Page edited by Dimitri N.

Torrington High School Thursday, October 27, 2011 Volume 17, Issue 4

Spider Cupcakes just in

time for Halloween!

Page 8

Madison B.wins Hallow-

een writing

contest! Page 11

Prize-Winning Fiction

Chillers

Ryan L. Reporter

Torrington High

School Choirs started off the

year with their fall concert

The Torr ing ton

choirs had their first per-

formance of the year. ―It

went really well! It was a

great start to our concert

year,‖ Choir Director Kris

Tolman commented on the

performance. Lasting only

45 minutes, the concert con-

sisted of three songs from

each of the three choir

classes: Concert Choir,

Women's Choir, and Show

Choir.

The concert was

started with ―O Sifuni

Mungu‖ arranged by Roger

Emerson with solos by jun-

iors Trent T. and Selena D.,

freshmen Virginia A., and

sophomore Amy A.. Educa-

tion Aide Ginny Hall com-

mented, ― Trent T. did very

well. He was a stand out in

my mind.‖ The Concert

Choir continued with sing-

ing ―Double Trouble‖ ar-

ranged by Teena Chinn and

―Inscription of Hope‖ by

Randall Stroope, introduced

by junior Jordin C.

The THS Women‘s Choir

had a solo by senior Emily

Cortez during their first

song: ―Wishing You Were

Somehow Here Again‖ ar-

ranged by Mac Huff. This

was followed by ―Boogie

Woogie Bugle Boy‖ arranged

by Grank Metis. The last

song during the Women‘s

Choir concert was ―Dream A

Dream‖ arranged by Roger

Emmerson with a duet by

junior Brookee M. and sen-

ior Tanya H.

Leading with a cover

of Earth, Wind, and Fire‘s

popular song ―September,‖

the Show Choir had a quick

start to their performance

year. After that the Show

Choir preformed Michael

Jackson‘s ―Man in the Mir-

ror.‖ Freshman Kayla F.

said, ―‘Man in the Mirror‘

was really good. It had a lot

of solo‘s that sounded awe-

some.‖ The song had solos by

junior James O, senior Cait-

lyn Cummings, junior Trae

T., sophomore Kyle N., and

senior Chelsae Carr.

The last song of the concert

was a dance song ―Trickle

Trickle.‖ ―I liked ‗Trickle

Trickle‘ best because we had

such good choreography by

Lisa Fluckiger. It was a

great end to the concert,‖

said Tolman when asked

about the song. The song

was headlined with solos by

seniors Ryan L. and Ross B..

―Ross‘s solo was my

favorite. He had really good

tone and projected his voice

very well,‖ senior choir

member Grace F. said.

THS choir will hit

the stage again December

20th. ― The next concert will

consist of more holiday

songs as its during the holi-

day seasons,‖ Tolman con-

cluded.

Kolter E. Reporter

The new couple is

making their mark on THS

one two-step at a time. First

-year teachers Jennica and

Charles Fournier have be-

gun a swing dance club/

class that meets every Mon-

day from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at

the old middle school gym-

nasium.

It started in Septem-

ber, but everyone is still in-

vited to come and join. The

two are teaching dances like

the Jitterbug, Lindy Hop,

and Collegiate Shag. Every-

one who has attended the

new dance class says that it

is a great time.

Mckennen L. said

that they are just getting

done learning the basics of

the Charleston. ―It‘s helping

me with show choir, and I‘m

getting to meet new people,‖

added. He also said that the

class is an everyone dances

with everyone type of class.

McKennen then jokingly

said, ―All the guys aren't

very good, including me.‖

Josie J. said, ―I‘m

becoming very

skilled and having

a lot of fun doing

it. It‘s even great

for a cripple like

me.‖ She said so far

she has learned

different varia-

tions of the

Charleston and a

cool flip that Mr.

and Mrs. Fournier

can do. The only

thing she didn't

like she said was

―dancing with the detest.‖

The dance floor is

also known for its smiles

and laughter by the stu-

dents participating.

Xiyun T. said, ―It‘s

fun, we laugh a lot and

dance a lot.‖ She also said

that the class is

easy.

K a t -

lynn S. and

Breenna H.

c o m m e n t e d ,

―[Mr. and

M r s .

F o u r n i e r ]

make the

dancing fun

and are al-

ways cracking

jokes.‖ They

also said that

since it is an

―everyone dance with every-

one type of class,‖ you don't

need to bring a partner, you

can just come by yourself.

―It‘s okay to have

two left feet! We will teach

you everything you need to

know,‖ Mrs. Fournier said.

This is not her first rodeo,

either. The couple has

taught dance lessons from

the University of Wyoming‘s

Swing Dance Club, to ele-

mentary student, senior citi-

zens, and even for various

fund raisers.

The class is cur-

rently looking to expand and

find a new location that is

―to be announced.‖ ―It‘s a

great class and we have

quite a few people showing

up. It‘s a lot of fun.‖ Mr.

Fournier said.

Why it’s okay to have ‘two left feet’ Fourniers begin dancing

club at THS

We’re singing to the man in the mirror! ♫♪♫♪

Visit the Blazing Sun Online at: http://theblazingsun.jimdo.com ● www.tinyurl.com/3sngze9

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

55°/30°

61°/35°

60°/29°

MacKenzy P. Reporter

All the THS wood-

crafters reveled in the brand

-new shop that was created

over the summer. True, the

new space is somewhat

smaller than the older facil-

ity, and no new equipment

was purchased, but the

greatly enhanced safety sys-

tems.

For example, a

$100,000 dust collector—the

most expensive part of the

project—provides a method

of removing all saw dust

from the air, rendering it

much cleaner and less haz-

ardous to health.

Getting this project

underway has taken several

years. ―We had an old wood

shop directly across from the

sale barn. The electrically

was bad, floorings were bad,

and it‘s not a safe environ-

ment. We needed to move

students out of that,‖ said

Goshen County superinten-

dent Ray Schulte when in-

terviewed on KGOS KERM

radio earlier this year.

The new wood shop was

located in the former THS

Auto Shop, vacating its old

home in the building for-

merly housing Tri-State

Auto Repair.

Shop instructor Mark

Estes encourages all commu-

nity members and students

to stop in and view the new

remodel.

How much wood can a wood shop chop?

Page edited

Page edited by Blake W.

Torrington High School Thursday, October 27, 2010 Page 2

Nick P.

Opinions Editor

Sunday night: the night dur-

ing which all of the weekend home-

work is crammed into a five-hour

stretch.

On this particular Sunday,

October 16, 2011, it was no different

for me. I finished my work, fresh-

ened up, and was ready to sleep. I

was close to falling asleep when my

television caught my attention.

Sportscenter had just started a new

live session, and the first thing spo-

ken was some tragic news.

Dan Wheldon, an Indy Car

driver, had died in a fatal crash dur-

ing a race that day in Las Vegas.

