Posts by :
Patriots Full-Season Report + Playoff Prediction
January 5th, 2011Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
What a season it has been for the Pats. Unlike most years, there is no debate in the topic of who’s #1 right now-the Patriots are the unanimous choice no matter who you ask. Their offense is an unstoppable monster and their defense causes huge plays via turnovers several times every game. At home, they have been literally impossible to beat, going 8-0 this season when playing at Gillette in Foxborough.
The achievements of the 2010-11 Patriots are staggering. They have broken some NFL records that have withheld for decades, including fewest turnovers committed in a season (10), fewest interceptions in a season (5), and tying the 2000-01 St. Louis Rams for most consecutive games scoring more than 30 points with eight.
Three statement wins of the second half of this season have transcended the Pats to their own top tier of the NFL. Their three huge second half victories were facing three powerhouse teams in the NFL-the Colts, Jets, and Bears.
The Colts game was their first real statement game without Randy Moss against a top-tier team, and their offense was top-notch. Both sides played perfectly in the first half, and the defense held in the second-half with a rally-killing interception to win the game by 3.
The Jets and Bears games were both romps. The Patriots beat the Jets 45-3 on national television and beat the Bears in a snowy Chicago next week 36-7. Both games not only featured Tom Brady playing like a complete MVP, but the defense coming up huge in each of the games-causing several turnovers and allowing the opponents to score only one touchdown in both of the games combined.
The Pats have showed their strength all year by breaking such amazing NFL records and by absolutely dominating NFL powerhouses like the Bears at Soldier Field and the Jets at the Meadowlands. It is apparent that the Patriots have had a great combination of offense, defense, and special teams.
This year the Patriot’s defense was not head coach Bill Belichick’s usual squad. The defense is young and inexperienced with an average age of 25.5 out of the starters (Belichick’s youngest defensive squad ever), but the defense has drastically improved over the year from inexperienced and undisciplined to a turnover machine that can hold even elite offenses to a few points.
The defense is full of young play-makers, guys who make things happen on the field. Collectively, the team has 21 interceptions this year with 4 of them being returned for touchdowns. Jerod Mayo has been the biggest defensive player for the Patriots leading the team in tackles with 175 tackles this year.
The true bright spot of the Patriots is the offense though. Star QB Tom Brady seems to be the runaway candidate for MVP of this season and deservingly so-he hasn’t thrown an interception in 335 passes and has won 28 consecutive regular-season wins at home-both are NFL records. Brady is averaging an astronomical 9 touchdowns to 1 interception this season.
Almost more amazing is who he has done it with. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Pats. Projected to have such a bad defense and aging offense they were projected to barely make the playoffs and have an early exit, but Belichick has crafted a winner yet again by making some nifty moves during the season including trading Randy Moss and Laurence Maroney away, while at the same time acquiring 31-year old Deion Branch for a bargain price in a trade and Danny Woodhead from the waiver wire, who was cut from the Jets practice squad.
Both have blossomed into vital role players for the Patriots and plan to have large roles in the future as well. Maroney’s departure left the door open for not just Woodhead, but Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis as well, who has a 1,000 rushing yard season. This was the first time the Patriots have had a single running back run for 1000 since 2003 with Corey Dillon.
It seems like the Patriots are a lock for the Super Bowl-in fact AccuScore calculated the probability of each team in the playoffs winning the Super Bowl and the Patriots not-surprisingly finished first at 35.4%.
Their is only one obstacle standing in the way of Super Bowl glory-and that obstacle is also the Patriots best player. Brady has struggled the last few years in playoff games-he is 5-4 in the playoffs since 2005. He has struggled individually in the playoffs recently as well, posting numbers such as 3 interceptions and a 49.1 QB rating in the ’09 Wildcard vs. Ravens, 3 interceptions and a 66.4 QB rating in the ’07 AFC Conference game vs. Chargers, and a 3 interception, 57.6 QB rating outing against the Chargers in the ’06 Divisional game.
