Artwork by Mia Nogueira

When it comes to football, nothing is bigger than the NFL. TJ is fortunate enough to be hosting the Derrick Martin Youth Sportsfest this weekend. Derrick Martin is a former TJ Spartan who had earned All-Colorado and All-State Class 5A honors and was named the MVP of the Denver Prep 5A League. In college at the University of Wyoming, Martin earned the All-Mountain West Conference 2nd team honors as a sophomore. Martin was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in 2006 in the sixth round, and was traded to the Green Bay Packers in 2009, where he is one of the Packers’ special teams captains today.  Martin has returned to Thomas Jefferson to host this free football and cheer-leading camp for students in first through eighth grade.

Marcus Smith of the Baltimore Ravens, Pierre Garcon and Devin Moore of the Indianapolis Colts, Trevor Ford and Brad Jones of the Green Bay Packers are a few NFL superstars who will be hosting this camp. On Friday night, Martin and his NFL friends will participate in a celebrity bowling challenge and silent auction at Monaco Lanes starting at 6:00 p.m. For the group that has the greatest participation in the bowling challenge, $200 will be given to them as a reward. “Derrick Martin donates a lot to this school – not just the athletic department – and it’s good they’re giving back to the community,” said Athletic Director Lani Nobles.

Martin’s flyer for the free football clinic states: “…whether you are an experienced player or just starting football, this NON-CONTACT clinic is an experience you will never forget.  During the clinic, the NFL players will teach you the same offensive and defensive techniques they are taught in the pros.  You will definitely leave a better player than when you came.  It’s FREE and enrollment is limited to the first 150 participants, so register today!”  Furthermore, it states that the cheer clinic, “…concentrates on basic cheer-leading skills including jumps, motions, and tumbling.  No previous cheer-leading experience is necessary.  It’s FREE and enrollment is limited to the first 50 participants, so register today!”

Participants can register online at DerrickMartin.net and if there are any questions, contact Coach Tim Owens. “This is our third year hosting it. They’re trying to get kids to come out and play, which is why it’s only for first through eighth grade kids,” said Owens. The Derrick Martin Youth Sportsfest will be taking place on May 21-22 at Thomas Jefferson High School.

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

Hoop It Up, the nation’s largest three-on-three basketball tournament, is coming to Denver this summer. The nationally traveling tournament which is featured in more than 40 cities across the U.S. will be making a stop in Denver, at Civic Center Park, on June 12 and 13.

Free to spectators, the Hoop It Up tournament will showcase teams playing a bracket style three-on-three basketball tournament to decide who the best team in Denver is at each age division.
Every team in the tournament is allowed to have up to five people on the roster, which makes two subs on each team, while the three-on-three action takes place on the court. All of the teams are guaranteed at least three games, and after the first three games, the tournament directors seed the teams and set up a single elimination tournament based on the first three games.

The basketball tournament is set up to accommodate players of all ages throughout the city and the state. The teams will be split into divisions based on age and gender, and kids as young as eight years old are allowed to participate on a team. On the other side, for people who want to get a team together but think they might be too old, the tournament features a 30 and older division. There is even one player who is already registered on a team this year who is 52 years old.

Registration for the tournament will be open until June 7 at 5:00 p.m. on their website at hoopitup.com. All of the information about the tournament, including information about different fees for each team’s age group, along with all of the other registration information, can be found at their website as well. Directors from hoopitup.com are hoping to register between 200 and 300 teams this year for the Denver tournament alone, with participants coming from all around the state to show off their basketball skills.

In addition to the basketball tournament, there will be a three point contest and a slam dunk contest throughout the two days. All of the activities are taking place at civic center park for both days and, as aforementioned, all of the events are free to spectators. “We are expecting great things from this tournament,” said Regional Event Director for Hoop It Up, Jeremy Dingle. “There are going to be a lot of people having fun just watching, walking around Denver on those couple of days, and there is going to be a ton of exciting and competitive basketball, as well.”

Artwork by Rebecca Holt.

The talent is there: Tebow has a Heisman to prove that. People love his intangibles. Tebow is considered one of the greatest college football quarterbacks of all time.  He is a dynamic threat not only with his arm, but also with his legs. However, what many people question is not his heart, but his mechanics. That being said, I will dive into both the pros and cons of one Mr. Tim Tebow.

