editors-in-chief: Rafaelle Martis & Gideon Achampong
Lead Graphics Editor: Jadiell Encarnacion-Santos
Lead Photographer: Haylee Murray

The Rise and (Eventual) Fall of 67

By Japjeet Kaur Multani

photo by evan KIEras

On April 22, 2015, Fetty Wap came out with one of his most popular singles, “Trap Queen.” At the beginning of the song, he sings the number ‘1738,’ a reference to his friend group. To anyone outside of Gen Z, those might just be simple numbers: A year, a time, or just a number you’ve gotten as an answer in math. For someone like me, those take me back to elementary school when everyone would blurt it out; yet, in the year 2025, who even says that? In 2013, a vine was released of someone being asked what 9 + 10 was, and they replied “21.” Most of us know that it’s 19, but for some reason, it really resonated with people despite the pure absurdity of it. Like 1738, people would constantly reference it, even if it didn't make sense. In the year of 2025, when was the last time you heard anyone reference 9+10, or 1738? They’ve faded into irrelevancy and anyone who mentions it might as well be labeled as "cringe." Yet, here we are again, with the internet’s ever-spinning roulette. Another number has been integrated into our humor: 67.

photo by evan KIEras

The “67” meme has become the latest inside joke for Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s internet corner. There isn’t any deep meaning, nor a life-altering backstory-- it’s just another number that’s been stirred up in a joke. It somehow feels funny when someone brings it up, almost as if it’s a modernized version of yelling “21” in 2013 to a math problem. Yet, even these numbers which once ruled our humor, have faded into nostalgia and the internet’s memory.

When a new number comes along, what really changes? The cycle is always the same: the number becomes a brief inside joke for everyone in the “know;” it spreads like wildfire to teenagers and confused adults alike, and within a few weeks, everyone is tired of it. It soon becomes a joke of embarrassment, and what’s funny one day becomes “cringe” the next. This is no different for 67. What really makes it special-- if it even is? It's as if the more meaningless something is, the funnier it becomes. Internet humor as a whole and the jokes we really do find funny, often don’t have a punchline to them. People don’t laugh because they understand, they laugh because nobody does.

Still, a person can’t help but wonder: Will 67 stay alive any longer, or will it just fade into “cringe culture,” like its numeric predecessors? Looking back, it’s clear that like 1738 and 21, 67 will eventually fade into obscurity as well, surviving only as an occasional nostalgic comment on TikTok in a few years. The internet moves far too quickly for something to really be permanent, and memes are no different-- they are born, go viral for a few weeks, and then are gone. Eventually, when the next random number takes over, we’ll move on-- just like how we always do.

Back of the Net

Different Roots, One Community

BY Samantha Woode and Gideon Achampong

Modern soccer originated in England in the mid-19th century, but its roots stretch back thousands of years back to ancient China, Greece, and Rome, where early versions used balls made of rock or animal hair. Earlier forms of the sport even appeared in Mesoamerica, played by the Aztecs.

The first official football association was founded in England in 1863. The sport then reached South America in the 19th century through Buenos Aires, Argentina, where European sailors created the Buenos Aires Football 3bClub. Soon after, another club in Rosario, Argentina helped establish the first Argentine league championship in 1893. During the 1900s, soccer spread across countries like Colombia, Uruguay, Chile, and Paraguay, becoming a sport that was loved by people of different Hispanic backgrounds. The sport brought families and communities together, forever cementing its role in Hispanic culture.

In the United States, soccer was never a popular sport but later gained traction, fueled by immigrants from soccer-loving nations. Their passion helped drive youth participation, rising viewership, and a growing nationwide love for the game.

At Carteret High School, the love for the game is very strong. Students and teachers come from a variety of backgrounds, each bringing their own culture to the sport.

Photo by Haylee Murray

Coach Dominguez, the junior varsity soccer coach, shared his thoughts on why soccer wasn’t always popular in the United States. “I think it’s a cultural thing,” Dominguez says. “I think that soccer was the sport of the communities that came from other countries, and those people really didn’t have the time or the equipment to play that sport. They were not exposed to it at a young age, there were no fields to play that sport. Those people were working people, so they spent a lot of time working, not playing sports.“ Although there were challenges to play the sport in the past, soccer still found a home in the United States and within Carteret, NJ in particular. Today, there are more resources and opportunities for new generations, turning something that once belonged to a few communities into something much bigger, not only in this town but across the country.

Coach Cortina, the varsity soccer coach, opened up about soccer’s impact. “It’s actually called the Beautiful Game for a reason,” Cortina says. “It brings a lot of people together. It’s cheap to play, you just need a ball, and that’s it. You can play it anywhere. People play in the streets, on dirt, in fields, anywhere you can play. And that’s why people are fascinated by it.”

photo by evan KIEras

In Carteret, soccer isn’t just a sport, it’s a reflection of how diverse both our town and the game truly is. No matter where it’s played or who it's played by, the game still carries its symbolism and its beauty.

Even if soccer's not a big part of your own heritage, it might be an important piece of your friend’s, classmate’s, or teacher’s. The sport holds memories that have planted roots in our generation and the ones before us. Whether our parents played it, we play it now, or we simply watch from the sidelines, within our differences we all share the same passion for this beautiful game. So whenever you turn on the TV to watch a match or go to the next Ramblers soccer game, let it remind you that the game’s many roots around the world all tie back into one community.

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