SECURING THE TITLE

I love watching all Father Judge sports, but nothing beats watching Judge soccer in the beautiful fall weather. Father Judge Soccer has been an outstanding team to watch during the years I’ve been here and they are hungry for a championship even more this year. 

During my freshman year, Father Judge Soccer was in an unexpected situation. Because of COVID-19, the team could not play in the normally scheduled fall PCL league and was forced to play in the public league. Though we were underestimated, the boys made the most of what they had and had some tough and easy matchups against teams like Northeast High School and Reading High School. The future of Judge Soccer was bright with promising starters like Dane Pizzaro, Kevin Castro, and Abou Cherif and their sophomore season was just about to start. 

When the sophomore season came around, the boys looked even more motivated than the years before thanks to the best coach in the league motivating them, John Dunlop. They were rolling through the playoffs and just fell short in the PCL Championship to Lasalle College High School. Making it all the way to the championship hurt the boys, but they knew how to become even more motivated through the loss. That year, we gained promising players like Michael Regan, Gavin Dunlop, Giovanni Lear, Kevin Purcell, and Juan Ceciliano and the future could not have looked brighter for the boys.

Junior year came by and the team rolled straight through the regular season with a record of 14-1. They looked unstoppable through that year and the team’s chemistry was flying through the roof. When playoffs came around, the boys went up against St. Joseph Prep in the quarterfinals and Conwell Egan in the semi-finals. Finally, the Crusaders were back in the PCL championship in back-to-back years. This time they went up against a young and promising Archbishop Ryan team at Northeast High School. Many fans from both teams attended the game and the benches were packed with exciting and avid fans knowing this was going to be a great game. The Crusaders and Raiders played a great and exciting 80 minutes of soccer, forcing two periods of overtime and eventually, penalty kicks. Being at this game, the stadium was extremely loud and the tension between both teams kept increasing throughout the game. Saves and goals kept occurring until Archbishop Ryan scored and the Crusader’s shot was saved. Judge had lost back-to-back championship games in a heartbreak.

This year the energy has been different and it smells like a revenge season. Senior Abou Cherif has shown why he is one of the best and most valuable players in the PCL and he has led the team scoring 14 goals so far this season. I recently asked Abou “What are ways Father Judge can secure the PCL title, after coming up short in consecutive years” and he provided me with a great response. “Honestly from my experiences in the PCL for the past few years, I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter what you do to prepare your team,  it is never enough. Every team is a different team in the playoffs and they are the teams who want to play head-to-head. They are teams who want to sit back and just take you to a penalty kick shootout. This year, we’ve definitely trained differently. We have people in different positions and people who play all positions but to be honest, what really is going to help us this year is that we have players who have experience in the Catholic league. From the hardest times and the grit, every senior this year has shown they want to win. It is something I have seen and I can say the same thing for the younger guys. Everyone wants to win and we’re all on the same page which makes us a great team this year.”

The Crusaders recently beat St. Joseph’s Prep in the quarter finals of this year’s playoffs and their revenge story is only starting. The semi-finals have finally come. On Wednesday, October 25th, 2023, the Crusaders played an excruciating eighty minutes of soccer against an underrated Archbishop Wood team. It was a beautiful day and the boys have already obtained home-field advantage after having the best PCL record this season. 

The game started and it started as a calm and possessive game, but that didn’t last long. In the 10th minute, Abou Cherif scored a beautiful header off a corner kick assisted by Junior, Mike Regan. The energy from the fans was uplifted and the Crusaders got too confident, leading to an Archbishop Wood goal in the 17th minute which tied the game up 1-1. Eleven minutes later, the Crusaders found their rhythm again leading to a breakaway. Kevin Castro dribbled the ball efficiently up from midfield, creating a one-two play with Cherif. Castro found Cherif in the box and Cherif played a beautiful backheel pass back to Castro that led to an alluring weak foot goal by him. Being present at that game, was one of the best plays Father Judge has made over my time being there.

