Alumni started off the game with three points, but Varsity quickly came back, putting them in the lead for the remainder of the first quarter. Second quarter proved to be anyone’s game. Unfortunately, the Alumni proved their dominance, winning the game 78-73.

Although Varsity lost the game, the school spirit was not lost.

“I enjoyed the Alumni vs. Varsity game the most. Even though we lost, it was still very exciting,” said Junior Janay Lanzo,

Even Potomac High School senior Shaquille Bailey seemed to enjoy the Clipper pride and spirit of the game. “It was fun and the environment was filled with joyful people,” she said.

Even though the crowd turnout wasn’t as big as everyone had expected, Midnight Madness turned out to be exciting for some students.

“What I like best about Midnight Madness was the crowds’ enthusiasm,” said junior and member of the Varsity team, Spencer Johnson. “I think we will do good this year. Everybody got better and when we focus no one can stop us.”

With a 4-7-1 record, the girls soccer team ended the season with their last game on Nov. 1 against Charles H. Flowers High School with a 5-2 loss in the 4A South Region playoffs.

In the regular season finale, the Clippers took a 5-0 victory against Northwestern High School.

The team was lead to victory by captain Chelsea McCoy and forward Kiara McFadden, each scoring two goals. Thalia Goddard scored one goal.

11th grade defender Dawn Weston had high hopes for the team and expected the team to “play hard, give lots of determination and hopefully win.”

The team’s hard work and effort throughout the year finally paid off ending the season and starting the first game of the playoffs where they defeated Suitland High School, 6-1.

“I feel that we played really good,” said junior defender Annie Ross. “We played hard and had a lot of god passes.”

The team started off rough but captain Briana Savage pulled the team through, scoring five of the six goals.

The game was the only of the playoffs to be played at home but it had some minor problems. According to some of the team players, Suitland’s players were being aggressive, and showing a sense of bad sportsmanship with their conduct.

“It was really bad sportsmanship,” Weston said. “They should have took the loss a little better.”. The team became frustrated but “calmed down” and remembered that they were “the better team.”

But the victory was short lived. A defeat against Flowers, 5-2, ended the teams playoff season, losing in the 4A South Region quaterfinals. The teams performance throughout the year, however, won’t be forgotten.

“The team made a lot of improvements from the first game until the last game.”, said Coach Flanagan. “Not only did they improve in skill but in character. Next year should be a promising year, despite losing this year.”

The open fields near the Tucker Road ice skating rink provide the perfect place for any sports game. Both former boys and girls players came out to participate. Cameron Mitchell, Estefanie Zuniga, and Efrain Juarez were three alumni participants in the game. One thing they all have in common is that they did not continue playing soccer for their first semester college. Another is that they miss the sport and all the memories that came from it.

Reflecting on her time as a Lady Clipper struck a sentimental nerve for Estefanie Zuniga. Even after a few months away from high school, she still misses both her teammates and the fun they used to have. She reflected on the sense of family that comes from having a group of players who had “played together since freshman year”.

“I miss my team the most,” said Zuniga. “It’s kind of like we grew up together in some way; we played through blood, sweat, and tears.”

Cameron Mitchell had similar sentiments when it came to memories of her team. “I miss being on a team; to have people you count on and who count on you in return. I miss the atmosphere from games and practices” said Mitchell.

While the girls reflected on the bond of their own team, Efrain Juarez reflected on the bond created between the boys and girls teams during bus rides to away games and even during practices and outside of the sport. The thing he missed the most was “definitely the bus rides”. Everybody came together as Clipper soccer players, not just boys or girls.

“We bonded as one big team, both the boys and the girls. Everyone tried to get along and regardless of whether or not we won or lost (it was mainly losses for the boys), we managed to have a dope ride back to school,” said Juarez.

Of the three players, Estefanie plans to overcome her self-doubt in her soccer abilities and participate in one of the teams at her school during this upcoming season. Clipper soccer players are all great soccer players, and whether or not the continue to play the sport they love in college, they’ll never forget the bonds they forged and the memories they created.

High school and college wrestling is played in a style known as folk style.

“Wrestling is like a game of chess you have to predict your opponent’s moves and be able to counter with a defensive move”, says senior and wrestling captain Eric Lynch.