OK— I‘m probably one of, if

not the only people, who know about

Dan Wheldon. I‘ve known who he is

for a little while, but I could not

write a biography on him.

Anytime a person dies in s

sport, it is very shocking and terrible

to hear. Even though I do not con-

sider NASCAR a sport, let alone

Indy Car racing I‘ve always thought

that professional racing was incredi-

bly dangerous.

The one thing most people do

not know is just how dangerous pro-

fessional competitive racing really is.

In my mind, Indy Car is much more

dangerous than NASCAR.

A person must watch a race

to completely understand just how

dangerous it is being behind the

wheel of these featherweight rockets

on wheels. An Indy Car can reach

speeds in excess of two hundred

thirty miles per hour! Plus, the

power of the cars is so outstanding

that it seems as if they go from zero

to sixty NOW!

The control of the car is an-

other issue. As light as these things

are, it almost seems as if they can

float on water. The handling for the

cars is very good, until too much

steering is given. One slight turn of

the wheel results in a massive turn

in the snap of a finger.

People who have seen an

Indy Car, also know that drivers‘

heads are only covered by a helmet.

There is no roof above the driver.

That small helmet can‘t protect

against large debris and other ob-

jects coming at the driver very

well.

Take a look at the tracks,

as well, for these drivers. Only a

select few of the races are at tradi-

tional ―super speedway‖ tracks, the

ovals that we think of right of the

top of our heads. Tracks called

―road courses‖ are much more com-

plex and technical.

Both types of tracks have

their dangers. Oval tracks are eas-

ier to turn on, but speeds climb

incredibly high! Road courses are

slower, but there are more opportu-

nities for crashes.

Despite these conditions

that seem to create fatality after

fatality, there have only been four

fatalities in the history of Indy Car

racing; Dan Wheldon was the first

one since 2006.

Maybe it is time to focus

more on the driver than the car.

Ever since everything started, the

goal has always been to make the

fastest car. The faster the better,

the more money, more wins, more

fame, and everything in between.

Two years ago, I remember

watching a crash that gave me chills.

Carl Edwards‘ car went airborne into

the catch fence, the only thing sepa-

rating these metal death traps and

the fans. Eight fans were injured

though Edwards came out un-

harmed. I remember the reactions

from Sportscenter; many of them

expressed safety concerns.

Many decided to be Captain

Obvious and say that the cars are

―really fast,‖ but also said that they

may be too fast now: so fast, that the

cars were putting the drivers in a

potentially very dangerous situation.

It seems as if regulations toward

cars were tightened up, and most

importantly, the speeds dropped a

little bit. Despite all this, I still be-

lieve that it is still going on today.

Indy Car needs a major

check. The conditions the drivers are

put through just to earn money are

something one may think comes

from a maniac. Something at least

needs to be above the driver‘s heads,

and regulations on speed could be

tightened to hopefully put more con-

trol into the hands of the drivers.

I‘ll admit, I am by no means

a junkie for professional auto racing.

In fact, I really do not like it at all.

Even though I do not get too in-

volved, I hope for the sake of the

drivers in NASCAR, Indy Car, For-

mula 1, sport bike racing, or

whatever it

may be, that

something is

done to pre-

vent future

fatalities. I

know that

these can‘t be

entirely pre-

vented, but

there can

never be

enough pre-

caution for

an event as

devastating

as Wheldon‘s

death or any

other fatality. Remember, this guy

had a wife and two sons that he did

not plan to leave behind so suddenly.

Crash emphasizes need to better protect drivers

Thursday, October 27 State Volleyball

@Casper

Friday, October 28 State Volleyball

@Casper

No School

Saturday, October 29 State Volleyball

@Casper

Monday, November 7 WASC - StuCo

Getting to know the What do you like about high school?

Tirrell C.– More

people.

Kara C.– Closer to

being out of school

forever.

Vanesa C.– Less

classes every day. Blanca C.– Not as

much classes.

Alex C.– Longer

classes.

Gone too soon. Could Dan Wheldon‘s death have been prevented with a better-built car, a more substantial helmet, different steering mechanisms, and different chassis designs? Photo from Wikipedia Commons

What’s coming up for Blazers . . . .

Page edited by Nick P.

The Blazing Sun Thursday, October 27, 2011 Page 3

Nick P. Opinions Editor

I didn‘t have a major prob-

lem with this until recently.

The University of Alabama

football program under head coach

Nick Saban has been one of the elite

day in and day out, week in and

week out, year in and year out.

Personally, I am starting to

enjoy the way they play with their

physical, smash-mouth approach,

dominating defense, and physical

running game.

There is one problem,

though.

Not many people around this

area are unaware of the crude, pro-

vocative chant that occurs after

every Alabama win, which seems to

occur every week. Whether it would

be a victory by one or one hundred,

the fans of the Crimson Tide all en-

gage in the ―Rammer Jammer Yel-

low Hammer‖ chant.

―Hey [opponents name!] Hey

[opponents name!] Hey [opponents

name!] We just beat the hell outta

you! Rammer jammer yellow ham-

mer give ‗em hell Alabama!‖

Now like I said, I did not

have a problem with it, until the

arch-rival had to get involved.

I have wrote about the ―Iron

Bowl‖ before, but as a refresher, the

―Iron Bowl‖ is the always heated,

intense rivalry between the Alabama

Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers.

Regarded as a sure top-five rivalry in

all of college sports, there have been

more than a fair share of pranks,

stunts, and everything in between.

We all know of last year‘s

result: Auburn came out on top by a

score of 28-27. No Rammer Jammer

chant for the Alabama fans!

Wait a second, the Auburn

band is breaking into the tune of

Rock and Roll Part 2 (The Hey

Song) by Gary Glitter.

―Hey Alabama! Hey Ala-

bama! Hey Alabama! We just

beat the hell outta you! Rammer

jammer yellow bammer go to hell

Alabama!‖

How cruel, yet needed for

the payback of the Alabama fans.

But this has gone on long

enough.

Whoever started this

needs to learn to be a good win-

ner. A good winner will win with

humility. That winner will shake

his or her opponent‘s hand, and,

overall, be a good sport.

Who wants a bunch of

drunken, crazed football fans to

shout out to the opponent that

they just got the hell beaten out of

them?

Plus the ―WE just beat the

hell outta you,‖ part is undeserv-

ing. While the players are laying

their bodies, futures, and much more

on the line, these sore winners are in

the stands drinking, being pugna-

cious, and shouting derogatory

things to players.

Telling someone to go to hell,

even if it is meant as a joke, should

NEVER be uttered.

It pains me to say this, but

the fans of the Nebraska Cornhusk-

ers model appropriate behavior

toward opponents. Win or lose,

the fans give a standing ovation

to the opposing team. I have

seen this in person multiple

times, and they have even

given a standing ovation in the

bitterest of losses (Texas 2010.)

Alabama fans have

called out Auburn fans for the

chant, saying that they are out

of line and stealing tradition.

Well, guess what? If they want

to chant stuff like that, they

better expect it back, and NOT

whine about it.