My prediction for the Patriots this year in the playoffs is they will face the Baltimore Ravens in the second-round after their first-round bye, dominate in that game, and then move on the AFC Championship against the Steelers. I expect them to edge out a close-game with the Steelers and advance to the Super Bowl where they will face the 10-6 Philadelphia Eagles led by Michael Vick.
Vick vs. Brady will be one epic match-up that will not only determine the best NFL team of 2010-11 but will settle the MVP debate between Brady and Vick as well. In the Super Bowl I would fully expect Brady to transcend his play to a new level and absolutely wreck the Eagles offensively, capping off their amazing year with a Super Bowl victory.
Varsity Basketball starts the Season with a Statement Win
December 20th, 2010Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
Westford Academy’s Boys’ Varsity Basketball Team took on Concord-Carlisile and won by a final score of 53 to 50 in the first game of the season for WA and also WA’s first home game of the season.
Throughout the game both teams played extremely tenacious defense and it was a low-scoring battle. Both teams opened their season with this game, and this statement win for WA gives them a nice start to a possibly great season.
At halftime WA was losing, 24-22. CC was as tough as ever coming into the second half, but WA stepped it up a notch and slowly turned a 2 point deficit into a 3 point win in the second half due to some fantastic play.
Not only did WA defeat one of the better basketball teams in the league, they closed out the game without co-captain Matt Ellis due to a calf injury. In the final few minutes, which were very close, they held onto a 2 or 3 point lead throughout the end. Without their co-captain Ellis the team turned to the other co-captain, Mark Cornelius. Cornelius delivered in the end in the absence of Ellis, ending the game by making 1 of 2 free throws to make it a three point game, and then sprinting down the court immediately after blocking CC’s 3-point attempt with 6 seconds left to hold on for the win.
Sophomores Justin Mount and Troy Faretra both played relatively large roles in the victory. Mount was the starting shooting guard for the game and played a good amount of time, and Faretra also played a big role at the end by coming up with multiple steals and an array of shots that helped lead the team to victory with the absence of Ellis at the end.
Guard/forward Faretra and shooting guard Mount are the youth of Head Coach Ed Scollan’s program, and are expected to learn immensely under the wings of a very experienced upper-class team.
This win sets an important precedent for the varsity team and a strong message to all other challengers; even without their co-captain and heart of the team, Ellis, they are still a powerhouse to be reckoned with.
The youth of the program stepped up in the absence of Ellis in addition to Cornelius’ and Imbriaco’s contributions as well.
The team looks very promising in the long-run, with DCL All-Stars Mark Cornelius and Matt Ellis leading the team. Also returning to the team are Ryan Imbriaco, Ryan Jann, Mike Bibinski, and Alex Preckol all are returning to the team this year.
According to Scollan, he expects co-captains Cornelius and Ellis to be extremely valuable and the leading scorers of the team. Along with these high expectations, they are also expected to have a major leading role in the team.
The varsity team looks incredibly promising and could go deep into the playoffs this year, but it’s integral for the team to focus on each upcoming game individually. Their next game is home vs. Lincoln-Sudbury at 5:30 on December 21.
Diddy releases hyped album Last Train to Paris
December 14th, 2010by Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
The artist formerly known as Sean Combs, Puffy, Puff Daddy, and P. Diddy is back with a new name and a new album-Last Train to Paris by Diddy and Dirty Money.
Diddy makes his comeback from his last album which got mixed reviews, Press Play in 2006.
He co-stars in the album with the group Dirty Money, composed of Kalenna Harper and Dawn Richard.
Diddy is one of the most successful rap artists ever. Even when he pushed across his arguably weakest album Press Play he still hit #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 with it.
Diddy’s real success came through his debut album No Way Out when he won the Grammy for “Best Rap Album” in ’98. Diddy also dominated the Grammy category “Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group” with 3 nominations and a win, with the hit, “I’ll be Missing You.” This song was also Billboard’s #84 best all-time song on Billboard’s Greatest Songs of All Time list.
Last Train to Paris
The album follows Diddy’s alter-ego as he travels from London to Paris to find a lost love, hence the name Last Train to Paris.
The album is packed with star-power, featuring mega-stars like Drake, Swiss-Beatz, Usher, Chris Brown, T.I., Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Notorious B.I.G., and Justin Timberlake, among others.