Pros: Not only is Tebow full of energy and passion for the game, he is also a hard worker. Tebow exemplifies the perfect player. In a year when many players have had character issues, (i.e. Dez Bryant and Earl Thomas), Tebow has always stayed within the law and out of trouble.  Plus, Tebow is considered a dual-threat quarterback, meaning that he can lead teams to victory with not only his arms, but also his legs. Tebow rushed for nearly 3,000 yards over his tenure at Florida.

Cons: Tebow has an awkward wind-up. Tebow’s throwing motion has been called into question by many experts, including many NFL teams’ higher management. Never before has such a popular, polarizing figure with a Heisman to his name fallen so far in a draft, especially when an argument can be made that upwards of six teams need a young QB around whom to build a team.

Conclusion: This pick was very odd to me. I see why Bronco Head Coach Josh McDaniels would like a hard worker, but at the same time…what gives? McDaniels had his greatest success when he had a stabilized pocket passer in Tom Brady. Now McDaniels has a quirky, awkward throwing left handed quarterback. But, intangibles are the name of the game in the NFL, and Tebow does have that.  His middle name should be “Clutch.” Also, coach has gone on the record as saying that he will alter his system to accommodate Tebow. Only time will tell how this will pan out. I can see Tebow being the face of this franchise, but I can also see Tebow really struggling to adjust to the NFL game.

photo courtesy Dante Velez

17 hours of driving to Madison, Wisconsin from Denver, Colorado to attend the Madison Mudbath: one bus, several kids, not enough snackage, and most definitely not enough sleeping time.

Any way you slice it, though, East High School’s Ultimate Frisbee team came to play. As the number two seed in our bracket, other teams knew it was so. With such stellar programs in attendance as Hopkins Ultimate, the Number two ranked team in the nation, it certainly was a genuine learning experience for the team as a whole.

For those of you that have never played ultimate frisbee before, let me give you a general summary of how it shakes down. Ultimate frisbee is played with seven players on each team on opposing sides of the field, and is played on grass or turf with the proportions roughly that of a soccer field. Each team’s goal is to make it to the end zone without committing one of the various fouls. Games are played to 13 or 15, with a hard cap and soft cap being used when games drag on. Players can not run with the disc but are granted three momentum steps after a catch. At any point in time if the offensive disc is knocked out or hits the ground it is an immediate turnover. That is ultimate in a very rough nutshell; if you ever want to know more I would recommend starting our very own team here at Thomas Jefferson.  Now on to the rest of the story.

The first day of the tourney presented various epic moments and a few ultimate shortfalls, with the team going 3-1 in game play, and our only loss coming to the Number one ranked team in our bracket, COMO from St. Paul, Minnesota. The solitary loss created an opportunity for us to be knocked out of further tournament play, so the fourth game came against Intimate Ultimate.  The 3-1 team – hailing from Minnesota as well – was an opponent from the bracket opposite our own. This game that might have defined the weekend was a hard-fought, point-for-point event with a team that helped increase the sport’s sense of camaraderie, and it came down to the last point. We had plenty of chances, some diving catches, diving swats and such, but Intimate always seemed to fight back. Winning on a short-field score after a game that seemed to last forever, East would live to fight another day.

One thing Head Coach Joe Durst always reiterates in practice is, “In tournament play, Sunday is the most important day for all teams. We cannot be the team that comes out tired and not ready to play. Sundays define the season.” Unfortunately, this would not be the tone by which we rang in our Sunday of tournament play, falling 13-1 to Hopkins, again the Number tow ranked team nationally, and 13-6 to the host team James Madison Memorial High. However, 3-2 for the weekend was not such a bad record, and it ended up helping us achieve a fairly high ranking out of 16 teams.

In the last game against the host team, Madison Memorial, we went down deep 6-0 fairly quickly. Already a blowout, we were just not coming out to play, but this would be my chance to step-up. A long toss that went errant over someone who was too short to catch it either way, a nice 100% sprint from yours truly produced the first point of the game, though I had to dive and collide with a mud-pile to achieve it. I certainly got my mudbath for the weekend.

