Category: Ben Reynolds

Student-Faculty/Staff Basketball Game Predictions

By: Ben Reynolds

Today, February 9th, 2024, the pep rally will showcase the Seniors vs Faculty/Staff Basketball game.. This annual pep rally will take place in order to build excitement and anticipation for the upcoming basketball games tonight versus Laurence Manning Academy. 

To start, the two girl’s teams will face off. The senior girls team will compete against the Faculty girls in a short 2 quarter game while each quarter consists of 5 minutes. Both groups bring with them a very athletic and competitive team that will do their best to win their quarters. However, the faculty has dominated this matchup in the past years and are the clear favorites to win this year as well. For the students to stand a chance they will have to limit the damage done by Teressa Alexander who year after year continues to destroy the senior girls team. Although this is a very daunting task, this is what must be done in order to win this year’s game. I predict the faculty will win these two quarters by a score of 16-6. 

Following these two quarters, the two male teams will face off. Since the score does not reset, the senior guys will start their two quarters losing by 10 points in this situation. They will have to dig themselves out of this hole in order to win the pep rally for the students. Once again there will be two quarters played with each quarter being 5 minutes long. The male faculty team has the clear height and experience advantage but the senior boys have the edge when it comes to competitiveness, athleticism, and body fatigue. For the students to win, they have to out hustle the faculty and play very clean defense resulting in quick and easy fast break points. The faculty should try and take a lot of time  on each possession so they can limit the amount of scoring opportunities for the students. I believe the senior boys will make this comeback which will put the students over the faculty with a final score of 37-35. 

Why the Grind Should Never Stop

By: Ben Reynolds

Working out is an incredibly effective way to improve your personal health mentally as well as physically. There are a multitude of ways that exercise can aid an individual and his/her physical body. It increases strength and endurance, and enhances our cardiovascular health. It can also promote weight loss and muscle toning, leading to a more sculpted and defined physique. And what guy doesn’t want to look like a Greek sculpture. Additionally, exercise boosts our immune system, making us likely to obtain  illnesses. With the recent breakout of the coronavirus as well as the Flu, our immune system is more important now than ever. Besides vaccines and taking proper precautions, working out is an additional way to make sure that your body stays fit and safe. However, the benefits of exercising are not limited to your physical wellbeing. It also drastically helps mentally. Engaging in physical activity releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. Regular exercise can reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression, and can improve our overall mental health. It can also enhance our memory which helps in school as well as in other aspects of life. With the uprising importance of mental health, it is vital that we remember that there are things as simple as just working out that can help us achieve a more stable and optimistic outlook on life. With the undeniable and incredible effects we get from working out, there is nothing but positive results we can get from working out on a daily basis. Always remember that THE GRIND DONT STOP!!!

CJ Stroud v The Ravens

by: Ben Reynolds

CJ Stroud historic rookie season began with being selected #2 overall in the latest NFL draft. He immediately made a splash in the league by leading the Texans to a 10-7 season after they finished 3-13 just one season ago. However, standing in his way to further go this playoff run is the second ranked defense in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens. This stellar defense was the first team in NFL history to lead the league in PPG allowed (16.5/game), total sacks (60), and takeaways (31) at the end of the regular season. Along with this trifling defense, the Ravens also have the MVP front runner in Lamar Jackson. Lamar Jackson is a pure game changer who has the ability to take over any game at any given time. His speed and athleticism mixed with his ability to read defense will pose a very difficult challenge to the Texans defense. Not only will CJ Stroud have to score against one of the top defenses but the Texans defense will have to try and contain the most electric player in the NFL. Although, last week CJ Stroud and the Texans took on the Browns who had the #1 ranked defense in the league. Not only did the Texans win but they erupted in an impressive 45-14 win. This proved that the Texans can score on the best defenses in the league which gives them a very good chance in this upcoming game. ESPN has only given the Texans a 16.5% chance of winning this game, but anything can happen in the NFL and this matchup serves as a must watch game for the upcoming weekend. A high scoring shootout is to be expected as the MVP front runner takes on the Rookie of the Year front runner this Saturday at 4:30 PM.