the Scottsbluff High School | Oct. 27, 2011 | Volume 95| Issue 3

Inside[this edition

[ Sophomore Joey Shaske’s battle against

cancer | pgs. 6 & 7

Boys cross country team repeats as State

Champions | pg. 16

PARANORMAL?Are you afraid of the

Some students have had

some strange encounters

with the unknown.

Check them out...if you dare. | pg. 5

ECHOES

2 | NEWS

Steve Jobs’ untimely death shakes the worldby Aaron

MartinNews Writer

by Aaron Martin

News Writer

The Inventions of Steve Jobs1955-2011

Parsley retires from National Guard Bluff and Echoes wins highest honor

Recipients of the Cornhusker; 2008-2010- Blair High School Yearbook; 2008- Omaha Marian Yearbook and Newspa-per; 2008- Papillian - La Vista South Yearbook and Newspaper; 2008- Gretna High Yearbook; 2010- Omaha Marian Yearbook; 2010-Scottsbluff High Newspaper and Year-book; 2010 & 2011

The Journalism Department made it two in row at the Nebraska High School Press Association’s (NHSPA) Fall Convention in Lincoln on Mon-day, Oct. 17, when both the 2010-2011 Echoes and 2011 Bluff captured NHS-PA’s highest ranking, the Cornhusker.

It was the second year in a row both publications earned the honor.

Scottsbluff was the only school in Class 2A earning a Cornhuskers ratings for both its publications at the conven-tion.

In addition to Scottsbluff, Elkhorn South captured a Cornhusker in Class A2 yearbook and Gretna in Class 2A newspaper. Class 2A is comprised of schools with an enrollment of 500-1099.

“Considering how few Cornhuskers

were given out this year we felt very fortunate to get one, let alone two,” Bluff and Echoes adviser Terry Pitkin said.

“It was very pleasing to see we were the only school in Class A2 to receive a Cornhusker for both publications,” Pitkin added. “It’s a great reward for all the hard work the two staffs put into the newspaper and yearbook last year.”

by Aaron Martin

News Writer

Countless numbers of us make use of an IPod, IPad, IPhone or Mac every day. But whose doings are these mod-ern marvels? Whose spark of thought grew the Apple we know today?

Steve Jobs, the co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Apple Inc., died on October 5, 2011.

Jobs’ impact on the modern world through technological innovation has shaped the computer industry. How did it all begin?

Steven Paul Jobs was born February 24,, 1955 to Joanne Simpson and Ab-dulfattah “John” Jandali. Both students at the University of Wisconsin, the Jandali’s put their unnamed child up for adoption.

As an infant, Jobs was adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs. His adoptive par-ents proved instrumental in his future career.

The family lived in Mountain View, California. When Jobs was young he was exposed to electronics through his

adoptive father, who showed him how to take apart and reconstruct electron-ics.

As a child Jobs was a very intelligent thinker, full of new ideas and creative thought. As his thoughts ran wild, he became a trouble maker in elementary school and was often bribed to study.

Jobs scored so high on grade-school tests that the school system wanted to put him ahead of his class and into high school. His parents declined this offer for reasons of their own.

In high school Jobs spent most of his time at Hewlett- Packard (HP), where he met his lifelong friend Steve Wozniak. Wozniak, a talented computer engineer, and Jobs developed great respect for each other.

Once out of high school, Jobs enrolled in Reed College in Portland Oregon. He quickly dropped out after six months in college spending the next 18 months going taking creative classes.

In 1974, Jobs was given a position at Atari as a video game designer but left

several months later to find spiritual enlightenment in India.

Jobs and Wozniak started Apple computers in 1976 when Jobs was just 21. The company started in the Jobs family garage and their funding came from items the two had sold.

The duo is largely credited for rein-venting the computer industry. These young men made the computer smaller, user-friendly and accessible to the” Average Joe.”

Among the first brain children produced in the Jobs garage were the Apple I and Apple II personal comput-ers. These two models enjoyed great reception from buyers and put Apple Inc. on the map.

The success they enjoyed was quickly silenced in the 1980’s by some of their products having design flaws. IBM started sales rose as Jobs and Wozniak went back to the drawing board.

1984 marked the release of Apple’s Macintosh. Even with the positive

Macintosh sales, John Sculley (Apple’s president) had thoughts that Jobs was not good for Apple and started to faze him out.

The following year (1985) Jobs resigned as Apple’s CEO. After his res-ignation he started NeXT Inc., primarily a software company.

In 1986, Jobs bought an animation company from George Lucas. The company later became Pixar Anima-tion Studios and later on went to make popular animation films (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, etc.)

Despite the untimely death of Steve Jobs’ at the age of 56, his legacy is time-less and will long remain in the minds of many.

Steve Jobs will be sorely missed but one thing is certain.

He will never be forgotten.

History teacher Matthew Parsley has recently retired from his long held posi-tion in the National Guard.

Parsley was involved in the Guard for 33 years, gaining many experiences and skills during the time he served.

Parsley learned how to work with people towards a common goal and how to become a group leader.

He has completed many a task with-in the Guard. Field work dealing with artillery to truck driving, infantry work to the use of weapons of all shapes and sizes, Parsley has been there and done that. Parsley hasn’t wasted his wealth of experience, and has given back to the Guard in training others now filling his shoes.

“It will be hard to figure out what to do on the weekends now. That will always be a void after being in the Na-tional Guard for so long,” Parsley said, “It will be really nice to have that time with my family though. That was one thing I missed out on for a long time.”

Parsley was on active duty for two years, being deployed to Anaconda, Iraq and once when he served as a Bat-

talion Commander.When he was in Anaconda he pri-

marily did convoy escort.Parsley was influenced to join the

National Guard by a history teacher of his who had served in this branch of military. He always encourages stu-dents who have an interest in enlisting.

If given the chance I would do it all over again the same way,” Parsley said,” It was definitely what was best for me.”

IpadIphone Ipod

3 | NEWS

Not always aspiring to teach, math teacher Shelby Aaberg does a fine job of it.

Aaberg has received over eight awards and honors over his eight-year career.

Most recently, he was the 2011 Nebraska State Finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in math and science teaching.

Former student Karin Shedd nominated Aaberg for the award.

The nomination required a student, teacher, or member of the community to fill out information online.

The application process for the award consists of three compo-

nents: ad-ministrative,

narrative, and video.This process allows the applicant

to provide evidence of knowledge and exemplary educational skills that result in improved student learning.

“I had to get 3 letters of recom-

mendation one of which had to be from a principle or a supervisor.” Aaberg said.

If Aaberg is selected as Ne-braska’s National Representa-tive, he will receive a citation signed by the President, a $10,000

THE APPLICATION PROCESSAdministrative Component-teacher informatin form, employment verification form, and three letters of recommendation.

Narrative Component-a written response about a science or math-ematics topic or concept that is difficult for students to understand but need to understand.

Video Component-must display the ability to use appropriate in-structional methods which can include the use of lecture, instructional technol-ogy, demonstrations, hands-on activities, and group assignments.

Math teacher Shelby Aaberg receives Presidental noticeby Kaela

HeinzNews Writer

Male leads dominate the cast of the one-act production: The Boys Next Door

Luke Pars-ley, 11, playing Arnold Wiggins

Traver Pettijohn, 11, play-

ing Norman Bulansky

Joey Orozco,

11, playing Lucien P.

