2023 December – The Mirror

Hudson Marshall’s Pre-Race Routine

December 5, 2023 by Gavin Kruger

This is the second in a series of articles about student-athletes’ pre-game rituals. Read them all here.

Hudson Marshall ’27. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

In this week’s edition of Athletes’ Pre-Game Rituals, I speak to a young, new, exciting Northwood ski racer, Hudson Marshall ‘27. The ninth grader from Toronto, Canada, is rapidly developing into an elite skier. The 5-foot-10 student-athlete is physically strong for his age. His talent and intangibles are starting to become apparent. Since coming to Northwood, Hudson has spent a lot of time developing physically to be able to maximize his performance come wintertime.

I asked the Canadian youngster about his pre-race day musts. “Night before the race, I make sure to get a good meal in. No specific meal, just whatever is being served. Then I make sure to stretch a lot, I make sure my muscles are loose and fresh for race day.”

His race-day routine is a little more structured. “In the morning, I wake up, have a shower, all that good stuff. Race day meal, not too specific, but it’s gotta include eggs. That’s my one must.”

Once he leaves for the mountain, Marshall starts to focus and lock in. “I always listen to some music to get me hyped up for the race. Hard Rock and Rap are my two staple genres.”

Once at the hill, Hudson starts his routine: “I listen to music. I’ll do some free runs, get warmed up, and stretch.”

Nerves can seriously affect an athlete’s performance, especially in an individual sport, where the eyes are all on you. I asked Northwood’s freshman talent about how nerves affect him before his races. “This is something that is a big thing for me. I get nervous before races. I haven’t fully figured out how to get rid of or handle those nerves. I just always try to remember I’m there to have fun.”

When asked about advice he would give, the Canadian said this: “Super simple, but it’s something that I live by: Just keep on going, don’t give up. There’s a quote that I love. It goes, ‘If you don’t try, you’ll never know what might have been.’ I’ve liked this quote for as long as I can remember. It’s so true. If you stop and give up, you’ll never know what could have been if you stayed with it and kept on going.”

Filed Under: Northwood Life, Sports Tagged With: PreGameRituals

Hong Kong Expat Style

December 5, 2023 by Mitchell Baker

When I was 4 months old my family moved to Hong Kong (from Australia) for work, and I lived there until I was 12. I look back at my time in Hong Kong with fond memories.

Hong Kong is surprisingly amazing and fun and not what you would expect from a country that crams 7.5 million people into land that’s 1.4 times the size of New York City. Firstly, there’s 3 different Hong Kong’s: Expat Hong Kong, local Hong Kong, and Foreign domestic worker Hong Kong. It’s like three different worlds that co-exist in one. Hong Kong used to be under British rule until the handover to China in 1997.

Hong View from the Peak. Photo provided.

Repulse Bay Beach in Hong Kong. Photo provided.

Jeremy Tsang ’23 (#3), Turner Jackson ’23 (back row, center), and Mitchell Baker ’25 (back row, right with their hard-court soccer team in 2016. Photo provided.

Leo Doyle ’25 (left) with Mitch Baker ’25 (center) and a teammate in 2017. Photo provided.

Expat Hong Kong is filled with Internationals, families who have moved to Hong Kong for work, usually in Finance and Banking. Mostly from the UK, USA, France and Australia, there were around 300,000 at that time. Generally, they live in a few pockets of Hong Kong, the kids go to international schools and play sport against other expats (rugby, soccer, cricket, and basketball being the most popular but there was Aussie Football also).

We lived in apartment blocks that had great facilities – tennis courts, swimming pools, a gym and would play with other kids in the complex after school.

It’s because I lived in Hong Kong that I took up soccer. My best friends at the time were from the UK and Argentina and played soccer so I joined them. It was the international sport. Both the expats and locals played soccer. Had I grown up in Melbourne, Australia I would have played Australian Football mostly.

I played Soccer and Rugby at the Hong Kong Football Club with Leo Doyle ‘25 for many years. I also played soccer with Jeremy Tsang ’23 and Turner Jackson ’23. The junior soccer in Hong Kong was very strong, probably better than in Australia. I think it’s because there are good international coaches there from Brazil, UK, and Spain for example. We also had a lot more access to soccer. Premier League teams would regularly visit Hong Kong as would famous players. I met Ronaldo (Brazil), Alan Shearer, Harry Kane, Robbie Fowler and watched PSG, Tottenham, and other teams play live.

During holidays, families would travel in the Asian region because everything was close by and relatively cheap. The bad part about Expat Hong Kong was that families were transient. Friends would move back home or go off to boarding school or move to another country. It was sad but it means I now have friends all over the world.

Then there’s local Hong Kong. I had some exposure to this side also because I played soccer for the local Professional team’s academy – Kitchee FC for a few years. I was the only Expat. The soccer was very much Barcelona-style passing and disciplined. We played tournaments in China a lot and I was lucky enough to go to Spain with them.

I also spent my last 1.5 years at a local school which was an eye opener. Education is a big thing in Asia and the discipline and attitude of the students in the local school was very different to an international school. At the local school, after every test, the teacher would announce the rankings in the class. In Hong Kong, there is a lot of pressure to do well in primary school so that you can get into a Tier 1 high school and then get into a university (limited places).

Foreign domestic worker Hong Kong consists of the 400,000+ domestic workers employed by Hong Kong families (including expats) to perform household chores and childcare. They comprise 5% of the Hong Kong population and are from the Philippines mostly. On Sundays (their day off), you can see the streets in the city populated with these workers socializing en masse.

Hong Kong also had great events. Like the HK Rugby Sevens where people would go to the stadium and dress up and the event was like a party with music blaring and people cheering for their country. The stadium would be singing “Sweet Caroline”, it was so much fun!

