Beautiful Creatures

By: Kayla Carrico

            Beautiful Creatures is 592 pages of mystery and suspense. Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl will not let you put the book down. They keep you captivated and guessing and you feel a connection with the characters.

            Beautiful Creatures introduces you to the small southern town of Gatlin, where everyone is expected to have the same exact views and originality is frowned upon. Then enters Lena Duchannes; a young gothic girl coming to live with her crazy reclusive uncle who is nothing like the people of Gatlin.

            When Lena catches the attention of Ethan Wate both of their lives will change. Ethan feels connected to Lena but he can’t explain it. Add that to all of the weird things going on around town since Lena arrived and you get a story full of mystery and unanswered questions. Just when you figure one thing out something else is thrown right back at you.

            Beautiful Creatures is an incredible story that pulls you along in such a way that you cannot force yourself to put it down. Stohl and Garcia do such an excellent job of keeping you interested and building their characters that you feel a connection to them. This can only be contributed to the marvelous handiwork of the two authors.

If you want to take a walk into a world that seems so similar to your own, yet exceptionally different, into the world of Beautiful Creatures.

Book Review: "Hush, Hush"

By: Kayla Carrico

Hush, Hush, the first book written by author Becca Fitzpatrick debuted as a New York Times bestseller. Hush, Hush is amazingly well written. It is Good enough to capture the attention of even the most diehard vampire fan.

            Hush, Hush is the story of a high school student named Nora Grey. Nora’s life is completely normal until the day that Coach switches seats in biology and she has to sit by the incredibly mysterious Patch. Before this, Nora had never shown any interest in boys. She had a plan and they were not a part of it, but there was something different about Patch. He just seemed to draw her in.

            When unexplainable things begin to happen to Nora she’s not sure who she can trust. Patch seems to know everything about her. Nora Grey is being thrown into a battle as old as time itself, with fallen angels and many more mysterious happenings. The only thing left for Nora to do is decide which side she wants to be on.

            Hush, Hush is so well written because Becca Fitzpatrick makes you feel like you’re a part of the story. Nora’s battle becomes your battle as you feel the need to pick sides. She includes a mixture of everyday problems that all teenagers face, (including friends, school, and other teenage pressures) and it combines them into a world with a whole new perspective.

            Hush, Hush is new; it includes a fresh idea that also sticks to the popular genre of today. I think that it is wonderfully written and very unique. Although books of this nature have been written before, (those with angels and fallen angels), this novel has a new take. Becca Fitzpatrick took an old idea and put a new spin on it, she spent five years perfecting it and her hard work shows in her fantastic writing and her brilliant character development.

            If you’re looking for a good book to read, look no further. Becca Fitzpatrick’s Hush, Hush is just what you’re looking for.

Hancock Does Well Despite Tough Competition

By: Drema Johnson

On Saturday October 23 the Hancock County Cross Country teams traveled to Owensboro to compete in the Apollo Invitational. Although the girls didn’t have a full team, they did exceptionally well. Leading for Hancock County was Drema Johnson. She placed third with a time of 21:29. Other finishers included Sydney Young placing eighth with 22:10, Kensey Estes placing fourteenth with 22:48, and Tanisha Johnson placing fiftieth with 29:13. 

“All of my runners exceeded my expectations,” Coach Wes Meserve stated. “This was a pretty hard course, so times weren’t the best, but the places were even better than they were projected to be. For them to go out and do as well as they did, I have to say that it was the best race that I’ve seen all season.

The varsity boys also did extremely well. Cody Roach led the race for Hancock County. He placed eighth with a time of 17:52. Other finishers included Cody Inman placing fifty- fourth with 20:30 and Josh Daugherty placing fifty- ninth with 20:54.

“I started out too fast, because I overheard some of the boys in my race talking about boxing me in.” Roach stated. “I knew I didn’t have many options so I just went for it.”

Just like varsity, middle school gave it their all, and in return got great results. The boys were led by Cody Schroader who placed fourth with a time of 15:14. Others included Austin Schadler sixth with 15:26, Dylan Johnson eighteenth with 16:16, Bailey Terry forty-eighth with 17:57, Bo Powers sixty- ninth with 18:47, Wesley Nevvitt seventieth with 18:47, and Jacob Young eighty-ninth with 20:19.

As far as the girl’s middle school, Kirsten Johnson led the race with 16:58 and Kelsey Rodgers placed eighth with 18:13.

“I’m very proud of my middle school runners as well.” Meserve stated. “A few of my boys were up there with some of the top runners in the state, and Kelsey proved just how far she has really come. Also, Kirsten, as a sixth grader, won her race beating some of the best middle schoolers in the state.”

Teen Pregnancy

Krystale Bradley

It used to be that most girls dream of growing up, marrying the perfect man, having kids and living happily ever after. Unfortunately these dreams don’t always turn into reality. In this decade, it is not unusual for teenage girls to get pregnant before they graduate high school. In an article by Marina Khidekel, she states "750, 00 teen girls a year get pregnant." For some it's just a mistake of not having protection, but for some it was on purpose. What could possibly make a teenage girl want to take on the responsibility of raising a child?