Championship day had arrived and the Father Judge student section was hype like never before, avidly wanting this championship more than anything. The whistle blew and kickoff had just begun. After minutes of great possession from both teams, Kevin Castro and Abou Cherif played their beautiful “one-two” game and started the scoring for the boys. Energy from students and parents had erupted and it was a step closer to that championship Father Judge wanted to obtain. The scoring wasn’t over yet after Gavin Dunlop slotted a line drive shot under the LaSalle goalkeeper doubling the lead in the 31st minute. The Crusaders were feeling confident and maybe too confident. LaSalle was right back in the game after scoring two goals in three minutes ending the first half at an equalized game. The energy had shifted and the boys went into the locker room hoping to find a path to securing the “much needed” title. 

The second whistle blew and the energy was shifted in a negative direction for the Crusaders. Possessions were taking control of the game and it was a great defensive second half for the two teams, but LaSalle had other plans. LaSalle had scored halfway through the second half off an unlucky breakaway and it wasn’t looking good for the Crusaders. What could the boys do to get back in this game? The energy was non-existent and the team spirit needed to be uplifted as soon as possible. Shots after shots were getting saved by LaSalle’s goalkeeper and time was running out. The final whistle had blown. Father Judge Soccer had lost three consecutive PCL Championship games and their Cinderella story was over, unfortunately. The Crusaders had a special season and there needs to be a major change for the future to finally “secure the title”.

by Ryan Dalesandro

SPOTLIGHT INTERVIEW: ETHAN ILONDIOR ON HIS INTERNSHIP WITH NASA

P: How did you come by the opportunity to intern with NASA?

E: I was originally watching a YouTube lecture on black holes when I came across a video from one of the internship's older teams. After watching the video and being impressed, I decided to further research the opportunity. 

P: What did you do, and how did the experience help focus your future goals?

E: I worked with the NASA DAVINCI team under Dr. James Garvin. My team consisted of 10 other talented interns, and I was the exploration lead. Our overall mission was to design a prototype for a spacecraft that could stay in the Venus atmosphere for a very long time– something no other team had attempted or wanted to do in the past because of the sheer hostility of the Venusian environment. 

My function as exploration lead was to determine the landing sites for our landing craft, materials needed to survive the Venusian atmosphere, flight paths for our craft, placements for different sensors on the craft, and what materials we needed to sample while on Venus.

This experience helped me focus on my goals mainly by letting me get hands-on/real experience with aerospace engineering and planetary science. Essentially, it helped me confirm that astronautics is what I want to pursue.

P: What did you learn the most from your internship?

E: Aside from the new knowledge about physics, engineering, and planetary science, I would say that the thing I learned most from the internship was problem-solving as a team. We were given the problem of surviving Venus, and we had to stretch our science skills and imaginations further than we had ever done in the past. Overall, this has made me a far more resourceful person.

P: What was your favorite part of the experience, and how did you incorporate values from Father Judge along the way?

E: My favorite part of the experience had to have been interacting with NASA scientists, astronauts, and leaders. Not only was I able to learn and work with the same people I’ve looked up to, but I was also able to work with an incredible group of passionate people. Throughout my internship, I thoroughly used the values of being “confident” and “positive” to carry me through the rough times when our designs didn’t work the way we expected them to. Whenever we needed to scrap an idea and start from the beginning, these values pushed all of us to carry on and complete our objectives.

by Peter Gerace

  PHILADELPHIA FLYERS AND 76ERS GEAR UP FOR AN EXCITING 23-24 SEASON 

As the city of Philadelphia prepares for the 2023-2024 NHL and NBA seasons, fans are buzzing with anticipation for what the Flyers and 76ers have in store. Both teams are determined to make their mark and bring glory to the City of Brotherly Love.

The Philadelphia Flyers, led by Head Coach Alain Vigneault, are looking to bounce back from a challenging previous season. With a revamped roster and renewed enthusiasm, the Flyers are aiming for a strong playoff push. One of the most significant offseason acquisitions for the Flyers was the trade for star defenseman Seth Jones. Jones, a perennial Norris Trophy candidate, is expected to provide a much-needed boost to the Flyers' defensive core. This addition, along with the existing talent of players like Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier, makes the Flyers a force to be reckoned with in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers are also putting faith in their young prospects, with Joel Farabee and Morgan Frost expected to play key roles in the upcoming season. Goaltender Carter Hart, who struggled in the previous season, is determined to bounce back and regain his status as one of the league's top netminders.