Chinese New Year was celebrated with red packets of small notes exchanged. Halloween was also fun as we’d go trick or treating in our apartment complex.

Living in Hong Kong was very different to Australia or the USA. We lived in a small apartment, not a house. Life was a lot more social though and we traveled in the region a lot more. I really enjoyed meeting people from all over the world and learning about different cultures. I see myself as an international kid. That’s probably why I love Northwood School so much as we have so much diversity here. Living in Hong Kong was a special time and those that have experienced it will know what I mean. I will always have a special connection with the other Northwood HK expats – Noah Leddell ’23, Jeremy Tsang ’23, Liam Doyle ’22, Leo Doyle ’25, Hamish Riddell ’26, James Martin ’26 and Shreeniket Bhat ’25.

Filed Under: People, Real World

NFL: Week 12 Recap

December 5, 2023 by Gus Garvey

The Turkey Day festivities are in full swing. Do you know what this means? More football. Boys and girls, it’s recap time.

Packers 29, Lions 22

Detroit on thanksgiving. No matter how good or bad either team playing that day is, Detroit will find a way to lose. This year’s honorary free win goes to the Green Bay Packers. Possibly the weakest opponent Detroit has played all year besides the Bears, and they find a way to blow it. MCDC can go for it on 4th down all he wants, but it doesn’t mean a thing if they can’t convert them. The Lions were 0 for 5 on 4th down. 0 for 5. Can you see the total ineptitude of that situation? Fortunately, the rest of their schedule is pretty easy, but after games like this? Might have to put a hold on the super bowl aspirations.

Commanders 10, Cowboys 45

Dallas continues their incredibly easy schedule against yet another pretend team in the Washington Commies. Despite keeping it close for a half, the Cowboys did this thing at halftime called “adjusting”. It quickly got ugly after that. 31 unanswered points scored as Washington didn’t have any answers on defense, and it cost Jack Del Rio his job. Many are happy with this move, but I’m going one step further. Get riverboat Ron out of there too. He’s been holding back the team for years.

49ers 31, Seahawks 13

San Francisco is once again heating up and taking no victims. Their next victim? An alleged playoff contender in the Seattle Seahawks. Throughout the game, Geno Smith and the rest of Seattle’s offense got a one-way ride straight to hell. It seemed like every offensive series for the Seahawks, there would be at least one play where San Fran just ran circles around them. Seattle’s only points were off good special teams and a pick-six. None of their points were earned by the offense, a near shutout for the Niner D. Now they have to set up for a showdown with Philly next week at the Linc.

Dolphins 34, Jets 13

And here it comes, stumbling in from the left, the Buttfumble Intoxication Meter. In fact, we need a drinking base for this week. The defense is still destroying worlds, New York still has the better hockey team, the Knicks aren’t complete garbage. Let’s put it at around 30 beers, which should do it. The good news for the Jets is that Zach Wilson isn’t playing this week due to being told to hit the pine in Buffalo last week. The bad? They have no choice but to start Tim Boyle. He performs as badly as everyone thought he would. Despite the defense doing their best, even scoring a touchdown off a Tua interception, the Jets offense couldn’t even get on the board until late in the 4th quarter. This team is absolutely awful. They have fewer rushing touchdowns than NFL wide receivers, their own receivers couldn’t catch a cold during the black death, the defense is stretched and overwhelmed to the point where they’re falling apart at the seams, and the year is a complete disaster. How on earth did the drinking meter overload on alcohol again? Only in Jersey. Miami, you looked horrible, but here’s your free win.

Buccaneers 20, Colts 27

This is what we call a crossroads game. The Buccaneers are trying to keep up in the NFC South, while the Colts look to remain surprisingly relevant in the AFC playoff race. What this game would come down to was which offensively challenged team would screw the pooch less. And that team was Indy. Gardner Minshew and his mustachioed glory led the Colts to yet another close win, as they are now knocking on the door for a playoff spot. Now if you told me at the beginning of the year that the Week 12 playoff picture would feature 3 AFC South teams, I would’ve had you chucked into a straitjacket.

Patriots 7, Giants 10

10 years ago, these two teams were playing in the Super Bowl. Today, they fight for a different prize. TANK BOWL!

The Giants’ recent push to scrap the tank and embrace mediocrity again took a big step forward, much to the dismay of their fans. With their Italian prodigy Tommy DeVito under center once again, New York managed to squeak out yet another win to keep fan optimism afloat. The solution to awakening a team dead in the water? The Patriots. Mac Jones was godawful in his limited sample size, throwing 2 picks and making his case for a CFL job next fall. Notice how I said limited sample size? That’s right, he got benched for Bailey Zappe yet again. It is a tremendous upgrade, from cataclysmically horrific to simply trash. With enough said, the Patriots are within 3 and charging to tie the game for overtime. They get into field goal range- and the kicker shanks a routine field goal. The Giants somehow fail upwards into their first back-to-back wins of the season. New York may have won the game, but New England has won the tank. I can’t wait to see which projected 3rd rounder Belichick selects with their top-10 pick. If he survives in New England to see that day, that is.

Steelers 16, Bengals 10

One week after the great firing of Matt Canada, the Steelers have turned a new leaf. Despite the score not suggesting it, Pittsburgh turned in quite possibly their best offensive performance of the year with Mike Sullivan calling the plays. To put this in perspective, the Steelers have been outgained in every game this season. Facing Jake Browning will put that to an end, but the Steelers also had over 400 yards of offense today. You know how long it’s been since that happened? 58 games. The last time they had 400 yards, Heinz Field was still called Heinz Field, had no people in it, and the opposing quarterback was Brett Rypien. Despite the Bengals keeping it close through a combination of ridiculous luck and turnovers, The Steelers managed to pull through in the end. They became the luckiest 7-4 team in NFL history with this win.