According to Khidekel, “Thirty-one percent of teen girls say TV shows & movies make them want to have a baby." We have all heard of, and probably seen; hit TV shows such as The Secret Life of The American Teenager and Teen Mom. These shows are about teen girls who get pregnant while still in high school and the different situations they face. Girl’s watch these shows and see how easy and glamorous they make being a teen mom appear. Some do show the rough times of being a teen mom but as Khidekel pointed out “in the end these shows are entertainment and it can be easy to gloss over the facts. The teen mom life is not as easy as it seems and most teen girls have to learn this the hard way.”

"Of course, you're the one with the power to make your own choices and you have family and friends and a million other factors influencing your decisions- but when you see so much teen sex and pregnancy everywhere it starts to seem normal" states Khidekel. TV shows and movies aren’t the only thing influencing teen girls, but they do consume a big part in it. It’s not all bad, but a lot of the shows don’t give the accurate and important facts the young teens girls need to know.

Many teen think that they can juggle being a teen mom plus school but they soon find out it’s not that it’s very hard to do without a lot of help. "The majority of girls who have had a baby before the age of 18 don’t graduate high school." (Khidekel) They end up dropping out and working a dead-end job just to try and support their child. Some get lucky and have parents and friends to help them stay in school while working but not everyone is that lucky. "80% of fathers don’t stay with the teen mother of their babies." (Khidekel) So many young girls become teenage single mothers."Teen pregnancy is the major contributor to poverty, single parenthood and limited features fir adolescents and their children, that why it’s so significant to attend to the problem now and not later."

Many people ask themselves why some girls want to get pregnant at such a young age? Well different girls do it for different reasons and to them it makes sense. Some reasons are “The girls want someone to love and love them back; they think it will be "cute", want to grow up faster, don’t have anything constructive to focus on." After they actually have the babies they realize these were senseless reason to want to become a teen mother.

"They're either not educated enough or voluntarily ignoring the fact that birthing and raising a child is not as easy and will not make their lives more fun." Most parents just assume that they have raised that child to make the right choice and just ignore the fact that their kid could be choosing not to. It is the parent’s responsibility to talk to their child about teen sex and the facts about being a teen mother. That way the teen knows the consequences and will make them think twice before doing something they will regret like getting pregnant on purpose. I’m not saying anything bad about teens that have had kids because I’ve had friends become teen mom during high school and they take care of their child, have a job and continue going to school. I’m saying young teens should know and understand the truth about being a teen mom before deciding to do something that can alter their whole life.

Presidential Race

    The 44th president of the United States....was unexpected. The 44th president is Barack Hussein Obama, the first African American president ever elected. This was unexpected considering our nation’s history of slavery and discrimination. Many questions came to mind when he was elected. How strongly does race still influence our society? If he makes a mistake will he be hated more because he is African American?  What motivated voters to turn out in such large numbers?

    San Francisco Chronicle blogger, Willie Brown seems to have the answer to one of these questions. In one of his blogs he compared President Obama to Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play in major league baseball. Brown states "Obama hardly brought up race at all during the campaign, arguing that his candidacy has nothing to do with being black. Jackie Robinson didn’t get into the majors because he was black- he has there because he was a great ball player. Barack Obama won't get elected because he is black, he will get elected because he is a brilliant politician."

    President Obama's platform for the 2008 election was not based on the color of his skin. His high priorities are health-care for all, ending the war Iraq and Social Security reform. Obama pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and he supports implementing a cap-and-trade program to reduce these greenhouse gas emissions. He opposes gay marriages and supports civil unions. Nothing in his platform has anything to do with the color of his skin.

    Suzanne Goldenberg made a good point when she said "Americans placed their faith in Barack Obama today. Turning their backs on a past of slavery and segregation and electing the first African-American to the US presidency." Everyone knows that the United States has a past of slavery and segregation. What some don't realize is that discrimination against African-Americans still exists today. It may not be as noticeable as is was in the past but it is still present. This makes me question why people did or didn’t vote for him. 

    What happens if he messes up or doesn’t do a good job? Will Americans focus more on how he messed up or will voters just say it’s because he is African American?  If the first African American president fails how long will it be before another African American is elected? 

    He stated “To those Americans whose support I have yet to earn-I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help and I will be your president too." He understands that not everyone supports him. he doesn’t know why but he is not letting that bother him. He is telling them that even though they don’t support him and he didn’t in their vote he needs their help to succeed. He needs to hear what they want and believe in so he can do his best to be a good president.

    Obama understands that to some people his race is an issue but he is not letting that stop him or bring him down. So he is going to do his job to the best of his ability to make changes for the better. So even though the United Sates had a past history of slavery and segregation it's appears we are trying to move past the mistakes of our ancestors. This presidential election was just another step in the right direction and hopefully will mean good things are to come in the future.

