By Morgan McCaffity,
The Lady Clippers soccer team had a game against Dunbar High on Wednesday October 5, 2016. After a rough start the team ramped things up and ended the game with score of 5-0. They gave all they had and it paid off with a well-earned victory.
The girls soccer team photo: Patterson Press)
A screenshot from the NFL ad (photo: Youtube.com )
By John Dingzon & Amadou Bah,
A special chess event took place at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School on October 10, 2016. An NFL guest, Ravens player John Urschel, came in and played with students from multiple schools, including Patterson, Dunbar, and two other schools.
The point of this event was to show that football players have hobbies besides football. It also gave the chess team a chance to meet a professional athlete. A TV commercial was filmed at the event; the NFL has spent over $40,000 for it to be prepared.
John Urschel is a master on the field…and on the chess board. He took on 50 of Baltimore’s youngest chess whizzes. It took between 4-5 hours to make a 30 second ad. Several Patterson students and Chess Club co-advisor Mr. Baron are featured in the ad.
To watch the ad, click on this link.
By Sartre Ndebaneza and Christian Pietrowski,
Photo: Sartre Ndebaneza
Patterson swimming team made history by beating NAF (Nation Academy Foundation) with a score of 48 to 16 on January 10th.
It was a challenging meet for NAF’s swimmers, who had half the number of swimmers as Patterson. Patterson has a full team, well prepared to get victory. Coach Mahoney said, “The game was wonderful, [they] have been working hard to prepare for this game and I am very happy.” Patterson swimmers did a great job in each round of competition.
For the other side, things were tough. NAF coach Elaina Kriz stated, “The meet was good, but I have a small team.” NAF swimmer Steven Southerland added, “It was difficult but we had a small team.” Fatigue was the major reason NAF lost against Patterson. NAF was represented by three players.
Winning this match gave the Patterson swimming team the opportunity to participate in City Championships at Coppin State. This is a good time to show their talents, but it can be a stressful moment when competing against the best teams. This championship will require the Patterson team’s full attention and a lot energy to embrace challenges in the match to overcome them.
Coach Mahoney said, “I am going to work hard and make sure students are listening.” The Patterson swimming team coach has a lot of strategies to use during meets, but she believes that she also needs a keen communication with players.
Photo: Sartre Ndebaneza
Mikal McCoy wrestles his opponent to the ground (Photo: Alvaro Flores-Villegas, Patterson Press)
By Mikal McCoy,
Patterson’s wrestling team last school year (2015-2016) was successful. There were wrestlers who placed in Baltimore City Championship, including Amari Latimer, who was Maryland’s State champion in 2016. This school year, the team has had a more difficult start.
Wrestling is a winter sport; the season starts in the month of October. At Patterson High school, at the beginning of wrestling season, the team was having trouble with recruiting under the pressure of the wrestling program being shut down by Baltimore City officials.
Four wrestlers, including Ryan Carter, Kemar McBean, and Mikal McCoy, returned back to the team to continue their wrestling experience. The team needed a total of 12 players in order to be eligible to be a team in Baltimore City. “We didn’t have any wrestlers”, said Ryan Carter, captain of the wrestling team. Due to the lack of participation, the team was in danger of being shut down and not funded by Baltimore City. Fortunately, after the winter break, a total of 8 new members were recruited on the team.
After the close call of reviving Patterson’s wrestling team, practice began immediately, every day, Monday-Friday. “Going to practice has helped me become better because I have learned more defense and offence; I feel more prepared”, said wrestler Brandan Chamber. Coach Norman, who is the head coach of the team, creates workouts that are focused around cardio to improve wrestlers’ endurance.
On December 14, 2016, Patterson’s wrestling team had a home game against Fredrick Douglass High School. The match ended in a draw (30-30). During the match new wrestlers got the opportunity to practice their moves. On January 12, 2017, the wrestling team had another home game against Mervo High School. Since October, Patterson’s wrestling team hasn’t had many matches. “Incomplete matches don’t help us know where we are as wrestlers”, Ryan Carter explained.
Now that Patterson has a full team, the rest of the season should be much more successful.
Patterson High School wrestling team (Photo: Patterson Press)
Patterson vs. Digital Harbor (Photo: Lionell Green, Patterson Press)
By Justist Rice,
The mighty Lady Clippers varsity girls basketball team have really proven themselves to be one of the most lethal and progressive teams in the league so far. These ladies have gone undefeated: they pulled a strong win from Digital with a score of 37 to 34; they won against Benjamin Franklin, 37 to 26; and with two forfeits from KASA, the Lady Clippers leave with a record of 4 and 0. To keep this winning streak going, the Lady Clippers needed to defeat Douglass away. I had no doubt they could do it, and predicted another win for the mighty Lady Clippers.
They did it again, pulling a strong win from Douglass, defeating them with a score of 52 to 19. Sidney Lanahann, the team’s shooting guard, said, ”We played our hearts out out there. We left everything we had out there on that court, and this is not the end for us. We will keep this winning streak up, I promise.” Strong words from Sidney, or shall I say, “Sid the Kid,” her nickname.
