By Casey Chapman and Hunter Johnston, Sports Editor and News Editor

Feb. 1 marks National Signing Day for college-bound athletes. Friends and family of Saegertown seniors Noah Marvin and Nate Tallada gathered in the library to witness as they signed their letters of intent and committed to the colleges of choice for their respective sports.

Noah is the third generation of Marvins to attend Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. EUP is among the ranks of the NCAA Division II schools, as well as a member of the PSAC (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference). Marvin officially signed his letter of intent to the Fighting Scot’s football team and will participate under the guidance of junior quarterback Cody Harris with his partial scholarship. Because he will be red-shirted as a freshman,  Marvin should see significant varsity time after Harris’s graduation. Mr. Toby Marvin, Noah’s father, said, “It (Edinboro) has the best program (academically). I went to school there and my father did. I want Noah to get the full experience of college.”

Cross country runner Nate Tallada, a four-time state medalist and three-time District 10 champion, had recieved many offers from colleges to join their team. Among the colleges were University of Pittsburgh, East Stroudsburg University, and University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He decided on the latter. “I chose UNC Charlotte because it was far away, and I wanted to get a good college expericence. After college there are a lot of opportunities there, and plus I received a partial athletic scholarship to go there,” said Tallada.

The UNC Charlotte 49ers, a member of the NCAA Divison I schools in running, is part of the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). Tallada looks to come into the program and start but mentioned that the starters will be chosen by their showing at a pre-season mock race and are subject to the coach’s discretion. In addition to the new setting and team Tallada will also have to run a further distance than the high school 5K (3.1 miles). He said, “The majority of the season is 8K [4.96 miles] races, and then once we get into conferences, regionals, and nationals then they turn into 10K [6.2 miles] races.”

Nate’s parents Lurae and Lou Tallada were pleased with his decision. “I would go there myself, but the choice was up to him. He did a lot of research and believe he picked the right school,” said Lurae Tallada.

In the app, the character “runs” on a seeming endless track that is scattered with various distractions and gaps that will cause the game to end if a collision occurs. What might the character be running from? Well, it appears that there are ape-like creatures with skulls in place of their heads that are out to get the player. Tree roots and flaming ropes are just a few things that jumps and slides are required to clear.

Along the way, the player collects coins that both add to total score and can be used to purchase upgrades and one-use power-ups for the player’s benefit. Upgrades appear randomly floating throughout the maze and include: “Mega Coin,” an abundance of coins that may be collected at once that increases number with upgrade, a “Magnet” that causes all coins in the vicinity to flock to the player and can be upgraded to last longer and add to the value of collected coins, “Invisibility” which makes the character impervious to failure by any means with the exception of forgetting to turn and running off the edge, “Boost” that pushes the character a distance without worry of running into anything or off any edges, and the “Coin Value” upgrade that causes higher value (2x and 3x) coins to appear at various distances that become earlier with upgrades.

Players can also multiply their scores with an accumulation of “objectives” or challenges that include (but are not limited to) reaching various distances, collecting certain amounts of coins, and even unlocking a specific number of store objects.

Log on to the App Store and join the millionaire’s club!

On Jan. 4, Josh Tomiczek reached the 100 win milestone at the 195 lb. weight class against Saegertown’s classic rival Ft. LeBoeuf, and he wrote his name into the history books.  Tomiczek said, “It’s a privilege to now be associated with some of the greatest athletes to ever come through our school.” As of press time, Tomiczek has since increased his win tally to a total of 103 and is not about to stop anytime soon.

“I would like to rack up more wins and have the best ranking possible going into the postseason,” said Tomiczek.  “I hope to win regionals, and go to states and make a good run for the gold.”
Tomiczek and the rest of the Panther wrestling squad can be seen in action again Wednesday, Feb. 1 as they face Conneaut Lake on the road in a dual meet.

(This article was reprinted from Issue 5 of The Panther Press, released on Jan. 27)

Junior Sammi Sullivan keeps up the cheer by sled riding, an activity many students who live in areas like ours enjoy. Sledding parties on snow days converge at the iconic Reservoir Road. Still more students enjoy snowboarding. Local snowboarding and skiing areas include Peek ‘n’ Peak and Mountain View in Edinboro.

Others, like Junior Deni Lance, find ways to entertain themselves inside on dreary days.  “I draw,” said Lance. “In the winter I do a lot of black and whites; they reflect the blah weather.”
Mrs. Keller, tenth grade Biology teacher, said, “Take vitamin D! It’s the vitamin your body makes when you’re out in the sun.” Vitamin D is also proven to brighten moods and build the immune system, making for a happier you.

The user controls a ragdoll athlete, named Qwop, by using the keys “Q” and “W” to control his thighs and “O” and “P” to control his calves. The game recently became popular after being featured on Ray William Johnson’s YouTube series “=3” or (equals 3), and is also the subject of many other rants on the site. While some can master this game, the learning curve proves to be too steep for most.