Smith

Michael Wright, 11, playing Mr.

Klemper

Daisha Carnes, 12,

playing Shelia

Derrick Goss, 11,

playing Jack

The Cast

Mikayla Stephenson, 11, playing

Mrs. Warren

Although this is the 12th year SHS has competed in One Acts, this is a year of new.

The cast has some new faces as leads, Luke Parsley, 11, Traver Pettijohn, 11, Joey Orozco 11, Andrew Holsinger, 11 and returning cast members Daisha Carnes, 12, Derrick Goss, 11, Michael Wright, 11, and Mikayla Stephenson, 11.

The cast will be seeing some new competition at Districts as Alliance joins class A for the first time this year.

“Alliance is in our district this year and they have been state champions but they’re a smaller school, they’ve always been class B but they moved up to class A. In class A the competi-tion’s obviously harder.” Said One Acts

director Ms. Rada

Written by Tome Griffin, The Boys Next

Door fo-cuses on four

mentally disabled men

who live in a group home. The play takes place over a two month

period and gives insight into their everyday lives.

“It portrays people with handicaps in a positive light and the characters are very endearing and doesn’t poke fun at all.” Rada said

Arnold Wiggins, played by Parsley, displays several obsessive compulsive traits and is the most coherent of the group.

Norman Bulansky, played by Pet-tijohn, is the romantic of the group he works at the doughnut shop, and is very proud and possessive of a large ring of keys.

Barry Klemper, played by Holsinger, is a young schizophrenic man that believes he is a golf pro despite the fact that he doesn’t own a set of clubs.

Lucien P. Smith, played by Orozco, is the character with the most severe mental handicap of the group and is the most childlike.

Jack, played by Goss, is the four men’s social worker who has been debating a career change.

Shelia, played by Carnes, is Nor-man’s love interest.

Mr. Klemper, played by Wright, is Barry’s absent abusive father.

Mrs. Warren, played by Stephenson, is the boys cheerful next door neighbor.

Rada chose this play based on the

students partici-pating this year.

“We’re doing a lighter one act this year because we’ve been doing really serious ones for the past few years so we thought we’d lighten it up a little bit.”

“If we don’t win we still have gotten something out of it.” Rada said

Each year Rada chooses a play that offers a learning ex-perience for the actors.

“We can say ‘Oh sure we didn’t win but we learned about people with mental handicaps’.” Rada said.

This year’s district competition will take place on December 4 at the Alli-ance Performing Arts Center. Scotts-

by Kaela Heinz

News Writer

NOGIRLS

ALLOWED

award, and a trip to Washington D.C. to attend an award ceremony, celebratory receptions, profes-sional development programs, and discussions with policy-makers on how to improve math and science education.

bluff will compete against Alliance, Grand Island, Hastings, Kearney, Lex-ington, North Platte, and North West.

DIRECTOR

Rada

Math teacher Shelby Aaberg

Cat Calendar

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The 2011 BluffThe award-winning Scottsbluff High School

yearbook is now available to order! Stop by Mr.Pitkin’s

Room 130, or talk to any Echoes or Bluffs staff member.

On Sale Now!

by Courtney Imel

FeatureEditor

FEATURE| 5

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:

Morgan.Freshman Morgan Meister jolted

awake at the sound of her name. Someone had spoken it loud and

clear, but when she scanned the room from her couch, there was no face to match the voice.

Haunted houses, an object’s sud-den appearance, footsteps in an empty room, spirits speaking through an Ouija board—is the paranormal a figment of students’ imaginations, or a product of something deeper, darker, and real?

Junior Bob Alvarado’s bizarre experiences have taken place both close to

home and far from the familiar. During a family vacation to Gettys-

burg, Alvarado and his mother decided to visit the battlefield at 3 a.m. While observing from their car, the two agreed to snap some photos with their camera.

That’s when things got weird. The first photos revealed with lights

in the distance drawing progressively closer.

Upon capturing their next shot, the camera revealed the glow floating right next to the vehicle, shining so brightly that no darkness was visible.

Alvarado raised the camera for another pic-

ture. Then, the engine stopped.

All of their electronic devices shut off without warning.

“We sat there, and for ten min-utes my mom was praying. We were stunned. After a while, she just said, ‘Okay, if we turn back on our car, and it starts, we’ll get out of here and never come back,’” Alvarado said.

Suddenly, all their electronic devices came back to life—phones, camera, and Gameboy. The car started, and Alva-rado and his mother quickly returned to their hotel.

Of this experience, Alvarado said he was “very scared and very excited,

cause getting that type of reaction is always fun.”

His grandmother’s house is also full of spooks.

One day, his mother decided to use her Ouija board to ask if a ghost would be able to prove its presence in the house.

“It ended up throwing the board across the room. Then, we saw some-thing run from the hallway to behind a planter. We checked behind the planter and there was nothing there,” Alvarado said.

“In the mornings, as you’re walk-ing out you’ll knock something over, walk back in after using the restroom or something, and it’ll be placed right back up—even though no one else is in the house,” Alvarado also said of the basement.

And, although nothing has ever gone missing, Alvarado has had un-known heirlooms mysteriously appear and believes to have seen ghosts stand-ing near a two hundred year old mirror.

“I stopped going over there [his grandmother’s house] as soon as I could; that place freaks me out too much,” Alvarado said.

Junior Hai-ley Himes is

haunted by the ghost of Anne Frank.Or so her friends say.During one of her seventh grade

classes, Himes’s assignment was to read The Diary of Anne Frank.

One morning, she awoke to the book—not her own copy–lying on her

pillow. “I thought my friends were play-

ing a joke on me. They said I looked like her,” Himes said. “I found a picture of me when I was little inside the book.”

The next morning, Himes woke to another surprise.

A statue of the Virgin Mary rested atop her counter; its hands were broken off.

Her mother was shocked and scared by the appearance of these objects. None of her friends knew anything about it.

“Me and my friends go to places that are abandoned…We like to freak ourselves out,” Himes said.

She and two of her friends thought they saw the shadow of a face while inside an old country house as it was growing dark outside. They exited the house, and Himes found fingernail marks on the inside of her forearm.

The only explanation she and her

friends could come up with was the scratches were from a ghost.

“It was creepy. We were all silent for the rest of the night because we were freaked out,” Himes said.

Freshmen Morgan Meister, Od

Purevsuren, and Lexie Cushing have all

experienced—and talked to—spirits. For fun, the trio, and a few other

friends, use Meister’s Ouija board to consult what they believe to be spirits of the dead.

A typical Ouija board has a sun and the word “Yes” in the upper left corner and a moon and the word “No” on the right, with “Goodbye” at the bottom.

In the middle are all the letters of the alphabet, as well as the numbers zero through nine.

A triangular shaped piece with glass inside, known as a planchette, is respon-sible for moving across the board and revealing the messages.

“We like to think we’re filtering the spirits through it,” Meister said. “It’s like in the movies. You put your hands on it, and it spells out words.”

The girls ask the board questions like when the spirit died, how old it was, or if there’s anything the spirit itself wants to talk about.