But in a year full of blockbuster CD releases including albums by Drake, Eminem, Kid Cudi, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and T.I, how does Diddy’s brand-new CD stack up?
Diddy needed to return to his beginnings with Dirty Money. He may have come darn close to doing so in Last Train to Paris.
The hype for the album is unprecedented and has been alive for years. Recently, the anticipation for the release was raised thanks to his recent musical act on Saturday Night Live with actor Robert De Niro (picture below.) They performed currently released single “Coming Home” and not-yet-released single “A** on the Floor (feat. Swiss Beatz)”.
Also pumping up the hype is how Diddy has manipulated social media to work for him recently. With over 3 million Twitter followers, Diddy has been consistently pushing the album via tweets for weeks and even promised to follow anyone on Twitter who changed their avatar to the Last Train to Paris album cover and help promote the album.
The mega-hit of the album right now is “Hello Good Morning” featuring T.I.. The song has gained massive popularity and has a catchy chorus as well.
But what makes Diddy so good is his ability to make multiple mega-hits on all of his CD’s. He figures to achieve that again with a instant-classic club beat “A** on the Floor (feat. Swiss Beatz)”.
“Shades” and “Angels” are also to songs that have the potential to go big, and are really well done.
My personal favorite on the album is the finale, “Coming Home” where Diddy finally lets himself loose. He confesses to nearly everything from bad parenting, to fear of marriage or commitment, and it starts with an already popular chorus and some nice rhymes.
Overall the album is a solid effort and is worth a listen. Diddy has always been a master at producing some catchy beats worth downloading. He doesn’t fail with this album at all even though overall one would want more from Diddy at the end of the day. It feels like he is holding back instead of truly releasing something memorable, like Kanye’s recent CD My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Regardless, it’s nice to see Diddy back with another successful album and in the spotlight again with Last Train to Paris.
Winter is Back, so is Ski Club
December 2nd, 2010Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
Westford Academy’s popular Ski and Snowboard Club is back again at WA this year led by club president Joe Meyer.
The club will be going to Wachusett as the premier skiing destination six Mondays this year starting January 3rd where all skiers and snowboarders of all levels and abilities are welcome.
According to club president Meyer, the club has fetched in the past anywhere between 40-60 people in the club, and Meyer is hoping to get even more people this year.
Equipment isn’t required and lessons and rentals are available to Ski Club members as well, making it friendly to novice skiers or snowboarders interested in learning.
The whole idea of the club is a way for kids to ski or ride with their friends and classmates somewhere bigger than small Nashoba Valley Ski Area, and by providing transportation for students Ski Club makes it easy for students to get to ride somewhere bigger, in this case Wachusett via Coach buses. Also the club wants to make sure everyone gets better and has a good time.
The Massive Wachusett Mountain
The main goals of the club is to have as much fun as possible, improve everyone’s skiing or boarding abilities, and just hang out with new and old friends at Wachusett.
Although the club holds no official competitions, according to Meyer fun skiing and snowboarding games do occur, like “SHRED”- a version of HORSE for snowboarding/skiing with tricks instead of shots.
Meyer says, “Our goal is to provide a day for everyone to get out and shred with their friends, and to provide an environment to encourage progression.”
Ski Club is a blast for members and is a time to get out on the mountain for around 3 hours at Wachusett each of the six visits.
Ski Club is also a great place to meet new people and new friends since everyone in the club is “stoked on skiing or riding” as Meyer calls it, which provides a strong common interest among club members.
“There’s just so much energy because everyone loves the sport, and everyone feeds off that energy in a sort of competition to get better, and that’s the kind of environment where you can really progress your skills,” says Meyer.
Enrollment began in September and the club is currently open to new members. If interested, one may contact advisor Jason Johnson or Meyer for additional information on joining.
Comments Off
Pats Saved by Manning’s Rally-Killing INT in 31-28 Win
November 22nd, 2010by Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
Every time the Patriots and the Colts meet you can be sure of one thing and one thing only-it’s going to be a good game.
