An Independent Newspaper Serving the Athletes of the

Springville Schools and Area Community

Wednesday, February 15, 2012, Volume 2>>Issue 25>> An Independent newspaper serving Springville, Iowa

ORIOLE PRIDE

WE WANT HANSON

As the saying goes, “Ask and Ye Shall Receive”. The student section, decked out in their Sunday whites were chanting for Brien Hanson on Monday, and Coach Merritt relented in the fourth quarter of an Oriole trouncing of the Central City Wildcats. I will freely admit my concerns before the game, we have handily beaten this team on two previous occasions and there are those who say and believe (myself included) that it is almost impossible to beat a team three times in a season. But there was never a question as to who was in the driver’s seat and I exhaled loudly at the end of the first

quarter of the ball game, as the Oriole’s jumped out to a 13-0 lead. It would be another minute and a half into the second quarter before the Wildcats hit a field goal, but by then it was an Oriole show not to be stopped. The half time lead was 30-9 and the rout was on. Springville opened the second half with a few silly fouls but soon found their groove and continued to pour it on. By the end of three quarters, the O’s were on top 46-15, four of which were points tossed in from the free throw line when Sam Scriver made good on 2 for a foul and another 2 for a technical foul. It wasn’t too far into the fourth and our student section, those crazies in the white, were chanting for Hanson. Each of the O’s, all cleanly shaven, heads and cheeks alike, saw playing time on a night that had an all around carnival

like atmosphere. And, if you are in the mood for nostalgia, Coach Merritt informs me that this win was the first Springville district win since the 1999-2000 school year (Nick’s Junior year) and coincidently—that win too, was against Central City. Coach Merritt said that “I was happy with how the game went. Anytime you can win in the postseason, you are thrilled to get to play another game.” Statistically, the boys shared the love as Jake Hulett led with 16 points and 15 rebounds, Elias Nissen had 14 including another thunderous dunk still highlighted on KGAN and KFXA, and the O’s defensive specialist Sam Scriver, rattled the Wildcat guards all night long— he picked up 11 points and 3 steals. While the win was great and will go down in Oriole History as one of the best, the boys have little time to enjoy it. They must prepare for a road game on Thursday at Lisbon to face the host, a 16-6 team that won The Big East conference. Tip off is at 7 and it will be “Black Out Night”. So break out your cat burglar gear and find a ride to Lisbon—let’s take the Spirit of Machovec with us to Lisbon and watch our boys advance.

Senior Brien Hanson gets a piece of this Wildcat shot Monday

Any Hoosier’s fans out there? I wonder what flavor of gum #13 chewed, ask Sam Scriver—I bet he can tell you...

Left; Elias “Oh My” Nissen did it again Right; Jake Hulett puts up two in another game featuring a double/double effort

I Never Said Most of the Things I Said ~ Yogi Berra

Wednesday, February 15, Oriole Pride 2

LADY O’S BLOW PAST MIDLAND, BUT FALL TO MARQUETTE

Springville opened up the 1A Regional tournament with a 42-26 win over the visiting Midland Eagle’s last Thursday. Coach Sanderson had the ladies ready to go as they jumped out front with a 12-7 lead after one quarter of play. CJ Fitzgerald and Sarah Matus turned up the heat with a pressure defense that led to points off turnovers and at the break, the O’s led the Eagle’s, 25-15. From there on, it was more pressure, more Eagle turnovers and plenty of Oriole points as Springville went on to win 42-26. “Defensively, our kids prepared very well over the past couple of days and we were able hold them to just 26% shooting from the field” said Coach Sanderson. The Oriole’s were led by sophomore Tracy Kilburg who finished with 15 points including a 3 pointer at the buzzer that ended the first half. The night was full of electricity, as the boys basketball team and our student section promoted the “black out” effect. Their zany antics provided an atmosphere every high school prep should experience. Thursday’s win qualified the Oriole’s to move on to second round action in Preston. That action was Tuesday evening, Valentine’s day, and it pitted the Springville Oriole’s in black and orange, against a Bellevue Marquette team who featured the colors of white and red. The Lady Mohawks, a 9-10 team, earned the chance to play the O’s by beating Preston last week, 52-49. The tip-off was controlled by Bellevue and they simply never let up, as they cruised to a 48-31 win. Springville was slow to move the ball, slow to rebound the ball and slow to defend a Bellevue team that was quick, sharp,

quick, young and quick—did I say that already? It was 24-7 at the half and were it not for that sluggish start, the Lady O’s played “with” them the second half, attacking and shooting more in the third and fourth quarters. But the hole had been dug and the girls could not get out. With the loss, Springville ended their season at 10-13 overall, 5-11 in conference play. Concluding their season, the Lady O’s have shown great strides this year and Coach Sanderson said, “ Overall, though our kids were disappointed with tonight's performance, we could not be more proud of our improvement and effort this season. After losing four of our top six players from last year to graduation and attrition, we managed to win one more game (10 compared to 9 last year), and played very well against some of the top teams in our conference”. Sam “Fish” Fitzgerald saved her best for last as she had to battle against the Mohawk bigs down low. Fish finished with a season high 13 points and according to Sanderson, “gave us tremendous effort despite battling flu-like symptoms throughout