Gender Roles

                                                   By: Krystale Bradley

Have you ever heard one of the women in the kitchen or respect the hand joke? To some individuals they may seem funny and harmless but to women such jokes are degrading and hurtful. The jokes are implying that women are only good to cook and should obey men. Then you hear guys tell their friends to “be a man” or “to suck it up” when they feel like breaking down. It makes men feel like they always have to be strong and can never show weakness. Who taught them to think this way? And why?

The gender roles have been passed down from generation to generation. While many people have out grown that way of thinking, majority of people are still stuck in the past and refuse to think that times have changed. Whether parents believe it or not they teach their kids these “roles” without even realizing it. Kids don’t just learn it from their parents; TV, books and magazines are influences as well. An example is when children hear fairy tales they are often about a big strong man rescuing a helpless woman in need. This shows them boys are strong and girls are too weak to defend themselves. On the older TV shows and movies the loving father goes off to work at his job to support his family. While the woman stays home take care of the children, cook and clean. Even though it’s not as major as it used to be it is still exist.

It’s harder for women to gain respect when they have successful jobs because men think that the women aren’t good enough for this job. On the other hand it’s hard for men to get jobs such as nurses because most people think that men should have a job that requires more physical labor. When people do things that jeopardize gender roles they are sometimes picked on and degraded. These gender roles keep us stuck in this box because we feel limited by our gender.

A good example of men being judged is the movie “Daddy Day Care”, about two dads who get fired from their jobs and have to be stay at home dads. One of the fathers decides that he wants to start his own daycare. When people come to sign up they see the daycare will be run by two men and then they reconsidered their choice to sign up. They feel like men aren’t capable to do what women do and can’t take care of young children. This is based on the stereotypical gender roles that women are the caretakers and men are the workers.

I’m sure plenty of men have been told the phrase “be a man!’.  Many men hear this when they cry or try to talk about how they are feeling. They are told that real men don’t cry and don’t express their feelings because is make them vulnerable and weak. Females hear the phrase “be careful or don’t hurt yourself”, which makes them feel like they aren’t strong or smart enough to take care of themselves.

I personally believe that people shouldn’t be limited of what they can do by their gender. People these days are stepping out of the box and doing what they want. Women are becoming cops, firefighters and are joining the military. Men are becoming nurses, fashion designers and singers. It’s these people, who stand outside the box that are making it easier for society to see the change in gender roles. I believe that as times begin to change, the gender roles will be done away with. To make this happen, people need to start teaching their children that they are capable of doing anything they set their mind to no matter what their gender.

Conformity

By: Krystale Bradley

"Do not follow where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." What Ralph Emerson is trying to say is don’t follow everyone but instead make your own decisions based on what you believe in. If you do this then you will live your own life and create your own path and leave a trail for people to see. Many people in this world just follow the path and let everyone control how they live their lives. They think it will be easier to just give in and go along with the world than put up with being excluded. This is known as conforming, changing your beliefs and values to get acceptance from others.

"Don't think you’re on the right road just because it’s a well-beaten path." Just because it’s what everyone else is doing, doesn’t mean its right for you many people believe that their way of living is the right way to live. In reality everyone is looked down on by someone. Everyone is different in some way, shape or form. Some people get caught up in being liked by the so called "popular" or "pretty" crowd. They give up everything they have always believed in and let other people choose what they wear, say and do.

Is losing yourself really worth the perks of fitting in? If you are doing things that don't make you happy, then you’re not going to be happy with yourself. You can’t truly be happy if you aren’t even happy with yourself. People think they are helping themselves self by not getting ridiculed but in reality it’s hurting them. You are who you are and people that understand that are the people that need to be around.

In high school there is a lot of pressure to conform. If you walk into a high school, you will notice that there are many cliques of people. These groups are people who believe in and dress the same way. Young girls are very vulnerable and self-conscious in high school. They crave the desire to be wanted and liked by the so called "popular" crowd. Many girls, who aren’t in this crowd, will do anything to be accepted by them. For example girls will cut their hair, drink at parties or try to lose weight.

The girls and guys that are a part of these crowds are vicious and rude to the people they think don’t fit into their group. They will judge anyone on, appearance, music interest and etc. They believe that everyone should be like than or want to be. They aren’t the only people who do this. The other groups of people do this as well. The hardest thing in high school is discovering who you are and sticking to it.

                     

If everyone decides not to conform then isn’t that a sense of conforming. They are conforming not to conform. So technically whatever you choose to do is still conforming. What you have to decide now is if what you want to choose is worth it. Why conform to be who someone else wants you to be? The best choice is to conform not to conform. At least you are sticking up for your beliefs and values. Comprising yourself will satisfy other people but not everyone. No matter how many times you change there is still going to be someone who doesn’t like it. So, just be who you are happy being and try your best to get along with people who don’t share your values. 