Senior Caleb Ohmer, an advocate of the knee-shuffling strategy said, “The strategy I developed eliminated the need to run. By using two keys alone, he can crawl to his destination with little effort.” Most QWOPers share Ohmer’s methods and few can manage to enable Qwop to sprint like a normal human. According to “Wired” Magazine, QWOP’s release caused the website that hosts it to garner over 30 million hits.
Along with the flash game, QWOP has also been extended to Apple users. It is currently on sale on the App Store for $0.99 and has more added features than the original game. While the traditional 100 meter dash can still be played, the application also includes alternate events such as, 100m Hurdles, Long Jump, Steeplechase, and the 50km Walk. Those who are curious about QWOP should visit http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html, but remember, we warned you.

It was a night filled with career explorations, community service and seniors trying to prove themselves as they move one step closer to finishing high school. Graduation projects were presented on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Several district-level changes implemented this year affected the seniors. To begin with, graduation project books were not printed this year. Students accessed all information concerning the projects online. Students had to sign in and out of the event to prove they had stayed for the whole night. More classrooms were also used this year to accommodate the teachers who evaluate the projects, and each project was evaluated by three teachers, instead of the just the advisor as it had previously been done. The judges graded each student separately and then took the average of the three grades to determine the student’s final grade. Presentations were scheduled every fifteen minutes, and they were required to last five to seven minutes.

“The changes this year definitely made the project harder,” said senior Mirrissa Parker. Derek Schlosser said, “They seemed unfair and came into play way late.” English teacher Mr. William Hetrick said, “I liked seeing the kids who were not comfortable with public speaking do a good job.” Many seniors felt the projects were worthwhile. Alysha Cormier, who completed a career exploration on photography, said, “My project will have an impact on my future plans. Photography has always been a dream of mine, and my senior project helped me look into it more. I’ve now decided I am going to enter the Air Force as a public affairs photographer.”

Senior Hallie Kirdahy co-chaired the Saegertown Women’s Improvement Club’s (SWIC) 13th annual golf outing. Kirdahy raised a total of $7,578. She said, “It was an eye opening experience. I never realized how much effort went into a project like that. Even though the outing was a daunting task, it was worth it in the end, because I know the members of the SWIC will use the money to improve our community.” Kirdahy was not the only one who raised an extraordinary amount of money. Senior Brittany Gentry raised about $9,000, and after all the bills had been paid off, she had about $5,000 left. Gentry produced, directed, and starred in a Patsy Cline musical. “It was the best experience I have had so far in my life,” said Gentry.

According to Assistant Principal Mrs. Laurie Kantz there will be more changes to come next year. The presentation time will be from 6-8:30, instead of 6:30-8:30, to accommodate the size of next year’s senior class. Commenting on this year’s projects, she said, “I thought they turned out well. I was nervous because it was my first year. Parents overall seemed to be pleased.”

(article reprinted from Issue 5 of The Panther Press, released Jan. 27)

Senior Brandon Stafford, pictured above at the Brockway Tournament in December, recently took the gold at the Tool City Wrestling Tournament in Meadville, Pa.

Twenty wins. One loss. Those are senior Branden Stafford’s statistics for the 2011-2012 wrestling season thus far. On Saturday, Jan. 8, Stafford won the Tool City Wrestling Tournament at Meadville High School.

In the finals, he pinned Boiling Springs High School senior Tyler Wentzel in 3:42. “I wasn’t expecting to get the fall in the finals. He was a good wrestler,” said Stafford. Stafford has been a wrestler since his seventh grade year, and he has won four other tournaments throughout his high school career.

Last year, Stafford broke the school’s record for the most pins in a season with 28. He also had the most team points. Stafford finished the season with 38 wins and eleven losses. This year he is ranked ninth in the state.“My biggest competition is probably Blake Heim from Reynolds and Jeff Burger from Union City,” said Stafford.

He is currently working on making his hundredth win, with only eight to go as of press time. Next year, Stafford plans to wrestle for Edinboro University.

SHS Spanish club members traveled to the Mattress Factory last year. They will return to Pittsburgh this year.

The Spanish club’s spring destination was finally decided upon during the most recent club meeting. Last year, they traveled to Pittsburgh where they visited the Mattress Factory and the Carnegie Science Center. They then went on a Spanish dinner cruise aboard the Gateway Clipper.

This year, without much debate, the club members decided they wanted to visit Pittsburgh once again. This year’s destinations include the Nationality Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Zoo, and the Spanish dinner cruise aboard the Gateway Clipper. The trip, which will be scheduled for the end of May, is an all day event, so the members will not return until around midnight that evening. Mrs. Janyce Brawn, Saegertown High School’s Spanish teacher, said, “We look forward to this trip every year.” She laughed and added, “ I hope we remember the limbo stick this time.”