“They’re usually pretty friendly,” Meister said.

However, this isn’t always the case.“Sometimes we get pretty freaked

out. Once we talked to a spirit that said he felt the need to burn the house down, and that they were going to eventually,” Cushing said.

In such instances, they avoid talking

to the ‘bad spirits,’ or ones they have a weird vibe about.

The girls said whenever they begin using the board, the room feels like a cold draft is coming through, even with the heater on. They also tire quickly, be-cause the spirits consume their energy.

“They want to possess us some-times,” Cushing said.

One time, Purevsuren decided to try it.

She held her friend’s hand and emp-tied her mind.

“I don’t know what happened. I got really tired and almost fell,” she said.

The last thing she could remember was her friend’s eyes turning black.

“I was staring into her, and I don’t know what happened,” Purevsuren said.

Then, a dog barked, and she woke up.

The girls said they just use the Ouija board for fun, but that it can be danger-ous if someone were to communicate with a bad spirit.

The girls occasionally wonder if the game has other effects on them.

Purevsuren believes she sometimes sees shadows, and Meister often wakes up to someone calling her name.

Many high school students have claimed to have seen or heard things beyond the norm.

Others are skeptical. Is it authentic? If so, are these things

dangerous?According to Alvarado, Himes,

Meister, Purevsuren, and Cushing, they’ve all had paranormal experiences. And for them, it’s the real thing.

Phantom Photos

When you can’t explain what you can’t see

Reading teacher Stacy Moore has a different perspective on paranormal activities.

Moore’s parents bought her and her sister a Ouija board for Christmas.. However, after becoming Christians, Moore said they realized the spiritual realm is a real place and they decided to get rid of the board.

“I believe the Ouija board is a very dangerous tool that Satan uses, and he loves to make everything look fun and exciting. But, it’s very real, and I don’t doubt that at all.”

After an experience with what Moore believes to have been a demon in her own home, she and her husband prayed and took to heart Philippians 4:8.

Moore removed anything “with even a hint of evil” from the house, in-cluding a statue of a Native American sun god.

“There were some weird things that happened when that thing was in our house,” Moore said.

“As a Christian, I don’t have to be afraid of those things, because I know Someone who is much more powerful. However, I don’t believe the spiritual is something to be messed with. I have no doubt that it’s real.”

A different look at the paranormal

MysteriousAppearance

Good/BadSpirits

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“The hardest part was seeing much younger kids at the hospital,” Joey said. “I saw three year olds hooked up to this machines, and I don’t wanna say I felt guilty, but it makes me feel fortunate that I never had to go through anything like that at such a young age.

As a parent, Jodie admits she felt guilty – as if she should have known what was wrong and what was needed to help her child.

“With support, I quickly real-ized there is no way we could have known. People don’t end up at the [Children’s] hospital because they think something is wrong, they end up there because they found out,” Jodie said.

Jodie is also given the added pressure of maintain-ing the rest of her family – her husband, a four year old son James, and a five month old daughter, Jaylan.

She and her husband even uphold their jobs.

“It’s been a serious juggling act. My husband and I take turns staying in

Denver, so someone is always with Joey. We’ve had family and excellent daycare help with the kids, and our em-ployers have been extremely understanding,”Jodie said.

The Shaske family has many avenues to turn to for support, from friends and family to more spiritual means.

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through, but we have been blessed with so much family by our side, blessed with friends and the

community praying for Joey. It’s been a very spiritual jour-ney for us as a family.”

That spiritual guidance has even allowed Jodie and her family to see a light in this situation.

“It wasn’t all negative. There’s always good that comes out of bad things. That’s how the Lord works,” Jodie said. “We’ve held onto each other for strength. We’ve prayed – a lot. We’re closer than we ever have been.”

The community has also lent their hands to help the Shaskes in any way possible, from raising money to simply

offering condolences.“We’ve gotten tons of letters

and cards for support. We’ve gotten homemade quilts, afghans, hats, checks, cash, food, and so much more,” Jodie said. “The community has been so amazing. We live in a place small enough that when something like this happens, it’s like it’s happening to one of your own.”

Joey should be able to return to school once recov-ered - something he was very

concerned about.“At first when I woke up

and started talking, the main thing on my mind was if I would get held back,”Joey said. “Ms. Newman said I already recieved enough credits to miss a whole semester and still pass. That relieved a lot of stress.”

The Shaske family is already preparing for Joey’s homecom-ing on Nov. 1.

“When he gets home he will attend class as much as he can. Some days he may not be able to make it, if a bug is going around or if his white blood cells and platelets are down,” Jodie said.

The Shaske’s take one day at

a time, but still keep the future in perspective. They recognize that this process has changed their lives.

“It’s made me realize you can’t take anything for grant-ed,” Jodie said. “It’s made me grateful for everything I have in life. I realized not to sweat the little things, because they’re just that: little things.”

Perhaps the most significant adjustment is Jodie’s new understanding of her son.

“Joey and I have always

been so close, but I will say I am more proud to be his mother than I ever have been before. He has come back and he has fought. I’ve gotten so many compliments about his wonderful manners and great sense of humor,” Jodie said. “I am proud to be his mother.”

As I headed back on my 200

mile journey to Scottsbluff, I still did not know what was in store for me.

You never know what to-morrow brings.

But, as Joey would say, “It’s things like this that make you have a good heart.”

Risks & symptoms associated with brain cancer

Re-occuring confusion Loss of appetite Constant headache

FEATURE | 7

Joey and I have always been so close, but I will say I am more proud to be his mother than I ever have been before.

-Jodie Shaske

Q: Are there any clinical illnesses or psycho-logical disorders attributed to being overly introverted or extroverted. A: Introversion is not typically considered a psychological disorder. Panic attacks often develop an introverted personality, which in turn makes it more difficult to seek out help. We don’t consider many disorders being the product of extroversion. Our society tends to value extroverted personalities.

Q: Are there any clinical disorders attributed to being overly introverted or extroverted. A: Introversion is not typically considered a psychological disorder. Panic attacks often develop an introverted personality, which in turn makes it more difficult to seek out help. We don’t consider many disorders being the product of extroversion. Our society tends to value extroverted personalities.

8 | CENTER SECTION CENTER SECTION | 9

by Sarah Hall

Center SectionWriter

by RachelCarlin

Center SectionWriterConfidenceWho has it, who doesn’t, and how can one get it?

Hiding behind a m skAn external facade of confidence may not always be a true representation of student’s actual personalities.

A wide stance boasts boldness. Mentally and

physically lifting your body up and out pro-vides stabililty,

giving a more confident feeling.

Standing Strong

Chin Cocked & Eyes LockedThe eyes reveal much about a person and a steady gaze is often an indicator of confidence.

&Q A A conversation with clinicalpsychologist Matt Hutt

Crossed arms are many times used

by the sub-counscious as a barrier to

block oneself off, physically and mentally.

Criss Crossed

You’re in a classroom, an office build-ing, the movie theatre. You’re surrounded by people. But, there is always a distinct separation of one category. The vibrant and vivacious, and the… not so vibrant and vivacious. Confidence and shyness. A clear distinction of personality that divides individuals into two very dif-ferent groups.