"Those you stand for nothing will fall for anything". If you don’t stand up for who you are and what you believe in then you will fall for anything that someone tells you. That’s why the most important thing to do is not to conform to what someone tells you to do but to stand up for yourself. In the end you will be so much happier you did even if it means getting ridiculed.

As a society we need to understand that everyone is different and that not a bad thing. Think of how boring the world would be if everyone was exactly alike. You have to conform one way or another. The two choices are, conform not to conform or conform to everyone else standards. Which one will you choose?

Stress and What It Does to Your Body

By: Krystale Bradley

Senior project, extracurricular activities, school, scholarships and applying for college. All of these things add up to one word: STRESS! As young adults we know what it’s like to be stressed. People handle stress differently and you can tell that it affects them emotionally. What people don't know, and what I didn't know until I read a recent article on WebMD by Amal Chakraburtty, is that stress also affects individuals physically and mentally.

I'm sure you’re wondering how stress can affect people physically. The truth is it just depends on the type of stress you are encountering. Three types of stress are eustress, acute stress, or chronic stress. Each type of stress is classified based on how it affects you mentally and emotionally. Eustress is the stress that keeps you alert and aware of danger. The second type is acute stress which can be positive or negative but it only last for a very short length of time. The final type is Chronic Stress; it’s the stress that seems to keep dragging continuously. Normal stress symptoms are headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain and problems sleeping. The more serious health problems such as depression, ulcers, sexual dysfunction, obesity and hair loss are cause when you are exposed to too much chronic stress. Chronic stress is a severe type of stress that tends to overwhelm you.

85 percent of teens experience some type of stress at a young age. The more they are exposed to it, the more severe it affects them. It’s hard for teens to deal with stress during high school. Teens turn to alcohol, tobacco and/or drugs to help lessen the stress. When teens use these items it makes stress become harmful. The more stress they encounter, the more tempting it becomes to turn to these things for help. This in the end will make the effects of stress even more severe.

It is important for teens to know and understand how to deal with their stress in a safe way. There are different ways to cope and handle stress for different people. A few ways include: Using stress in a positive way or to do something productive, whether it’s doing house work of cleaning out your car. Physical activities, it can help you use your energy in a safe way. Get sleep, sleep is an important to being alert and feeling refreshed. Yoga, which helps calm your nerves and helps you relax. Doing something for someone else, it takes your mind off of your own problems to help someone with theirs. If you have an abundant amount of assignments for school, prioritize them, get the important ones done first and then work your way down the list. These ways are so simple and they can help you lessen your load of stress.

Many things in life you can’t control so there is no sense in worrying about them. No matter your age, job, family, or etc you’re going to have to deal with stress. You can’t avoid and you can’t run away from it. You have to learn how to deal with it and move on. As long as you can’t handle stress in a positive way, it won’t control your life.

Book Review: “Meridian” by Amber Kizer

By: Kayla Carrico

           

            “My name is Meridian Sozu. I am a Fenestra. I have always shared my world with the dead and the dying. But I really didn’t understand what that meant until I turned sixteen and glimpsed my own mortality…” – Meridian

            Meridian is the story of a sixteen year old girl who has grown up with death following her everywhere she goes. On her sixteenth birthday she witnesses a deadly car crash. From then on her life is changed forever.

            After the crash Meridian’s parents send her to live with her great-aunt in Colorado. She is told it will be safer for her and her family this way. While living with her great aunt and Tens, her protector, in Colorado, Meridian learns that she is a Fenestra or the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead.

            In this story you will follow Meridian as she tries to learn her gifts and discover who she really is. This is a very different story that shows us that even when you think you’re alone and that you’re the only person who sees things as you do, you’re not. There is someone out there who understands you; you just have to find them and maybe you will find yourself on the way.

            I thought that Meridian is a very interesting book. Amber Kizer wrote a book that fits a very popular genre; however, she made it original in her writing. It is a supernatural book but she took a popular idea like death and made it something entirely her own. I would recommend this book to anyone and I think they would enjoy it.

Football: Top Ranked Running Backs in the State

By Chance Hamilton

According to Max Preps, Hancock County High School has two of the top rushing leaders in the state of Kentucky.  Dylan Hubbard (jr.) and Eric Doyle (sr.) are two of the top leaders in the state for most rushing yards. This is a great accomplishment for Coach Morris and the other coaching staff to have, as well as the school. To have state leaders from such a small school shows how hard our team works and focuses on winning a district championship.

Eric Doyle has a total of 688 rushing yards on 56 attempts. He is ranked 3^rd in the state according to Max Preps. Eric says “I wish I could be able to beat my brother’s records, but it’s going to be hard.” His older brother Jordan Doyle holds the record for most yards in a season as well as a game. Eric averages 12.29 yards a carrier, and 114.7 yards a game. His longest TD run this season was an 86 yarder against Breck County.

