Sports

Two hundred and nine teams from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe have spent the last 34 months in hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Of those 209 teams, only 32 will make it. So far, 29 teams have secured a spot, and eight teams still have a chance. On April 4, when FIFA performed the World Cup draw, possible predictions for the 2022 Coupe du Monde materialized.

The World Cup draw placed all qualified teams into eight groups, setting the stage for the upcoming tournament. The four teams in each group will play a round-robin format, with each nation facing the other three. Group standings are based on points — three for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. The top two teams from each group advance to the next stage.

Group A, consisting of Qatar, Netherlands, Senegal, and Ecuador, could be a detrimental group for the host nation. Qatar clinched qualification as the host but couldn't ask for a more demanding group. 

The Dutch team, led by Virgil Van Dijk, has become the favorite in Group A, even after failing to qualify in 2018. The Flying Dutchmen are anchored by a seemingly impenetrable back line and remain strong throughout the field. Senegal demonstrated their quality by winning the Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year and is my pick as the second-place team in Group A. The Lions of Teranga are led by standout winger Sadio Mane and Edouard Mendy, one of the best keepers in the world. While Ecuador is the lowest-ranked South American team in the tournament, they could prove to be a dark horse.

England, USA, Iran, and the winner of an intercontinental playoff game, make up Group B for the 2022 World Cup. England and the USA are fairly similar talent-wise, but England is the popular pick. I however, feel obligated to pick The Yanks, and cheer the United States team on to victory. Iran and the intercontinental playoff teams are close but I expect Iran to lose all three group-stage games and end up in fourth for Group B. I predict that the play-in team will beat Iran and draw England because all three teams have motivation to beat The Three Lions. In conclusion, I predict that USA will leave Group B in first place and England will take second.

Group C consists of Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Poland. While this is definitely a group with lots of talent, I don't think any of these teams will end up taking home the cup. The Polish side is led by Robert Lewandowski at striker, and his goal scoring ability will definitely help The Eagles. Argentina has had bad luck in past World Cups, but Lionel Messi is more motivated than ever to win one. Saudi Arabia is the underdog in Group C and I agree that they will have trouble putting up a viable fight. Mexico has lots of young talent and a fanbase with seemingly unlimited support. El Tri have proven to be a worthy opponent in CONCACAF competitions, but they will have trouble with Argentina and Poland. I believe that Mexico will prove to be a worthy competitor and make it out of Group C in second place. I predict that Argentina will clinch the first place spot, leaving Poland and Saudi Arabia in the last two spots.

France, Denmark, Tunisia, and the winner of a play-in game make up Group D for the 2022 World Cup. France is the easy favorite in this group, and I believe that they will take first place easily. Les Bleus have a deep team including stars like Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema, and N'Golo Kante, just to name a few. The French team won the World Cup in 2018 and they have a good opportunity to win it again. The Danish team is looking better than ever, and they have proven themselves as a worthy opponent. If anyone has a chance of beating France in Group D, its probably Denmark. The Danish Dynamite are led by Kaspar Schmeichel in the back, with Christian Eriksen, and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg controlling the field. Tunisia does not have much of a chance to make it out of the group but they might be an upset. The play-in teams are all pretty good teams, but I don't think they will end up moving on over France or Denmark. I predict Group D competitions will end with France in first and Denmark in second.

Group E is arguably the most challenging World Cup group, consisting of Spain, Japan, Germany, and the winner of an inter-continental playoff game. The Spanish and German teams are consistently good competitors in World Cup competitions, with 5 trophies between the two. La Furia Roja is an all-around good team, but I predict them to lose to Germany. The Japanese team is another skillful team, but they will have trouble competing with Germany and Spain. Samurai Blue is the underdog against these European powerhouse teams, but I think they could come away with a win. The play-in teams are both good teams, but they will likely have trouble in their group. Die Mannschaft has been a dominating team recently, but much of their team is getting old. I, however, predict that Germany will win Group E and Spain will take second.