In front of an electric 68,756 fans at Gillete Stadium, the Patriots won their annual feud with the Indianapolis Colts by a mere three points. The annual game between the two football teams is the most hyped game every season for the Patriots as it helps shape up the ever-changing playoff picture in the NFL.
It seems the two teams are perfect to be rivals of each other, with two equal top-tier quarterbacks, a powerful passing game, and successful Super Bowl-caliber squads. In the last 10 games between the two teams, the Patriots have won five and the Colts have won five, proving to always be a close match-up that goes down to the last minute.
This Sunday proved to be no different from the last 5 meetings between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots, with the game being decided by a touchdown or less for the 6th consecutive time between the two teams.
The Patriots had a distinct advantage coming into the game this week. The Colts were incredibly banged up with 13 players on the injury report Wednesday including three wide-receivers and two running backs along with defensive leaders Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, and Gary Brackett.
The Pats jumped out to a ferocious start on defense by quickly intercepting Colts MVP QB Peyton Manning, which set up a two minute Patriots drive resulting in a Wes Welker 22-yard touchdown catch.
In addition to that electrifying first Patriots drive, the Pats scored on their next two drives and had a comfortable 21-7 lead with 3:34 left in the first half. But no lead is safe when playing the Colts. Manning efficiently passed 69 yards in 3:30 resulting in a 11-yard Reggie Wayne touchdown, making the score at halftime 21-14.
Danny Woodhead TD Run
After exchanging punts to begin the second half, RB Danny Woodhead scored on a weaving 36-yard burst, showing amazing elusiveness and quickness to evade multiple defenders and make the score 28-14.
Feeling the necessity to respond, Manning threw a pressured interception, picked off by rookie CB Devin McCourty which set up an easy field-goal to make the score 31-14 and seemingly out of reach.
But Manning isn’t a 4-time NFL MVP for nothing. Showing off his legendary arm, he drove 73 yards for a touchdown at the beginning of the 4th-quarter in an incredibly efficient 2 minute drive. After a Patriots three-and-out, Manning returned to business, on another two-minute drive resulting in six points, flipping the momentum around to the Colts side in a suddenly close 31-28 game with 7 minutes left to play.
After another disappointing brief drive for the Patriots, the ball was in Peyton Manning’s court starting at the Indy 26-yard line. Manning made quick work of the Patriots on this huge drive, mixing in run plays like a pro and keeping the Patriots off balance. On a critical 3rd down and 6, Manning made a clutch pass to Wayne for 15 yards putting the Colts in position to tie the game with a chip-shot field goal.
Now focused on going for the win, Manning went for it all on the next play and under-threw WR Pierre Garcon on a deep route, with a beautiful fingertip interception by Patriots safety James Sanders, sealing the Patriots win.
“It came right down to the wire. They’re an outstanding football team,” Head Coach Bill Belichick said. “They really do a good job, got to give them a lot of credit, but you know, our guys just made a few more plays than they did today, really happy to get the win.
It was a day of history as well. Belichick won his 171st game, pushing him past Hall-of-Famer Paul Brown and tying him for 11th on the list alongside Joe Gibbs. QB Tom Brady also made NFL history during the game, winning his 25th consecutive home game which ties him for Dan Marino’s record of consecutive home wins.
The Patriots team this year has a certain vibe to it that can only be described as hopeful. They weren’t a Super Bowl favorite in the pre-season and were neglected by most teams as a true contender for the title this year. Good. The Patriots like it better flying under the radar anyway, just like they did in 2001.
The team itself has changed a lot during this season. New players have emerged into “stars” for the team, even though they are far from household names while some of their household names have departed from the team simultaneously. In the most controversial trade of the season for the Patriots, and arguably the league, the Pats gave up Randy Moss for a third-round pick. Moss proved to be an incredibly troublesome talent on their roster and Belichick sent a firm message to the team that no one player is above the team.
The team has taken notice and is back to its roots. No more glamored quests for going 19-0 that end in failure; this year the team has a simple mission: the Super Bowl, and whoever gives them the best shot at winning will play. In Moss’ absence, newly-acquired Deion Branch, Brandon Tate, and rookie tight-ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez have had major roles in the passing game.