Confidence. Who has it?“The more confident you are the happier

you are,” senior Zach Clemens said.Building a positive self-esteem is an overall

confidence booster for many teenagers. The better they feel about themselves as a

person the more they can express that self-esteem through activities that involve larger groups of people.

Often times when you think of confidence you associate that with a star athlete or the lead in the musical.

This is because these people are seen in the public eye as being successful therefore being confident.

Studies show that athletes are more confi-dent because they are constantly striving for a goal.

By setting these goals athletes have to think positive thoughts, and be completely commit-

ted to the achievement of that goal. Once the goal has been attained the ath-

lete gets the immediate satisfaction of complet-ing something they strived for, giving them the constant confidence boost.

“I’m most confident when I’m playing basketball just because I know that I spend a lot of time practicing,” Clemens said.

Practice makes perfect. As people practice they are constantly

boosting their confidence because they are seeing the improvement being made each time they do a certain activity.

With the constant reassurance that the more you practice the better you become it’s no question on why athletes are so confident.

But confidence doesn’t just come with being an athlete; it comes along with the finer arts as well.

Junior, Spencer Lake, expresses his confi-dence in more than one way.

“An athlete builds confidence from a good game, I build confidence on how I feel dancing or what I put into a drawing,” Lake said.

As an artist, Lake receives criticism from a large audience including himself.

It’s said that all self-criticism is 80% nega-tive and 20% positive. With statistics like that it’s hard to see yourself as being self-confident.

“It’s hard to see yourself as confident solely on the fact that we live in a society we feel like we need to perfect ourselves,” Lake said.

But perfection is not always attainable; mistakes are made more often than not.

Each mistake a person makes is often fol-lowed by 45 minutes of self-loathing.

“That was stupid, I can’t believe I did that, I’m not good at anything!”

We are all familiar with those thoughts but what separates us is the ability to overcome our flaws and see the light behind every mis-take.

“I know when I do something wrong but in the end I know that every mistake I make there will be several other things I accomplish that will overcome the negative feeling,” senior, Beka Bewley said.

Confidence doesn’t always come with self-reassurance it also comes from reassurance from your peers.

“If you’re good looking you get more atten-tion, people who look good feel good,” Lake said.

This statement is very true. It’s called the ‘Halo effect’ which is when

people assume that if someone is attractive they also have other good qualities that follow, like they are smarter or have a better personal-ity then others.

So basically it is assuming one is an all-around good individual based on looks.

Whether confidence is based on looks, talent, or pure self-assurance it is a trait that many individuals strive for.

“I know who I am, I don’t care what people think. The only thing that matters is what I think about myself in the long run,” Clemens said.

Body Language

There are always those confident students in school that walk with pride throughout the hallway and can talk easily in front of a group of people.

There are also those shy students that keep to themselves and prefer not to speak in front of a classroom.

There is a name for every group, but what is the title for someone who hides who they really are under a mask of confidence?

“I like it to call it ‘false bravado’,” sophomore counselor Julia Newman said.

Most people, whether it is teenagers or adults, have some kind of insecurity about themselves that they find embarrassing or negative. When students feel overly self-conscious about who they are, they begin to act differently in school.

This is where the ‘false bravado’ comes into play.“I think that kids develop all kinds of defense mechanisms to

survive this thing called school,” Newman said.There are different masks other than confidence that kids use to

cover up their insecurities. Sometimes it is the bad attitude that kids use, especially from getting out of doing things in class.

“Not achieving what you can achieve. There are kids that fly un-der the radar so they don’t want to have that expectation all the time, they don’t want that pressure,” Senior counselor Cantril said.

What most kids do not know is that it is okay to admit what they can’t do. Instead of admitting the struggles, students will put on their ‘false bravado’.

Being shy or being insecure about something external may be a simple excuse for putting on a mask. But what if it’s more than just being shy? What if it is something internal, something personal that is going on with that person?

“There’s always a reason for misbehavior. There’s always some-thing, either past experiences or an inability to do something or to show the vulnerability, that you may not know. I bet you see that in class every day,” Newman said.

The truth is that ‘false bravado’ goes on in school every day, and a lot of students don’t think anything of it.

A big part of this ‘false bravado’ may have to do with students

afraid of being judged in a place that exercises people abuse: school.“That’s the key word, being afraid. They’re masking an inability to

do something that they’re afraid is going to show,” Cantril said. This false bravado could be more than individuals being shy or having a lack of confidence. They are taking extreme measures to hide who they are.

Along with judgment comes bullying. “One of the things I talked with my sophomores about is why kids

never ask questions if they don’t understand something in class, and every time I ask that question I can tell you instantly which kids have had a negative experience with doing that before,” Newman said.

According to statistics from Family First Aid, about 30 percent of teens in the U.S. have been involved with bullying, either as a bully or as a victim of teenage bullying.

“When you know someone, it’s hard not to care for them. Often times we are judgmental to people that we don’t know,” Newman said.

Now the problem isn’t just one’s fear of judgment, self-conscious-ness, insecurities, or lack of confidence that they’re struggling with, it’s the fact that bullying could keep others hidden behind a mask, putting on a tough image to get through the day.

“Student’s do well if they can. I’m living by that. We think kids choose not to do things that they need to do, but what if we changed that philosophy and said, kids do well if we can?” Newman said.

High school is a tough place to be for most students and some-times putting that mask on is exactly what a kid needs to survive the day.

What students should want to know is how to get help, how to deal with their ‘false bravado’. Counselors, among teachers, parents, and friends, will help students go through the process of whatever they’re having problems with.

“You continually encourage them. There’s research where it takes 12 interventions in the fact that they may change,” Cantril said.

The first thing that kids need to do during counseling is to accept what they’re struggling with and gain the hope to overcome what they’re afraid of admitting: a false bravado.

Confident & Not

Everybody has it, but what does it mean?

Q: What are the main contributors to confidence in a teenager? A: Environmental factors such as upbringing, background might play a role, but I suspect there are more personal factors that affect con-fidence. A person can adjust and impact their own confidence.

Q: What about the reciprocal of that, the fac-tors that determine a teen’s de-confidence? A: In people that struggle that confidence there is a tendency to observe themselves in the mo-ment, and not just observe themselves but with a critical focus. They question how the world will perceive them and make a conclusion that the world would conceive them poorly. Every-body has a certain amount of self-conscious-ness, a little bit is good, but in less confident people, it plays a larger role than in folks who seem to have more confidence. Its not that people who have confidence don’t care, its that they spend relatively less time observing them-selves in a negative manner.

Q: In extreme cases can overconfidence be a negative thing? A: Yes, often times it is referred to as narcis-sism, where individuals are making a similar inaccurate estimation of their worth and abil-ity. But they overestimate their own ability and value, which can be as troubling and as crip-pling as the overly-shy individual. Narcissism also frequently leads to problematic relation-ships. People who have too much confidence oftentimes have difficulty valuing the needs and feelings of others. Those individuals also have tendencies to disregard rules and laws.

Q: Can insecurities of oneself lead to larger problems (depression, anxiety, suicide, etc.)?A: Shyness is not typically a mental condition, moreover a “frame of mind”, we humans can change our frame of mind, and it is impor-tant to believe shyness and a lack of confi-dence does not have to be lifelong, but can be changed quite quickly.