Group F consists of Belgium, Canada, Morocco, and Croatia, and the games will probably be very interesting. Belgium and Croatia are the favorites, but Canada could definitely put up a fight. The Red Devils of Belgium are loaded with talent but came up short in 2018. The Belgian team is extremely motivated and they have the talent to back it up. I believe that Belgium will take the win in Group F and possibly wreak havoc in later stages of the tournament. Croatia has star players like Luka Modric to control the field, so they will probably take second place. Canada and Morocco are both good teams, but Belgium and Croatia both have motivation and talent to win.

Group G probably won’t be as dangerous as some of the other groups because there is not as much depth. Brazil, is the favorite for Group G and I firmly agree that they will win. Brazil has a whopping total of 5 trophies in World Cup competitions, with former stars like Pele, Ronaldo, and Ronaldiho leaving lasting impacts on the team. Neymar, Vinicius Junior, and the rest of Seleção will most likely win all of their group stage games. Cameroon is one of the best African teams, and they definitely have an opportunity to make it to the knockouts. Les Lions Indomptables took home third place in the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, and they could be looking to perform similarly in the World Cup. Switzerland and Serbia are both worthy opponents, but I think Cameroon will take second place. I predict that Switzerland will take third over Serbia to finish out Group G.

Group H, consisting of Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea is another group that could be dangerous. All of these teams are very successful so the games will be interesting. Portugal has been extremely successful in recent European competitions and could go pretty far in the World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo, João Félix, Bernardo Silva, and the rest of Os Navegadores have not been as successful in recent months, but they are an undeniably victorious team. Ghana has been successful in past World Cups, but they have struggled in recent competitions, currently sitting in last place for Group C in the Africa Cup of Nations. The Black Stars could be a black horse, but I think they will struggle. Uruguay has plenty of talent, and I predict that they will take second place. Edison Cavani, Luis Suarez, Diego Godin, and the rest of La Celeste have proven their talent in South American competitions and they could be a challenge for Portugal. Son Heung-min, the winner of the Premier League golden boot, and the rest of the South Korean team are not far off from the rest of Group H, but they will likely struggle to keep up with Portugal. I believe that Portugal will take first place in Group H, with Uruguay close behind.

The Groups for the 2022 World Cup are each challenging in their own respects. It is impossible to predict exactly how the games will play-out, but understanding the rivalry and history behind many of the teams is important. Many of the usual competitors missed out on qualification this time around, so hopefully other teams will get some attention. The World Cup is crazy, and I think we’re all hoping for a dark horse to advance into the light.

Cricket is a very popular sport around the world, but is almost unheard of in America. It is a sport that is similar to baseball as they have the same principles, but also very different. Cricket differs from baseball when it comes to rules, equipment, number of players, size of the field, etc. The basic rules of the game are to hit balls and score runs around the field. You must score runs by hitting a ball that is pitching to you with a wooden bat, similar to baseball.

A normal game of cricket usually consists of 4 innings, but there are other formats of cricket where the rules slightly differ. These formats are T20, One day Cricket, and test Cricket. The difference between these formats is how long each inning is. This can gradually increase or decrease the amount of time that the game lasts.

Although cricket isn’t very popular in America, it’s still very popular in other countries and around the world. The main country that Cricket is most popular and played in is India. It’s also popular and played in countries too. It’s one of the most popular sports in the world, but what makes it so popular?

Cricket is popular for a variety of different reasons. One of the reasons that cricket is popular in so many regions in the world is that it’s easy to learn the rules.  While it’s not as easy to start playing as some other sports, it’s a fairly simple game to learn. It’s also an easy sport to play as people can easily play it with their friends using a ball and a bat. You’ll often see people playing it in streets using different things as replacement equipment.

Cricket is also popular because it has a really massive media influence all over India and other countries around the world. Most cricket tournaments are told about on both digital and print media like television, newspapers, radio, etc. Games are advertised and make it so more people know about them.

Another thing that makes cricket popular is because of how versatile it is when it comes to players and versions of the game. This is because people of all ages and sizes can play it without having a disadvantage. The different versions and formats of cricket that can suit everyone’s patience and needs. These different versions of cricket change the amount of time that the games are played by changing certain rules. These games can range from 3 hours to up to five days.