Just like the Moss trade, Belichick trading 1st-round bust Laurence Maroney to the Denver Broncos for practically nothing has opened up unlikely chances for running backs “The Law Firm” Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead.
The Patriots defense is the youngest Belichick has ever coached, with the average age being 25.5 years old. This is truly a double-edged sword to the Pats-on the positive side they are incredibly active on defense and aggressive, but on the downside are extremely inexperienced and undisciplined but this Sunday it worked out in the Patriots favor by intercepting Manning three times and abolishing Indy’s ground game for most of the game.
At an impressive 8-2 record the Patriots are tied with division rivals the New York Jets for the division lead and will be facing the Jets a mere 2 weeks after the Thanksgiving Day Game against the Detroit Lions. The schedule to the end-of-the-year is far from easy with games against the Jets, Packers, and a surprising Chicago Bears team that is 7-3 and shut out the Dolphins 16-0 last Thursday night, but the Patriots have to stay focused on the immediate future, where in a mere 3 days it will be game-day again in a possible trap game against the Lions.
Belichick says, “We’ve got a quick turn turnaround here, so we can’t stay on this one very long, but we’ll enjoy it here for a couple hours.”
Next Game:
Comments Off
This Off-Season Poses Tough Choices for Red Sox
November 19th, 2010by Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
What is the next step for the Red Sox? It’s a perplexing question that General Manager Theo Epstein will be pondering during this off-season- where do we go from here?
After a disappointing, injury-plagued 2010 season ending in a third place finish in the AL East, the Red Sox need to come back strong this year.
Some tough decisions will have to be made regarding the several key players that remain unsigned.
Victor Martinez, Jason Varitek, Adrian Beltre, Bill Hall, and David Ortiz are all possible free agents that the Red Sox could lose if they do not resign them. The Sox have already exercised Ortiz’s option on his contract for $12.5 million next year.
The core of the Red Sox from 2004 is aging, or already out the door, and the Red Sox need to realize it is time to move on. The Red Sox fantastic farm system developed over the years by Epstein may be ready to produce this year, most notably pitchers Michael Bowden and Casey Kelly and hitters Ryan Kalish, Lars Anderson, and Josh Reddick to name a few.
Possible Red Sox or Yankee Cliff Lee
However, the Red Sox can’t just wait for their young talent, they need to sign some stars now, that they know will produce. The Yankees and Rays were better teams than the Red Sox last year, and every Red Sox fan knows that the Yankees will be on the prowl for free agents, especially all-star pitcher Cliff Lee who is rumored to be very interested in joining the Yankees.
But the Red Sox have also shown interested in Lee, as well as all-star free agent outfielder Jayson Werth. According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, the Red Sox have contacted agent Scott Boras about Jayson Werth and may start negotiations soon. Werth blossomed in his four years with the Phillies averaging a batting average of .282 with 24 HR and 75 RBI’s a season with Philly.
If the Red Sox are going to compete for the playoffs next year they have to embrace the future and realize the it may be time to cut ties with older players like Adrian Beltre and Varitek. Although the Sox will try to bring Beltre and captain Varitek back another year, several teams have already indicated interest in both of them.
If the Sox are active this off-season and acquire the right players, Boston may have a shot at the playoffs this upcoming year. But the AL East is the toughest division in baseball with two powerhouse teams, the Yankees and Rays, right alongside the Sox. Every Sox fan knows that no matter what the Red Sox do, it will be a battle.
Brutal Mistakes by Umpires Trigger Outrage towards the MLB and Instant Replay
November 9th, 2010Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
Baseball is a game of inches. If a hitter is an inch off on his swing the difference could be the difference between a groundout and a homerun. The game moves at such an incredibly fast speed, so umpiring the action can be nearly impossible at times.
During virtually every single baseball game some crucial bang-bang calls are made that the players, fans, and coaches disagree with, and sometimes the umpires just get it flat out wrong.
The idea that baseball should stay true to its roots by not having instant replay in full is preposterous. Why would anyone want a call to stay wrong? The whole concept of having referees in sports is to correctly call the game-if the umpire isn’t doing that then that has to change.