I am not saying that the

Alabama and Auburn fans are

the worst and rudest, that title

may belong to the fans of the Colo-

rado Buffaloes or West Virginia

Mountaineers, but the chants have

got to go. It will possibly end some of

the bad tension between the two.

The chant should not have been cre-

ated in the first place. Now that it

has boiled over, it is time to change.

No more ―we just beat the hell outta

you‘s‖ or ―go to hell‘s.‖

Nick P. Opinions Editor

The never-ending debate be-

tween the NFL and NCAA for our

preference surfaces before, during,

and after the football season: it

never stops!

The NFL side states that

they are the best of the best of the

NCAA, the NCAA side fires back

with the statement ―one hundred

twenty teams!‖

In the case of the NFL vs.

the NCAA, the NCAA wins, by a

huge margin.

The NCAA has teams in

Madison, Wisconsin; Eugene, Ore-

gon; Gainesville, Florida; Lincoln,

Nebraska; and Ann Arbor, Michigan

just to name a few. The NFL has not

one, but two teams in East Ruther-

ford, New Jersey.

Players from the NCAA will

always bleed their school‘s colors. A

player will graduate from Florida,

and wear his blue and orange for the

rest of his life. That same player will

be drafted by the Jaguars, wear teal

and black for four years, then sign a

big contract with the Raiders. In the

NCAA, they are unable to easily change teams (transfer; can‘t play for

one year, usually to a smaller

school). They can‘t pull a Lebron

James. The players bleed their

school colors and wear their current team colors.

Money provides another con-

trast.

In college, players are not

allowed to earn any money for any

sort of athletic performance. They

are not allowed any benefits or gains

in return for the player himself. The

player may not

be paid to play

under no cir-

cumstances.

O n c e

players enter

the NFL, it is

a l l a b o u t

money. Who-

ever is able to

offer the big-

gest paycheck

gets the star

player. One in

every three

players is a

greedy pig. He

will hold out of

camp until he

gets millions of

dollars which

will later make

him go bank-

rupt due to irresponsible spending.

They only seem to care about money.

The passion goes along with

money. Many NFL players don‘t

really care about winning. The team

can go 2-14, but if the quarterback is

making his fifteen million every

year, life is good.

Look at the college players.

Watch how they play their hardest

play in and play out.

Those players are not play-

ing for their paycheck: they are play-

ing for their fans, teammates, school,

students, fans, and the biggest moti-

vation of all, to win! Instead of a

bunch of green paper, these players

would rather hoist the crystal foot-

ball at the end of the year.

Games matter

even more in the NCAA.

A team can‘t take a week

off if they are in the hunt

for the national title; one

loss ends it all. In the

NFL, games do not seem

to matter as much. Look

at last year in the NFL,

the Green Bay Packers, a

sixth seed, won the Super

Bowl! They were one of

the last teams to even

make the playoffs! This is

why big games in college

football are much more

important, and paid at-

tention to.

The overall pag-

eantry of college football

is miles ahead of the

NFL. Watch the games in

November, especially the

ones on Thanksgiving

weekend. The Iron Bowl,

Ohio State-Michigan,

Lone Star Showdown, and Bedlam,

all of the biggest rivalry games

packed into one weekend!

Take a walk down ―The

Grove‖ at Ole Miss; watch the dot-

ting of the ―I‖ in the Ohio State

Marching band; practice yelling at

Texas A&M; walk by Bevo at Texas;

watch Chief Osceola throw his flam-

ing spear into the field. Need I say

more?

Watching NFL games is just

dull to me. The fans just seem so

much less enthusiastic. The atmos-

phere at an NFL game is just sort of,

boring to be honest! The best games

of football do not occur on Sundays

during the fall, they occur on Satur-

days.

Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer, learn some manners!

Watching the college kids is better than the pros

Both of these articles

were cut off in an

earlier issue; we are

reprinting them here.

Enjoy the full version!

Page edited by Nick P.

Torrington High School Thursday October 27, 2011 Page 4 Blazer football season comes to a close

Torrington Buffalo

Fo

otb

all

8 52 Torrington Douglas

Vo

lle

yb

all Torrington

Torrington

Mark M. Sports Editor

The Torrington

Trailblazers had a rough

last two weeks of the sea-

son, making their overall

record 1-7, but the sen-

iors don't regret it at all.

―Dear Mr. Len-

hardt, thanks for the sea-

son, I‘m glad I came out,

love Ryan.‖

―My best memory

of this year was when

coach told Will to go

home and play Madden

with his dad, and on sen-

ior night, walking out

with the team,‖ senior

Ryan L. said. ―I will miss

the good times with the

team and all of the

things that Lenny said.‖

Ryan‘s message

to his teammates was

―Don‘t stop the progress

and never give up.‖

Two weeks ago,

the Torrington lost to

Buffalo, 53-6, with Frank

S. scoring the lone touch-

down for the Blazers.

―My favor i te

memory this year was

running an 80 yard

touchdown this year

against Lander. And for

the team, my favorite

memory was beating the

Outlaws,‖ senior Frank

S. said. ―On senior night,

my favorite memory was

walking out with the par-

ents.‖

―If you can touch

it you can catch it,‖ was

Frank‘s message to his

teammates. ―I will miss

you guys.‖

―My best

memory was watching

how much our team im-

proved from spring drills

all the way up to the

Riverton game. They

went from not being able

to catch a ball to gaining

300+ yards of offense,‖

Coach Lenhardt said.

We lost some

guys along the way. We

had injuries and some

players were dismissed,

but if we had all our

players committed, we

could have been better,‖

Lenhardt said. ―Things

may have turned out bet-

ter, but for the future of

the program, it was best

to play our young kids.‖

―The sen iors

knew the situation was

difficult, they showed up

and worked hard every-

day. These are 5 of my

most favorite kids I‘ve

coached at all levels,‖

coach Lenhardt said

about his seniors.

―Although our record

doesn't show it, use this

season as a lesson to

work hard when things

get tough.‖

6 56

2 3

Douglas

Shai S. Columnist

The Blazers end their regu-

lar season off in a W—something

that seemed to get the Blazers ex-

cited rolling into Regionals.

The Blazers finished on top

by winning their match against Raw-

lins in 3. They won with a score of 29

-27, 28-26, and 25-20. The girls

fought hard and it paid off in the

end.

―In the second game we were

down 22-16 and fought back to win

28-26!‖ Head Coach Lori Byrd said.

―The kids played like a team and

never gave up!‖

―They played amazing!‖ team

manager Korinne J. said. ― They cov-

ered really well and hit the ball in-

stead of having weenie arms!‖

Sophomore Avery M. said,‖ It

was a huge win, and was a really

close game. We hit and played de-

fense really well which helped us win

the game.‖

The Blazers will first meet

the Rawlins Outlaws in the number

4 and 5th seed game. This will take

place Friday at 2:00 P.M. If they win,

they will play the top-seeded Doug-

las Bearcats at 6:30 later that night.