Dylan Hubbard is ranked 2^nd in the state but is ranked the #1 Fullback in the great state of Kentucky.  He has run a total of 700 yards on 74 attempts.  Dylan averages 9.45 yards a carry. Josh Newton the fullback last year, rushed for over 1500 yards for the season. As a cousin of Newton, Dylan had this to say, “I wouldn’t mind to pass that up this year, but I’m just focused on getting wins and letting the yards just come to me.” Hubbard runs almost 120 yards per game, and ran his longest touchdown last Friday against Muhlenberg co. Dylan ran a blazing 94 yarder to the house on the first offensive play for the Hornets Friday.

There is more to come this season for these outstanding football players, and it all comes from the hard work in practice and the support of the fans. The Hornets have a bye week this week, which means they do not have a game this Friday night. So hopefully these two speedsters can get their legs into great shape.

XC:Girls Accomplish Three-Peat Goal; Boys Headed in Right Direction

By: Drema Johnson

On Saturday September 25, the Lady Hornet Cross Country team traveled to the Webster County Invitational with the goal of winning for the third consecutive year. The girls exceeded this goal by not only winning, but by cutting the second place team’s score in half. Drema Johnson, with her first varsity win ever, had a time of 20:54 (personal best), Sydney Young placed second with 21:06, Kirsten Johnson fourth with 21:40, Kensey Estes eleventh with 23:06, and Kelsey Rogers thirteenth with 23:15.

            “Overall I was very pleased with my girl’s team.” Coach Wes Meserve stated. “I still think some of my girls can go faster, and if we want to win region they’re going to have to give their all.”

            “I knew the girls would win on Wednesday,” Coach Gina Anderson stated, “but I didn’t expect that they would win by as much as they did. I was very pleased as well as a little surprised.”

The boy’s team also did extremely well at this invitational. Cody Roach took third with a time of 17:17, a new personal record for the young sophomore. Other finishers included Cody Schroader who placed thirtieth with 19:17, Austin Schadler thirty- third with 19:28, Cody Inman thirty- fourth with 19:31, Dylan Johnson sixty- fourth with 21:12, Bailey Terry eighty- second with 22:09, Wesley Nevitt ninety- second with 22:09, and Bo Powers ninety- seventh with 23:41.

            “I was very pleased with the boys,” Meserve stated, “they were favored to get tenth and they ended up getting fifth overall. I’m excited because the boys have finally created a pack that I can build on. I pretty much have the same boy’s team for the next three years, and I feel confident I can make them even stronger.”

            When asked if surprised by where the boys finished, Anderson replied, “I really didn’t know how the boys would finish, but when I saw that they had gotten fifth it seemed they’d finished where they should have.”

Book Review: "The Hunger Games"

Review by: Austin Pulliam

Through the past school year, I have overheard many people talking about the new action book, “The Hunger Games.” At first just thinking about the title, I really did not think this book sounded good or would really grab my attention like some books do. With me being a sports fanatic, I usually only like to read about sports, so I didn’t think anything of this novel. But after months of hearing great things about it, I finally decided to give it a chance and to be honest… I’m glad I did.

This story is told from the point of view of Katniss, a teenage girl who is selected to complete in the Hunger Games. During the Reaping her little sister’s name is drawn and she steps in to replace and save her. Throughout the book you learn that Katniss is a very reliable narrator who tells everything exactly the way she sees it. She has many fears brought on her by the conditions she lives in. Even though she is thrown into this arena and could be killed, this is the least of her worries. She is more worried with the fact that her family could be starving back at home. While Katniss, has always hunted and provided for her family, now that she is not there she worries that her mom and sister will not be taken care of.

The Hunger Games is set in an unspecified future time when things have gone really bad for humanity. The world, or the bit of it we can see, is dominated by a ruling group of people who live in luxury in a city called the Capitol. The rest of the inhabitants live like peasants in 12 districts that are strictly cordoned off from the Capitol and one another. Life in the districts is awful: it's mostly hard labor, mining coal and farming, and working in factories, in dismal conditions.

To make things even worse for the people in the districts, once a year they hold a town meeting called the reaping. In this special meeting two candidates, a boy and girl are chosen from each district through a process called the lottery. From all the districts a total of 24 kids, aged 12-18 are trained and thrown into an arena in which they are unfamiliar, and are made to fight until there is only one person remaining.

Like I said earlier, when I first heard of this book I didn’t think it sounded very good. It didn’t sound like my type of book. But finally when I gave in and gave it a try, I realized that this book is great and is appealing to the large majority of readers. Everyone I have asked has loved this book. Ranging from teens to older adults, everyone seems to be attracted to Suzanne Collins, and all the adventures that go on inside this fictional story.

Suzanne Collins makes this book interesting to all readers in many ways. She tries to tie in girls, mostly teenage, by writing about love and all that Katniss goes through. She also relates to guy readers by making Katniss seem as almost a “female Rambo,” fighting and hunting all through the book to overcome all obstacles. Also this book produces lots of controversy, by talking about the Capital, and all the horror that the kids face in the arena. This keeps readers tuned in the whole time and keeps the suspense going. I can promise you this book never gets to a boring spot. Another great way that Collins keeps the book moving along is her sense of humor. For example every time there is a need in the novel it is taken care of in some miraculous way.