Panthers 10, Titans 17

Carolina is going to Nashville for what is sure to be a really awful football game. ANOTHER TANK BOWL!

Yes, another tank bowl. Carolina is representing Chicago, while the Titans are representing their brutally disappointing season. Both tank brigades came out to play today. Tennessee won a thoroughly unimpressive game, I’ll leave it at that. The real fireworks were to follow.

David Tepper has been a disaster as owner of the Panthers. The Rock Hill debacle, throwing way too much money at players and coaches, and seemingly spontaneous coaching changes. Could you guess what happened this time? That’s right, Frank Reich is gone. He didn’t even get to finish a full season as head coach. That’s not all, either. QB coach Josh McCown and assistant coach Duce Staley have also been kicked to the curb. They didn’t even do anything wrong, they weren’t given anything to work with! Every one of them wanted CJ Stroud over Bryce Young, but Tepper meddled to make the Young pick happen. Now, in addition to having no team, no first round pick, and no competent ownership, they’re also down half a coaching staff. Congratulations, Tepper, you’ve learned nothing. Dan Snyder has passed the baton to him for worst owner in the league.

Jaguars 24, Texans 21

This was a great game of football ruined by the festering disease that is refball. It’s rare that a team will get almost completely screwed thanks to refball, but it happened today to the Texans. The refs were doing their best to hand this game to the Jags all afternoon long. Despite all the screwing over and jackknifing by the refs, the Texans were still within a field goal and driving. However, they’re forced into a 4th and 12. They opt for… a 58 yard field goal? With a kicker who’s been screwing up all game. He predictably missed, hitting the crossbar. While I think it was the right call, that’s a horrible way to lose. Especially with how stacked the AFC is. Better luck next time, Houston.

Saints 15, Falcons 24

I’m making an executive decision. All of the teams in the NFC South are utter trash and don’t deserve to make the playoffs. Thus, all remaining in-division games are henceforth relegated to tank bowl status. Starting with this one. Prepare yourselves for a TANK BOWL!

Oh boy, was this a good call. For a game that had a division lead on the line, this sure didn’t impress. Two horrible offenses and two defenses that are forced to pick up the slack with regularity congregating in the house that failure built for a matchup for the ages. Similar to other games this week, what this game would come down to was which quarterback sucked less. That was, surprisingly, Desmond Ridder. Great, now Arthur Smith has an excuse to start him for the rest of the games this year. Atlanta moves back into 1st place in that pathetic division, and the Saints? Well, at least you aren’t injured to hell and back like previous years?

Rams 37, Cardinals 14

Hello, 911, I’d like to report a murder taking place. Yeah, I’m witnessing the Los Angeles Rams bludgeon the Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona. It’s horrible, there’s blood everywhere. Everyone in the stadium is crying hysterically, please, send everyone you can. The Rams have a tank in the corner and they’re planting explosives under it as I speak for maximum damage. I don’t know how much longer I can talk for, and– oh, shoot, they saw me.

Browns 12, Broncos 29

The Broncos continue their impressive return to relevance with a home match at Mile High against the Cleveland Brownies. Denver made pretty easy work of their adversary, with Russ Wilson skying the ball all game and the defense doing the rest. Although to be fair, even the Panthers could stuff an offense like Cleveland’s, trodding out the likes of Dorion Thompson-Robinson at quarterback. This offense is horrible. They’re relying on a Joe Woods defense to carry them to wins, and it didn’t work out for them today. They may still be 7-4, but it’s a pretty weak one.

Bills 34, Eagles 37

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles played great today, but I must put their efforts to the side. For the Bills, this is a catastrophic failure. It’s less to do with how they played and more with the huge impact of this loss. While the Bills played well, they needed a perfect game to beat a team like the Eagles. And Buffalo was far from perfect. Many Bills fans are blaming the refs for this loss, but even though they were horrible, this loss is self-inflicted. This loss came down to James Cook dropping a touchdown, Bass missing two mid-range field goals, and McDermott’s vaunted defense continuing to buckle like a rotten board in crunch time. While there’s no shame in losing to the Eagles, this still stings a lot due to where it puts the Bills. With 5 weeks left and a tough schedule, they’re 10th in the AFC. You know how this could have been avoided? Not losing to the 2-win New England Patriots. Or blowing countless opportunities against the Jags in London. Or not gifting the game to a Jets team dead in the water. Let’s not even get into that home match against Denver, that just speaks for itself. While I still have a foolish optimism that they could win out and make the playoffs, they are notoriously bad after bye weeks. Guess what’s happening next week? Typical Buffalo, giving their fans hope and ripping it away from them just as we reach for it. Philly, all I’m going to say is that Jake Elliott and Jalen Hurts better not pay for anything for the rest of the year. They carried you in this game. And finish paying off the refs while you’re at it, too.

Chiefs 31, Raiders 17

I don’t care what the scoreboard says, the Chiefs are in deep trouble. Their offense is looking incredibly suspect. With the last few weeks, and then spotting the Raiders 14 points in this game, things need to change now. I don’t care that they came back and won in the end, it was the Raiders, this game shouldn’t have been close. It’s pretty easy to outscore an opponent when said opponent’s quarterback probably couldn’t hit a beach ball off of a tee. Kansas City and their handless receivers now gear up for two important matchups in the next weeks that will be huge for playoff implications. With their “performances” these past few weeks, I’m having serious doubts about them.