A weekend of hard-fought battles, team bonding, lack of sleep is a weekend that defined my senior year. We entered the tournament as a team, but exited the tournament – maybe without a win – but with a brotherhood equally reliant on one another to produce. The State Tournament may be this weekend, we may have been prepping for this the entire season, but the Mudbath in Madison gave us the greatest gift of all: preparation for State and skills for life. Truly a weekend I will never forget.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

Emily Cordes was born on a snowy December 16th, in 1991. It is said she played soccer since birth, throwing around little toy soccer balls in the cradle. “We would always just pass the ball to each other; it was her favorite thing to do,” exclaimed TJ Alumni and older brother Wesley Cordes.

Emily began playing for her first team at the age of five for the Skyline Association until the 6th grade, and she then began to play for much more competitive teams in Westminster and Storm. Emily contemplated playing for her middle school team, the Hamilton Huskies, but decided she wanted to take her skill in another direction. “She was always very talented and stood out more than all the other kids,” are words from a very proud mom, Candy Cordes. Emily proved herself to be the leader of each one of those teams, and she knew she was more than ready to perform at a higher level.

Emily made the hard choice of which high school to attend, and with the help of her brother, chose TJ. The Spartans are very appreciative of that, as Emily showed up to tryouts and thoroughly impressed the coaches. She was named a varsity starter her freshman year, and managed to put in six goals and added an astonishing 21 assists. She has even led the team to a playoff appearance each of the last four years, but could only advance past the first round her freshman year. “Playing soccer for TJ has been one of the happiest and best experiences of my life,” said Cordes,who is one of the senior captains this season.

An even more impressive feat, Emily Cordes is coming off a devastating knee injury she incurred during the basketball season last year. Despite multiple doctors advising her and telling her she would not have the ability to play, she trained hard, and eventually made a full recovery. “She had a very bad injury… I was very surprised, and proud that she was able to come back,”  said her coach, Sarah Andolsek.

Emily attended her final playoff game as a Spartan this past Tuesday, and unfortunately she could not play due to a red card the previous game. She was right there on the sideline cheering on her teammates every minute of the game. The Spartans unfortunately faced the #6 seed in the state and came up against a tough challenge, ultimately losing 7-0.

Emily will be attending Colorado State University this fall with her 4.0 GPA. She hopes to try out, and make the club team. What is assured, though, is that no matter which team she plays for she will leave a legacy of success, dedication, and triumph.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

On a cold, rainy, early May day the Lady Spartan Soccer team traveled the hour-long road up to Silver Creek high school, in Boulder to face the #6 ranked team in the state. The team felt that the odds were against them, with the nasty weather and dark clouds and the remote territory, it made this game one of the toughest task these girls have faced. “I was cold,” said senior Rachel Laux. “But I was ready to get out there and give it my all.” Give it their all is what they did, as they came out with a defensive strategy that kept their opponents out of their zone, at least initially.

As time went by, and the conditions became worse, the girls’ fatigued began to show as they allowed unanswered goals. They kept at it and never gave up, making sure they went home with their dignity intact. After an encouraging halftime speech from Senior Captain Emily Cordes the ladies came out in the second half with their heads up high, only allowing two more goals. With a disappointing final score of 8-0, it does not portray the great year these ladies have had.  Congratulations.

File photo by Rebecca Holt

Looking to gain momentum for the playoffs, the Spartans sent Senior Ace Brennan Henry out for his last regular season start in a Spartan uniform. Henry pitched well, throwing a complete game. Aside from striking out a total of 12 Arvada hitters, Henry only allowed the Bulldogs four hits over his seven innings of work. “This was a good way to end the season. I had everything working today,” Henry said.

Offensively, the Spartans were lead by Senior D’Shawn Turner who hit his first home run of the year on a line drive shot out to left center field. “I did not think it was going to be out of there, but the ball sailed out with a head full of steam,” noted senior outfielder Michael Michaelotti.

The Spartans do not know who their next opponent will be, but one thing is for sure, the mighty Spartans will be prepared for whomever they may face. “Things were tough last year, but this year things will be different. We have more confidence as a unit, and this team is all grown up,” exclaimed Henry.

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

The fatigue Pittsburgh’s Penguins will be facing headed into the next series will be prevalent if it drags on past four games and, trust me, it will. The Canadiens are potentially in the same boat for fatigue, but the momentum they carry behind them should help eradicate some of that. Upsetting Ovechkin’s Capitals the Montreal Canadiens have observed as net-minder Jaroslav Halak stepped up when they needed him most.