The Blazers did it! They are

state bound for the second consecu-

tive year.

For their first game they defeated

the Rawlins Outlaws in five with a

score of 29-27, 19-25, 17-25, 25-20,

32-30. Their final game was only

supposed to go to 15, but the teams

both showed incredible drive to ad-

vance into the semi-final round.

Coach Byrd added, ― A his-

tory-making match 32-30 in the fifth

game that was only supposed to go to

15! The kids never gave up and fi-

nally won!‖

Matty J. said,‖ Oh man! It

was intense! We went in knowing it

was gonna‘ be a fight and we played

well and played together. We win!‖

This advanced the Blazers

into the semi-final round against

the number one seeded Douglas

Bearcats. THS lost in five with a

score of 25-20, 13-25, 25-23, 25-16,

and 7-15.

― I thought once we hit the

fifth set, we all knew that it was ex-

tremely exciting!‖ said Murphy H. ―

We are the only team in our confer-

ence that has beaten Douglas, let

alone took them to five sets. It was

pretty intense for all of us!‖

3 0

3 2

Rawlins

Torrington Rawlins Blazer volleyball: ready to take State

Player Set Assists Kills Digs Blocks Aces

Christian B. 85 7 60 4 2

Sydney H. 59 0 47 0 2

Jenny R. 3 0 0 0 0

Tarah W. 49

Avery M. 49 61 2 5

Shai S. 1 57 60 11 2

Taylor F. 1 17 44 1 4

Matty J. 28 14 9 2

Murphy H. 3

Raele R.

Kayla F. 3

Cassandra B.

Regional Stats

Who is your role model? Why? Getting to know the sophomores...

Caden C.— Shai S.

because she is B-E-A–

utiful!

Brittany D.— I don't

know (=

Sean D.— My mom be-

cause she is awesome.

Terren D.— Mr. Zig-

weed because he makes

class fun.

Sawyer Warren & Buchanan

Edward A. Buchanan & Nathaniel S. Hibben

Attorneys at Law

2210 East A Street P.O. Box 850

Torrington, WY 82240

www.swblegal.com

Phone 307-532-2322 nhibben@swblegal.com

Fax 307-532-7221 ebuchanan@swblegal.com

Fall sports season, along

with the weather, is cool-

ing down.

Blazing Sun Thursday, October 27, 2011 Page 5

Nick P. Opinions Editor

Winning the Heisman Memo-

rial Trophy in college football is the

highest honor an individual can

achieve. The trophy goes to the most

outstanding player in all of college

football.

Unfortunately, this is not

always the case.

The trophy, even more re-

cently, seems not to go to the ―most

outstanding player‖ in college foot-

ball. Unwritten requirements seem

to be placed on the trophy now.

The first of these unspoken

requirements is to be an offensive

player. The only player to have ever

won this trophy while being a pri-

mary defensive player is the Univer-

sity of Michigan‘s Charles Woodson

in 1997. However, he was also a punt

returner, and occasionally, a wide

receiver. The highest finish for a

player that solely played defense and

nothing else was the University of

Pittsburgh‘s Hugh Green, who fin-

ished second in the voting.

The second of the unspoken

requirements is to be on a winning

team. Paul Hornung of the Univer-

sity of Notre Dame is the only player

to have ever won the award playing

on a team with a losing record. When

a team loses a game or doesn‘t win

the expected number of games, play-

ers seem to drop right out of the He-

isman race, even if they put up

gaudy numbers.

The third and final of the

requirements is to be in a BCS-

automatic qualifying conference. The

smaller schools in lesser conferences

such as the WAC, C-USA, Sun Belt,

Mountain West, and MAC don‘t re-

ceive much love from the Heisman

voters. Who has heard of Case

Keenum? This guy puts up numbers

I could not achieve in video games,

so why does he not get any votes?

The belief is that he is playing in

lesser conferences. While I agree

with this belief slightly, that does

not mean that they get to be com-pletely ignored.

Summed up, the winner of

the Heisman Trophy goes to the best

offensive player on the best team.

One year, I would like to

point out, is a prime example of this,

and it was not too long ago.

After putting up over 1,500

rushing yards and eighteen touch-

downs, Mark Ingram was voted the

winner of the 2009 Heisman Trophy.

Now who remembers Ndamukong

Suh that year? The defensive tackle

from Nebraska should have won the

award in my opinion, which is really

tough for me (the Husker hater) to

say. He single-handedly led the

Cornhuskers that year on defense,

and offensive coordinators would

have many sleepless nights trying to

game plan around him. To me, he

was the most outstanding player on

that team. Heck, Mark Ingram was-

n‘t even the most outstanding run-

ning back that year either! Toby

Gerhart of Stanford ran for more

yardage and many more touchdowns

(no, go away SEC gomers, I don‘t

care that Mark Ingram did it in the

SEC, which may be a little tougher,

but not miles away. I‘m pretty sure

Gerhart could have done it in the

SEC also.) Alabama won the na-

tional title that year, and they were

ranked number-one all year, hence,

the best offensive player on the best

team.

This year, I‘m afraid we may

be going down the same path.

Right now, the unspoken

leader of the Heisman race is An-

drew Luck. He has put up great

numbers, I‘ll give him that, but I be-

lieve that he is getting most of the

attention due to his status as a pro

prospect on an undefeated team.

There are a number of quarterbacks

ahead of him in yards, touchdowns,

or sometimes both. Most notably two

small school prospects, Boise State‘s

Kellen Moore and Houston‘s Case

Keenum, players not on top teams,

Keith Price of Washington, Nick

Foles of Arizona, Brandon Weeden of

Oklahoma State, and Tajh Boyd of

Clemson.

Of the top ten projected win-

ners of the Heisman, Robert Griffin

III, is the only one on a team not in

the top twenty-five. Griffin for a

large part of the beginning of the

year had more touchdowns than in-

complete passes. Unless he suffers a

major drop-off, he will receive my

vote for the Heisman.

Tyrann Mathieu of LSU

would get some attention from me

also. For those who do not know who

Mathieu is, turn on an LSU game

from this year, particularly the Ore-

gon or West Virginia game. Nick-

named ―The Honey Badger,‖ this guy

is a terror for offenses. He is the

most impactful player on defense

since Ndamukong Suh. Even though

he was suspended for a game, he

should still get at least some atten-

tion. Unfortunately, Mathieu will

probably not even get looked at for

the Heisman, as it is an unspoken

rule that defensive players are not

allowed to win the award.

There have been many legiti-

mate winners who were really the

most outstanding players in their

time. Unspoken requirements and

rules seem to make people forget the

winner of the Heisman Trophy goes

to the most outstanding player in

college football!

The Heisman Trophy usually doesn’t go to its real winner

Ryan L. and Avery M. Reporters

The Torrington cross-country

team runs this town… literally. They

spend hours and hours pounding the

pavement throughout the county dur-

ing every season.