Twisting and Turning

Twirling of the hair sometimes represents

anxiety or nervous-ness

“I know who I am, I don’t care what people think. The only thing that mat-ters is what I think about my-self in the long run.”

Zach Clemens 12

“Being the shy person isn’t always a bad thing, when people think of me I don’t want them to remember me by whether or not I was shy but what kind of person I am on the inside,”Cierra Her-rmann, 12

by Sarah Hall

Center SectionWriter

Confidence. Where it’s hidden. “Just because I’m shy doesn’t mean I’m not confident,” Senior, Cierra Herrmann said. There is a large distinction between those two words. Shy by definition is the feeling of ap-prehension, lack of comfort, or awkwardness experienced when surrounded by others. While being shy often times has a nega-tive connotation, there are several strengths the trait has. Cautious thinking is one of the attributes shy individuals have purely because they don’t have the courage to express their opin-ions as quickly as an outgoing person would. “If I have something to say I spend a lot of time thinking about it so that it comes out the right way, I don’t want people to judge me by a poorly worded question.” Herrmann said. Shy people tend to be more believable. Individuals that are shy are perceived as “the good guy” this makes them more trustworthy to other people in comparison to the more ag-gressively outgoing individuals. Barriers are broken. Being shy from a young age means there’s always those moments where you had to step out of a comfort zone. “I guess I get nervous when I speak in public,” sophomore, Alyssa Hoxworth said. Public speaking is one of the most com-monly associated fears among anybody, shy or not. But it’s something that almost all of us accomplish over time. From a young age people who are shy have to overcome obstacles that normally come with growing up. Standing in front of your kindergarten class and doing show and tell, to standing in front of your Speech class giving your first informative speech, and every other uncom-fortable event in between. Every time a person overcomes one of these fears it’s an immediate confidence boost. Shy people are usually linked with being unconfident; this however isn’t always the case. “Sometimes I just have nothing to say, and sometimes that makes people think I don’t want to talk to them,” Junior Rylee Ott said. “I’m just not a talkative person, I guess I let the people who want to talk, talk,” Hox-worth said. Why are shy people shy? Blame genetics. People are born with certain physical features, hair color, eye color, height, body type, and skin color. All these traits are used to separate us whether intentional or not. But those aren’t the only things genetics are to blame for. Roughly 20% of people have a genetic tendency towards being a naturally shy indi-vidual.

Okay, so genetics can’t to blame completely for people’s confidence, or lack thereof, a person’s own life experiences also play a huge deciding role on whether or not someone is shy or confident. Life experiences can sculpt you into the two categories as well. Shyness can be overcome little by little as a person grows older. Each time they overcome something is another confidence boost which builds their self-esteem. But, with that in mind if every time some-

one is put in an uncomfortable position that they aren’t ready for and have a bad experi-ence with this is a confidence crusher. The habit of taking initiative and suc-ceeding in awkward situations or the habit of making those situations worse will follow you through life. If your parents are shy, it’s very common you will be as well. “My mom, dad, and brother are all shy,” Ott said. As children we learn by example. We watch our parents in the situations that make them uncomfortable and we learn from their reactions. The more positive a parent handles those situations the more positive their child will fol-low in their footsteps. Most people think that the feeling of being uncomfortable is a bad thing, but as the saying goes, “You miss a hundred percent of the chances you don’t take.” Facing the uncomfortable situation is always the first step to overcoming the shyness trait. Each successful thing you accomplish is a boost of the self-esteem. “Being the shy person isn’t always a bad thing, when people think of me I don’t want them to remember me by whether or not I was shy but what kind of person I am on the inside,” Herrmann said.

876Q:

by AshleyPike Guset Columnist

Does it Matter if Teachers, Coaches Drink?

10 | Opinion

YES NOThey should set a good example for students and practice what they preach

They are just like everyone else and should be able to

drink responsiblyby JustinPritchard Guest Columnist

Today’s society has a theme of talking the talk but not walking the walk. It’s common to see people in authority expect certain standards but then break

those standards for their own benefit.The world wonders why children are partying or doing things that dishonor the

family. News flash to the world: you taught them that. It’s in my experience that people

will be taken more seriously if they practice what they preach.Teachers and coaches are placed above students as authority, so shouldn’t they

also be role models for us? I think if they give us rules and expectations then they should model that for us

and set an example. Kids lack experience and we could benefit from role models that can guide us.

They should be people we can trust and we should be able to go to them for help when we need it most.

If a coach gets mad at a player for cussing during practice and punishes them by making them run extra, but yet, the coach swears in a game out of anger, is that acceptable?

I think this has a lot to do with integrity. Here’s the definition of integrity: The quality or state of being complete or undi-

vided; COMPLETENESS-an unimpaired condition; SOUNDNESS-a firm adher-ence to a code of values.

Authority should stick to what they say as not to confuse who they are influ-encing.

Proverbs 10:9 says, “He who walks in integrity walks securely, But he who perverts his ways will be found out.”

People of high moral character possess this. They are complete, sound, and incorruptible.

When people in command give out rules such as don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t cuss, and you see them around town smoking, it must not be a very big deal.

Why should we be held to their standard if they themselves don’t believe in their own concept?

If it were really that bad then they wouldn’t do it themselves. The people I look up to as role models are people who possess integrity, hon-

esty, and have strong moral principles. They are people I want to be like because they live their life with purpose.

It’s easy to give instruction, but it takes true integrity and character to live out the instruction.

I would think of that person as more trustworthy, therefore, I would be more likely to do what he/she wants.

If a person in authority has a problem with students not listening then they should practice what they preach.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” It’s more honorable to do what you say and to be the example.

That’s when true, positive change happens.

ItYou From opening doors, to pulling out chairs, on a

scale of 1 to 10, just how much do you consider yourself a gentleman?

A:

Teachers are hired to educate the future leaders of America.They have a duty to set a good example for their students so that students can

respect them and learn from them.When teachers drink, do they loose respect from their pupils?I do not think that students should base teachers’ abilities and morals with their

drinking habits; however, teachers should never drink alcohol in a situation that involves the school or students.

Teachers should keep their personal lives separate from their work.If a teacher is able to accomplish this, he or she can drink whenever desired.Teachers are adults who have the law on their side and legally can drink, unlike

the students they teach.Drinking has the potential to be dangerous, but if a teacher drinks in safe situa-

tions, students should learn from their responsibility.Teachers are no different from other adults in the community. It is not a crime

for them to go out to eat and have a beer or watch the Huskers and have a couple.It’s their choice and I think students should give teachers credit for being re-

sponsible adults that can handle their liquor.I personally do not agree with drinking, but I do not think that the right to

consume should be denied to teachers. They are responsible adults and should be treated as such.

Every person deserves respect and students should respect their teachers by staying out of their personal lives and not judging them.

As long as drinking does not affect their work in the classroom, there should not be a problem. They are everyday people that have the right to do what they want off the clock.

Teachers want to help us make the right choices and grow as individuals. It’s not all about academics.

Students want to be able to see faults in teachers because teachers find faults in us every day in our homework and progress in the classroom.

Teachers make mistakes just like any other individual, and that doesn’t make them any less of a person.

Many teachers use these mistakes as a teaching opportunity in order for stu-dents to make a connection.