Ravens 20, Chargers 10

The Chargers haven’t been able to produce a complete 60-minute effort all year. In most of the games that they play, one side of the ball will shine while the other inexplicably vanishes from the face of the map. It leads to them either barely escaping with a win or losing in humiliating fashion. It happened again against a Ravens team far better than they are. This week’s culprit was Austin Eckler running like he was stuck on a flytrap, and the O-line transforming into turnstiles for most of the game. 5 turnovers by the Charger offense as Baltimore’s defense had a golden corral of skill players. However, this game remained uncomfortably close for most of the game. The Chargers’ D, injured as they are, put up a gutsy and valiant effort against Baltimore and Lamar Jackson. They kept them in check for most of the game, only breaking on the final drive. When you hold a contender like the Ravens to 13 points through 3 quarters, it’s squarely on the offense to step up and win the game. They couldn’t. Typical Charger luck. To be so close to victory yet so far away. Playoffs are now almost out of the question with a 4-7 record. So, when are you going to fire Staley, Spanos? This decade? Hopefully.

Bears 12, Vikings 10

I don’t want to hear any excuses about Josh Dobbs not being ready for the lights, or Justin Fields being back from injury. This entire game was a defensive exhibition, in the worst excuse for a primetime game excluding Thursday Night Football I’ve seen this year. If you missed out on the Turkey Day festivities and wanted some dessert pastries, these two NFC North teams have you covered with a delicious treat: the Turnover. 6 total on the day, to be exact. 4 interceptions by Josh Dobbs. Back to back fumbles by Justin Fields. The Bears won this game without scoring a touchdown. The first time anyone’s done that this year. Vikings, you’re screwed. There’s a reason why teams don’t hang onto Dobbs and you’re seeing it right here. Hope you like missing the playoffs again, Minnesota! We kept the seat at the losers’ table warm for you.

Laughingstock of the week

For this week’s Laughingstock, I boiled it down to 4 finalists. They are:

Ohio State, for whistleblowing about the Michigan “scandal” and still losing to them in The Game

Eagles fans, for yelling family death threats at Bills’ defensive lineman Jordan Phillips

The Chicago Bears- even in winning, they still find a way to be laughed at

NFL Referees, for ruining Jags-Texans and nearly ruining Bills-Eagles and Ravens-Chargers

And the winner this week is… THE World Famous Ohio State Buckeyes! Imagine being so insecure you have to accuse your rival of cheating, and then you still lose to them in the biggest game of the year. Go Blue, and go home, Ohio. And keep Ryan Day as head coach, too. He is the greatest asset to Michigan this time of year.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: GusOnNFL

Humans of Northwood: Liam Burk ‘24

December 5, 2023 by Gavin Kruger

I’ve always played soccer. I started at 4, 5 years old. I started out as a midfielder, actually. I hated it. Sami Hyypia, the captain of Liverpool’s Champions League-winning team, was my neighbor. I was good friends with his son. He came to the Bayer Leverkusen team which is why I support Leverkusen. That’s kind of how I got into soccer; he got me into playing.

My mom moved to the US five or six years ago. I stayed with my dad in Germany. I never really considered coming to Northwood, but my mom heard about this school through Cara Dempsey. She’s good friends with my younger sister. So, we considered it, and in the end, I said, “Yeah, let’s do it.” I’m a very independent person, so I enjoy my freedom here. So I don’t really get homesick a lot or anything.

I love to program games. I’m really good at building computers; I’m into engineering. Computer science and computer game design interest me. It is what I want to study at university.

The Puerto Rico soccer trip was crazy. That’s definitely the best moment I’ve had here at Northwood. It was one of the best two weeks I’ve ever had. Just two weeks of playing soccer and relaxing at the beach. We played 6 games, one every day. Everything was perfect. Single bed, view from my window, the food was great. It was beautiful, everything, absolutely perfect.

My advice to younger students: if you’re struggling living away from home, just know the first few weeks will be the hardest. After a while, you get used to it. So, just try to embrace this opportunity. Being social is the most important thing. Just try to get to know people. Enjoy the time here. Not everyone can have what we are doing here at Northwood. This is a privilege, not everyone gets this chance. So just make the best of it and use it.

As told to Gavin Kruger ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

College Football Rivalry Week Recap

December 5, 2023 by Gus Garvey

Illustration: PFF

Thanksgiving has come and gone. You know what this means, it’s the best week of College Football, at least in the regular season. The Game, the Kentucky rivalry, the Oregon rivalry, The Iron Bowl, The Apple Cup, the Battle of Florida, and others. All of these games take place this week every year, and we’re fortunate this year in that many of these rivalry games featured at least one top-10 team. Let’s get into how everyone in the top 10 entering the week did, and where things shake out following all the action.

10. Louisville Cardinals

Louisville, I must extend you a heartfelt congratulations. Not only did you lose the most important game of the year in your rivalry game, you also did so against the redheaded stepchild of the SEC in the Kentucky Wildcats. It wasn’t even close, what happened to you guys was an utter atrocity. Any slim hope the Cards had of a playoff berth were completely shot down today, and their hopes for a New Year’s 6 Bowl game might be out of the window as well since they have to face Florida State for the ACC. Good luck, you’re going to need it.

9. Mizzou Tigers

A usually sloppy match between Missouri and Arkansas finds itself surprisingly relevant due to Mizzou coming in with a #9 ranking. This game perfectly summed up the Razorbacks’ disaster of a season, as they were completely steamrolled at home by a team with much greater ambitions than theirs. The only fight Arkansas showed all game were the fisticuffs they got into with Mizzou players when the game was long over. Even then, they still found a way to embarrass themselves. The Tigers, meanwhile, have nothing to do but hold their heads high. It was a great season for them, and although they couldn’t beat the big boys of the SEC, they got closer than in the last few years. A new year’s six bowl invitation might be in the works, especially if they get some help from the outcome of the Bama-Georgia game.