After running many miles in

many meets, the cross-country team

took their talent to the Absaraka Con-

ference meet in Glenrock on October

14. The team was pleased with the

results.

The girls‘ team ended with an

all-time high, placing of 3rd behind

Pine Bluffs and Douglas. Junior Kay-

lie H. led the girls‘ team, scoring 11th

place with a time of 23:15.

―I think I did pretty well,‖

Kaylie said. ―I think it was better

than Cheyenne.‖ What‘s her goal for

state? ―To get in the top 15.‖

Junior Mikayla M. described

the meet as ―one of her better races.‖

She finished 14th overall with a time

of 23:48:51. Mikayla, who was in-

jured for the meet the previous week,

said her goal at state was to get in the

top 25.

―My performance at confer-

ence was not one of my best. I tried to

stay with Mikayla most of the way,

but I got sick with a stomachache and

let people pass me,‖ said sophomore

Allison M. ―I did better the week be-

fore in Cheyenne, and was more com-

petitive there. This meet our team did

really well and got third. My goals for

state are to place in the top half.‖

Freshman Alex C. earned

19th place with a time of 24:15.72,

while Melissa B. got 24:49.76 which

earned her 24th. Freshman Dakota

M. also ran and got 34th with a time

of 26:29.81, and sophomore Whitney

W. ran a time of 27:18.36 for 40th.

The Torrington Blazer boys

finished 5th overall, with Garrett D.

placing 6th in the race.

―Well, I think I did all right. I

ran my fastest time at that course,‖

said Garrett. ―I improved my time by

30 seconds.‖ Garrett ran a time of

17:41.46. His goals for state are to

place top ten and receive All-State

honors.

Other runners included Hank

J., Matty R., Carlos A. and Reo R.

Hank ran a time of 18:56.65 earning

him an 18th place finish while Matty

received 24th with a time of 19:45.05.

Carlos finished with 21:12.19 for 39th,

and Reo ended up 23:15.34 for 46th.

―I think I did pretty

good for myself,‖ said Reo. ―I went

down by thirty seconds, but it was a

harder course. My goal for state is to

get below 22 minutes.‖

X-Country State The following week, the Tor-

rington Cross Country Runners ran

their way to state in Douglas to finish

9th and 11th. Unfortunately, they fell

short of many of their goals .

The Blazers improved much

over the year, resulting in many per-

sonal records. Junior Garret D. fin-

ished 24th with a time of 18:33.48.

Lingle junior, member of the Torring-

ton cross country team, Hank J. ran a

time of 19:51.84 to place 47th. Fresh-

man Matty R. came in right after

Hank with a time of 19:54.16. Placing

67th, senior Carlos A. ran 21:03.18,

while freshman Reo R. ran 23:39.13

and got 83rd to round up the Blazer

Boys. ― We improved a bunch. I cut my

time by about half a minute from last

time,‖ said Reo.

Freshmen Alex C. said, ― I im-

proved a lot this week; my time went

down by five seconds.‖ Alex finished

40th with a time of 24:18.10. Leading

the Blazer girls, junior Kaylie H. fin-

ished 25th with a time of 23:35.27.

―Kaylie

didn‘t give up and ran her own race,‖

sophomore Allison M. commented. Alli-

son finished 41st with a time of

24:18.64, out-sprinting two competitors

at the finish line. Mikayla M. ran

25:08.21 to finish 53rd. Finishing 64th

and 65th were junior Mellisa B. and

freshmen Dakota M.

―I did very will

this week. It was the best the team and

I had done. It was a great end to the

season,‖ Dakota said. ― I

think next year we will be just as good,

if not better,‖ said Allison. ―We are only

losing one senior, [Carlos A.] and he will

be missed.‖

Page edited by Nick Prusia

Cross Country runners finish the season on a strong note

Jason M. Seniors Editor

Take me out to the ball

game . . . as the World Series comes

to an end, the St. Louis Cardinals

take on the Texas Rangers in a cru-

cial Game Six where the Cardinals

have to win to stay alive.

As the Cardinals crawled

their way into the playoffs—having

to win their last regular season

game— they are the underdogs in

this World Series.

But after having a 2-1 lead

after three games they have lost the

last two and are now trailing 3

games to 2. With a win from the

Rangers in Game Six the Texas

Rangers will have their first World

Series win in franchise history.

―I think the Cardinals are

going to win because they have Al-

bert Pujols along with a great offense

and a better pitching staff. They

have the edge because they also have

home field advantage,‖ Josh R. said.

―The Cardinals are going to

win because they have a better pitch-

ing staff and the better offense—just

the better team overall,‖ Allison M.

said.

―I hope the Cardinals win

because the Rangers beat Detroit

and Detroit is my favorite team. The

Cardinals have the better infield and

some great hitters,‖ Wyatt W. said.

― The Cardinals are going to

win because they have home field

advantage. Also, I don't like the

Rangers and I‘m more of a National

League kind of guy,‖ said Jeff Hal-

ley.

― The Cardinals are going to

win because they are my favorite

animal—and my favorite color,‖ Tay-

lor F. said. [NOTE: We were unable to

alter this story to account for the re-

sult‘s of Wednesday night‘s game.]

World Series fans go to bat for their teams

Page edited

Page edited by Dylan S.

Torrington High School Friday October 27, 2011 Page 6

Sydney H. Columnist

FFA this… FFA that, is exactly how this

month‘s Blazer of the Month feels. Blake (B.W.)

O., son of Blake and Chrissy O,, is all about FFA.

Born and raised in Torrington, Wyoming, he has

been around cattle and his family farm his whole

life. O. has one sister, Katie, who graduated from

THS in 2010 as the salutatorian. She was also the

September BOTM, and she is now attending Cas-

per College where she is livestock judging.

―There is no one else who could

have been a better candidate for the first Blazer of

the Month at our school,‖ classmate,

Mark McKee said.

Blake is a very busy high school student

as he is involved in, FFA, tennis, FCA, Student

Council, 4-H and Youth Group. He also played in

the THS band his freshman and sophomore years

at THS.

―During my sophomore and junior years, I

missed nearly a month of school each year due to

just FFA and National Judging Trips,‖ BW said.

His freshman year he went to the Okla-

homa Panhandle State University for FFA. He

scored second high in FFA Livestock Judging, In-

dividual, and Champion Team. He also was in-

volved in the Speech and Debate team, where his

partner was his sister, Katie.

During his sophomore year, he began to

play tennis which he just loved. He went to three

National Judging contests, (FFA livestock, 4-H

livestock, and 4-H meats) and was a part of the

THS FFA for his second year.

Junior year rolled around, and BW sure

did keep himself busy once again. He went to two

national judging contests, (FFA and 4-H meats,)

where he placed third individual in the Nation for

FFA, tied for National Champion Individual and

was on the National Champion Team for 4-H.

Blake was elected the Torrington/Lingle FFA

President for his senior year, and two weeks be-

fore prom, he broke his nose while working cattle,

causing a distinctive black eye.