the day. “ And big sister CJ played as a true point guard last night—she shredded their zone press with ease in the second half and while she, like the team, was experiencing a cold shooting night—the Iowa State bound scholar still tallied 10 points, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals. The Lady Oriole’s say good bye to 2 players who have been big parts of Coach Sanderson’s program. Hannah O’Brien and C.J. Fitzgerald will go down in the Oriole Pride chronicles as trailblazers of the program in the 21st Century. “There is definitely some work to be done to get where we ultimately want to go, but we have established a solid foundation and have some good, young players in our program” commented Coach Sanderson. And while it is always sad to think about our senior’s moving on, we have many memories to call upon and plenty of ways to reminisce when we want to say “I remember when…” Congratulations to Coach Sanderson, Coach Eastman and the Lady O’s—you have made for another exciting season of basketball.

The irreplaceable C.J. Fitzgerald in her last home court appearance Thursday

Soft spoken senior, Hannah O’Brien in Thursday’s win

Sam “Fish” Fitzgerald goes up for a hard 2 at Preston

#15, CJ Fitzgerald in closing seconds of her last HS game at Preston

Wednesday, February 15, Oriole Pride 3

SENIOR “O” Each week Oriole Pride feature’s a senior athlete. We learn a little more than their jersey number and the position they play. This week we feature Springville Senior, Cassandra Jane Qui Fitzgerald; Where were you born? Mercy Hospital, Cedar Rapids How many brothers and sisters do you have? 2 brothers and 1 sister Are you the oldest, middle... youngest? Middle Parents names: Dave and Patti Fitzgerald List the activities you participate in: Volleyball, Basketball, Track, Softball, NHS, Student Senate Who do you text the most? Jake Favorite food: Curry or Noodles Favorite movie: Anastasia What do you like to do in your free time? Read, hang out with friends and family, make something If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or not, who would you choose? My grandma Jane What do you do to get pumped up before a game? Blast music and dance with my team If you were to audition for American Idol, what song would you sing? Colors of the Wind (Pocohontas) What is your favorite athletic memory so far? Making a four point play at the buzzer to win a game against Waterloo in middle school Have you made plans yet for next fall? If so, what are they? Probably attend Iowa State to major in Dairy Science or Biology following the Pre-Vet course of study

DID YOU KNOW? Cassandra “C.J.” Fitzgerald’s father is a Springville graduate—David graduated in 1976 and was a “baller” himself and is pictured to the right in last year’s alumni game. CJ, who has those cat like reflexes, surely inherited those from her post player of a father—but C.J.—why didn’t you bring back the goggles?

IN 1976… The United States celebrated its Bicentennial The $2.00 bill was put into currency The TV Show, Charlie’s Angels premiered

FACE IN THE CROWD: This week’s Face In The Crowd is Donita Sanderson who I caught at the Marquette game: Every time I go to the store I absolutely must get... bread What’s on your key chain? 6 keys and an Albert Auto Keychain What do you keep in your third dresser drawer? Jeans and T-shirts What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten? Cow’s tongue What is your most memorable Valentine’s Day gift? A win! What is the strangest object in your purse? A lime green hair brush that matches her lime green purse

Thanks Donita—you just never know, at the next Springville event YOU could be more than a Face in the Crowd!

THE FAMOUS AMONG US… OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT Now call me silly, but there are some people who walk among us, and they turn a head or two. And heads are turned because they remind us of someone from time to time. This week let’s take a look at Springville dad, alum and basketball star, Bill Matus. Tell me, does he not look like NBA All-Star point guard Steve Nash? I mean—which one to the right is the “real” Bill Matus? Peculiar isn’t it?

WEEKLY PICKS CONTEST: Check out these upcoming basketball match ups and make your weekly picks:

Oklahoma at Iowa State Drake at New Mexico State Luther at Coe Indiana at Iowa (Sunday) Here’s what you do, choose your winners, & the total number of points newcomer Jeremy Lin of the NY Knicks will score Sunday when the Mavericks come to town. Tie-breaker goes to the one closest to Lin’s point total. Send your picks & name to oriolepride@gmail.com & catch the next issue to see who won bragging rights. Congratulations to Manchester’s Leah Riley for winning last week’s contest.

Wednesday, February 15, Oriole Pride 4

Find us online at http://issuu.com/oriolepride E-mail; oriolepride@gmail.com

ORIOLE NATION—LOUD AND PROUD

Duke has the Cameron Crazies, Kentucky has the ERUPPtion Zone, Michigan State has the Izzone, North Carolina has the Dean Dome, and Wisconsin has The Grateful Red. Let’s face it, College Hoops and their fans are the best part of televised basketball. This past week has provided the students of Springville to be creative while maintaining decorum. They’ve had fun while cheering on their teams, showing school spirit and pride — and in doing so made it fun for parents and family in attendance. The Oriole’s Nest was filled with enthusiastic fans from elementary through high school ages. It was great to watch, great to hear and we look forward to what comes next… awesome job Oriole Nation!

We’ve had “Black out”, “White out” and “Orange night” this past week. Perhaps the best show of spirit came from the boys basketball team who creatively shaved and styled one another’s hair prior to the girl’s game on Thursday—their hair was later corrected before Monday and their game against Central City...