8. Alabama Crimson Tide

It doesn’t matter about the circumstances, it doesn’t matter how good either team is. When Bama and Auburn lock horns in the Iron Bowl, it’s sure to be a good game. This year’s iteration lived up to the hype. Throughout the game, it was surprising that Auburn kept pace, jumped out to a lead, and kept it for most of the game. However, Bama won’t just go down quietly. They have much bigger ambitions than a mere Iron Bowl victory. A loss could jeopardize their bid for the College Football Playoff. However, they’re down to a 4th and 31 with goal-to-go. What do they do? They convert it. The defensive back drifts out of position allowing Jalen Milroe to toss a dime to the back of the end zone. Bama wins an instant classic, but Auburn? Tough luck. Their little brother complex continues with this loss, as they are back to a .500 record. They’re bowl eligible, but they’re a long way from a competitive game. You know what could have helped? Not losing to New Mexico State. I know this segment is supposed to be about the Tide, but I needed to say this. It has to be addressed. This iteration of Auburn football is a dismal failure.

7. Texas Longhorns

Remember when Texas’s rivalry game used to be competitive? This year, it took the form of a juggernaut Longhorns team beating the life out of a Red Raiders squad that just wants this season to be over. There was no resistance offered by Tech for most of the game as Texas cruised to victory, further cementing a Big 12 championship appearance and a potential College Football Playoff bid. I’d honestly rather see these guys than Bama or Ohio State. Get some new teams in the playoff for once rather than the same old teams.

6. Oregon Ducks

The Battle of Oregon. Usually, this game results in a blowout victory for the Ducks. This year was more of the same. Despite their adversary being ranked, this game meant little more than bragging rights, shoring up Bo Nix’s Heisman ambitions, and furthering their case for a College Football Playoff berth. Next week, they are gearing up for a rematch with Washington for the final Pac-12 Championship. It’s sure to be a great game and will have huge ramifications on the College Football Playoff seeding. Please win, Oregon. I want chaos.

5. Florida State Seminoles

With Jordan Travis out for the season due to having his leg bent over like Spaghetti last week against an FCS team, The ‘Noles must now turn to Tate Rodemaker for any hope of surviving. His first true test came in a rivalry game against Florida down in The Swamp. He passed. It was less him and more the defense, but FSU managed to stay above the water to try to sneak into the College Football Playoff. Next week is a hugely important game against Louisville, not just for ACC bragging rights, but for a College Football Playoff berth. Get it done.

4. Washington Huskies

These guys’ rivalry game was the Apple Cup. While Washington State managed to keep it close, the Dawgs pulled out in the end thanks to Pennix turning in a decent performance and the defense doing the rest. I have severe doubts about this team’s viability, especially as they must beat Oregon for any hope of getting into the playoffs, but if there’s a will, there’s a way. They got a win earlier in the year, why can’t they in Vegas?

3. Michigan Wolverines and 2. Ohio State Buckeyes

For the sake of recapping both teams’ activity this week, I have rolled Michigan and the Buckeyes’ schedules into one, as the two teams played each other in The Game. This iteration was everything it was hyped to be and then some. Kyle McCord played great, but two costly interceptions were what did the Buckeyes in. As a result, the Buckeyes fell in the rankings dramatically. Michigan wins the Big 10 East for the 3rd year in a row. Congratulations, Ryan Day, you’ve just secured your pink-slipping and contract with Texas A&M for next year.

1. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia’s final game of the season is always a trap game. Who do they face? The resident doormat of the ACC in Georgia Tech. With next week’s Alabama showdown looming, the Dawgs succumbed to the Trap but managed to do just enough to escape with a win. Next week is do-or-die, in Atlanta against the Tide for all of the SEC and CFP marbles. Get it done, Georgia. We’re all counting on you.

New Rankings

#10: Penn State Nittany Lions

They don’t have a chance at making the playoffs thanks to their losses in the only two games that mattered but let them have this. And a potential New Year’s Six bowl game if everything shakes out in their favor.

#9. Mizzou Tigers

These guys didn’t do anything to move up, but still dominated their opponent at a scale that kept them in Single Digits for the time being. Once again, no chance of them sneaking into the dance, but similar to Penn State, they can play in a New Year’s Six if the cards fall their way.

#8. Alabama Crimson Tide

This is the first team in the Top 10 that I feel has a legitimate shot of making the dance. Despite their loss coming early in the season to a quality opponent, and rounding into form as of late, any hope of them making it to the Playoff comes down to their date with Georgia in the SEC championship. If they win that game, I’m confident they’re in. If not, well… Bammer fans don’t want to talk about that.

#7. Texas Longhorns

A very interesting team going into the championship week. They’re playing for a Big 12 title, and while beating up on Oklahoma State wouldn’t exactly shock anyone, it would still help them potentially get into the playoffs with some help.

#6. Ohio State Buckeyes

I want to laugh at this team for falling out of the top 4 after being catered to by the Committee all year, but at the same time I’m livid they didn’t fall further. So, this team is somehow better than Texas? And Bama? And Mizzou? The only team in the top 10 I think they would comfortably beat is Penn State, because they already did. Regarding playoffs, they’ll be at home on their couches again watching Michigan win the Big 10 Title, but playoffs are still a potential outcome, especially if chaos rules supreme in the PAC-12.

#5. Oregon Ducks

This one surprises me a little. I figured Oregon would be a bit higher, what with their dominant win over their cross-state rival, but apparently the Committee wants to maintain storylines for next week and interest across all the power 5 conferences. Next week against Washington is huge for playoff seeding, but I’ll leave it at that as I’ve already talked about it enough in this piece.