―B.W. needs to make sure he doesn't run

into any more fences,‖ senior Ryan L. said about

Blake‘s broken nose incident.

Aside from the many activities he does

involving the school, Blake loves just being with

his family and working on the family ranch. He

hopes to continue working on the ranch because it

is a tradition and he really enjoys being around

the cattle. He enjoys watching his favorite movies,

Dumb and Dumber, and Year One. The Office, Tosh. O, and Sports Center are his favorite TV

shows. BW also likes to read the books in

Harry Potter series.

―I will miss my friends, FFA, ten-

nis, and watching the sports games here,‖ Blake

said. ―But I will not miss homeroom, riding the

bus, and all the math homework!‖

Although BW seems to be a pretty laid-

back guy, he does have one very embarrassing mo-

ment, ―When I got my shorts pulled down to my

shoes in weights while I was hanging onto the bas-

ketball rim, definitely would have to be my most

embarrassing moment!‖

His advice to underclassmen is simple:

―You have to work hard and actually try in order

to be successful in your life.‖

In the future, Blake plans to attend Cas-

per College on a livestock judging scholarship, and

then go to a university to either livestock judge or

meats judge. He would like to get a degree in Ag

Business/Animal Science.

―In the future, I see B.W. owning his own

million-dollar ranch with lots and lots of cows,‖

senior Matty J. said. ―Or maybe an Ag teacher.‖

―I definitely see him either pulling a calf,

or genetically engineering them,‖ Ryan L. said.

Mark M. thinks that he will be working

with his dad on their family ranch.

Blake‘s favorite high school memory so far

is both of his trips to Nation FFA Convention and

getting third in the Nation in FFA Meats. His fa-

vorite teacher here at THS is Jason Groene be-

cause Groene is the FFA advisor and has taught

him so much.

―B.W. is a fine upstanding young man who

works hard and is very driven to accomplish his

goals,‖ Groene said. Groene had a lot of favorite

memories with BW, ―After we checked into DIA,

heading to the National FFA Livestock Evaluation

contest in Indianapolis, my wife was warning the

kids [As we stood under the "Carrying a fire-

arm on a plane is a felony sign" and I think it also

said something about ‗you are on video and audio

surveillance‘] that they better be on their best be-

havior because; "if she left her babies, to get on a

plane with them, then this better be a good

trip." I was freaking out about getting to the

plane on time [we were almost 2 hours early] and

B.W., out of nowhere says, "Hey Kelly, do you

mean I should have left my gun at home?" He was

just trying to lighten the mood and after Kelly's

blood pressure came back down and her heart and

pulse rates returned to normal, we all laughed—

sort of,‖ Groene laughed. ―But my favorite of all

time was seeing his face beam with humble pride

as he was announced as the 3rd high individual in

the nation [by four points] during the National

FFA Meats Evaluation and Technology Con-

test. Then the next week he turns around and

wins the National 4-H Meats Contest.‖

―B.W.? It is just a simple fact that it

has been my privilege to be his teacher and teach

him a few things during his time at THS. I mean,

honestly, how many times can you say you have

taught the best in the nation?‖ Groene concluded.

Tennis Coach Mary Perkins also enjoyed

working with Blake. ―What a kid,‖ she said. ―I will

miss the heck out of him. He is a class act, and no

one possesses the work ethic of the rare and elu-

sive B.W. He is a clone of the words, work ethic.

Kids want to hang around him and be seen with

him. He reeks professionalism, yet communicates

on any level. Watching him play tennis and ad-

vance through the high school has been so much

fun.‖

When asked what their favorite memory

with Blake was, many people gave different re-

sponses.

―Oh, my gosh!‖ Matty screamed. ―When he

finally let me drive his Caddy, those were the best

massage seats ever!‖

―Every day in Calc with B.W. is fun,‖ Mark

M. said. ―But my favorite memory with his was

ending his winning streak in football with my

team!‖

―Band with his sister,‖ Ryan L. laughed.

―But on a serious note, B.W. is a good guy, he will

go far in life. He has some mad calc skills, and I

absolutely love his sister.‖

Say cheese. . . . Oh, wait. That means something entirely ironic when addressing a Hereford! B.W. O. has shown cattle for years, enhancing his FFA resume. Courtesy photo

What do the acronyms FFA and BW have in common?

They both stand for our Blazer of the Month!

Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief

The girl‘s everywhere. Is

there anything September Blazer of

the Month Mikayla B. can‘t do?

It appears not.

Born in Longmont, Colorado,

but raised here in Torrington by

grandparents Joe and Marlise with

twin brother Nicholas, Mikayla has

accomplished much more than the

average high school student.

With awards in several areas

of secondary education and its attrib-

utes, Mikayla has, once again,

achieved another milestone: Blazer

of the Month.

However, Mikayla‘s most

notable achievement is athletic.

She‘s the first Blazer ever to earn All

-State honors in four different sports:

cross country, tennis, soccer, and

twice in basketball.

In a previous article, Mi-

kayla said about the feat: ―It‘s an

honor, and there were a lot of people

who helped me get here. I am grate-

ful to everyone who has helped me

get here.‖

―Mikayla is the pinnacle of

what it means to be a stud,‖ one stu-

dent said, ―She is extremely dedi-

cated in not only sports, but in her

academics. Most of all, she‘s a loyal

friend to everyone. She respects all

people and makes the best out of the

worst situations. Not everyone can

do that, but Mikayla? She‘s got that

down.‖

High school has certainly

treated Mikayla well. Her favorite

high school memory was ―getting all-

state freshman year in cross coun-

try,‖ she said.

―She is a hard worker,‖ her

cross country coach Mark Sims said.

―She‘s a 100% kind of young lady

trying her best. She is also a great

student and a true competitor.‖

Embarrassing moments?

―Too many to list :)‖

But those memories were few

among her overall high school ex-

periences.

―My freshman year was high-

lighted by basketball. I learned a lot

from the older groups of girls that

year,‖ Mikayla said, ―There were no

lowlights.‖

Her sophomore year resulted

in Mikayla taking more of a leader-

ship role in her basketball team,

which won the consolation champi-

onship at state.

However, ―I did

not do so well at

the state cross

country meet.‖

she said.

―In my

junior year, my

team won the

c o n s o l a t i o n

championship

at state again,‖

Mikayla contin-

ued, ―and I

joined soccer, in

which I had a

winning year.

No lowlights.‖

J e f f

Halley also re-

marked about

Mikayla‘s lead-

ership in bas-

ketball: ―She

controls our

team offen-

sively. She‘s our

leading scorer

and the leader

of our group.‖

So far,

Mikayla‘s senior

year has been

rewarding: ―I

received all-

state in tennis—

m y f o u r t h

sport!‖ she said.

