennis team has one of their most successful seasons this year, climbing up to be ranked 15th in Division I. Facing

PHOTO BY GABRIEL DE SOUZA Chandler Miller, junior, competes at long jump during the District Meet.

tough competition, the team challenges. the team managed was the schedule, playing many top teams consecutively. Despite this, the team has powered through with high spirits.

“We have had one of the toughest schedules in the state. [We’ve struggled] keeping our spirits up with said Luke Fisher, senior.

With an abundance of talented players, competition within the team has pushed players to perform their best, just to keep their spot.

“It’s been very competitive this year, just trying to keep your spot,” said Tyler Searcy, junior. “Being able to stay high on JV has been a challenge this year with all the people below.”

To prepare for a strong season, the team practiced game and have added new coaches.

“We had a camp that was run over the January and February months to help get us into shape,” Searcy said.

“The coaching has been great with all the drills. We’ve got a As like any team in any

sport, team spirit and camaraderie has played a large part in the team’s success this season.

“Cheering is a big part of our team. Every game we for everybody playing; everybody who’s not playing is there on the fence cheering for our guys. It usually helps us pull out wins against better opponents,” Searcy said.

Talent alone is not enough for the team to achieve their goals, supporting each other is what it takes. something you have to keep up if you want to win,” Fisher said. “Sometimes people will think they can do it on talent alone, not team spirit. But when you have [team spirit] you can really support your guys and it can the court.”

From the team’s perseverance and grit to its spirit and morale, the team has proved throughout this season that they have what it takes to be victorious.

“These last two year have probably been the best years for the program in a while because of this young group that has been developed over time. I think good things are ahead and it's been going great this year,” Searcy said.

12 May 2022

The Talon

thetalonohs.com

Baseball strikes back with a winning record

By MICHAEL BROWN

As the 2021-2022 baseball season comes to an end, the OHS baseball team has performed above expectations. It was a long, hard season, losing to school rival MRHS, but overall they blew everyone else out of the park.

“As a player this season I’ve been struggling to start, but later this season I’ll come back,” said Josh Imboden, junior.

As the end of the season arrives, the team is performing exceptionally well with a record of 17- 8 and they are placed top ten in division. It took a lot of hard work and determination, but in the end, they pulled out on top.

“The school is 9th in state right now and 4th in Division

I,” said Noah Darnell, junior.

On top of an outstanding performance in the district, the varsity team played in many different tournaments, playing schools from all around the country. At both tournaments, they showed teams from all over how good they are. They soon made it to the championship game in both events, unfortunately losing and taking second.

“We beat the team from Oregon. We run-ruled them, I think. We played a team from Arkansas but they weren’t too much competition. We played IMG Academy from Florida and they were good said.

The only reason that the team was able to perform so well is because of the relationship the team has.

They are outstanding at working together to achieve

PHOTO BY MICHAEL BROWN Cennedy Murrel, senior, pitches to the opponents during a game. has such good their goals. There is not one team weak link on the team and relationships and teamwork that is proven by their ability skills is because of the Without their to overcome hard times and coaches. coaches directing them and perform phenomenally.

“The team’s good. We have guiding them throughout a lot of chemistry and this the season, the baseball team is really athletic overall; team would not have made there isn’t a weak link in any it nearly as far as they did.

The coaches taught them The reason the baseball teamwork, patience, and

many other things that have led to a great season. On top of that, the coaches have done all kinds of things to and academically.

“The coaches have been very helpful. They have been staying after practice and helping get extra work in,” Imboden said.

Jump from page 1: OHS softball teams’ progress to success

“We faced really good teams and really good competition, plus it is just hard coming from club ball to school ball, transitioning with new players. So it was hard to get together,” said Rachel Davis, freshman.

The lack of understanding became a major struggle amongst the team. This impacted them during their play. It is also something that avoid any more troubles in the future.

“Learning to play completely as a team all the time and really working hard on communicating and talking,” Sullivan said.

However, they were set on a common goal that all the players wanted to achieve throughout the tournament.

game the best we can and really pushing through,” Sullivan said.

The team faced other schedule of the games.

However, this presented them

with a great opportunity to understand each other and create a closer bond with one another.

“It was stressful because we had to play a lot of games back to back, and the weather wasn’t as nice as it was here, but it was so fun team bonding, and we got along the whole time,” Davis said.