GOALTENDING:

Jaroslav “Stop Pucks A” Halak versus Marc “Snow” Andre-Fleury: does really much else need to be said? Jaroslav Halak showed his true colors this season and produced a lot of donuts at that: five shutouts at the end of the season. Marc-Andre Fleury is blessed with a high-powered offense and a team good at rallying late. Considering that he only posted a .905 save percentage with one shutout at the end of the season, in contrast to Halak’s five shutouts and .924 save percentage. If goalkeeping is any reflection of a series outcome, and it is, this one can go to the Canadiens.

ADVANTAGE: CANADIENS

DEFENSE:

This one is close seeing such stellar players from the Penguins as Sergei Gonchar and Brooks Orpik and Roman Hamrlik with Andrei Markov. When it all comes down to it though, the Penguins take the defensive crown between the two.  Why, you may ask? Experience, simply experience. Pittsburgh’s D-Men have traveled the post-season route before and know how strenuous it can be, as well as knowing what needs to be done to win the Cup. Sergei Gonchar is not only one of the top defensemen in the league, but he has two Stanley Cup trips under his belt with his current team, who can beat that?

ADVANTAGE: PITTSBURGH

FORWARDS:

As much as I may hate to say it, Sidney Crosby is all that needs to be said here. Mike Camalleri is stepping up though with eight goals and five assists in his longest post-season run to date. This is his first time making it past the first round and he is certainly making the most of it. Though Brian Gionta, Scott Gomez, and Mike Camalleri form a strong set of forwards, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, and Evgeni Malkin again have the experience. Staal is looked to step up in big games, but his recent injury may cause some issues on the offensive line. Sidney Crosby has both the drive and the talent to single handedly win games, if his team goes under he will claw his way back to the top, no doubt about that.

ADVANTAGE: PITTSBURGH

SUMMARY:

The series is tied at one game each, and if Jaroslav Halak remains consistent, an upset could be seen. Realistically though, the Penguins’ experience, talent, and desire to win will overcome the underdogs in this matter.

CURRENT SERIES: Tied at one game each.

PREDICTION: Penguins in five games.

Boston’s Bruins led by monstrous 6’9” Captain Zdeno Chara and rookie goalie Tuuka Rask, took game 1 over the Philadelphia Flyers quite handily even though it went to over-time. Though it is not yet fair to count out the city of “Brotherly Love.” After slapping around the number two seeded New Jersey Devils, Brian Boucher just needs to get his head on straight and they can make this a contest.

GOALTENDING:

I know: he is only a rookie, these are his first set of big games, he will burn out eventually…as true as some of that may be, Tuuka Rask is the reason Boston has made it so far. Brian Boucher has played well, and has really stepped up in one of his first season’s as a first-string goalie, but Rask has all the potential and raw talent in his corner. Stepping into the shadows of formerly heroic goaltenders, Rask has performed admirably, and whether that play continues will be the deciding factor in the series.

ADVANTAGE: BOSTON

DEFENSE:

6’9” Zdeno Chara versus the battle-hardened Chris Pronger: that is a show I would always pay to see. Both veterans have considerable amounts of post-season experience and strong supporting casts to back them up. However, Boston’s looks to be a bit more physical and so if this series drags to more than a few games Boston’s physical play will pull out the win. On top of that, Boston’s defense has so far produced offensively to counteract their shortcomings on the defensive side (Dennis Wideman putting up eight points, one goal and seven assists).

ADVANTAGE: BOSTON

FORWARDS:

Danny Briere (4 goals, 5 assists) Mike Richards (4 goals, 8 assists) versus Miroslav Satan (4 goals, 5 assists) and game one’s come-back hero, Marc Savard (1 sweet game-winning goal) this is a close horse-race. Though, with the way they are producing at crunch-time right now, Boston has to take the cake. Though my heart goes out to Briere as he is an icon of playoff production, one man can’t take this series. If Boston’s top-notch lines continue their consistency and resist the temptation to slack off, this should be an easy rest of the series.

ADVANTAGE: BOSTON

SUMMARY:

This is the most exciting yet unsung series of the playoffs thus far. With electric finishes in both games, Game 1 and overtime winner from Marc Savard who had been side-lined since early March and Game 2 won in the last three minutes of the third. If this series goes past four games it will only remain exciting and enjoyable.