Instant replay would eliminate all of the questionable calls in baseball. There would be no more second-guessing the umpires; no hated umpires who blew an important call would exist. It would take a few seconds on each close play to confirm the call on the field.
No team would unfairly lose a call due to a bad call by the umpire. The main idea is to get the call on the field right. That’s first and foremost. That’s the reason the NFL, NHL, and NBA all incorporate instant replay into each game. Even the Little League World Series used instant replay in the last Little League postseason.
The MLB needs to catch up to the other major sports and fast. It can’t go another postseason with no instant replay; it may cost a team their chance at winning it all. The idea that bad calls are a part of a game is ridiculous. They don’t have to be a part of the game, and everyone would be better off if they weren’t.
The Rangers-Giants World Series was relatively quiet with only a few bad calls, but there were still bad calls like in every game. For instance when first base umpire, Jeff Kellogg, made an awful call at first base that extended the inning by 11 pitches, it made a huge impact later on in the game. With pitcher Hunter having to throw 11 pitches more than he should have, it ended in a blowup third inning, leading to the Giants’ win.
Remember Galarragga’s near-perfect game, where umpire Jim Joyce blew a call in the 9th inning robbing Galarragga of perfection [see the blown call here] ? That was the clearest reminder this year that the MLB is playing in an inefficient umpiring system. He handled it with grace and dignity that is unmatched. But next time in that same scenario it may be more ugly. The pitcher may go berserk, throw a tantrum, and get ejected from the game because of the umpire leaving a sour taste in everyone’s mouths about the incident. Will people then look at the rule and say it isn’t broken?
The Patriots’ Mid-Season Report
November 1st, 2010By Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
It’s hard to believe the NFL Season is halfway over. It seems like yesterday that the Saints and Vikings kicked off on a special Thursday Night NBC Kick-Off Game. The Patriots this year are an impressive 6-1, having the sole lead in the AFC East. The Patriots opening schedule has showed the type of team that the Patriots are this year.
They aren’t the Patriots of old, the dynasty of 2002-2005, winning three Super Bowls is nearly over. Only four players from the ’02 team are still on the team.
Belichick’s decision to trade underachieving RB Laurence Maroney to Denver for a 4th-round pick, and Randy Moss for a 3rd-rounder to the Vikings has proven to be a shrewd move, making room for unlikely candidates to shine while getting draft picks in return.
Last year, Belichick selected Devin McCourty, Brandon Spikes, Aaron Hernandez, and Rob Gronkowski in the draft, who have all been major contributors this year.
So how have the 5-1 Patriots gotten to this point, walking the fine line between playing for next year and contending for this year? Let’s find out:
Week 1 vs. Cincinnati – The Patriots opened their season at home facing the Cincinnati Bengals. All aspects of the team were in full stride. The offense, defense, and specials teams were incredibly effective. Final Score: 38-24 Patriots Win
Week 2 vs. New York Jets - . With under one minute left in the first half, Randy Moss made a spectacular one-handed 34 yard touchdown catch beating CB Revis in the process. But from there on, the Jets QB, Mark Sanchez, dominated, scoring 21 straight points. Final Score: 14-28 Jets Win. Patriots Record: 1-1
Week 3 vs. Buffalo – The Patriots needed a win coming off a tough loss to the Jets last week. Throughout the entire game, the Bills kept it close by scoring 4 times in their first 5 possessions. The Patriots brought a one-point lead into intermission.In the second half, the Pats widened the gap with scores by Gronkowski and Green-Ellis. Final Score: 38-30 Patriots Record: 2-1
Week 4 vs. Miami – The Patriots saved their fireworks for the second half of their Monday Night game against the Miami Dolphins – and most of them came with Brady on the sideline. Patrick Chung blocked 2 kicks on the night and had a long interception return for a touchdown as well. The Patriots domination of Miami came as a much needed confidence booster to their defense and special teams. Final Score: 41-14 Patriots Record: 3-1
Week 5 – Bye Week - Although no opponent, some significant events happened to the Patriots. Randy Moss was traded by Belichick to the Minnesota Vikings because of conduct issues. Patriots received a third-round pick for Moss and traded for Seahawks WR Deion Branch promptly.