There is a relationship between teachers and students that is unlike any other relationship one will experience

Teachers are students’ mentors, instructors, and friends.Drinking does not cause faults in these relationships.In the end, drinking among teachers should not be a problem as long as con-

sumption is not around students or school related activities.If students are not negatively affected by teachers consuming alcohol, there is

nothing wrong with it.Teachers are citizens that have rights and should not be looked down upon for

consuming alcohol.

I’m not rude but I don’t always do exactly what I’m supposed to do.

Anthony Abreu, 09

Living in a house of all women in my life helped me learn to be a gentleman Derek Deaver

I’ve been taught to always treat girls the right way Matthew Sessions, 12

OPINION | 11

The views expressed in this editorial were supported 18-0 by

The Echoes staff

staffeditor-in-chief |Maddie Holscher

the

ECHOES

news editor | Ben Wiebe

news writer | Aaron Martin

feature editor | Ashleigh Smith

feature writer | Courtney Imel

feature writer | Triniti Counter

sports editor | Matthew T. Klein

sports writer | Zach Clemens

sports writer | Michael Miller

adviser | Terry Pitkin

The Echoes is a monthly publication printed by the Business Farmer. The Echoes is a member of the Nebraska High School Press Association and the International Order of the Quill and Scroll.

The Echoes encourages readers to write letters to the editor in response to a story, but does reserve the right to publish said letter.

The Echoes also encour-ages all readers to submit their ideas for story cover-age, feedback on stories, and any other input.

The EchoesScottsbluff High School313 East 27th St.Scottsbluff, NE 69361Letters with obscene,

slanderous, libelous, or false information will not be fun. The letter must also be signed to be run. Content may be edited due to gram-matical or content needs. A signed copy must be presented to the Scottsbluff High School journalism department, room 130.

center section editor | Jon Wiebe

center section writer |Rachel Carlin

center section writer |Sarah Hall

entertainment editor |Michael Wright

entertainment writer |Ryan Meister

entertainment writer |Kaela Heinz

entertainment writer |Pace Michele

entertainment writer |Warren Eubanks

artist | Spencer Lake

ad manager | Brandy Whitney

Political partiesAs we near the third anniversary of

the election of President Barack Obama and with the 2012 presidential election looming around the corner, our country seems to be in complete gridlock.

We just can’t get anywhere.Mr. Obama has his plate stacked

high with health care reform, social security, a rising unemployment rate, and a dwindling appetite to boot.

Sprinkle on top of this a rising, resis-tant Tea Party and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.

Members in Congress, especially those affiliated with the Republican right, are feeling the pressure from the recent Tea Party which expressed its anger with the Obama administration.

As each new bill is introduced, it gets stuck in Congress as both the House and the Senate struggle to find common ground and a viable solution.

In particular, the Tea Party has put pressure on conservatives to reject any-thing coming from the white house.

In this game of tug of war, we have Republicans vs. Democrats, right vs. left, conservative vs. liberal.

What are they fighting over? The

very country they represent and they have found themselves truly and ut-terly stuck.

In a system of checks and balances and separation of powers, the United States government is forced to work

together toward a solution that can satisfy the majority.

Instead, however, these two parties are battling back and forth for a seat in the White House.

Most recently, Obama has intro-duced a new, $447 billion dollar jobs bill. This plan would create spending on roads, infrastructure, and help local governments avoid layoffs of teachers, police and firefighters.

Whether this bill is a good or bad plan for America can be discussed in another editorial.

If it’s a bad bill, then it’s a bad bill.But what if it’s a good bill? Will the

Republican Party reject a possible cure for the unemployment rate in order to secure a seat in the White House?

Let’s face it. President Obama’s ap-proval ratings have fallen to just 41% and he is in need for a plan that can turn this country around.

Yet, other politicians know that the only way Obama can raise his ratings, and in turn, win the next election, is in what he does in the next year.

Striking down any viable plan would mean greatly hurting Obama’s chance at reelection. It is common sense and both parties know it.

If a new candidate wins the next Presidential election, one can be sure the opposing party will be doing this exact same thing to try to get the posi-tion again.

And so the story goes, the United States will keep swaying back and forth in this game of tug-of-war.

But political parties are not working. And the day they start pulling in the same direction, is the day the country can take its first steps forward.

For He’s a Jolly Good FellowThe Echoes would like to extend a special thank you

to Lieutenant Colonel Parsley for his 33 years in service to the United States in the National Guard. We appre-ciate everything you have done and continue to do!

A back and forth battle that has found the country pulled in every direction except forward

ENTERTAINMENT| 13

EchoesENTERTAINMENT

Dream HouseSep 30

NewMovies

Real SteelOct 11

Blink-182Neighborhoods

Sep 27

NewMusic

Mayday ParadeSep 16

Mayday Parade

Successful pub-lisher Will Atenton quits his high-scale New York City job to move his wife and two daughters into their dream house in a small New England home. As they start to settle into their new life, they soon discover their per-

fect home was the scene of a murder of a mother and her children.

A futuristic story of Charlie Kenton, who is an out of work small time boxing promo-tor. When Robots take over the ring, Kenton hits rock bottom and reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build a contendor robot for the championship and get one last shot at a comback.

Their first album in eight years after their four year break up, the trio wrote dark lyrics on the subjects of isolation, confu-sion, and death. Neighborhoods is the first Blink-182

album produced by the band members without the help of an outside record producer.

The album was written by the band and was reported-ally competed “their way.” Due to poor response on their second album’s many co-writers, this album was written solely by the band members. Lead singer Dered Sanders stated that they tried to keep all the sounds live and organic during the recording process.

You are walking towards a castle and suddenly you hear a strangled cry, as you turn to look at it you see a gob-lin army of 288 rushing towards you mowing down everything in their path. What do you do?

If you’re like most people right now you’re thinking goblins don’t exist outside of legend, but for a few students this is a normal weekend; slaying dragons, looting treasure and thinking on your feet. This is the world of Dungeons & Dragons™ (D&D).

For one student, Kyle Weitzel, a four foot three inch dwarven fighter wilding a battle ax and chain mail it is life or death.

Witzel started to play D&D this summer at one of his friend’s house.

“I had always kind of known about it but it wasn’t till I was invited that I started playing,” Weitzel said.

D&D is not your average board game either. In fact it is not played on a board at all, but rather a map created by one of the players.

“I’d Say it’s a lot more creative. It’s a part of being a dungeon master (DM) you have to think of anything and everything that could happen that day. Plus a quest could take weeks or months where as a game of clue could take an hour or two.” Weitzel said.

D&D has been around for a long time, since 1974. This was when the first edition of the game came out, and it has come a long way since then.

D&D has gathered a large gaming community. There are entire rows of bookshelves dedicated D&D. Almost anywhere one go in the united states it is possible to find a D&D club.

“I play with some of the other employees at Game Time, as well as with many other friends outside of it. However, I’ll play with anyone who is

interested.” Weitzel said.

During the 1980-1990 the game received a negative connotation for being satanic.

“They say it goes against their religion but they are too close minded. Just because it has magic and dragons in it doesn’t mean its devil wor-ship.” Weitzel said.

In fact many people love playing this game and for a few like Weitzel they even take pride in it.

