The Warrior Online

If there were words to express the feelings of the Sherwood Warriors (10-2) after their playoff loss to the Gaithersburg Trojans (11-2) on November 19, heartbroken might surely be one of them. But instead of speaking, the team gathered around coach Marc Thomas and knelt in silence as the visiting Trojans rejoiced in the south goal. Entering the 2010 season, the Warriors were favorites to win a state championship, what would have been their second states win in three years, but critical errors and a 21-20 loss in the 4A West regional final meant the Warriors departed this year’s playoffs earlier than planned.

Sherwood students, however, seem to consider themselves part of the Washington metropolitan area. A survey of 109 students conducted by The Warrior revealed that 40 percent of students consider themselves Redskins’ fans. Ravens’ fans make up the second most populous group of supporters, with 10 percent of the student body, and 30 percent of students profess to be fans of one of the 30 other NFL teams; the Steelers, Packers and Eagles had notable strongholds. The other 20 percent of students had no preference towards any team.

Dedication and determination are attributes that coaches demand of their athletes in the sport of wrestling. Wrestling is rightfully known for its extremely disciplined athletes due to the brutal hardships of the extensive training and weight requirements. As a sport that sorts its athletes based on weight, the controversy of wrestlers crossing the line between fit and unhealthy long has been an undercurrent of the sport.

Starting with this winter athletic season, Sherwood will be home to a unified bocce team as part of a corollary sports program recently implemented in MCPS. The program, which started in MCPS last year after its success in Baltimore County, is in partnership with Special Olympics and is currently in 14 of 25 MCPS high schools.

Big hits: the most exciting, fear-evoking, suspenseful, wonder-striking moments in the National Football League. You can hear them from anywhere inside the stadium; you can see them clearly on the television screen; you can almost feel their impact. Though a huge part of football’s legacy, big hits have ironically taken a “hit” this NFL season. Roger Goodell, commissioner of the league, and the rest of the NFL administration implemented harsher punishments against helmet-first hits.