![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![French teacher Marieme Toure serves a plate of the Senegalese food she prepared for her AP French Language and Culture class, to senior Faiza Syed. “I never had Senegalese food before,” Syed said. “I thought it was so cool that she was able to bring a part of her culture [and] background to us.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_0798-1200x906.jpeg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
Phoenix Celebrate Homecoming With a Victory
On Oct. 21, the Phoenix won the annual Homecoming game against the John Paul the Great Wolves with a score of 28-20.
![During halftime of the homecoming football game, senior Jack Capobianco wins homecoming royalty and is officially crowned by junior Maggie Miller. “I wasn’t expecting [winning homecoming royalty] at all,” Capobianco said. “I was very surprised but very excited.”](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/DSC_0911-900x600.jpg)
During halftime of the homecoming football game, senior Jack Capobianco wins homecoming royalty and is officially crowned by junior Maggie Miller. “I wasn’t expecting [winning homecoming royalty] at all,” Capobianco said. “I was very surprised but very excited.”
November 4, 2022
With suspense building from a successful spirit week week, the Phoenix football team met the John Paul the Great Wolves on the field on Oct 21 in hopes of a homecoming win. After a come-from-behind win and a strong second half, the Phoenix took the game, winning 28-20.
The first half of the game started off with a strong lead for the Wolves. The first quarter ended with a score of 6-0. In the second quarter, despite the strong effort from the Phoenix, the Wolves were able to score twice, bringing the score to 20-0 and leaving the Phoenix to play catch-up going into the second half.
The student section and coaches, who packed the Phoenix Pit with Blackout gear for the spirit theme, encouraged their players from the sidelines with screams and cheers. In the 3rd quarter, the Phoenix gave them something to celebrate as the score jumped from 0 points to 7 with a touchdown, leaving them with a 13 point difference with the Wolves.
In the 4th quarter, the Phoenix pulled through with another touchdown by senior Malachi Tomlin-Younger, leaving them with the win for this game. “It feels great, coming in with my boys to take home the last victory,” Tomlin-Younger said. With a minute left of the fourth quarter, Senior Christopher Young intercepted the ball, allowing the Phoenix to maintain the lead. Students rushed to the football field, congratulating the team on a Homecoming win. The game ended with a Phoenix win of 28-20.
Before the game, SCA hosted a tailgate to get students pumped and ready for the Blackout in the Phoenix Pit. Food trucks served ice cream sandwiches, fried oreos, funnel cakes, and french fries. Students could participate in activities like poster making, face painting, basketball, and an inflatable race course.
This was the last homecoming tailgate for seniors, so many of them tried to make the most out of it. “It’s bittersweet, knowing that it’s the last time I’ll be able to experience this,” senior Namrata Hari Naryanan said.
Freshmen Arjav Iyer and Shaun Sahayadarlin enjoyed the tailgate and game because they were able to hang out with friends. “[My favorite part is] meeting a lot of people and seeing people when it’s been a while since seeing them,” Sahayadarlin said.
At halftime, the senior homecoming court walked out onto the field as students waited eagerly to hear who the first person of homecoming royalty would be. After all nominees were introduced, senior Nina Lal and junior Maggie Miller announced senior Jack Capobianco as a homecoming royal. This was his first time on homecoming court. “It’s a great honor to be voted for by all my classmates,” Capobianco said. “I’m glad because my parents are here and all my friends.”
The next Phoenix football game will be at home on Nov. 4 against Light Ridge Bolts.
![On Friday, Dec. 20, the varsity Phoenix wrestling team embarked on a two-day tournament against 32 other high schools spanning from Loudoun County to other states. This year, Rock Ridge High School hosted the highly anticipated tournament and decked out the main gym for the occasion, donning six full-sized wrestling mats with the Phoenix logo and clearing out space for coaches, managers, and administrators alike. Every open seat in the stands was filled with family and friends of the players, making a lively environment for the players.
King of the Rock started at 4:00 p.m. and lasted until 9:00 p.m on Friday. Every player on every team had the opportunity to go up against another player for three rounds, with each of them lasting two minutes. The preparation for this has gone on since the beginning of the season in their practices, and their previous meets have been leading up to this specific tournament. “During practices, I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning [and] making sure my body is [as] healthy as it can be,” junior Julian Serna said. “I’ve been doing [all] the moves and techniques our coaches are telling us to do, [too].”
The second day of King of the Rock started at 9:00 a.m on Dec. 21, and ended at 3:00 p.m. South Carroll High School in Sykesville, Md. took the win for the entire tournament. Juniors Nathan Martinez and Elijah Whitfield both placed sixth in their individual weight classes, bringing in a win for the Phoenix.
✏️ and 📷 by Maya Coleman, Bella Gerardi, and Sophie King](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)