Cameron Goz Sports Editor As 2015 has faded into its twilight, sports fans across the world are blessed with a bevy of moments to remember from the past year. From miraculous catches to thrilling finishes, there was no shortage of exhilarating feats performed before our very eyes. Only the elite of the elite have found their way onto this list.
Grace Fendrick Features and Web Editor Future hall of famer Frank Beamer concluded his legendary college football coaching career on Dec. 26 after leading the Virginia Tech Hokies to a win over Tulsa in the Independence Bowl. Coach Beamer is greatly respected and admired by many: fellow coaches, athletes, and fans. His first collegiate head coaching position was at Murray State; he held that position for six years, and in 1987 he went back to where it all began: his alma mater Virginia Tech. Starting in 1966, Beamer was a part of the Virginia Tech football team and played cornerback until the conclusion of the 1968 season. He has held the position of head coach for the past twenty-nine seasons. Under Beamer’s leadership the Virginia Tech football team has won a total of seven conference championships*, three in the Big East (1995, 1996, 1999) and four in the Atlantic Coast Conference (2004, 2007, 2008, 2010), two ACC Coastal division titles (2005, 2011), and of course one National Championship appearance in 1999. Before ending his tenure at Virginia Tech, Beamer was the winningest active head coach in Division I FBS, and he has lead Virginia Tech to twenty-three consecutive bowl games, holding the all-time NCAA record for consecutive bowl game appearances. Beamer also won over ten coaching awards in his time at Virginia Tech. Through the time of his tenure, over ninety of his players have continued on at the next level, including Antonio Freeman, Michael Vick, DeAngelo Hall, Duane Brown, Brandon Flowers, Kam Chancellor, Tyrod Taylor, and the Fuller brothers: Vincent, Corey, Kyle, and Kendall, who is predicted to be a first or second round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Cameron Goz
Sports Editor While winter does not officially start until the twenty-first, the sports played in this season have begun, and the future is bright for Apex’s several teams. Starting off on the basketball court, men’s basketball has been one of the most successful teams in the SWAC over recent years, and the success should not be stopping anytime soon. The JV squad is featuring new players, and the chemistry developed over the season will only enhance their skills. Chemistry is said to be the key for this team as well as Varsity. While Varsity is lacking the size that teams of years past have exhibited, high expectations remain. Among the teams most improved is senior Trevor Downey. The last player on the bench last year has risen to play valuable minutes for the Cougars. The execution of the smaller, finer things is said to be one of Downey’s niches. That execution can be attributed to Coach Neal and his input during practice that has the Cougars primed for another playoff push. Dylan Snyder Staff Writer The game of football has changed in many ways including the pass heavy offenses and the types of plays run on both sides of the ball. One of the most important changes, though, is the focus on player safety and the steps the league takes to make the game safer. Many current and former players are filing law suits against the NFL for the fact that they have not only received concussions but most likely permanent brain damage. Some of these head injuries can tragically lead to Alzheimer's disease, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. The players feel as if they were not given enough warning about the risk of the game and or enough information about safety precautions, and others feel as if the league was just using them to make money and does not actually care. Cameron Goz Sports Editor After an exhilarating college football season filled with as much parody as one can ask for, the playoff has been determined, and the final four teams are as followed in order of rank: Clemson, Alabama, Michigan State, and Oklahoma. No. 1 Clemson will play No. 4 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl while No. 2 Alabama matches up against No. 3 Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl. Unlike last year, there was no controversy in the final playoff verdict as all teams selected were a given, and all four won their respective conferences. The last schools standing are clearly the most deserving and talented teams across the nation, and fans around the country are in store for another exciting installment of the College Football Playoff. Dylan Snyder Staff Writer The OSU vs. Michigan game is one of, if not THE, best rivalries in college football. Michigan leads 58-46-6 and won the majority of the games in the early 1900s, but it has since evened out with back and forth contests through the rest of the century. The 2000s have been a different story with the Buckeyes dominating 11-3. The game was made famous by Michigan coach Bo Shembechler and OSU coach Woody Hayes.It has always been a physical contest with a lot