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Underdogs

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BY Austin Hill
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

“We win this and we’re in the playoffs.”

This was said by one of the assistant coaches during a pre-game drill. It was then that most of the team realized how monumental the game we were entering really was. It was homecoming after all, but that wasn’t the least bit important. This game was about winning for us, rather than the school.

Upon finishing our pre-game ritual, we trotted off the field. The locker room atmosphere was solemn. “Defense up first.” yelled someone who returned from the coin flip. For nearly 15 minutes then, we waited, focusing on the task ahead of us. Some put their earbuds in to listen to music, others sat silently, going over plays in their heads.

Out of the tranquility emerges Joe’s voice. The team captain, sidelined for the remainder of the season because of an injury the preceding game, says he has something to tell the team. It was obvious that he was a well respected figure, as it didn’t take long for everyone to gather and descend to one knee in front of him.

He said that he had never expected it to happen to him. He explained that last week, in Cincinnati, he would have never envisioned that that was his last time dressing up as a Spartan. He instructed us to give this game our all, as it could as well been any of our last games at the whim of chance. He even disclosed to us that he cried all night when he found out he would miss at least six weeks. He cried and cried and cried, but then, he smiled. He smiled because he believed that this team was capable of making it to the playoffs, and by then, his injury would have healed, and he’d be guaranteed one last time on the field. This game was monumental.

We came back into the locker room down 28-12. We realized that we were playing a team much more talented than their record (0-3) indicated and that we were playing against the referees. Our offense was plagued by detrimental penalties, and the refs even gave Cleveland Heights an extra down, which we proved on film, that led to a touchdown.

However, despite the circumstances, the team remained focused during the break. You would have expected that the coach had given a fiery speech to motivate us to turn the tide, but you’d be wrong. Coach Harder was as calm as he’d ever be, and just made minor adjustments like with any other game at halftime. To any oblivious observer, it would be glaring that we were used to this situation. Although it isn’t exactly a desirable title, we are a second-half team.

And that is exactly what we proved. Outscoring our opponent 28-0 following half-time, I recognized that at our heart, we love being the underdog. It fuels us and it is what has driven this season thus far. Every week, the Blade attempts to predict high school games in its “Friday Forecast,” and if even one analyst chooses against us, his projection is circled and hung on the locker room door.

After the game, coach told us to take our shoulder pads and cleats off to meet him in the gym for something “special.” Now, on the TPS budget, we didn’t really get anything special, but instead he led us to the athletic hallway in front of the wall where all the plaques hang. He explained that there is an empty space just for us now that City League play is about to begin. He clarified that we were now 0-0, and all of our goals resided in the next five weeks.

Contact Austin at [email protected]

Black Mass: Big Disappointment

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Black Mass shows the exploits of notorious South Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger during his infamous relationship with the FBI as an informant.

Black Mass shows the brutality, cunning, and terror of Bulger through hits he performs himself and the deals he makes with the FBI. The murders in this film do seem heartless and depraved of humanity, and it’s in that sense that this movie succeeds.

However, there’s not a lot going on. Sure, there’s killing, illegal deals with government agencies, and Johnny Depp gives his first good performance while not dressed like a pirate in 10 or 15 years. But while that sounds exciting and all, at the core this movie amounts to more like just a series of events that are tied together by one common factor: Bulger.

There’s a distinct lack of humanity, as I said earlier, but it’s not just in the Bulger character. It’s in everyone. This is a story, if you can call it a story with its lack of direction, about criminals and crooked FBI agents. With that being said, there’s no one to get behind. While I’m all for a movie that displays the misdeeds of others, especially gangsters, I find it hard to care about any of the people portrayed in this film. The lack of empathy this movie builds for its characters combined with the murders in every scene, you begin to realize when someone’s going to be killed off, but you don’t care. I’m not saying that this film should’ve portrayed these characters in a manner so that I feel bad for them, but to at least direct it in a way that comes off as suspenseful and at least unpredictable.

The biggest thing this movie has going for it is Depp’s performance as Bulger, because if that wasn’t good there probably wouldn’t be any praise for this thing at all. The makeup, while a little hard to get over at first, does lend to his portrayal, and his performance is still felt through the prosthetics. Depp gives a frightening and cold feel to this character, but in a way so that you do believe that the real life Whitey Bulger was this way. There are some memorable scenes, and in large part to this character’s portrayal. My only problem with Bulger in this film isn’t anything to do with Depp himself, but perhaps the story. While Bulger does kill more than a couple people here, they never seem to stress exactly how big his organization actually is, and because of that I never really believed him as the Boston kingpin that I’m told he was.