Across town, the Philadelphia 76ers are gearing up for a promising NBA season under the guidance of Head Coach Doc Rivers. After several years of playoff disappointment, the team is striving to make a deep postseason run. The Sixers have made significant changes to their roster. Ben Simmons, whose trade request has been the subject of ongoing speculation, remains an integral part of the Sixers' future, but his role and fit within the team are still in question. The Sixers will need to address this situation to ensure a cohesive and focused squad. Fans are excited about the potential of the 76ers, but they know that the success of the team ultimately rests on how well these key players can mesh and perform as a unit.

As the 2023-2024 seasons get underway, the city of Philadelphia is abuzz with anticipation and optimism. Both the Flyers and 76ers have made significant moves to bolster their rosters, and the fans can't wait to see how these changes will translate on the ice and the court. It's shaping up to be an exciting year for Philadelphia sports enthusiasts.

by Mick Murray

AN EYE ON THE EAGLES

This is a brief and descriptive summary of October, for our own Philadelphia Eagles! This season has begun exciting for us Eagles fans! We went 7-1 in October, meaning we were and still are the 1 seed in the NFC! 

Our first match-up in October was the Commanders on the 1st. Where we won 34 to 31, in overtime. While the Commanders lead 17 - 10, at the half, thanks to 2 touchdowns from Curtis Samuel and Terry McLaurin, and a 27-yard long, field goal by Joey Slye.Now, the Eagles made a swift comeback in the 2nd half, because of an astonishing 59-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown before Jake Elliott added to the lead from 36 yards out. Brian Robinson Jr then tied the game, by scoring a 15-yard rushing touchdown. Jake Elliott in overtime, converted from 54 yards to win the game for the Eagles in a victorious manner. 

Then we played the Rams on the 8th and came out with the win, 23 to 14. The Eagles offense had a tremendous game, thanks to A.J Brown with 127 yards, and Dallas Goedert with 117 yards, as both went above the century mark in receiving yards. Jalen Hurts threw for 303 yards with one touchdown into the end zone for a rushing touchdown as well. Our top edge rusher Haason Reddick wasn’t doing much the first 3 quarters of the game, but in the 4th quarter, he got back-to-back sacks, to seal the win. Reddick’s two sacks came on third and fourth down with under three minutes left in the game and didn’t give the Rams offense another chance to touch the ball.

Our third game in October was against the Jets, on the 15th, where we unfortunately took a loss. Despite this tough blow, losing to a team that was without their best player, we persevered and came back to win our remaining games. Even through the loss, A.J. Brown really took the spotlight, showing his talent and commitment to the game. He finished the game leading all receivers with 131 receiving yards on 7 catches from 10 targets, 2 of the grabs being contested.

Following this game, on October 26th we bested the Dolphins in a 31 to 17 game, which brought our record to 7-1. Jalen Hurts for sure was the best offensive player on that field that night, because, in the win, Hurts was the man behind 3 touchdowns with 300 total yards between rushing and passing. On the defensive end, Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker had the defensive play of the game, when he intercepted Jalen Hurts for a touchdown, to get the game tied up in the second half. Baker also had 11 combined tackles, leading the Dolphins in that category.

Then our final game of the month on October 29th, was against the Commanders yet again, where for the second time we showed them who’s boss, by persevering 38-31. A.J. Brown caught 8 balls from 130 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns on the day, including a beautiful one-handed catch on a back shoulder with Benjamin St-Juste nearly covering him completely. Brown’s 130 receiving yards made in this game, made him the first wide receiver in the NFL’s history, to ever post 125 or more receiving yards in 6 straight games. 

As you can see, our season has just begun and we’ve already presented ourselves as a title contender and favorite. In these games where we have made many winning plays, we are showing the NFL world that even though we lost the Superbowl last year, we’re not staying down. In fact, we’re coming back for the chip! GO EAGLES!!!

by Tyler Newbern & Connor Stevenson