After all the hype about this novel, I am very glad that I decided to read it. It was a great book that kept me totally tuned in the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great book to read, or if you just want a few A.R. points. This is a book that will have you on the edge of your seat the whole way. With this book being the lead way for a trilogy, I can’t wait to pick up the next two books. The “Hunger Games” definitely left me with a hunger for more of Suzanne Collin’s novels.

Varsity Football: Hornets Sting Tigers

By: Colin Tindle

On Friday, September 17^th, the Hancock County Hornet football team defeated the Breckinridge County Tigers by a score of 48-17 at Tiger Stadium in Harned, Ky. The Hornets were looking for revenge against the arch-rival Tigers after a heartbreaking 28-20 defeat at home last season. It was the first loss to Breck County in 13 years.

Once again, the Hornet rushing attack was the main source of offensive yards against the Tigers. The Hornets rushed for a combined total of 474 yards.  Eric Doyle led the way with 222 yards on 8 carries with 4 touchdowns. Dylan Hubbard had 7 rushes for 126 yards and 1 touchdown. Justin Hamilton had 5 rushes for 56 yards, 1 touchdown, and a 2 point conversion. Karl Kreisle had 7 rushes for 47 yards. Chance Hamilton rushed for 24 yards on 1 carry, and Tyler Morris had 2 rushes for 1 yard. Hornet quarterback, Matt Rapp, had 1 completion to Chance Hamilton for 20 yards.

Junior linebackers Brady Morris and Austin Pulliam led the way for the Hornet defense with 11 tackles each. Chance Hamilton and Tyler Marvel each had 7 tackles. Justin Hamilton had 5 tackles and Steven Renfrow 4 tackles.  Tyler Morris, Logan Brown, Kreisle, and Hubbard had 3 tackles apiece. Troy Lasley had 2 tackles and 1 fumble recovery for a touchdown. Doyle, Jon Payne, Logan Bryant, Jon Bivins, and Tyler Burden each had 1 tackle. Brady Morris and Troy Lasley each had 1 sack. Chance and Justin Hamilton each had 1 interception.

The Hornets are looking to build on this year’s win and start another winning streak against their arch-rivals to keep the tradition of beating the Tigers going.

The Hornets take on the Muhlenberg County Mustangs Friday, September 24^th at Schafer-Glover field. The Mustangs come into the game 0-3, and the Hornets are looking to build on their 4-1 record.

JV Football Beats Breck

By Chance Hamilton

The JV Football team beat the Tigers of Breckinridge County 30 to 0 on September 21.  Tyler Morris and Karl Kreisle both had 2 touchdowns apiece, and each rushed for over 100 yards. Desmond Clarkson nailed two PAT’s to give the Hornets a final score of 30. On defense Troy Lasley led the team with 10 tackles and two sacks. Derrick Haycraft and Tyler Morris each had 5 tackles, and Troy Lasley had an interception to seal the win.   

Hornets JV Football Team Looking to Regroup

By Chance Hamilton


The Hancock County JV football team is looking forward to getting back on track with a “W” after losing their first game to Grayson County 48 to 0. The JV team is struggling with barely enough players; they had only 5 freshmen come out this year. Freshmen and sophomores usually make up the JV team, but because of their lack in players a few juniors must play as well. When asked about how the JV team is expected to do the rest of the season JV coach Michael White said “If we have enough players we will do just fine.”


 The Hornets play the Tigers of Breckinridge County this week. After the Varsity team pulled off a great victory last Friday night against the Breck County Varsity team, everyone is hoping for the same outcome.

XC: Young Battles to Victory; Roach Takes Third

By Drema Johnson


            The Hancock County Hornet Cross Country Invitational took place on Saturday September 18. The varsity girls, though they didn’t have a team, did very well. Sydney Young led the race with a new personal best of 21:02, Drema Johnson placed 6^th with 22:12, and Kensey Estes placed 11^th with 22:47.

            When asked about her win, Sydney had this to say, “I was dying, but I was not about to let Olivia Cason pass me after I’d worked so hard.”

            It wasn’t the fact that Sydney won that impressed me,” Coach Wes Meserve stated, “it’s the fact that she led the race from start to finish. She ran a sub 5 minute mile which broke anyone and everyone that tried to stay with her on the first mile.”

            The varsity guys had a good race as well. Cody Roach got third with a time of 17:49, Cody Inman took twenty second with 20:48, Josh Daugherty twenty sixth with 21:53, Bert Kellems twenty seventh with 21:59, and Chris Bertke thirty third with 22:31.

            Cody Roach stated, “This was a hard race full of good runners, so I’m pretty happy with where I finished.”

“The guy’s team placed fourth overall,” Coach Wes Meserve stated, “and if my other varsity/middle school runners had not run in the middle school race, then I feel very confident that the guys would have gotten third.”

