Knights Wrestlers Combat to Win

Leading the season with an 8-0 dual record by the boys and a 7-1 dual record by the girls, both CFHS wrestling teams wrestle hard to maintain their winning streak.

 

At the beginning of the year, both teams wrestled against Cy-Woods and Klein High School. Striving to be the best, the Knights beat both teams, placing them at a 2-0 dual record.

 

The second meet for the CF wrestling team was against one of the CCISD schools: Clear Brook. The boys’ team won with 42 points while Brook only received 24. The girls beat them as well with 48 points. This placed both teams at 3-0.

 

On Dec. 3, the Knights did not disappoint. Both teams wrestled Langham Creek, Cy-Falls and Clear Lake. The boys team triumphed by beating all three teams while the girls “had a historic day”, as said by Eric Thompson, the CF wrestling coach, by winning their matches, 60-0, 56-0 and 48-0. This win proved to be a team enhancement.

 

“We beat all these teams as a team,” said, junior, Miranda Zipp. “It felt great that we worked together not to let these teams score any points on us.

 

With that confidence, both wrestling teams prepared themselves for the last home meet of this year. The boys wrestled Morton Ranch first. Both teams were tied 30-30 when sophomore, Devin Coffey broke the tied score and put the Knights in the lead with six points. Tristan Nickolson won the last match against Morton Creek when he pinned his opponent in 42 seconds. Their second opponent was Clear Springs, who they beat 56-19.

 

On the other hand, the girls team, anchored by Lori Mitchell, managed to beat Clear Springs, but lost by three points to Morton Ranch. The girls did not let this bring them down.

 

“We each made mistakes which cost us our match against Morton Ranch. That wont stop us from having a successful year,” said Zipp.

 

The boys ended up with an 8-0 record and the girls are now with a 7-1. Coach Thompson expects both teams to improve and win more tournaments.

 

“Both teams fight hard and are very competitive. I am very pleased with our progress,” said Thompson. “Knowing [that] it is only our second year and we are battling and beating Houston’s’ best teams is very gratifying.”

Handball: What is it?

Europeans have a well-kept secret that most Americans know little of. For Europeans, it’s a popular sport competed with great passion. (Hint: not quidditch)  So what it is? Handball. For western observers, handball resembles the movements of basketball and the scoring of soccer. However, as the name suggests, there is no foot action other than running. It is normally played indoor on a field which measures 130ft by 66ft (similar to an indoor soccer field), with a ball half the size of a soccer ball.

It’s a team sport with seven players (six outfield players and one goalkeeper per team). There are two goals, one on each end of the field. As with basketball and soccer each offense tries to get the ball into the opponent’s goal. They are allowed to dribble the ball (as in basketball) and throw it to their teammates. When a player receives the ball he/she is allowed to take three steps without dribbling. (So if you are always called for travelling in basketball, this might be the sport for you)

A goal line is situated six meters in front of the goal, and only the defending goalkeeper is allowed between the line and the goal.

A normal match consists of two periods, 30 minutes each. The game may end in a tie unless the game demands a winner. Overtime consists of two, five-minute periods.

Unlike soccer, average scores are double digits sometimes reaching as high as thirty points per team. Handball is a fast and intense game, as in soccer and basketball there are defenders trying to stop the attackers from scoring. Defenders are allowed to use their arms independently, as in basketball, to prevent the offense from scoring. Opponents may use their torsos to block one another but no use of hands or arms is permitted. The use of illegal contact results in a player’s removal from active play for three minutes.  If a player gets more than three penalties then he/she is out for the duration of the game.

Handball involves dramatics as well as athleticism. Many handball players learn how to act injured from an opponent’s foul in hopes of a referee assessing a penalty against the offender.

During the nineteenth century, there were many varieties of handball, but the handball of today comes from håndbold (Danish for handball) created by a Danish gym teacher.

Handball is both a male and female sport. Currently, the Women’s World Championship is being held in Brazil and will end just before Christmas. To date the United States has never competed in this international arena; however there are many handball clubs spread across the nation. For a personal experience, travel to Houston for a view of the “Houston Vikings Team Handball Club”.

 

Basketball Season Begins Successfully

Basketball is a famous American pastime. One of the most beloved sports, the 2010 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals games brought in an average 18 million viewers nightly. This nation-wide love for the high-paced and difficult game overflowed into the Clear Falls basketball program.

When the school opened on August 23, the girls began their training for the long season ahead.

As months passed, official team tryouts were held on October 20, ultimately deciding both the JV and Freshman Team’s members.

In the end, Erin Farmer, Gene Johnson, Bria Deejon, Morgan Foster, Maggy Mulholland, Madison Ruta, Ashley Dugie, Melina Stephens, and Meghan Mistry made the girl’s JV team. After previously playing together on the school’s Fall League team, the team debuted their season at home on Tuesday, November 9.

During the season premiere, the girls played Ridge Pointe’s JV team, and won 83-14 That weekend (Nov. 12-14) they participated in their first CCISD tournament. After winning to Clear Creek on Thursday night, they battled Clear Lake.

While they lost in the last 46 seconds of the game, with and ending score 53-51, the girls played hard the entire way through. Only seven of the team’s players could participate during the game due to eligibility, injuries, and Mulholland running at the State Cross Country meet. The two rivals will face off again on December 10.

“I wanted to win so bad, but we’ll play them again, and this time we’ll win!” Madison Ruta, the JV point-guard said.

Despite their tough loss, the girls have high expectations for their season.

“I want us to go undefeated in district,” said JV point-and-shooting-guard, Ashley Dugie.

The girls also participated in the Baytown-Lee Tournament, hosted at Robert E. Lee High. The team won the overall tournament and returned to Clear Falls with a championship plaque.

Early November also brought the boy’s basketball try-outs for the freshman, sophomore, and Junior Varsity teams.

The try-outs consisted of shooting drills, position work, and one-on-one full court playing time. These drills helped identify those who would make the JV team from those for the sophomore and freshman. The need to distinguish a difference in player level came after a wave of off-season football players flooded the try-outs.

After deciding the teams, the JV team also battled Clear Lake for their season opener, on Tuesday, November 16.

“We had a terrific season opener against Clear Lake resulting in a win. We have a lot of talent and will be able to win a lot of games if we stay together and work hard.” Andrew Edoimioya, JV point-guard said.

Clear Falls won the game 60-49, leaving Lake with a surprising loss.

In reaction to the success of both teams, the two head coaches Shannon Osborne and Darren Chandler said they have high expectations for the teams, and expect to see both with outstanding seasons.