The direction isn’t really going anywhere but forward, and by the end of the movie it seems like you just watched a collage of a gangster’s career, rather than a cohesive story with a definite beginning, middle, and end.

Depp was good, the brutality was well done and portrayed perhaps too well for the stories own good, but I think this film still deserves a watch. It’s not bad, but when you inevitably compare it to the mafia classics like Goodfellas or The Godfather, it definitely falls short.

“Boys can’t wear earrings.”

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BY Christopher Dauer
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

“Boys can’t wear earrings” were the words of a four year old girl who was standing next to me in a line at Cedar Point. At first, I just kind of brushed it off. It’s a little girl. What does she know, right? No. This little girl only added to a series of negative remarks about my earrings.

I am a Christian and went to church every Sunday as a kid. The church I go to thinks that it is wrong to have earrings. I just didn’t understand why. It wasn’t hurting them. It’s something on my body. I’ll live with it the rest of my life. But the members of the church still told me not to do it.

I did it anyway. I got my ears pierced about a year ago and immediately got negative remarks. The first Sunday I went to church after getting them pierced, I was told by older members of the congregation that they were “evil” and that in a couple of months, I’ll “come to my senses and take them out.” Those were harsh words coming from people that were usually friendly with me. It made me rethink my decision and I actually thought about taking them out. But that would let them win, wouldn’t it? I decided to keep them just to prove a point.

I noticed that many people in society judge. Many judge based on others’ appearances. A very common misconception is that people with earrings and tattoos are bad people. (I don’t have tattoos, but I’m planning on getting them just to prove another point) How could somebody possibly say that? How is it even logical to say that? Just because I have a hole in my ear, it makes me a bad person? That’s nonsense. I saw my old teacher shortly after I got my ears pierced. She said, “Oh. I didn’t know you were that type of person.” What type of person would that be? I can only assume that it wasn’t a good type of person, since she looked terribly disgusted at the sight of me with studs in my ears.

If I were a girl, I bet she wouldn’t have cared. Nobody would have cared. My church wouldn’t have even cared. One of the negative comments that was said at church was from a lady who wore massive hoops to church every Sunday. Why is that okay? What’s even worse is that the same lady complimented my sister on her new piercing. It’s her fourth. My sister has four times as many piercings as I do, but society thinks that’s perfectly okay compared to a guy with tiny studs in his ears.

If I only got one ear pierced, I would be under even more scrutiny. “Left is right and right is wrong.” Who in the world would make up such a silly rule? Not only is it saying that being gay is wrong, but it is supposed to influence men’s choices in earrings. Growing up, that was said a lot more than it is today. Every kid that I saw with his ears pierced only had the left pierced. I always asked that kid, “Why?” I kid you not, every response was, “My parents told me I could only get that one pierced.” I find that ludicrous. These kids don’t even know about the rule and they are being told that’s it not okay to do what they want because it might damage their appearance or reputation. What if a guy wants one earring in his right ear? That’s his preference and it definitely does not mean he is gay. What if a guy wants an earring in his left ear? That’s his preference and it definitely does not mean he is straight. I have earrings in both ears, so I’m bi-sexual? Definitely not. I am one-hundred percent straight, but I just like the look of having both ears pierced.

There is nothing wrong with that. Why does society have to discriminate against somebody just because their appearance is a little bit different? There are two extra holes in somebody else’s body, but they are somehow inferior or a terrible person compared to somebody without earrings.

Many guys like the look of earrings. Others do not. So for the people who like them, get them. Choose the look that makes you happy or just get them to prove people wrong. For the people that don’t like earrings, don’t worry about it. Let the guys with earrings be happy about the way they look and move on with your own life.

Football Frantics

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BY Me’Lyea Burton
LifeAtStart.com Reporter

It’s always the same group of kids. Some from other TPS high schools, and some from our very own, Start. They all sit in the same area, alert and ready for trouble to occur.

Two girls had a heated argument and later met behind the bleachers to fight. Though some people stayed in the stands, many of the others left to watch the altercation take flight. It didn’t take long for the security to catch on to what was happening, and they quickly defused the situation.

After the game was over, what seemed to be 50 kids met at Close Park to watch the girls continue the quarrel. The police broke it up, and sent the kids on their way. The students walked down Tremainsville, they yelled “F–k the police!” as they ran and threw rocks at the patrolling cars. Bypassing vehicles, including school buses, were also hit by the the rocks. In response to the officers calling for backup, the group divided and continued down Upton and Fitch. The commotion had finally seized.

Many may ask why the students behave like this, and there’s not a valid answer. Some are actually troubled teens, while others are just trying to follow the crowd. No matter the reason, another student, from an opposing school, being injured from their acts is unjustifiable.

Contact Me’Lyea Burton at [email protected]