            In the boy’s middle school race, Cody Schroader took third with a time of 12:10, Dylan Johnson twenty fifth with 13:37, Wesley Nevvitt twenty eighth with 13:49, Bailey Terry thirty second with 14:25, and Bo Powers thirty eighth with 15:07. The girls were led by Kelsey Rodgers   who got fifth with a time of 14:21 and Selena Wethington placed twenty fifth with 16:34.

In the elementary race Kirsten Johnson took first out of the girls and fourth overall, and the elementary guys had a second place team finish.

XC Girls Slaughter Breck, Guys Pull Through

By Drema Johnson


On Tuesday September 14, the Lady Hornet Cross Country team started the first home meet of the season off by defeating the Breckenridge Girls team. The goal for the girls, was to get the lowest score possible, (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), and if Breck’s top runner, Susan Bailey, hadn’t slipped into fifth, they would have had it. Sydney Young led the race with a time of 22:15. Drema Johnson came in second with 22:41, Kensey Estes third with 23:10, Kirsten Johnson fourth with 23:40, Kelsey Rodgers sixth with 25:16, and Selena Wethington thirteenth with 30:18.

 “The girls packed together really well,” co-captain Johnson stated, “and we ran a smart race. Not to mention our younger girls stepped up to the challenge and pulled through for us as well.” The final score was Hancock with 16 points and Breck with 39 points.

Head Coach, Wes Meserve, was pleased with his girls’ performances. “I really expected Breck to beat my girls. I knew my top two runners would be in front of Breck’s top girl, but I really didn’t know what to expect from Kensey, Kirsten, and Kelsey. My 3, 4, and 5 girls really surprised me by finishing where they did.”

The boy’s team, on the other hand, had a closer call. Cody Roach led the race with an 18:35, beating Breck’s top guy by about a minute and forty seconds, Cody Schroader was third with 20:42, Josh Daugherty sixth with 21:53, Cody Inman eighth with 22:27, Dylan Johnson ninth with 23:19, Bailey Terry eleventh with 23:29, Bo Powers fourteenth with 27:55, Wesley Nevitt fifteenth with 29:34, and Jacob Young sixteenth with 30:23. The final score was Hancock 27 points and Breck 28 points.

“We beat a larger team from a larger school with 30% of my team out with injuries. The scores were so close because my varsity guys really stepped up,” Coach Wes Meserve stated, “we could have very easily lost if they hadn’t. I was really shocked by the win, not because my guys don’t have potential, but because three of the runners that are normally in my top 7 were injured.”

The Hornets will be at home again on Thursday, September 30 against Ohio County. 

Football: They’re More Than a Team, They’re a Family

 

By: Sabrina Whitaker and

Morgan Powers

 

“I think that the football team is more like a family,” Football captains Luke Case and Jon McCormick agreed. Coming together, they practiced all summer to become the best of the best. When the team comes together, they come together as a unit and represent Hancock County.

The Hornets have set challenging but attainable goals this season and started off early working to achieve their goals. “Practicing over the summer is a huge help.  We would be nowhere as a team if we didn’t come together and practice. It takes a lot more than skill to be a good team; everyone needs to be on the same page.” Beating Breckinridge County is the first major goal the team has set for the season.  Along the way, the team hopes to maintain a winning record and make it to the Regional Championship game.

Luke and Jon agree that the players are on the right track but will have to continue working as a team to reach their goals. “Yes, I am very proud of them. There isn’t much better you could ask for, I’ve been playing with most these guys since youth football and it’s great to still have them here.” Luke Case compliments his team with full heart, you can tell that Luke and Jon love to be out there on the field with their brothers.

 With Hancock County High School and the community supporting our young hornets, there is always a lot of pressure to live up to expectations.  Things are no different going into the 2010 season.  With the high goals the team has already set, nobody has higher expectations then they have for themselves. 

The New School Year: School Headed in the Right Direction

By: Sabrina Whitaker and Morgan Powers

There hasn’t been a school year that HCHS principal, Mr.  Lasley hasn’t been excited about. New students, new graduates, and a new year, are all the things that make Mr. Lasley enjoy the summer ending and the school beginning.

Mr. Lasley has been principal of Hancock County High School for six years, and couldn’t imagine being at any other school. “I, the staff and all the administration are blessed with such great students. Sure, we may have our issues, but compared to schools nationwide, we are blessed.” Mr. Lasley really does put his full heart into his job.

Every year is like the previous; the only difference is making new rules and discarding some of the old. The main goal is to prepare students for college and get them ready for adult life outside of the school walls. “Yes, I admit, this year the rules are more strict, but we gave a little back, like the cell phone policy.” Said Mr. Lasley, “We didn’t just look at this school’s problems, we looked at many other schools too, because, this isn’t just about Hancock County, it’s nationwide. One school lets their students use their phones during lunch and we don’t mind students using their cell phones during lunch; we just want them out of the classroom. See, we’re just trying to meet you guys half way, but you guys have try and meet the other half. If this rule doesn’t hold up, then we can just go back to our old ways and take phones at lunch away.”