#4. Florida State Seminoles

What? Florida State over Oregon? Without the ‘Noles having a starting quarterback? I get that they beat a quality program in Florida this week, but the Committee needs to do something about this. If they make it in over Oregon and Washington, I’m going to be upset.

#3. Washington Huskies

Whatever, Ohio State loses, take their place in the rankings. You already know what I’m going to say, this 3 spot is meaningless unless they can beat Oregon in the PAC-12 Championship.

#2. Michigan Wolverines

They beat the previous #2 at home as the #3, and the only other team ahead of them is a literal juggernaut. This one doesn’t surprise me. They’ll probably maintain this spot, assuming they and the Bulldogs take care of business in their respective championship games, but chaos isn’t out of the window, especially with how they played at Maryland 2 weeks ago.

#1. Georgia Bulldogs

What do I even need to say? They’ve won 29 games in a row and are taking no prisoners. No surprises here.

Note to editor: If you make spelling/Grammatical changes to either of the Ohio State segments, please be sure to block out any letter O’s in black, as shown here:

Ryan Day was born on 3^rd base and hasn’t scored.

Filed Under: Sports

NFL: Week 11 Recap

December 5, 2023 by Gus Garvey

This week before Turkey Day had some of the best football so far this year. I’ll cut to the chase, there’s a lot to recap this week.

Bengals 20, Ravens 34

The NFL schedule makers saw this matchup and said “let’s put it on a Thursday”! That decision washed out any benefit this game may have had. Injuries and sloppy play were on the agenda tonight. Mark Andrews went down on the third play. Lamar was on the ground in pain for a little while. OBJ almost had a scare. But the biggest one claimed by the Football gods tonight was from the visiting side. Joe Burrow. Torn ligament in his wrist. His season is over. Bungles, you’re screwed. It wasn’t even due to the bad line this time, it was just really bad luck. Jake Browning looked okay in his limited role, but he’s far from Joe Burrow out there. By the time he got the offense moving, it was far too late. As for Baltimore, they also lose one of their important players on offense. Mark Andrews is done for the year after his ankle injury. Can we just abolish Thursday Night Football for gross indecency?

Steelers 10, Browns 13

The Browns are reeling this week. Dirtbag and his services are once again out this week, as Dirtbag was forced to get season-ending shoulder surgery. No comment. The bad news for Cleveland is that they’re forced to start Dorian Thompson-Robinson in his 2nd career start. He didn’t light the world on fire by any means, but he did just enough to allow Cleveland’s defense to do what they do best; completely dominate an overmatched opponent. They made Kenny Pickett look like an FCS quarterback. This isn’t just regression, it’s at the point where he’s playing lower than Cleveland’s sewer system. He’s rattled beyond belief, he’s skittish in the pocket, and he’s scared to throw the ball downfield in case he makes a mistake. Perhaps this is due to the different sewer system known as the Steelers’ offensive scheming. Low-risk draw plays and a lot of pre-snap motion that does nothing to fool defenses. The result is an offense that would make a middle school outfit look good. What, I’m supposed to be impressed that the Browns won this disaster of a game? If this was a real team, they would have gotten punted straight across Lake Erie to Detroit.

Wouldn’t you know it, the Steelers have finally fired Matt Canada. I’m not going to congratulate them that much for something they should have done a month ago at minimum, but we can call this progress. Honestly, good riddance. There were chants to fire this guy at hockey games, it was that bad. You know how unprecedented of a move this is for the Steelers? They haven’t fired a coach since 2004. They haven’t had a midseason coaching change since 1941. And that guy resigned from his position. Matt Canada was so bad he made history doing so. How the Steelers even offered this guy a contract is beyond me.

Raiders 13, Dolphins 20

I can’t tell if this game is a result of Vegas turning a corner or the Dolphins looking sluggish after their bye week. My conclusion is a bit of both. Miami just looked flat. Sure, Vegas is playing like they have nothing to lose, but there’s still such a lack of execution on their part. This raiders D isn’t exactly quality, you know. Luckily it was the Raiders and not a real team, Miami. May your cakewalk schedule propel you to 7-3 as they get ready to face the closest thing to a JV team in the Jets next Friday.

Bears 26, Lions 31

Detroit, congratulations on your statement win last week. What you failed to realize is that you must beat the bad teams convincingly to continue to be viewed as legit. Detroit didn’t do that today. Against the closest thing the NFL has to an EFL Championship team in the Bears, the Lions looked flat and uninspired until about 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. It just felt like they woke up just in time to bail themselves out and didn’t bother putting in a full 60-minute effort.

Titans 14, Jaguars 34

Tennessee fans are in hell. Not only has Will Levis been revealed to be rawer than sushi, but they also face their dreaded adversary: Jacksonville. For some reason over the past few years, the Titans haven’t been able to beat them. Despite the Jags getting massacred by San Fran the previous week, it continued today down in the hot sun of Duval. Once again, horrible offensive play, coupled with the defense bending like a bow to allow the Jags to march all over them. Jacksonville now gears up for a huge matchup with the Texans next week to decide AFC South supremacy. Tennessee- well, at least you’ve won a game this year? That’s a plus, right?

Chargers 20, Packers 23

Last week was rough, Chargers. At least this week you get an easy opponent in the Packers. LA should dominate this game- as they completely fall apart and keep Green Bay in the game for far too long. The Packers even had the lead for most of this game. If things couldn’t get worse for LA, their 1st round wide receiver couldn’t catch a perfect touchdown pass to put LA up with seconds remaining. Packers win. Chargers, you’re done. If you’re laying these kinds of eggs against Green Bay? Yikes.