Coach Kelley, the head coach of the girls’ basketball team, had this to say when she felt as though the ladies weren’t doing the best that they can do: ”What is going on? We only have an 11-point lead. We are far better than these girls. You’re letting them think they can play with us. We should be blowing this team out by at least 30 points. Come on, girls, get your head in the game.” Her words really motivated the Lady Clippers because after that they took a lead of 33 points, and won the game.
By Alvaro Flores-Villegas,
This season the head coach of the girls indoor track team, Mr. Smith, is feeling very confident about how his team is built. “I [am] confident because I have a captain, Timiera Toland, now in her 3rd year, who is an outstanding runner” said Smith.
Coach Smith also said that he has more 3rd year runners coming back and newcomers coming to practice everyday. “I have some additional veterans who are in their 3rd year with Toland–Wanda Acevedo, Kibra Buluts, and Brianna Hope. We have some dedicated newcomers that come every day that will help our team become great”.
The team as strong as it has ever been, and has been showing some very deep improvements over the past years. Hopefully the newcomers will give them the extra strength they need to make it to the championship together as a team.
Patterson came back from behind to win the game (Photo: Lionell Green, Patterson Press)
By Lionell Green,
Patterson High School defeated Digital Harbor High School at the annual Homecoming game on October 15, 2016. Patterson won the game with a final score of 41-34. This was the first homecoming game that Patterson won since 2013.
Patterson was led on offense by junior running back Eric Senior, who got 3 touchdowns and ran 189 yards. Senior linebackers Diondre Williams and Damien Jackson led the team in tackles and sacks, respectively. Senior safety Chris Woodard came up with a huge interception. Junior Tyrec Little made a fumble recovery.
At halftime, the Patterson drum team performed. Also, throughout the game, the Patterson Alumni Association was giving out free food and drinks to fans and players.
“[It was a] great game”, said Chris Woodard. “Good game played and we came out with the win” added Damian Jackson. “It was a great atmosphere and my guys played with pride”.
After the game, the senior class football players got their jerseys framed.
The Blue Angels flew overhead during the game. (Photo: Lionell Green, Patterson Press)
Patterson cheerleaders clap for the Clippers (Photo: Lionell Green, Patterson Press)
A clash of titans (Photo: Lionell Green, Patterson Press)
Referees stand for the national anthem (Photo: Lionell Green, Patterson Press)
By Alvaro Flores-Villegas,
The varsity boys soccer team defeated Poly 6-2 on October 13, 2016 at Patterson. This put the boys in a good spot for the playoffs and to hope to advance to the regional championships.
“I was satisfied with the comeback because at first we were down 2-1 before halftime”, said Coach Callahan. “They were ready to play us because they were pressuring us and playing aggressive and we were playing real lazy. We underestimated them because in the past game at their turf we beat them 3-0”. Coach Callahan also stated, “2nd Half was much better because we were passing the ball much more and ended up scoring 5 more goals in the second half”.
During the game, the leading scorer, #11 Minyim scored 1 goal in the first half and 3 goals in the second half, claiming his hat trick of the game. #20 Edwin scored 1 goal and #7 Andy scored 1 goal. At the end, the Patterson Clippers claimed victory against Poly 6-2.
The first round of playoffs was against Eastern Tech where the Clippers were defeated 3-1, putting an end to their season. Hopefully the Clippers will have another chance at the Regional Championship next year.
By Anthony McNeill,
Coach Oliver may be better known as a basketball coach, but this year he is also coaching cross-country. To find out more about this unique sport, I sat down with Coach Oliver and asked him a series of questions.
During my interview with Coach Oliver he told me that his cross-country track team is doing pretty good and that he is proud of them. According to Coach Oliver, his players do a lot of weight lifting, running, etc. to stay in shape for the competitions. I asked Coach Oliver if that type of conditioning takes a toll on players and Coach Oliver said yes but that’s what kind of sport it is. They do a lot of running and working on leg strength, cardio, etc.
I asked Coach Oliver how his team competes against opponents. “They always compete good”, he responded. “They are very competitive, athletic, and well rounded”. I also asked Coach Oliver what makes track different from other sports. He explained, “What makes track different is that it’s constant running and building stamina.” He added, “You’re running for distance, not start and stop”.
We talked about strategy against other opponents and Coach Oliver told me he tells his athletes “start at a slow pace, then after the first mile speed it up. It’s just good pacing”. Later in my interview with the coach, I asked him if he had a “clutch athlete” and he told me yes but he also said he is not giving a name. He said you’ll just have to see for yourselves.
Douglass Varsity vs Patterson Volleyball ( Photo by Justist Rice)
By Justist Rice,
The Patterson Clippers had an amazing game against Douglass on September 16th at home. They showed their big hearts and used their skill and strength to carry them to victory. The Lady Clippers went undefeated; they won every round. The scores: first round 25 to 16, second round 25 to 11, third round 25 to 12.
Varsity coach Mr. Murray was super exited. He was so proud of his team. He knew that his team was going to take this victory and use it as fuel for the next big game. This was by far the best game of their season. Let’s hope the lady Clippers can keep up the good work.
