University of Oregon Double Up

Oregon Men Celebrate after Wining National Title

With the collegiate track & field season officially over, we would like to send a huge congratulations to the University of Oregon’s men’s and women’s track teams for winning the NCAA Outdoor Championship! After catching all of the talent at the preliminaries a few weeks back, it is absolutely no surprise at the records and stats broken at the historic Hayward Field this past weekend. While we had our eyes set on the Gators taking home the big win, they still had some stellar performances. That really goes for a lot of the schools that came out to compete. Just a few weeks ago, professional sprinter Justin Gatlin set the Hayward record for the 200 meter with his 19.68 finish at the Prefontaine Classic. That record has since been broken with the University of Southern California’s Andre De Grasse took the first place win with a 19.58 finish! And he wasn’t the only sprinter to hit a sub-20 run this weekend! Baylor University’s Trayvon Bromell and Florida’s very own Dedric Dukes closed the race in 19.86, with fraction of a second between their third and second place wins respectively. De Grasse also took home the title for the 100-meter sprint, finishing in just 9.75 seconds and breaking the collegiate, NCAA meet, and Hayward Field records all at once. Jumper Marquis Dendy successfully defended both of his titles in the long and triple jump! Go Gators! And of course, we can’t forget about the most exciting events, the 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see our Gators take the title, but Arkansas took home a win for the first time which helped them finish the meet in third place, just behind our Gators in second.

Andre De Grasse winner of the 100 & 200m

                Although they didn’t win the meet, University of Kentucky’s women’s squad pulled a close runner up to Oregon. Their most notable performances came from sprinter Dezerea Bryant and hurdler Kendra Harrison. Dez is one of my personal favorites on the track and definitely left all her troubles on the track as she went 22.18 in the last 200-meter sprint of her collegiate career. In the short-hurdles, Kendra Harrison finished both the indoor and outdoor seasons undefeated! An elite hurdler, Harrison’s winning time of 12.55 was just another contribution to her title as the third-fastest hurdler in NCAA history. Of course, we can’t forget about Jenna Prandini, one of Oregon’s top performers, taking the 100-meter title, securing her teams lead in the meet. Also contributing the Lady Duck, distance runner Raevyn Rogers took the win with a 1:59.71 finish in the 800-meter race. Although our Lady Gators did not come out on top in the individual events, they managed to pull of two championship wins in both the 4x1 and 4x4 relays.

Women National Champ: Oregon Ducks

                With the season now over, the NCAA’s elite athletes will prepare for their final bid at the USA Outdoor Championships back in Eugene, Oregon at end of the month. Big congratulations to all of the athletes finishing their collegiate careers and graduating from college! To the seniors, best of luck in your endeavors as we look forward to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games!

           --solementality

#AthleteTalk Recaps National Signing Day

By: Candy Man

National Signing Day came & went and Dade County sent athletes to schools all over the country. Two of the biggest football programs in Miami, Booker T. & Central, had about 30 players altogether sign with schools yesterday. Both schools are coming off three straight state championships & have sent big time athletes to college & the NFL over the years. Booker T. had 2 players sign with Miami, running back Mark Walton & linebacker James King, joining Chad Thomas & Demetrius Jackson from last year’s class. Devonaire Clarington & Davante Davis, a Homestead transfer, both signed with Texas. The 3 other Homestead transfers that played big roles for the T last season committed to FIU (Maurice Alexander), Florida (Antonio Calloway), and FAU (Ocie Rose). Two other key players that had productive seasons, Terry Jefferson signed with FAMU & Vaquan Smalls signed with Samford. Central already have 2 of their best players from this class attending Florida State, receiver Da’Vante Phillips & defensive back Calvin Brewton, continuing the Central to FSU pipeline. Fermin Silva & Anthony Jones both enrolled early at FIU. Marshall University, where former Rockets Rakeem Cato & Tommy Shuler have broken multiple records, is getting Marquis Couch & Jason Jean. Keivonnis Davis will be joining the Gators & Dade County’s leading rusher signed with Jacksonville State. I’ve seen Miller play in person & I’m surprised because he has the talent to play for a major D1 team & should’ve got more offers. 