Cardinals 16, Texans 21

Houston is a very weird team to me. Some weeks, they’ll come out and completely ravage teams like Jacksonville and Cincinnati. On others, they’ll lay eggs against groups like the Cardinals and Panthers. This week was more of the same, in which we got the brutally frustrating Texans team we’ve seen from time to time this year. Even with midget man under center, Arizona just couldn’t muster much on offense against a stout D, as CJ Stroud and company did just enough to escape with a win. Next week is huge as to their playoff chances. Get it done, Houston.

Cowboys 33, Panthers 10

Dallas continues their cakewalk schedule against the worst team in the league. Despite the lopsided final score, this game was close for a while. Way too close. Dallas, you’re lucky you were facing a backwards organization like Carolina or else this could have been really embarrassing for you. After the next couple weeks comes the tough part of your schedule. None of their wins are against teams currently over .500. If that doesn’t raise any red flags, I don’t know what will.

Giants 31, Commanders 19

A disaster of a game that can only be described in two words: TANK BOWL!

This week’s tank bowl takes us to the NFC East, where Washington looks to get their season back on track against a pretend team in the New York Giants. Even with the disaster that has been their year so far, they can still stay alive and kicking in the playoff picture. I mean come on, you’re facing Tommy DeVito. This guy is the closest the NFL has to a random guy off the street. You’ll be able to handle him, right? You can continue to do delude yourselves into thinking everything is fine, while DeVito carves up your paper soft defense like a turducken and Sam Howell throws a pick six to seal the game. How on earth do Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio still have jobs right now? You can say goodbye to whatever playoff hopes you had, Washington. At least you’ll have a high draft pick? That’s a positive?

Buccaneers 14, 49ers 27

The Bucs are limping into this game somewhere between overcooked and hockey puck, as they face a San Fran team hungry for more easy opponents to beat. We already know the culprit by now. That garbage offense. Byron Leftwich has gone from a guy that was in line to fill a head coach vacancy 2 years ago to a guy that might find himself on the unemployment line at the end of the year. He can join Matt Canada and Dorsey there as his offense was nowhere near productive today. San Fran is a good defense, but the Bucs did themselves no favors with any kind of clutch breaking down before they got out of the lot. The fortunate thing for them is that they’re surprisingly still competitive in the playoff chase, mostly thanks to their really weak division. Now watch them screw this up and miss the playoffs.

Jets 6, Bills 32

The Northwood Mirror is proud to announce the newest addition to our sports coverage: the Fireman Ed Intoxication Meter! Who needs fan optimism when you can drown your pain in booze? Let’s see who they’re playing tonight, anyway. The Bills. Jets fans, you’re going to need to pregame harder to even survive. We’ll call it about 7 beers by kickoff. The good news is that the Jets defense is doing well, holding Buffalo to field goals- open a cold one. The bad? The Jets are doing even worse. They were a net negative on offense deep into the 2nd quarter. They managed to score a touchdown before the half but whiffed on the 2 point try. With 12 beers in the system and Fireman Ed’s BAC well over a healthy amount, the Bills finally start scoring touchdowns. Even worse, the Jets offense somehow regresses from its bad first half. Zach Wilson was benched. For Tim Boyle. A journeyman whose only redeeming quality is holding a clipboard on the sideline. The Intoxication meter crashed from the readings following this event. Bills, here’s your free win to keep your playoff hopes alive. It’s not much, but it’s something. The real games of note are coming your way soon.

Seahawks 16, Rams 17

The Seahawks are such frauds. For some reason, they can’t handle the Rams, no matter how good or bad either team is. LA just has their number, particularly at home. It continued once again from the confines of SoFi. Seattle had an early lead but squandered it due to sloppy play and some highlight reel catches by Puka Nacua. Even when they have a chance to win, they whiff the field goal. Good. They didn’t deserve to win this one. I would comfort you for this loss but guess who you have next. The Niners. Might as well get the death sentence ready.

Vikings 20, Broncos 21

This may not have been the best game of the week, but it sure lived up to the Sunday night docket. Two well-rounded teams facing off in primetime in what was a pretty good game. Denver looked suspect early on but surged back to take the lead late and hang on. Dobbs’s feel-good story couldn’t continue today, but I honestly wouldn’t feel too bad. They’re still in a playoff spot, and their schedule is very easy. They can still make the playoffs and control their own destiny. Considering how bad their injuries are, this is a good thing.

Eagles 21, Chiefs 17

This has been the NFL’s MO this year: Great games on paper that are ruined thanks to sloppy play and refball. We got both in this super bowl rematch. I don’t know if these refs are playing DraftKings or if they’re just blind, but the crew working this game was horrible. Ticky-tack calls against both teams, no-calls on blatant fouls, just general ineptitude. Fortunately, the game was kept from being unwatchable thanks to the two teams on display. I must say, despite the loss, KC’s defense has molded into a pretty stout unit this year. It’s an improvement from years past. You know who hasn’t? Marquez Valdez Scantling. Another dropped pass at a critical moment which would have given Kansas City the lead. Philadelphia, here is your statement win. 9-1 is impressive, but do not become complacent. The rest of the season is full of potholes to be dodged. Good luck, Philly.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: GusOnNFL

Humans of Northwood – Leon Brody

December 5, 2023 by Gavin Kruger

I started to take soccer seriously at 14. Before that, I was into competitive Basketball. I also played competitive flag football. Soccer didn’t become my main sport until I was 14 or 15.

Growing up in Montreal, hockey has always been a part of my life. Since coming to Northwood, I’ve kind of stopped watching. But whenever the Habs are playing well, it’s always fun to watch a game here and there. Historically, my favorite player has been Gallagher.