Like most sports, wrestling matches are played with a point system.

“In a match you pretty much win by having the most points at the end of 6 minutes or by a pin which is when you use a move to place both their shoulder blades on the mat,” says Lynch. “You score by either getting a takedown, a reversal, and an escape,”

For wrestling, the “end-of-season-play-offs” takes place in the form of county, regional, and state tournaments.

“This year seven out of ten of our team went to regionals,” said junior wrester Kyle Nichols.

Both Nichols, a first year wrestler, and Lynch advanced to the regional tournament.

“I was very happy about being 11-3 and placing top 4 in the county as a team, we also sent a lot of guys to the regional tournament this year where last year I was the only one who qualified,” said Lynch.

I think it could’ve been better, though, for me, say Lynch

“My biggest competitor was the 125 pound from Wise. He beat me in the county finals and beat me at regions also.”

Though this season has come to and end, preparations for the next are already underway. Off-season training for wrestling will begins every Wednesday 4:30 – 6:30 after spring break.

“Motivated, enthusiastic, and spirited” Coach Jones said are the traits an OHHS softball player should possess.

Mr. T. Jones has been coaching the softball team for six years. He continuously motivates the girls and just tells them to have fun with the game.

“We just get together and we have fun”, 2^nd year player Jewel Engram said.

It is clear that the Oxon Hill High School Softball team is like a family to one another. The season is predicted to be promising.  Aside from having fun the game has taught the girls to be more competitive and work for the goal in which is set.

Even with the hard work put into the team the girls are not given a simple item. The OHHS baseball team has a tarp put down on the field when it rains. Unfortunately the softball team is not given this which makes it hard to practice at times of heavy rain like on March 10, 2011. The area experienced close to 4 inches of rain.

March 21, 2011 is scheduled to be the first game/scrimmage of the 2011 softball season. Wet or dry field the OHHS softball team is sure to knock it out the park. GO Oxon Hill!

Junior Chelsea McCoy is a veteran who sees a lot of strength and potential in the new players and the team as a whole. “I’m looking forward to team unification,” said McCoy. “We basically have an all new team so we are all going to have to work together if we want to be successful.” Even though tennis is a sport based on individual wins, it’s important that the whole team is a strong unit. The new players in particular need that unification with the more experienced players if they wish to follow in their footsteps.

After playing tennis for one season at Oxon Hill, senior Aaron Banks is going into his second and last season with a positive attitude. He participated in conditioning prior to the season, though it was cut short by the weather. “I think conditioning didn’t help that much because of the cold temperatures outside,” said Banks. “We couldn’t condition as much as planned.” The lack of conditioning may or may not affect the individual performance of the players.

Tennis differs from other sports in more ways than one. In Banks’s opinion, “tennis is not like other sports; it’s more of a finesse sport because it doesn’t necessarily focus on boasting your team wins, but leaves you with more of a sense of individual accomplishment.” The upcoming season will show us just how much “finesse” each of the players has on the courts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, were searching for their third Super Bowl ring in six seasons and their seventh World Championship in eight appearances. The quarterback of the Steelers, “Big Ben” Roethlisberger was also looking for his third Super Bowl ring at only a mere age of 30. However, at a longly anticipated clock reading of 00:00, the Packers would gain their fourth Super Bowl victory. The Vince Lombardi trophy was finally returning.

But, this elysian palace, “home” is far from Oxon Hill, Maryland. How does the Oxon Hill Clipper Family feel about the Super Bowl?

“It’s total bull.” “Green Bay won fair and square.” “They [the Packers] cheated.” and “I don’t even watch football,” were the crowd favorites amongst the hallways of Oxon Hill High School on February 7, 2011; the day after Super Bowl XLV.

Some students were also completely oblivious to the actual game.

“I only watched the Super Bowl for the commercials and the halftime show, which both were not that great this year,” sophomore Terrance Wright said. “I didn’t care if the Packers or the Steelers won.”

Results from a survey inquiring “who did you want to see win the Super Bowl?” indicated that three out of five favored the Steelers against the Packers.

“I think it’s because Green Bay is out in the middle of nowhere, no one around Oxon Hill wanted them to win,” sophomore, Wright continued. “If Pittsburgh would have won, then Baltimore fans would have had something else to complain about.”