of hard hits, fights, and ejections. This game is usually close and entertaining because of how tight this rivalry is. Fans take it very seriously, making bets, showing school spirit, and often taking the day off to watch. Tickets must be bought at least a year in advance and prices skyrocket over regular tickets. Even people who are not regular fans or have no ties to these states will be tuning in Saturday for what looks to be a great game as always. Andrew Bulieris Staff Writer What was once a fun Fourth of July festivity quickly turned into a nightmare for Jason Pierre-Paul as fireworks exploded in his hand and caused him to have severe third degree burns all over his right hand. The rumors and stories came out as quick as that day. Would JPP lose his fingers? Would he lose his whole hand? All Giants fans sat in horror as they watched the report come out that their star defensive end possibly would be out for the season, or maybe even his career would be over. About a week passed, and JPP decided that it would be best for him and his career that he has his right index finger amputated as he had lost most of the nerves, tissue and skin on that finger. It was the headline for most of the summer; would Jason Pierre-Paul return to full form or would he comeback a mere shadow of his past self? Cameron Goz Sports Editor The Southwest Wake Athletic Conference champion Apex Cougars took home a bevy of honors when all-conference teams for boys’ soccer were announced. The league’s nine soccer coaches came to the conclusion that Apex’s Coach Kevin Todd would take home Coach of the Year honors while star forward Will Tomlinson, senior, was crowned the SWAC’s Player of the Year. Tomlinson’s year consisted of thirty goals and six assists, and he led his Cougars to a 21-2-1 (15-1 in SWAC) record. Senior goalkeeper Corey Vodicka joined Tomlinson to represent Apex on the all-conference’s first team. Seniors Patrick Bailey (seven goals, three assists) and Cole Pena (eight goals, seven assists) joined junior defender Thomas Zygmuntowicz on the second team. More first team players came from the Fighting Falcons than any other school, and eighth-place Fuquay-Varina was the lone school without a representative. Middle Creek and Holly Springs each claimed two spots, and a single player from Cary, Panther Creek, and Athens each held one on the SWAC’s first team all-conference. Hailey Loftin Staff Writer The Carolina Panthers have started the season 9-0 for the first time in the organization’s history. Carolina defeated the Tennessee Titans on Sunday with ease, winning 27-10. The season has been, for the most part, a series of easy wins. The exceptions to this came in Carolina’s games against the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts. The Panthers’ difficult games have been problematic mostly due to their defense. Carolina allowed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in both their game against the Packers and the Colts. The mistakes against the Colts forced the Panthers into overtime where they won but could have very easily lost. After a similar fourth quarter against the Colts, head coach Ron Rivera told his team that they needed to get better and that they would work on stopping fourth quarter scoring. This practicing was effective as the Titans could not manage to score at all in the second half. The Panthers take on the Washington Redskins on Sunday at 1:00. The Redskins are 4-5 but defeated the New Orleans Saints this weekend 47-14. The Redskins are having a mediocre season as usual. They are tied for second in the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles. Based on the records of the two teams the upcoming match between the Panthers and Redskins should be an easy win for Carolina. It will be interesting to see how the Redskins move forward after overpowering the Saints. Panthers fans are thrilled that their team is finally rising up and winning games. There are already discussions and tweets about a possible Panthers and New England Patriots Super Bowl matchup. The Panthers have never won a Super Bowl (they went in 2003 and lost to the Patriots 32-29). The season still has a lot of time left in it, but for now, the Panthers are on top of the world. Nick Stines Staff Writer New York-based FanDuel and Massachusetts-based DraftKings are the two largest daily fantasy sports operators. You pay a few dollars, draft a team for the day, and see how much money you win. People have walked away with millions of dollars after playing. However, New York's state attorney demanded they stop allowing residents to play because the gambling is illegal under New York state law. FanDuel plans to take every possible legal route to remain in business, and DraftKings will also attempt to negotiate with the state attorney to dig itself out of its current hole. Vantiv Entertainment Solutions, a major financial transaction processor, told all of its daily fantasy sports operators to stop accepting players from New York in light of the state attorney's demands while both the corporations work things out in court. |
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