Some of the best high school football is played in South Florida & that is illustrated on National Signing Day every year, with high schools all over Dade & Broward sending athletes to college on football scholarships.

·      NORLAND…Carlton Davis – Auburn, Rayshad Jackson – Florida, D’Andre Smart – Kent State, William Gordon – Alcorn State

·      KILLIAN…Jaquan Johnson, Sheldrick Redwine – Miami, James Bowe – Massachusetts

·      NORTHWESTERN…DeAndre Baker – Georgia, Khalid McGee – South Florida, Samuel Dervil – South Carolina State, David Vincent – Mississippi Valley State, Xavier Bailey – Florida A&M

·      CAROL CITY…Rashad Fenton – South Carolina

·      EDISON…Robert Knowles – Miami

·      GULLIVER PREP…Dominic Sheppard – Virginia, George Grimwade – Samford, Antonyo Sotolongo – Bowling Green, Jowan Watson - Georgetown

·      ST. THOMAS AQUINAS…Jordan Scarlett, Richerd Desir-Jones – Miami, Damon Arnette – Ohio State, Colin Byrne, Samuel Clausman – Syracuse, Chris Hart, Tyson Cisrow – Utah, Devante Peete – Louisville, Brandon Boyce – Duke, Rashard Causey – Central Florida, Wyatt Ray – Boston College, Jawaun Harris - Rutgers

·      MIRAMAR…Tyrek Cole, Jovon Durante – West Virginia, Kahlil Lewis – Cincinnati, Leeward Brown – Tulane, Jeffrey Hill – Northern Illinois

·      AMERICAN HERITAGE…Torrance Gibson – Ohio State, Tarvarus McFadden – Florida State, Christian Irving – Wyoming, Anthony Flory – Appalachian State, Janarvis Pough – Bowling Green

·      MONARCH…Calvin Ridley, Shawn Burgess-Becker – Alabama, Ronnie Hoggins – South Florida

·      HALLANDALE…Sh’mar Kilby-Lane – Florida State, Juwan Taylor – Georgia, Taj McGowan – Central Florida, Malik Henderson – Pittsburgh, Dana Levine – Temple, Richie Cooper – Akron

Alabama, Florida State, USC, Clemson & Tennessee all finished with top 5 recruiting classes according to Rivals & ESPN, with Alab

ama having the #1 class in the ESPN rankings & USC with the #1 class in the Rivals rankings. Florida State, by far, ended up with the best class in the state. They signed 5 5* athletes that should be able to come in & contribute right away. Florida had a horrible class a month ago but new head coach Jm McElwain & his coaching staff had a great National Signing Day & finished with a top 25 recruiting class. Headlined by Martez Ivey & Cece Jefferson, they also stole a few recruits from Miami including Jordan Scarlett, Jordan Cronkite & Antonio Callaway. Miami had a good class and ended up finishing a few spots behind Florida in the rankings. Mark Walton, Jaquan Johnson, Bar Milo & Scott Patchan are some of the key players they signed but UM also lost a lot of potential players with about 15 decommitments.

Hallandale Chargers: Recipe of Success

By: Jimbo Brown

Since I graduated from high school in 2009 the sports scene has change drastically. The classifications was expanded to 8 classes instead of 6. The outlets on which these student-athetes have to showcase their talent has also grown. Back in my time you only had camps to show off your skills. The football is starting to resemble the times when I played. Its competitive and theirs not one good team. Anybody can win state, LITERALLY ANYBODY! Hallandale Chargers are real contenders in the class 6a.

If the Chargers were to lose this weekend to a stack Central team they would have already accomplished a lot. They are the first team in school history to go undefeated throughout the regular season. Other teams have came close but none as good as this batch of talented chargers. If your not familiar with Hallandale football programs, UF great Frankie Hammond Jr. and now Kansas City Chief was a dual-sport athlete there. Speaking of the Hammond family, his little Joshua Hammond (#5)  is one of the talented juniors who contributed a lot to their success. Their receiving core includes Neru N’Shaka (#8) who has made big catches throughout the year. Neru known for his big plays at receiver he has also seen time at quarterback. Both of these players with a long list of others are already getting offers from bit time universities. The team beat district rival Boyton Beach Tigers in a nail-biter of a game. To win with great talent you have to have great coaches to get them to the next level. 