The baseball season for the J. Graham Brown school has officially begun! Baseball is a spring sport so the season starts in March 2022. The team has players that are in the grades 7-12. Baseball plays every week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and is a challenging sport to learn how to play, so they practice a lot. During conditioning they will practice batting, fielding, and live hitting on a field at Beachmont from 3:45-5:45.

The coach of the baseball team is Jacob Amettis and during practices, they help us with batting practice, throwing, and what to do in most situations. During games, they will help us on what to do next while we are playing.

The team is supposed to have about 20 games scheduled this season. The first game that the Brown baseball team played was on March 21st against LKY Saints which isn’t a school, but an organization for people who are being homeschooled and want to play sports. There are also recurring games throughout the season against schools that we’ve already played earlier in the season. We will play against Moore, St. Francis, Western, Waggener and Seneca multiple times during the season. Our first win was the third game we played in the season which was against Western on March 29th.

Zorn Bell is a high school freshman on the J. Graham Brown School baseball team. When asked why he joined the baseball team, he responded with “I’ve always had a thing for baseball and played it in the past”. He said that he likes how baseball is a team sport and how everyone has to do something right. Zorn mainly plays at third base but he used to play at shortstop and right field. When asked what’s the hardest challenge you’ve had to overcome, he responded with “The hardest challenge I’ve had to overcome is catching the ball when it is above me and the sun in my eye”. His favorite part of playing has been making jokes in the dugout and his least favorite part has been playing in the freezing cold.

John O'Roarke is also a high school freshman on the team. He mostly plays in the outfield and he said that he joined the baseball team because he wanted to try something new and his friends were on the team. During an interview, John said that what he likes about baseball is hitting balls and running bases. When asked what's the hardest challenge that he's had to conquer, he responded with “Probably applying what I’ve learned in practice to the game”. He says that he likes the other players on the team and is glad that he has the chance to play with them. His most favorite moment while playing baseball was winning the first game and his least favorite was striking out.

I am also a freshman on the baseball team. I mostly play at second base and this is my first year playing. The hardest challenge that I’ve had to overcome is dealing with people stealing bases. My favorite part about playing baseball is batting and my least favorite part is getting strikes. I like the other players on the team because they are hardworking and focused.

Coach Amettis started coaching baseball last year and recently became head coach. He coached basketball before and also coaches chess. He started coaching baseball because he played in high school and loved the sport. During an interview, he said that his favorite part about coaching is being around the team and his favorite part about baseball is how you always have to be ready. He also said that the hardest challenge he’s had to overcome was "Coming to Brown and teaching people to play”.

Baseball is a difficult and competitive sport that requires a lot of skill and practice. It has a bunch of people who are on the team and show up to conditioning. They are very motivated and eager to play baseball on the Brown's team.

Head coach Kenny Payne's staff at Louisville is slowly starting to come together. In the latest coaching moves for Louisville, Payne introduced former Duke assistant Nolan Smith as the first member of his coaching staff.

"I felt a lot of fear from opposing schools. I'm serious, and it felt great," Smith said when asked what it was like to be at his first recruiting event as a member of the Cardinals' staff.

It's understandable that other coaches aren't looking forward to getting into recruiting battles against Louisville with Payne and Smith as a 1-2 punch. Payne's track record while at Kentucky speaks for itself, and Smith played a large role in helping Duke get the No. 1 2022 recruiting class.

Moving forward, Smith says that Louisville will carry the same recruiting philosophy that he had at Duke, and that Payne had at Kentucky: get the nation's best.

They have already got commits all the way from 4 star recruit and hometown prospect Kaleb Glenn to 4 star wing Devin Ree from Oak Hill. They are even in contention to get top transfer prospect Emoni Bates and are a favorite to recruit the number 1 recruit of the class of 2023 DJ Wagner.

Along with getting commits like Kamari Lands, who was ranked the 38th best prospect in the class of 2023, Louisville is setting up to return to former glory in college basketball like in prior years under coaches like Rick Pitino, and a lot of this promise and potential can be credited to Kenny Payne.