The team is planning on improving and being better for the future. They want to focus on enhancing their skills.

“We are planning on working hard and practicing a lot,” Sullivan said.

JV The focus of JV is very much on improving themselves. They want to build themselves to reach closer to Varsity.

“We are practicing and trying to be at the level that varsity is at and we are working up to being able to play varsity,” said Melanie Lee, sophomore.

They believe in the

cycle of sports where they are inspired to improve themselves. Working hard to match Varsity’s level is an inspiration amongst the players. “[The] Freshmen [team] works hard to go to JV and JV works hard to go to varsity,” said Hope Sayegh, sophomore.

Teamwork is a very important factor in a team.

JV has a very strong bond between their players, who are all working towards the same goal.

“Our plan is to work as a team, and collaboratively be able to get wins and play well,” Lee said.

This goal and hard work of theirs has paid off well.

They have been playing well and are consistently proving themselves in this sport.

Teamwork and work ethic has given them the energy to and come out victorious.

“It is really important to be a team and have that energy.

We had a game actually

where our energy wasn’t there but we picked it up [at] the end of the game, and then we came up and won,” Sayegh said.

Freshman The freshman team is the new softball team that is still in the learning stage. Although they lack experience, they are pushing themselves towards their own betterment.

“Our team has lots of room for improvement,,” said Ashlyn Hansen, freshman.

girls try their best and try extremely hard.”

The team is currently working on honing their skills. Amidst all the new players, there are players like Katie Bier, freshman, who are very experienced and have been playing for a long time.

“We are working on simple stuff that new beginners can learn because we have a lot of new people on our team,” Bier said.. “I have been playing softball for a

while, so I show them how to do different skills, how to do different drills and stuff, and teach them in the long run to continue playing softball.”

Having experienced players has made it easier for the players to learn better and also get additional help and guidance from their fellow peers. The experienced ones mentor the others which helps them learn more.

“From my past experience I am teaching them,” Bier said.r “It is really fun to just see them grow, like upcoming game, we have so much improvement that it makes me happy and proud of the girls that are even just starting.”

Just like any other team, the freshman team has also faced problems amongst their team members. However, challenges have only brought them closer together and united as one.

“In the end we are all friends and we are practically a family,” Bier said.

Jump from page 1: OHS beach volleyball sets up for success Now, each season is not just enjoyable for the athletes because of the wins they have, it is also the team and the bonds they make. Having the seniors take the lead in the team spirit and uniting the team has been one of the focuses of the senior athletes.

“Our team… we have a lot of fun together and we have a lot of chemistry,” Broadway said. “I try to remind my team too of what we’re working for and what we have worked for, so hopefully it’ll all just pay off in the end.”

The seniors have taken it as their responsibility to make sure they are the true leaders and role models the team is in

need of.

“I think leadership, as a senior, I think it’s really important to show especially our freshman and seniors on varsity to see this is how we role and to be good role models,” Rough said. “We’ve been working on cheers as a team, more team atmosphere stuff. We’re all just trying to go out as a team and really show that we’re united as a team.”

Beach volleyball, like many sports, is highly competitive and the proper environment is needed for players to truly grow in such a sport.

“Ultimately, we’re just building the culture

of a highly competitive atmosphere, at the same doing what’s best for the team,” Spartz said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, it’s about the efforts that you put in, the successes that you have, the results you have, so we’re just trying to build that.”

As the seniors prepare to graduate, some even playing beach volleyball at the collegiate level, it is up to this year’s juniors to develop into the leaders they are going to have to be next season.

“We do have a core group of juniors that’s been really invested, willing to do what’s best for the team,” Spartz

said. “I think next year those juniors are going to see that they’re leadership is going to it is something that heavily applies to beach volleyball.

The more games and practices these girls go through, the better they proceed to get. this game is a veterans sport, people who’ve played it the longest are usually the best at it,” Broadway said.

“It’s usually strategy so just playing more and more over the years is honestly what’s helped me the most and perfecting shots and everything.”

Ending the season, all these girls are taking experience and lessons they have learned, whether it is about plays or the mental game and how to be the best teammate.

“Just being very open minded and versatile as a player and as a teammate,” Rough said. “You’re going to have to be able to play with everyone, be able to cheer for everyone, be able to just be that puzzle piece that can be the team.”

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