―She [Mikayla] is dedicated;

she will work outside of practice; she

will work on all sports during the

offseason,‖ her tennis and soccer

coach Mary Perkins exclaimed

Outside of school life, Mi-

kayla enjoys watching The Office. Her favorite movie is the hilarious

Bridesmaids and her favorite book

is—surprise!— the dictionary! ―Just

joking :)‖

Her favorite teacher was

―Mr. Mills. He made science so much

fun and made become more inter-

ested in it.‖

Because of Mills‘ influence,

Mikayla‘s interest has landed her in

a career path. ―I am going to go to

college for Secondary Education in

Science. I want to be a high school

science teacher because I enjoy sci-

ence,‖ Mikayla explained.

Although several of her ac-

complishments were in high school,

Mikayla undoubtedly has things she

will and will not miss about student

life. ―I will not miss the ‗no snack‘

rule. But I will miss all my friends.‖

she said.

Mikayla‘s friends had noth-

ing short of compliments for the sen-

ior.

Matty J. said ―She is a stud

at anything she does. She is funny

and an amazing friend. In the future

I see her playing basketball in col-

lege or going to a top-notch school.

There are too many favorite memo-

ries I have with her. Mikayla has

been one of my best friends since we

were little, and without her I would

be sad!‖

Fellow senior Caitlyn Cum-

mings agreed, ―Mikayla is funny,

nice, and a stud! She‘s going to be a

very successful person in anything

she does. My favorite memory of her

is us quoting Bridesmaids all the

time. Heck, yes, she‘s deserving of

being Blazer of the Month.‖

As for her anonymous friend?

―Mikayla was nice to me from the

first day I met her. She will always

be number one. Always. Her dedica-

tion and determination in all her

tasks is amazing and infectious. I

know that I‘ve been lucky to have

met her.‖

Mikayla ends the school year

with advice for underclassmen: ―It

doesn‘t matter what you do or how

well you do it, as long as you look

good doing it.‖

Blazing Sun Thursday, October 27, 2011 Page 7

Anthonie C.— You

got to train like a

champion to be a

champion

Jordin C.— Legit Isidro C.— Diet

food is for fat peo-

ple.

Getting to know the Juniors... What is your favorite quote?

Jeremy D.— To lose is

to gain and to gain is

to loose.

Brandon D.— Be all

you can be.

Winner winner has an ―I‖. Mikayla has a ―i‖ in her name. (Top right) Brower shows friends are her top priority as she enjoys Homecoming 2010 with Matty and graduate Emily M. (Right) Her dedication, friendship, and well rounded-ness paid off once Mikayla was voted into Homecoming 2010 royalty. Staff Photos

You know you’re looking at a winner! September BOTM makes history as scholar, athlete, and best friend.

Page edited by Dimitri N.

Spider Cupcakes

(24 Cupcakes)

You will need:

Ingredients to make your favorite chocolate cup-

cakes.

1 pound of shoestring black licorice.

16 ounces of your favorite white or chocolate

frosting.

48 pieces of candy corn.

48 cinnamon red hot candies, or any other red

candy.

1/4 cup of orange decorator sugar.

Directions:

1. Prepare your cupcakes any way you would normally.

Let them cool completely.

2. Cut licorice into three inch sections.

(Work on only one or two cupcakes at a time so that the frosting does set before

decorating.)

3. Frost the cupcake you are working on with the white/ chocolate frosting.

4. Insert licorice pieces into the outer

edges of the cupcake so that the licorice is in

the frosting. Put three legs (licorice slices) on

each side of the cupcake.

5. Place two pieced of candy corn on

the front of the cupcake to look like fangs.

6. Use two red hots (or what ever red

candy you have) as eyes.

7. Sprinkle with decorator sugar and

repeat steps three through seven for the re-

maining cupcakes.

Page edited

page edited by Korinne J.

Torrington High School Thursday October 27, 2010 Page 8

Favorite Candy to Receive on Halloween

35%

18%

17%

9%

21%

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Snickers Twix Butterfinger Kit Kat

Black Halloween Punch (Serves 32 people)

You will need:

1 (.13 ounce) envelope of unsweetened

grape soft drink mix (Kool-Aid or another similar

product)

1 (.13 ounce) envelope of unsweetened or-

ange soft drink mix

2 cups of white sugar

3 quarts of cold water

1 liter of ginger ale

As much dry ice as you would like

Directions:

1. Stir together grape soft drink mix orange

soft drink mix, sugar and water until solids are dis-

solved.

2. Combine with chilled ginger ale and

dried ice just before serving

Halloween Brain Dip (Serves 12 people)

You will need:

2 avocados

1/2 cup of prepared salsa

1 head of cauliflower

6 thin slices of red and blue fruit leather

Directions:

1. Slice the avocados in half. Remove the

seeds. Scoop the avocado out of the skin into a bowl.

Mash with a fork or whisk and then stir into salsa.

Set aside.

2. Remove all of the leaves from the cauli-

flower and remove the stem leaving a nice hollow area

with the outer part of the head intact. (Use toothpicks

to hold it together if it starts to fall apart.

3. Place the cauliflower into a small bowl so that the hollow is facing upwards and most of

the cauliflower is up out of the bowl.

4. Fill the cauliflower with the avocado dip.

5. Decorate the white ―brain‖ (the cauliflower) by

weaving thin strand of red and blue fruit leather between

the creases to make veins and arteries.

Kylie K. Columnist

One peren-

n i a l f a v o r i t e

Goshen County

Halloween event is

the Haunted House

hosted by the local

Elks Lodge. Elks

Lodge located on

120 E 20th Avenue,

Torrington, WY

82240. It will take

place for three

nights; October

29th, 30th, and 31st.

An admission of $3.00 per person will be charged and

all age groups are welcome.

Students who have experienced the ―House‖

have differing opinions. Bre H. found the house to be

extremely scary. ―Duh it was scary!‖ she said. ―I‘ve

gone for about three years, and last year I was so

scared I threw candy at the people working there. I AM

going back again next year!‖

Sophomore Raele R. also seemed to enjoy the

haunted house. ―My favorite part was the haunted

house, but it wasn‘t scary—if that makes sense,‖ she

laughed. She definitely wants to go back again this

year.

Shai S. was more than thrilled about it. ―I‘ve

gone for two years. My favorite part was that they had

floating masks in the air and some were people and

some weren‘t. Oh, and they had real dead animal skins

there, too!‖ Shai found it ―sort of scary.‖ Will she be

there this year? ―YES!‖

Sarah E., though, is not a big fan of the

haunted house. ―It was okay. I went last year. There

was nothing really scary about it.‖ Unlike Shai,

―probably not‖ was her reply if she was going again this

year.

Students often help scare rather than being

scared. Nikki B. participated in the haunted house last

year and ―It was way fun. I worked it for two years.

Hopefully, my mom will let me do it again this year.‖

Anyone looking for something to do this week-

end might want to check out the Elks‘ Haunted House

for a scare that‘s may well leave you lying awake at

night. Admission is $3.00 and all groups are welcome.

The Elks Lodge can be found right next to the Wyo-

ming Theatre at 120 East 20th Street.