           The staff is working hard and the students are working equally as hard. Mr. Lasley is impressed by how well this school year has kicked off. Saying that we are ahead of schedule and love how the students have already adapted to the new schedule change. “One day, I took a trip around the school, during third period. It seemed as though everyone was participating with what they were doing. As visitors walk through they were astonished at how quiet the halls were, as though you could hear a pencil drop. I believe we are headed into the right direction, keeping things going.”

Hornet Cross Country Teams Taking it One Race at a Time

By:
Kayla Macy, Cody Beaver, and Kayla Carrico

The Cross Country team is shooting for big things this year, but just don’t have the numbers. They are eager to entice other runners to join and better their numbers because they barley have enough girls to field a team. They are focusing on one race at a time, but hope to be the best they can at regionals and qualify for the state meet. Many of them are hoping to better their individual times and to improve their team. Another goal is to beat the rival schools.

“The girls will be up against a strong Green County group that won region the last several years,” Coach Meserve said. According to Coach Meserve, “The boys will have their work cut out for them also. Owensboro Catholic placed second in the state last season and didn’t lose any of their top runners.”

The Cross Country team has been working hard in preparation of the upcoming season. Drema Johnson says “It takes a lot of determination and self discipline to stay focused and keep moving forward. Some runners do 3-5 miles each day with a total of about 50 hours over the summer.”

They all have to work very diligently Monday thru Thursday at after school practices. Not many teams this early in the season can start out doing 10 mile runs, but the varsity Cross Country runners do a ten mile run nearly every Monday. While most kids are on their way home to watch TV or sit on the couch and relax they are out in the heat practicing to be the best.

According to Kensey Estes, “It takes a lot of determination to stay focused even when your mind is telling you to stop.”

You have to encourage your teammates to keep going and to keep their spirits up. This is just one of the reasons that teamwork is so important to the cross country team. Your teammates push you to work harder and to be a better runner.

The girls and boys teams have many talented runners this year. They are coached by Mr. Meserve and Mrs. Anderson. With all of the determination and teamwork that they have, the HCHS Cross Country team looks to have a great season ahead of them.

High Hopes for HCHS Volleyball

By Carli Mosby

             

The opening of the 2010 Fall sports season recently kicked off and the HCHS volleyball team has been hard at work.  The Varsity team is once again coached by Health/P.E. teacher, Ms. Danielle Peter, and the freshmen team has a new coach in Ms. Jessie Baker.

The Lady Hornets hit a few bumps as the season opened.  Despite a rough 1-8 start, the Varsity team has high hopes for a successful season. The Lady Hornets have been practicing since the beginning of summer break with conditioning and extensive drills to prepare for the season to come.  According to Coach Peter, “We have the best passers, diggers, hitters, setters, and servers I have ever had, but we are presently struggling to get together to be a truly talented and competitive team.”

            The Varsity team will have major offensive contributions from seniors Tanisha Johnson and Felicia Wilson.  The brunt of the defense is expected to come from Abbey Marsch, Shayla Pierrard, Nikki Wilhite, and Kristen Ogle. 

            “We have the potential to do some great things this season.  Hopefully we’ll pull it together.” says Team-Captain and Setter Nakaya McManaway.

            Despite the rocky start, the team has its coach and its fans to back them up.  “I believe in this team, as do their parents in the stands,” said Ms. Peter.  “Winning takes patience, dedication, coachability, team work and chemistry.  When this team decides to fire on all cylinders and gets it together, no one will touch them.”

Hornet Golf Team Off to Good Start

Sending Two Golfers to All “A” State

By: Colin Tindle

The Hancock County Hornet Boy’s Golf team started the 2010 season off heading in the right direction. Two members, Will Cooper and team captain Russell Haycraft, qualified for the All “A” State tournament held at Gibson Bay Golf Course in Richmond on September, 11^th.                     

When asked about preparation for the season, Haycraft responded, “I tried to play as much as possible this past summer to improve my game and had weightlifting sessions to improve my strength, which have both paid off.” Haycraft’s individual goals are to shoot in the low 40’s for matches and 80’s in tournaments. When asked about team goals, Haycraft responded, “Coach Cowden says he wants our players to shoot a certain score for each match and to place as high as possible.”

The Hornet Boys Golf team members are Russell Haycraft, Will Cooper, Tristan Bozarth, Logan Boling, Logan Cheek, Matt Allard, Aaron Haycraft, Justin Kurz, Andrew Bloom, Tanner Staples, Lathan LaMar, Baine Powers, Zayne Boling, Garrett Crabtree, Kolton Cheek, Seth Alexander, and Ike Tongate. The Hornet Boy’s are coached by Mr. Dave Cowden. “Our most significant challenge as a team this year is our youth. We only have one senior. After that we are all freshman or younger,” said Haycraft.