CURRENT SERIES: Boston up 2 games to none.

PREDICTION: Boston in 6 games.

Number 2 and Number 3 battling for momentum, Vancouver’s Canucks and Chicago’s Blackhawks are two of the most intense teams to watch. Roberto Luongo is also arguably the best goalie in the league today; he sure is overly confident with that opinion, at that. To counter that, Patrick Kane and Johnathan Toews are two of the NHL’s young, electrifying stars that can produce well in the clutch. Each team, led by veteran coaches and players, desirse this series win and it should drag out to at least six games.

GOALTENDING:

Chicago has for the past month or so faced the most unstable goalie situation in the league, if Achilles has a heel this is it. Roberto Luongo again is one of the league’s top netminders and so Vancouver takes this decision hands down. He has always played well under pressure, this year’s Olympics can prove as much, so if he is allowed to get his game back on completely Vancouver will take the series easily.

ADVANTAGE: VANCOUVER

DEFENSE:

Offensive defense, defensive offense, defensive defense, any way you slice it defense runs the game and Chicago can play defense. Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell, and Duncan Keith form three of the league’s hottest and most productive defensemen all on one Blackhawk squad. On the other side of the ice we see Kevin Bieska and Sami Salo, strong defenders in their own right but against Chicago’s hotter forwards do they really stand a chance? I think not. Chicago takes this decision like Luongo took the goaltending, hands down.

ADVANTAGE: CHICAGO

FORWARDS:

Okay, okay, Henrik Sedin DID lead the league in points and assists with 93, but I am going to rule in favor of Chicago’s young guns here. Patrick Kane, Johnathan Toews, and Kris Versteeg all have constantly surprised us NHL fans, and I don’t think they are anywhere near done surprising us this year either. If they can come together to produce like they did in Game 2, working with veterans Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa, they should easily tip the odds of the ice in their favor.

ADVANTAGE: CHICAGO

SUMMARY:

Both teams want it, both teams could take it; it has really come down to a mental battle between Chicago’s shooters and Roberto Luongo, Vancouver’s Goaltender. If they continue to pester him in the following games they will be able to reign victorious in the next few contests to advance. utT, if Luongo is allowed even the slightest bit of time to gather his thoughts and get back on his game, Chicago will potentially face blowouts until they are knocked out.

CURRENT SERIES: Tied at 1 game a piece.

PREDICTION: Chicago takes it in 6.

San Jose and Detroit: some of us could have seen another upset due to San Jose’s previous playoff woes, though it looks like this year the boys in the sun are taking it seriously. Up 2-0 the series goes back to Detroit tonight with hopes of Detroit being able to keep their hopes alive with a win. Joe Pavelski has really picked it up of late scoring big goals in both contests to douse Detroit’s alleged fire. This is the year folks, San Jose is finally gonna hit the Western Conference Finals and maybe even the Stanley Cup final.

GOALTENDING:

Evgeni Nabokov was good, Jimmy Howard is good, that is really all that needs to be said on the matter. The rookie Howard has been a dominating presence in net and pulled out all the big wins to get the much loathed wings to where they are currently. Nabokov is much like Pittsburgh’s Marc Andre-Fleury, and is lucky to have a strong offense producing up front. Howard will be groomed to become quite the wall in net in future seasons, and though he wins this battle, he will not be the dividing factor in who wins this series.

ADVANTAGE: DETROIT

DEFENSE:

San Jose’s Dan Boyle and Rob Blake opposite the wily Detroit veterans Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski compose the two best defensive units in the Playoffs right now. Dan Boyle has put all of his previous playoff woes behind him, after scoring Colorado’s game-winner in overtime in game one off of a rebounded shot by Ryan O’Reilly, and has really begun to pick it up. Rob Blake has and always will be a man after my own heart after his seasons with Roy and the fabled Colorado Avalanche of those days. Opposite Detroit’s powerful offensive defenders in the two vets, this is possibly the only tie we will see in this playoff prediction competition.

ADVANTAGE: TIE!