Week 6 vs. Baltimore - In the 4th Quarter, Brady led the Pats eighty yards down the field and Gostkowski kicked a clutch game-tying field goal with under 2 minutes to go. In Overtime, off a good punt return by Wes Welker, Gostkowski nailed home a 35 yard field goal in OT to win the game. Final Score: 23-20 Patriots Record: 4-1
Week 7 vs. San Diego - San Diego gave an early lead to the Pats with turnovers. Going into the 4th quarter the Pats had a solid 20-3 lead and it looked like a safe bet they would easily hold on to the win. San Diego got into ideal field goal position but Kris Brown missed a 50-yard field goal to tie the game. Final Score: 23-20 Patriots Record: 5-1
Week 8 vs. Minnesota – The Vikings couldn’t stop the rolling Patriots, who held on to the close victory especially with Pats WR Brandon Tate’s 65 yard TD catch after Brady spun to elude a defender and chucked it to Tate. Final Score: 28-18 Patriots Record: 6-1
Upcoming Schedule: The Patriots have some easy and difficult match-ups ahead: the Browns, Lions, Bears, Bills, and Dolphins should be easy wins for the Patriots, who will need them when the Steelers, Colts, and Jets come along.
Predictions for Ahead: The Pats will make the playoffs easily. They will go 12-4 with losses to the Packers, Steelers, and Colts. The sky is the limit for this Patriots team. It is impossible to determine how good they can become and how well they will match up when it comes playoff time, but they will be expected to go deep into the playoffs and make another Super Bowl run this year.
The 10th Annual DECA Halloween Dance
October 28th, 2010By Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
The annual DECA Halloween Dance is back for a 10th consecutive year as one of the most popular dances.
The Halloween Dance is a fundraiser for the very popular business club DECA and is selling tickets for $8 during lunch in the cafeteria.
DECA is selling 820 tickets for the Halloween Dance and expects to sell all 820, says DECA leader John Rogers.
The money raised by the Halloween Dance will all go toward the DECA Club, and will help “defray costs like buses, travel, and other club expenses,” Rogers says.
DECA also hopes to raise enough money this year by the Halloween Dance where they “raise enough money where the kids who go to nationals can go for free,” Rogers says.
Freshman at Westford Academy David Wu says about the dance, “It should be a lot of fun from what I’ve heard from people who have gone to it before,” and is “definitely going.”
Wu will be sporting a “Momma Panda” costume to the dance as costumes are mandatory.
Tickets for the dance went on sale this Tuesday, and will be on sale until this Friday or until they run out.
The dance will be this Saturday, October 30th, from 7-11 p.m.
Comments Off
DECA is back with a New Look
October 22nd, 2010by Andy Dunn
Staff Writer
DECA, one of the most popular clubs at Westford Academy, is back again this year. It has brought new ideas and a new look the club led by WA business teachers John Rogers and Adam Gagne.
DECA has recently done several things to bring it into the new age of technology, as well as make some improvements to the competitions.
According to Rogers, DECA averages 150 members every year. This year WA DECA has about 200, showing an increase in the membership rate.
The increased enrollment may be due to DECA’s recent changes to the program, including brand new competitions that are exclusive just for new DECA members, and also communicating via social networking.
DECA has also improved their communication with their members or anyone who is interested, which contributes to the increase in members. For the first time, DECA is now on the extremely popular social network site Facebook [Click here to see DECA on Facebook].
Rogers says, “I used to use Naviance to try to connect to the students but I found that [the students] don’t use Naviance to check their messages and stuff, but they’re on Facebook all the time. So right now we have about 1000 members that are “friending” us on Facebook.”
DECA has successfully used Facebook as a communication tool to communicate better, one of DECA’s main goals this year.
“Facebook has absolutely helped DECA. First, it is really easy to get the word out about things. We made an event for the Halloween dance, and in just a few hours over 300 people RSVPed yes,” said DECA officer Alexis Jacobsen.
DECA has clearly achieved one of their major goals of trying to communicate to the students, as shown by the increase in members this year.