I was at a soccer showcase in Montreal, and Coach Moodey came for a day. He was looking for goalkeepers, and he found me. I was looking at different soccer programs to keep me playing soccer, because it becomes hard to play at a certain level in Quebec. So it ended up being just a great coincidence.

Middlebury College became my dream school. I mean, it was great. The day I committed to Middlebury was a little crazy. I was on calls with a couple of schools throughout the day. Once it was over, it felt amazing. I couldn’t be happier about the result.

Last year’s trip to Puerto Rico. It was very special. It was really, really fun. We were down for 10 days during the FECU games. And yeah, just played some games and went to the beach. It was amazing.

My advice to younger students: Never get caught up in your own head. Because you know, sports can become either stressful or a source of relief from stress. And I’ve had it both ways. It’s so much better when it’s a way of, you know, letting go of stuff. So I’d say, just remember, remember why you started playing.

As told to Gavin Kruger ’26. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Humans of Northwood: Devin Shakar ‘24

December 5, 2023 by Halle Mules

I am a first year from Schenectady, New York. I had first heard about Northwood through a former student, and quickly started the recruitment process. Eventually everything worked out, and I was excited to start a new chapter of my life.

I was 5 years old when I got into hockey but started playing as a goalie at 7. Back when I was playing youth hockey there was a rule that you could only play goalie for a week a year all the way until squirts. Growing up and living just five minutes away from Union College, I went to a lot of their games. This was at a time when they were an exciting team to watch, and it definitely got me into the sport.

Hockey is a big part of the culture here, and the team bonding I experienced as a new student made the transition easy.” On my first day on campus, I met Ritter Coombs and Owen Flynn and thought they were nutjobs. But seeing them every day and becoming buddies with them was a great way to start my Northwood experience.

A moment that will stick with me is hiking up Cobble as a team and having that bonding experience early on while also experiencing a view of the Adirondacks is not something everyone gets to do.

Everyone has their own thing. When you get to know me, you’ll see I enjoy doing puzzles: your New York Times, Wordles, Crosswords puzzles or even jigsaw puzzles. Journaling has also become a routine in my everyday life. I find myself coming across a quote and writing it down and it’s a way for me to continue to grow as a person.

I’m grateful for my goalie coach Brian McDonald. He’s been with me since an early age, and he made hockey fun and a place where I can get away from the world. Working with him every day in the summer we both got to know one another. On and off the ice having a mentor and a father figure is something special.

As told to Halle Mules ’24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Humans of Northwood: Sam Lyne ‘24

December 5, 2023 by Halle Mules

I am a third year from Danbury England. I first heard of Northwood from two former students, and I was quickly interested in what Northwood had to offer compared to other schools.

I started playing hockey when I was 5 years old. I used to go to public skate with my dad. One day I signed up for an intro to hockey tryout and went from there. I instantly grew a passion for the sport and knew it was something I wanted to continue. Northwood has given me the opportunities to grow as a person and a student-athlete. A moment that will stick with me is being able to play in my first game with the Prep team. Starting on the high school team my first year, then varsity my second, I always wanted to play on the prep team.

I am extremely grateful for Coach Felhaber and Coach Miller who have had the most impact on my experience here. They have been with me every step of the way and put a smile on my face every day; I owe it to them for assisting me with my development over the past three years.

Fitness is a big part of my life and I enjoy helping others through this. I have successfully opened a fitness account on Instagram and started the summer at 5,000 followers and am now at 25k. I have accomplished a lot of self-set goals for myself and am looking forward to continuing this.

After graduation, I intend to play junior hockey and continue to develop my online fitness programs to eventually open my own gym. I will miss the memories and friendships I have made, particularly as an international student. It will be different not seeing those people every day, but hopefully we will stay in touch.

As told to Halle Mules. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Filed Under: Northwood Life, People

Humans of Northwood: Sachiel Ming ‘24

December 5, 2023 by Mitchell Baker

If I didn’t play soccer, I believe I would be a famous rapper. I love music, specifically Rod Wave, and I spend most of my time off the field vibing to tunes. I grew up in Southampton, Bermuda with my older brother Ahria. Bermuda is one of the world’s smallest countries which means I wasn’t able to experience diverse cultures before coming to Northwood. Being on a small island taught me a lot, I was forced to help my parents at home, which made me more independent. I love Bermuda and will always have pride in being Bermudian. My brother left to attend Berkshire School in Massachusetts when I was only 8. Ever since then, I have aspired to follow in his footsteps and surpass him in his achievements. My brother graduated from Dartmouth with flying colors and is now doing his master’s at Northeastern. He is a role model for me and has inspired me to be a better version of myself. Coach Moodey, who coached my brother at Berkshire, recruited me to come to Northwood.

I came to Northwood as a 16-year-old boy with no purpose. All I cared about was scoring goals and playing soccer. The influence of others and the adversity I have faced throughout my Northwood life have transformed me into a new man. I truly believe that if my 16-year-old self met me today, he wouldn’t believe it. The change in my character is the most valuable thing that has happened to me at Northwood. On top of my change, I am grateful for the people I have met. Throughout my journey, I have met people who are now brothers from all over the world. Northwood has given me the opportunity to experience the diversity I wasn’t able to experience in Bermuda.

Next year, I will be attending Syracuse University to play for the Division 1 national champions. This achievement is special to me and my family. I feel like all the hard work I have put in has finally paid off, and I can’t wait for the future. My dream is to become a professional soccer player and this achievement gets me one step closer.

I still have a lot to do, and I am aware of that. Right now, my focus is on making Northwood a better place before I leave. These last months will end my long journey that has changed my life. I am optimistic about the end of my Northwood journey, and I am cherishing every moment before it ends. I will make this school year the best one I have had yet.

As told to Mitchell Baker ’24. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.