FORWARDS:

Dany Heatley, Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Danny Setoguchi versus Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, and David Cleary? Four on three may seem a little unfair, but those three can do their fair share of damage against any team. Still, Joe Pavelski has won this battle for the Sharks this time in his strong play presented in the first two games. Coming up big, the young Shark has really shown he can play in the post-season and he deserves to be here. Continued production from him and the other three can only provide a ticket to the Western Conference Finals early for San Jose’s frozen Sharks.

SUMMARY:

Though the series is 2-0, the story on the ice tells itself much differently. Detroit has displayed its hard-fought desire to win as it always does, but San Jose consistently bats them back with timely goals and incredible shut-down comebacks. Joe Pavelski is the moving force in this series, if only he could have played so well in the Olympics.

CURRENT SERIES: San Jose leads 2-0.

PREDICTION: San Jose wins it in 6.

Artwork by Rebecca Holt

Floyd Little has finally earned what he deserved: an induction into the Hall of Fame. His on-field explosiveness and charisma made his remarkable career a standout.

Floyd Douglas Little was born July 4th, 1942. Bronco fans are thankful for that, to say the least. His running back career started at Syracuse University, following in the footsteps of many other great running backs, including Jim Brown and Ernie Davis. Little was an All American with the Orange, and in the spring of 1967 he became the first ever draft pick of the then AFL Denver Broncos. Many people called him “the franchise” for saving the team from certain relocation due to lack of talent and poor ticket sales. His presence started a string of sell-outs, the likes of which still last today. Little impressively led the NFL in rushing yards for six straight years, from 1968-1973. Though his extreme amount of talent should have brought wins, it didn’t, and he unfortunately never came home with a championship trophy. Other awards he received, though, include being elected to the AFL all-star game twice, and also the NFL pro bowl three times. His former coach, Lou Saban, stated that Little was “…one of the most explosive running-backs he has ever seen.”

In 1984 Little was made a charter member of the Broncos’ Ring of Fame. He was the first Bronco to ever win the rushing title in 1970 with 901 yards, and then the following year he became the first Bronco to rush for more than 1000 yards in a season with a total of 1133 yards, leading the entire NFL. Little had an unusually small frame, only 5’10” and weighed a mere 195 pounds, which made him the smallest back to lead the entire league in rushing since World War II. He was one of the league’s most exciting players. “ I loved to watch him play; he had such quickness I sometimes held back blinking when he had the ball,” said Chip Warren, who had season tickets for the 70-71 season. In 1967-68 Little was the only player to return a punt for a touchdown, something that now commonly happens in the NFL. Despite Little playing for a team that lacked any distinguished talent, he was by far one of the most explosive offensive threats of all time.

Little retired becoming the 7th leading rusher in the history of the NFL after only eight seasons. After waiting for years, Little was finally nominated to be inducted into the NFL hall of fame in the summer of 2009, and was eventually voted in on February 6th, 2010. He was the first Denver Bronco to have his jersey “44” retired. Little was finally rewarded for his spectacular career, and will go down as one of the best running backs in Bronco history. “I was elated, but at the same time a little disappointed that it took so long … there was a lot of pain over the years; that doesn’t wash away completely,” Exclaimed Floyd in a recent Denver Post interview.

Little now owns his own law-firm, and also owns automobile dealerships in Denver, Santa Barbara and Seattle.

Photo by Rebecca Holt

The Spartans continued to play their hot brand of baseball on Friday afternoon, as they got past the South Rebels with little resistance. Anticipating the favorable results, TJ played many of their younger players in order to give them valuable learning experience at the Varsity level.

The Spartan replacements took advantage of their opportunity and did not disappoint. Sophomore Tyler Bybee went three for five in the game, scoring four runs along the way. Bybee was helped out by the Junior combination of Joe Sedig and Miles Mercer, who went a combined three for six with four runs and four RBI’s between them. Junior Kelly Sinopili-Martinez also got the nod in Center Field, and recorded his first hit for the season, as well. “This was fun for us today,” Martinez said with a grin. “It’s always good to get a win,” he continued.

Besides a great offensive day, the Spartans also received stout pitching from Senior Chris Needham. Needham notched his second win of the year, punching out five through his four innings of work. “I had my fastball going today.  I felt relaxed on the mound,” Needham said.

The Spartans will be in action on Monday, May 3, as they take on the Mountain View Lions. The game will be at TJ, and will begin at 4:00 p.m.