Coach Dameon Jones and his staff is doing a good job with the kids from the Hallandale community. Since 2007 when Jones took over the team, he has put at least 40 kids into college to play football. Players went to all levels of collegiate football from JUCO to D1. As they head into this tough match-up this week, I know the Chargers will be prepared for the task at hand. With the young talent and leadership the Chargers have even with a lost this weekend they have a good chance of going further next year. 

One Night in Magic City

By: Jimbo Brown

About a week ago “A week ago”, Ray Rice was living good. He believed everything that happened in the Atlantic City casino elevator was in the past. As the saying goes “What happens in the dark, must come to the light,” is exactly what happen when the video from inside the elevator was released Monday by TMZ.

There are several issues that I feel need to be addressed that stems from this situation. The first issue is domestic violence, how the NFL glosses over it and the severity of Ray Rice new punishment. 

Domestic Violence is something that is present in all cultures and walks of life. Even though the man is most likely to be punished for the crime, the women can become the attacker too. A man or woman shouldn’t engage in any physical altercation, whether they are married, boyfriend/girlfriend or just friends. In the case of Ray and Janay Rice, it could be said that Janay provoked him to deliver the knock out blow. In his press conference, Ray stated that wasn’t the way he was raised, meaning he knew better and could have been the bigger person. His actions are still looked down upon. 

Ray Rice was suspended for a mere 2 games before the new video was released. This means Rice would have attended practice this coming Friday. This suspension was criticize by many professionals. It felt odd seeing him get much less time then a Josh Gordon. The NFL doesn’t care about Domestic Violence when 2 other players suited up Sunday with pending domestic violence cases: Ray McDonald and Greg Hardy. The indefinite suspension and release of Ray Rice was strictly a PR move.

The NFL was put in a predicament Monday when the footage was released. Already being criticize for sweeping this issue under the rug, I believe the media and society forced the NFL to deliver an even harsh penalty to make up for the backlash. Ray Rice is suspended indefinitely and was released by the Baltimore Ravens for a issue that he received rehab for. Ray and Janay had already moved forward with their lives. Janay expressed her feelings in a Instagram post Tuesday morning. 

Ray Rice actions were inexcusable that night in the elevator and it still is. Its not cool to punish someone two times for one mistake, especially when the person is remorseful and has taken the necessary steps to move forward. It’s not his fault the NFL didn’t get it right the 1st time. I hope that Ray and Janay Rice keep fighting for him to get back on the field sooner then later. 

Being High or Losing your Dream: You Decide

By: Jimbo Brown 

At the start of the 2013 NFL season, no one would believe that a player who is suspended for the first two games would lead the league in receiving yards. Cleveland Browns Josh Gordon accomplished the near impossible feat. As we enter the 2014 season, Gordon is facing a possible indefinite suspension or he will be suspended for some significant time. His biggest obstacle since his days at Baylor University hasn’t been the talented defenders he faced on Saturday and Sundays; but the most controversial drug of our generation, Marijuana! 

While growing up in the rough neighborhood of Carol City and being involved in sports year-round, I faced the peer pressure to indulge in marijuana usage. Even though at that time I didn’t give in to peer pressure, I’m not totally against marijuana use. I believe that if it starts to harm the way you provide for your family then there is one thing to do, QUIT! This has become a reoccurring issue with professional football players. For example, Justin Blackmon has recently been charged with marijuana possession. He is already serving an indefinite suspension from the NFL for substance abuse violations. The key is to stop this issue in college and show student-athletes what can be taken away by satisfying an urge. 

I commend Tyrann “Honey Badger" Matthieu on how he handled the situation he went through entering his junior season at LSU. After coming off a Heisman finalist sophomore season, the "Honey Badger" was dismissed from the team for a failed drug test then arrested for marijuana possession. Which lead to him missing a whole football season. Although he went through an all time low, he was still able to get drafted by the Arizona Cardinals. He had to hit rock bottom to realize the importance of following the rules even if you do not agree with them.