Though much cannot be said for enthusiasm at Oxon Hill, it can easily be determined that this victory was the ultimate green and gold rush for the Packers. Check ESPN or the Sports section of any newspaper.

Senior track and field runner, Omozokpia Olumese, has been running for Oxon Hill’s track team since his freshman year. Even though he hasn’t participated in all of the seasons each year (cross-country, indoor, and outdoor), he has managed to run for at least one track season every school year. Track is not an easy sport by a long stretch; it takes endurance and drive, especially for those who participate in every season.

Aside from persistence and dedication, track teaches so many other valuable lessons. “Running track for four years has taught me commitment. I’ve learned how to be on a team and to finish what I’ve started,” said Olumese. His experience has helped him adjust to the rigor of both track and school as a whole. “There is an advantage not only to be running but to be involved, after school hours. Having a tight schedule pushes me to stay focused on the first priority.”

Participating in sports for a number of consecutive years also gives you a better knowledge of the sport. When you participate in an activity five days a week, every week, it’s hard not to become familiar with every aspect of that activity. “Being a veteran, I have grown accustomed to the rigor and high competitiveness required to run track. I know what to expect, what I expect and what is expected of me,” said Omo. He also has no problem using his knowledge of these expectations and his knowledge of the sport to be a leader to the underclassmen, saying that “it is much easier to speak to underclassmen about their training and performance. My opinion weighs more because I’m an accomplished veteran.”

Olumese’s dedication to both his sport and his team is displayed through his performance and his attitude towards the sport. “My coach has always said ‘Track is a sport where you get out what you put in’ and I agree 100 percent,” said Olumese. The day after a successful meet, you can always catch him wearing his medals with pride. However, that joyful pride doesn’t get in the way of his focus. “Running has taught me to push myself,” he said. It’s quite evident that he does.

The struggle of school and sports is always a common conversation around any school, but somehow it seems like the wrestlers have more on their plate than anyone else.  With the wrestling season is now in full swing, wrestlers have worked hard to achieve their top physical form so that they can dominate on the mats.

Although the team has won six times and only lost once, each wrestler must be held accountable for their own individual win/loss record.

Captain Eric Lynch has won 13 of his last 21 matches this year, only losing eight in total. Lynch has had a few 2-day tournaments in the past weeks, which have taken him out of school on more than one occasion. “Honestly tournaments are really draining because you can have up to 4 or more matches in one day. “

When asked if the tournaments were a good or a bad thing, the captain answered, “The good part about it is that we’ve been to some tough tournaments this year so we get to face better opponents.”

OHHS is the not the only school facing tournaments such as these; other high schools in the county are putting their best wrestlers on the mat as well.

Senior Neil Gerardo from Friendly high school expressed his slight discomfort when wrestling in theses tournaments. “I get very anxious and nervous but that’s the reason I have my iPod. It helps get pumped up for the matches as well as calm down and think.” Neil also talked about the tournaments saying “physically it is very rigorous to the body” but later explained, “that’s where the mental part comes in.” This strong willed wrestler is only a second year wrestler and said “I believe in mind over matter.”

Although the team is 6 and 1 altogether, Eric Lynch claimed in the interview “I still don’t think we’re working hard enough. Sometimes we take steps forward but we always take steps back. We’re about to face some tough teams that have more wrestlers than we do so it’s going to be tough and we’re just going to have to work together and push each other in practice.” The determination to win is going to be the deciding factor as the season progresses.

“Whether on JV or Varsity you still have to work for the win.” Varsity player Aniyah Liggins said. The mood was set for the rest of the game. “Victory!” Coach William Barnes really got the girls hyped up every chance he got. “It helps clear my mind and I get to meet new people.” Akia Johnson JV player said. The crowd showed their love cheering in the stands “Go KiKi,” mom of #21 Shavira Thiley said.

The pressure was on at 2^nd quarter while the score was 16-24. Parkdale was in the position to come back. The Clippers were not having that. In the blink of an eye #20 Domonique Matthews blocked what could have been the end. “I just did it,” Matthews says. She knew that shot was not a good look.

As the basketball game was coming to an end the crowd along with the cheerleaders was yelling “Lets Go Clippers, Lets Go!” In the end OHHS girls JV came out on top 59-18.