But DECA’s goals don’t stop with just communicating better. DECA also wants to send as many kids as possible to the highest level of competition they can perform at.
For the first time, WA DECA is introducing the Principle Series of events, exclusively for first-timers in DECA.
The Principles Series of competitions are exclusive for new DECA members, with Westford Academy offering Principles of Business Management, Principles of Finance, Principles of Hospitality and Tourism, and Principles of Marketing.
By having competitions just for first-timers, “They don’t have to compete against veterans and that should work out well [for them],” says Rogers.
The Principle Series has encouraged new members to join because they feel they have a better shot at winning a competition.
“I like to think that the first-time events help encourage people to join. I know that when I signed up for DECA freshman year, I didn’t expect to do well in competition at all; I just wanted to get a practice year in and then take it seriously sophomore year. Now people can compete against other new people, learn how role plays work, AND have a chance at advancing to States or even Internationals,” says Jacobsen
The Principles Series will hopefully help DECA achieve their main goal of having all the contestants as well prepared as possible for their competition by evening the playing field for first-timers.
Westford Academy DECA has also kept their “Role Play Training Sessions” for this upcoming year. The Role-Playing training sessions will start in November every Tuesday and Thursday right up until the dates of the competitions. The idea behind these training sessions goes back to one of DECA’s main goals: preparing the contestants as thoroughly as possible.
DECA is an international student organization that operates in over 4,500 high schools with over 200,000 members.
Cleaning The Environment with Meghan Oelerich
October 7th, 2010By Andy Dunn & Brian Prato
Staff Writers
The Environmental Club is back at Westford Academy, and with a new leader in charge of it. Meghan Oelerich, an English teacher at Westford Academy, is the new head of the club after Mr. Colson stepped down after being the club leader for the previous three years. The club under Oelerich has many new and innovative ways they are planning on impacting the environment.
The club will meet every other Tuesday and its next meeting is will be on October 12. At its initial meeting their were 16 members and Oelerich is hoping to have around ten weekly members in the club. Oelerich says, “[The environment] is an important aspect to our life that we need to draw more attention to how we can live cleaner and do things we wouldn’t normally do but do them for the better of the environment.”
The club has many activities and projects planned for the next few weeks, including counting how many carpool to and from Westford Academy. One member of the club even suggested, says Oelerich, “The idea trash treasure. She [a club member] works at Jo-Ann Fabrics where they throw a lot of stuff away that can be used to create something new and we might use that to create some art we can sell and use that to help the environment”
Oelerich says on why she wants to lead the club, “I thought it was a good chance for me to give kids something positive to do and also help the world at the same time.” The club is still in the opening stages so anyone can feel free to drop by and see what the club in action.
A Q+A with Mr. Gagne
September 14th, 2010
Q: What got you interested in business?
A: My father owned a small business when I was growing up. So I was always working there in the spare time I had. He always had me in his factory working and I really got to see that the in’s and out’s of how a business works.
Q: Where did you go to college?
A: Bentley College near Waltham, MA it is now called Bentley University.
Q: What classes are you teaching at WA this year?
A: I’m teaching management, marketing too. I teach entrepreneurship honors class. Q: What interests do you have outside of business? A: Well, I have a seven-month old daughter who is taking up a lot of my time so I’m enjoying that. She’s my first child. I also coach football here at Westford Academy. So I’m interested in sports and athletics.
Q: What would you like to accomplish in your years at Westford Academy?
A: I’d like to take an already successful DECA program and try to make it even more successful. Try to get more Westford Academy students through the process of districts, states, and nationals too. That would be one of my goals. I also want to get younger kids interested in business because no matter what your interested in, no matter what field you go into in life, there is business attached to it.
Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
A: In ten years, hopefully I’m still in Westford. I’d like to continue teaching. I’d like to also get into administration down the road as well.
Q: What is your main goal in life?
A: My main goal in life…to be successful on many levels and not just with work, but with family, the community, and in general people and friends as well. You know, working to be successful in one area is good, but you kind of have to wear many hats and balance your work off to really fully enjoy it.
Interviewed by Andy Dunn and Brian Prato
Comments Off