“It’s such a great game and the fact that it has

More than just playing a game

by Ryan Meister

EntertainmentWriter

lasted for over 40 years and hasn’t changed much that’s impressive in my books.” Weitzel said.

Many people who play it will often talk about a quest and some of the funny things that have happened dur-ing it, but many things happen outside of the quest that all the players have fun doing.

“This one time in a quest I was play-ing and my character slipped on an oily goblin and it lit on fire. Then there was this time we all went out to a copier to make character sheets and that was a blast.” Weitzel said.

As with most games it’s not about

Myth: D&D is satanic in nature.Busted: D&D is played by a variety it is based off of the medevil ages.

Myth: People lose track of time playing it.Confirmed: People who play D&D have a designated time keeper to keep track of reality.

Bustin’ Myths

Entering the world of Dungeons & Dragons

Artwork by Spencer Lakethe game its self but whom you’re playing it with that makes it fun. And whileMany people have been moving toward the more modern video games but D&D still holds strong.

“I don’t think D&D will ever go away,” Weitzel said, “video games have a visual aspect but it also has a set story line to follow. They try to model it after D&D but they don’t have enough to expand like D&D. They can only do so much with it where with D&D your imagination is limitless on what could happen. D&D is not set in stone you can do anything.”

14 | ENTERTAINMENT

by MichaelWright

EntertainmentEditor

review by Warren Eubanks

EntertainmentWriter

Android Market

Gmail

Google Maps

YouTube

Angry Birds

Facebook for iPhone

Google Mobile

Pandora

Shazam

Facebook

Top Apps:iPhone 4S

Mot

orol

a D

roid

“Siri, where is the nearest mall?” “What time is my meeting tomor-row?” “Siri, can you find me a good cake recipe?” With the recent release of Apple’s new iPhone 4S, you are going to start seeing a lot of people talking to them-selves. Or at least it will look like they are talking to themselves. They aren’t crazy, though; they are talking to Siri, a new Artificial Intelligence integrated into the newest version of Apple’s infamous mobile operating system, iOS. Having an Artificial Intelligence (or A.I., for short) controlling intricate computer systems isn’t new; after all, it plays a major role in classic movies like Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and the ever so popular Star Wars saga in the form of loveable robots. But is it enough to propel Apple above and beyond Google’s Android OS? Android, often shortened to Droid,

is also soon coming out with a new version of its established OS. Nick-named Ice Cream Sandwich, the oper-ating system, due out in November, is including some big new features. Android Beam, similar to the iPhone’s “Bump,” allows any two devices to touch backs and instantly share what one is doing with the other. The new Android also allows for unlocking based on facial recogni-tion, so users no longer have to type in a password. Google has also made an improve-ment to improve voice commands within Android; most notably in the form of a speech-to-text function. Better? Yes. But A.I. better? Sadly, no. In addition to an A.I. assistant, Ap-ple has also added a number of other features that will hopefully make the iPhone appeal to a much larger audi-ence. Gone are the annoying pop up notifications, and in is a small bar at the top of the screen that contains all of the phone’s notifications. The new iOS also gives patrons a lock screen that can be customized to show weather, missed calls, new

emails, and even allow you to check your voicemail, all without unlocking your phone. Both systems, while not perfect, are leaps ahead of where they are since their last updates. As for which OS is better, it is impossible to say. IOS is known for being much sim-pler looking, easier to use and less prone to system crashes. Android has built a reputation on being extremely customiz-able and, being avail-able for more than one device, a lot more easily obtained. The battle between the smartphones still rages on, however, as fans of both constant-ly criticize the other. Every year, Android and iOS get

better; and every year, neither one wins.

staying cautious, and having the occa-sional run-ins with both zombies and other survivors trying to carve out a new living for themselves.

He is eventually picked up by the newly formed government that is based out of Buffalo, New York and is sent with other survivors, or sweepers as they are called, to New York City to take part in the reconstruction efforts.

Though Spitz is a pretty un-spectacular guy (he is described as a B student both in academics and in ambition), he happens to have an amazing knack for staying alive, constantly finding last second ways of narrowly skirting death.

Along the way they encounter the zombies who in the book are called

Whether it’s vampires having sex in the south, a werewolf’s refusal to wear a shirt, or zombies descending upon a pub in England; the act of tak-ing these classic monsters and making them relevant to today’s culture has been going on a lot these past couple of years so much that it has gotten to be a bit old.

So when an author as respected for his literary prowess as Colson Whitehead decides to make a novel about living in a post-apocalyptic world filled with mindless hoards of un dead flesh eaters it should be cause for some concern, considering that out of all the latest monster genre updates the zombie genre is probably the one that’s most ready for parody.

From cult classic movies such as Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead to the epic Walking Dead television series that’s based on a series of comic books one would think that there wouldn’t be much to do with this basic idea of zombies and the chaos they administer.

But with “Zone One,” White head offers a credible work of literary

magic to breathe new life into this stale genre.

“Zone One” begins a couple of years or so after the fatal “Last Night,” which is what the survivors describe as the final blow adminis-tered by the unidentified plague to the human resistance, the day when everyone was witness to the horrors of the Zombie apocalypse.

The story focuses on the work be-ing done by the survivors after a ma-jor zombie apocalypse cleaning up the mess left over, killing the last of the remaining un-dead, and trying to pick up the pieces of their broken lives.

The exploits that the book focuses on are those of a group of Long Island “sweepers” and in particular the character dubbed Mark Spitz (after the Olympic athlete) after an inci-dent you need to read in the book to understand.

Through a series of flashbacks we learn the origin of Spitz and the jour-ney he had to make to get to where he is now in the three day time line in which the story takes place. After coming home one afternoon to find one of his parents infected with the plague devour the other parent he is forced to run away and try to survive on his own living off the land, always

Un-Dead authors society either “skels” (your typical mind-less human flesh eating machine) or “stragglers,” who try to go back to their old homes and places of work to try to relive their lives in way.

The “stragglers” mirror the sur-vivors who try to regain a sense of normalcy by trying to get back into the mundane everyday existence.

It is Colson Whitehead’s writing however, that truly sets this nook apart, using his background as a New York native to poke fun at the city when describing its transformation from urban Mecca to ruined city.

And using his sharp observa-tional eye paints a gloomy and dismal world with signs of hope offered up in the efforts of pop culture and the emergence of American capitalism giving survivors a sense of normalcy knowing that among all the rubble and dead, there are signs of a brighter future beginning to form.

The well detailed and in some cases hysterically funny observations Whitehead gives of both the zombies and the humans trying to get rid of them gives this book an extra layer of lyrical depth and his metaphors are strong and never feel old or used.

Whitehead has given new cred-ibility and even believability to a preposterous scenario and in the process breathes new life into an un-dead genre.

A tale of two Smartphones Apple, Google continue to battle it out on the mobile front

by Matthew T.Klein

SportsWriter

Going downSenior Grant Lacey takes down McCook’s Matt Chitwood during the Bearcat’s season-opening 28-7 loss to the Bison. McCook com-pleted an undefeated season and earned the No. 1 seed in the playoffs while Bearcats are the No. 7 seed. The Bearcats will host their first playoff game since 2007 Photo by Gordon Rock

The ZoneSPORTS

PerfomingInTheClutch

Junior Matthew T. Klein carried the offensive load for the Bearcats, tallying totals of 181 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. His per-formance helped lift the Bearcats to a district cham-pionship over Alliance, 21-9 last Friday night.

