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Viking football notches a historic win over rivals
Viking football notches a historic win over rivals
By Brooke Kalteski ('26)
On October 20th, 2023, the Riverside Vikings Football fought long and hard in order to conquer their rivals, the Old Forge Blue Devils at Riverside Veterans Memorial Stadium in Taylor. The last time the Vikings defeated the Blue Devils was in 2016, a streak which lasted for 7 years straight. Finally, the 2023 version of Viking football had all of their hard work pay off when they secured the win this season to close out the home schedule.
That Friday night, both teams entered with good attitudes and determination. Veterans Memorial Stadium was filled with people showing their school pride, especially the student sections. This game was also Riverside Senior Night, an opportunity for parents and students so the pressure was on for the Vikings to win.
In the first half, both the Vikings and Devils put up a good fight, yet the Devils defense struggled to stop the Riverside offense. Going into halftime, the Vikings lead 31-0. As halftime began, an unexpected heavy rainstorm came through. Lots of fans left the downpour, but the game still continued. In slippery conditions, the Vikings scored 14 more points and the Devils managed to score 7 points. This led the final score to be 45-7, and victory for Riverside.
Per tradition, the senior walk followed after the game. Senior football players and cheerleaders walked hand-in-hand across the field in the steady downpour. This moment was extra special for the graduating seniors because Riverside finally beat Old Forge. After they finished the walk, the remaining students flooded the field in excitement. People were sliding in the mud, running with Viking flags, and celebrating the team's victory.
Senior football player, Reese Gaughan stated, “The one goal I truly wanted in my High School career was to Beat Old Forge.” Gaughan, the leading all-time wide receiver in Riverside and Lackawanna League history, continued, “we wanted it more than anything that night."
The spectacular win on senior night was what Riverside seniors deserved, and ultimately gave them motivation for the rest of the season. The win, the weather, and the bonds formed will last a lifetime.
MLB's 2024 Opening Day is almost here
MLB's 2024 Opening Day is almost here
By Mackenzie Keller ('26)
Opening Day for Major League Baseball, or the MLB, is on the rise in viewership. This year's Opening Day is set for March 28th. Although it is not as prominent as other sporting events such as the World Cup, Tour de France, and even its’ own World Series, this year's Opening Day is something to look forward to, and should even see its greatest viewership yet. There are two great local matchups to keep an eye on because the teams involved are all legitimate World Series contenders.
Atlanta Braves @ Philadelphia Phillies (3:05pm)
This is a recent ‘rivalry’ between the two teams. This rivalry is sprung by the 87-win Phillies upsetting the 1-seed, 101-win Braves in the 2022 National League Division Series. This series sparked a lot of emotion, including Rhys Hoskins’ unforgettable 3-run homerun off of Spencer Strider, one of Atlanta’s best arms, and the bat spike that followed. The Phillies ended up winning that game 9-1, and they won the series 3-
The Phillies repeated this in 2023, defeating the Atlanta Braves in 4 (3-1) after a controversy over Orlando Arcia’s “Atta boy Harper” after Bryce Harper ran himself into a double play on Michael Harris Jr.’s phenomenal robbery of Nick Castellanos. The Phillies as a team took this as motivation, as they didn’t lose a game after that and sent the Braves back to Atlanta for the Winter. This game being at Philly only implies a massive crowd, so expect a good game.
Players to watch (PHI): Bryce Harper, Nick Castellanos, Trea Turner, Bryson Stott.
Players to watch (ATL): Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Sean Murphy, Austin Riley.
New York Yankees @ Houston Astros (3:10pm)
Another new rivalry formed, this time in the American League. The Yankees and the Astros found this rivalry in the American League Championship Series. They have met in the ALCS in 2017, 2019, and 2022. All of these times, the Yankees have been stripped of their hopes of winning the Commissioner's Trophy for the 8th time. But, the Yankees have some hope this year, and they can prove it at the beginning of the regular season.
New York Yankees Notable Additions: Juan Soto, Trent Grisham, Victor Gonzales, Alex Verdugo, Marcus Stroman.
Astros Notable Additions: Josh Hader & New Manager Joe Espada.
Comparing these two teams off of additions, it looks like the Yankees have an advantage. The Astros have also lost their manager, Dusty Baker. But, you can’t underestimate the Astros, as they have power bats in José Altuve, Kyle Tucker, and Yordan Alvarez. They have a great defense in their outfield, especially with Chas McCormick in center field. The Yankees now have a great 1-3—If DJ. LeMahieu can figure himself out, but otherwise—with Juan Soto and Aaron Judge being a 2-3 punch, and they have better pitching with additions such as Marcus Stroman and Luke Weaver. It should make a close game.
Yankees Players to Watch: Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Anthony Rizzo, Giancarlo Stanton.
Astros Players to Watch: Yordan Alvarez, Jose Altuve, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman.
Lady Vikes close out a successful season
Lady Vikes close out a successful season
By Lillie Pon ('24)
Though they did not bring home a District II Championship this year, the 2023-2024 Lady Vikes also put together an excellent season. Coach Justin Kearney's squad ended the season with a 15-8 overall record. Three of their loses came to District runner-ups Abington (AAAAA) and Dunmore (AAA), and another came to Scranton, who is the District 2 AAAAA champion. Another of the team's tough losses came against Old Forge, losing by 1 point with seconds left on the clock.
The team played as hard all season and after losing to Mid Valley 3 times last year, they remembered that feeling when they faced them again at home they crushed them, twice.
After their loss to Old Forge, the team began distributing the ball more and remembering that feeling of losing to their rivals. In the second matchup, the Lady Vikes came out and beat the Lady Devils.
Seniors Lillie Pon, Alexa Williams, and Zoey Zimorowicz capped out a great career with a victory on Senior Night. All three will be missed from a talent and leadership prospective. Pon will continue her basketball career at East Stroudsburg University next season.
Unfortunately their season ended with a third loss to Dunmore in the District 2 playoffs, but the future looks bright for the Lady Vikes.
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