MustSeeGamesScottsbluff v. Ralston-

Football game @ Bearcat Stadium 2 p.m. Friday, Oct 28.

The 7-2 Bearcats take on the 7-2 Rams in the first round of the Class B State playoffs. The winner should see No. 2 seeded Gretna

Scottsbluff Volleyball The Lady Bearcats travel to North Platte this weekend for GNAC. Despite a losing record, the Cats are the No. 4 seed and will take on No. 5 seeded Norfolk at 10 a.m. Central time in the auxil-iary gym at North Platte High. A first-round win would most likely result in a semifinal matchup against No. 1 seeded Kearney. The Bearcats will begin post-season play at the B-6 district tournament in Ogallala the first of November. The No. 3 seeded Cats will face No. 2 seeded Sidney. The winner will likely face No. 1 seeded Gering

Cats claim district title; will host Ralston in playoffs

It wasn’t easy, but Scottsbluff won a second consecutive Class B-8 district football championship last Friday night in Alliance with a 21-9 come-from-behind victory over the Bulldogs.

“Honestly, I want to say I give a lot of credit to Alliance. They’re always like that; I knew it would come down to the end and it did,” Coach Joe Benson said.

The win earned the Bearcats the No. 7 seed in the sixteen-team Class B playoffs and a first-round home playoff game against Ralston this Friday at 2 p.m. at Bearcat Stadium.

The Cats had to rally twice against Alliance to get a win. After falling behind 6-0 in the first quarter, Senior Joe Moran intercepted a pass with 1:23 left in the first half. The Bearcats scored on a 53 yard touchdown run by junior Mat-thew Klein to take a 7-6 halftime lead.

The Bulldogs regained a 9-7 third quarter lead on a 32-yard field goal by Kyle Sanders.

Scottsbluff responded midway through the fourth quarter on a 45 yard drive that ended with a 1 yard touch-down dive by Klein which gave the Cats a 14-9 lead.

The Bearcats defense proved to be tough as they stopped the Bulldogs on fouth down which put the ball back in the hands of the offense.

The Bearcats put the game away with just over a minute left in the game after a 23-yard run by Seth Rohrer to get the Bearcats down to the 2 yard line. Klein then punched in his third touchdown, a 2 yard run with 1:05 left in the game.

Friday’s game against Ralston show-cases two teams with 7-2 records

The Rams won the Class B-2 champi-onship with wins over district foes Boys Town (5-4), Omaha Skutt Catholic (6-3), and Omaha Gross Catholic (3-6).

Ralston also has wins over state qualifiers Beatrice (5-4) and Norris (5-4).

Scottsbluff enters the playoffs on a five-game winning streak. The Cats’ schedule included three playoff teams: McCook (9-0), Gering (5-4) and Alliance (5-4).

Benson is excited about hosting a first round playoff game.

“Our kids are so competitive and they rise to the challenge. We’re playing a team that isn’t used to traveling so

far,” Benson said.After a first-round loss to eventual

state champion Crete in the first round of the playoffs last year, the Cats are looking for a better outcome this time around.

“I think we match up better with Ralston than we did against Crete,” Benson said.

The winner of the Scottsbluff-Ralston game faces the winner of the

Gretna (9-0) Plattsmouth (5-4) game. Gretna is the No. 2 seed in the playoffs.

15 | SPORTS

16 | SPORTS

by Matthew Klein

SportsEditor

Members of the cross country team warm up at the Kearney Country Club prior to Class B state championship race last Friday. The six runners included Justin Pritchard, Brendan Taedter, Ben Willis-Teff, Matthew Barraza, Luke Parsley and Anthony Parra. Courtesy photo

Warm ups

State champs...againYoung guns shoot down Class B competition

And the winner of the Class B state cross country meet is…. Scottsbluff.

That sounds a lot like last year. The only difference was the chances of win-ning it.

With a youthful but talented team the boys cross country team was able to repeat as state champions in class B with much better odds than the year before.

The boys ran away with the champi-onship with the next closest team being Mt. Michael 18 points in the rear view mirror. Earlier in the season the boys edged Mt. Michael by a single point at the UNK Invite.

“We had an off day at the UNK Invite. By state we were all healthy and focused to have our bet team race,” Coach Jim Barker said. “We also opted to rest our top five guys at the Western Conference meet in Chadron tree weeks prior to the state meet.”

The team had 3 runners in the top 10 and all runners within the top forty-five.

“Very impressive performance and feat being underclassman, Anthony, Matthew and Justin will be back next year. They had prepared so well so well all summer and season long for the state meet. What they did was a sight to behold,” Barker said.

Sophomore Anthony Para and fresh-man Matthew Barraza finished with virtually the same times with Para edg-ing Barraza at the finish line for third place and Barraza finishing fourth.

Not far behind was junior Justin Pritchard in sixth place. Pritchard was on last year’s championship team along with Para.

“Last year was more exciting since we were the underdog; this year though we knew we had the talent to win it again which was also exciting,” Pritchard said.

“This year it was just more expected, and the pressure was higher to repeat,” Para said.

The pressure was definitely on going into the meet to repeat and the thoughts were the heads of team.

“I was nervous but I knew we were capable of getting it done,” Para said. “We needed to push ourselves for our

team and finish strong against the top competition.”

Championships don’t just hap-pen overnight however and the cross country team would be the first to tell you that.

“All of our hard work and mile-age in the summer and living a good lifestyle was key to our success this season,” Pritchard said.

“I am a firm believer that state championships are won in the summer. What happened on October 21 was a

5Teams

1. Scottsbluff2. Mt. Michael Benedictine3. Elkhorn South4. Lexington5. Plattsmouth

TopTop Individual finishers3rd - Anthony Parra (10)4th - Matthew Barraza (9)7th - Justin Pritchard (11)16th - Brendan Taedter (10)34th - Ben Willis-Teff (10)42nd - Luke Parsley (11)

This was Coach Jim Barker’s 9th state title as

the head cross country coach.It was the school’s 12th boys

state title; the most of any school in the state.

direct result of what happened in June, July and August,” Barker said.

Without an individual champion the team relied on each other to all have strong finishing positions in order to be crowned champions.

“Cross country is such a team sport. Most people don’t realize that. Very few high school age kids have the right stuff to become a successful runner. It’s all about lifestyle: diet, rest, hydration, goal setting, work ethic, sacrifice, focus, trust, faith and so much more,” Barker

said.A strong bond linked the team

together throughout the season. “We were all really close, we were basically one big family,” Barraza said.

It wasn’t all just the team’s ability finish ahead of the pack. Coach Barker now has state championships.

The team returns next year in full strength without graduating a single varsity runner. Expectations will be sky high, a threepeat perhaps.

“Hopefully we can threepeat and get lower scores especially at state,” Pritchard said.

The boys cross country team now has a combined 12 state championships, more than any other school in the state and the future definitely looks bright.

“We need to train really hard, and be mentally and physically tough,” Bar-raza said.

Returning everyone from the varsity team creates so many possibilities that for this team there is no finish line.