Get ready to fear

the haunted house

Halloween munchies rock the party

All recipes and photos courtesy of www.allrecipes.com

Page edited

Page edited by Shai S.

Torrington High School Thursday October 27, 2011 Page 9

By: Kolter E. Columnist

Step1 - Choose a pumpkin Pick a

pumpkin that is going to be easy to

work with; blemish free with a nice

smooth side to work on. It‘s ok if one

side of the pumpkin looks bad because

that side can be turned to the wall.

Step 2 - Get out your tools! Simple

pumpkin carving kits can be found in

almost any store this time of year.

You only need the basic carving kit to

carve out a great pumpkin, and if you

don't have the kit it will only be

around two to four dollars. These kits

usually come with stencils for great

designs so don't carve some boring

smiley face.

Step 3 - Stab your Pumpkin in the

Head! —with the knife from your kit

that is.

Start about 3 inches from the stem

and work your way around. This is

good practice to get the feel for your

pumpkin and a taste of what lies

ahead.

Step 4 - Rip your pumpkin's lid off!

This may be quite the task because of

the stringy ―brains‖ t hat will be con-

nected to the lid.

Step 5 - Plunge your hand in

and pull out the pumpkin brains! Try

not to think of this as pulling out

pumpkin brains: I don't want to make

you sick. Just try to get as much of

these ―brains‖ out as you can with

your hand.

Step 6 - Scrape the inside walls There

should be a scoop in your kit, but if

the kit fails to provide one try using

an

ice cream scoop or a metal measuring

cup. Make the inside of the pumpkin

as clean as you can. Get the front wall

of your pumpkin, where you will

carve, the cleanest. This will help out

a lot later on.

Step 7 - Cut the loose glop off from the

pumpkin lid You don't need directions

for this do you?

Step 8 - Attach the carving kit's de-

sign template Choose your paper de-

sign from the carving kit. Yes you

have to do this because we do not

want to see pumpkins with two

square eyes and a rectangle mouth.

Once that has been chosen attach it to

the front of the pumpkin. Make sure

it is actually attached because you do

not want it coming off when you are

working.

Step 9 - Mark the

design Use the

plastic poker

from your kit to

punch holes through the paper and

onto your pumpkin. Make sure you

fallow the gray side of each shape.

Holes the are around 1/8th of an inch

apart seem to make for a clear design.

Step 10 - Remove the design paper Do

not throw that away! It makes for a

reference while you are carving out

your pumpkin. Step 11 - Cut out along

the dotted lines. The template can be

used to figure out where each shape

starts and stops. When you get done,

your hard work may not seem like it

paid off, but wait. Place a light inside

your pumpkin and place it in the

Creepy, crawly, carving=Jack O’Lantern

Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief

There is one statistic wan-

dering the world that says ―90 per-

cent of people will experience some-

thing paranormal.‖ Fact. During our

lifetimes, something will happen

that we can‘t quite explain. It‘ll be

something weird, abnormal, eerie.

Halloween is on Monday but

that doesn‘t contain the paranormal

into a certain time of the year. My

encounters with the unexplained are

shared by some of my best friends,

experienced within the walls of this

school.

There is only one room in

THS that I truly believe is haunted.

Cliché it may sound, but welcome to

the library.

In my sophomore year, I at-

tended the Future Business Leaders

of America (FBLA) lock-in in March

of 2010. Like most lock-ins, a full

exploration of the school at night is a

must. To fully experience a lock-in,

one must explore.

Obviously, I wanted to go

into the library and my friend Dylan

S. accompanied me. We turned on

one set of lights and wandered into

the back of the library, where the

non-fiction section is surrounded by

dated fiction novels. We were read-

ing titles along the bookshelf nearest

to the windows (the farthest to the

left if you were to come into the li-

brary) and suddenly a book just fell.

Almost immediately, we accused

each other of pushing it. But, truth

is, neither of us dropped that book. It

just fell. A year passed by and once

again, I found myself in a dark

school for the 2011 FBLA lock-in.

This time, exploring turned into in-

vestigation. Armed with iPod

Touches with camera‘s and many

more witnesses, Dylan and I ap-

proached the library. Little did we

know, it was going to be an eventful

night.

Instead of turning on a light,

we kept it completely dark. We made

a video (which is still available if you

want to see it) and recorded every-

thing. With our backs to the main

desk, we scanned the back part of

the library, and nothing happened

until a pencil flew out of nowhere

and smacked against a computer.

Although it may seem like a

coincidence, we had been waiting

forever, and while making our video,

witness Caitlyn C. reportedly said ―I

just wish something would happen

so I could know [if the library was

haunted or not]‖

We turned on a set of lights

and searched for a pencil, which we

didn‘t find for ten minutes. This

ghost had aim.

Eventually, Dylan and I ven-

tured out to where the book had

fallen the previous year: the last

bookshelf. Again, we read the titles

of the books and this time… a book

fell again. On the other side of the bookshelf. After the pencil and a book

falling of a shelf, we all ran out of

the library leaving the lights on. But

after consideration, we decided that

we should go back and look at the

book. While Caitlyn and Dylan went

back to check, I took a different route

to examine the side door to the li-

brary. When I saw that it was

locked, I returned to the front doors

where Caitlyn and Dylan were…

waiting.

They claimed the library

door was locked. So, naturally, I

tried my hand on it, and it opened. We entered and looked at the book; it

was a book about WWII. What was

more interesting about the book was

that, when it fell, it landed opened to

page one, on the shelf.

Once we had enough, we

shut off the lights, and checked the

door to the library again. Locked.

In short, these were the inex-

plicable things that happened: The

door to the library was supposedly

locked when Caitlyn and Dylan tried

it, but it opened for me just two min-

utes afterwards. A pencil was

thrown in the library that couldn‘t be

found for ten minutes and only im-

mediately after Caitlyn asked for a

sign. The book fell off the same shelf

it did the previous year landed open-

faced back on the shelf. How does a

book land back on a shelf?!

What‘s more unsettling is

that, according to Caitlyn, the soccer

lock-in of 2010, held two weeks after

the FBLA one witnessed a book fal-

ling off the last shelf. In fact. It was

the same book that fell in the two

lock-ins: a book named Hannibal. Haunted or not?

The evidence for: the book

Hannibal fell two separate times in

the same year. A book has fallen two

years consecutively. A pencil was

thrown after specific comments were

made and was only found after ask-

ing for supernatural help. The door

locks and unlocks itself.

The evidence against: no

books have been found on the ground

in the library at any other times of

the school year is the most crucial

piece of evidence.

Something haunts the THS library. . . maybe

Photos used with permis-sion from www. Pumpkin-patchesandmore.org

Page edited

Page edited by Patrick Schnell

It's you! You did this to me! -Cecil

Princess from The Princess and the Frog Christian B. Junior

Captain Underpants

Andrew J. Junior

Mark Lenhardt Austin R. Junior

Justin Beiber

Hunter O. Freshman

Buddha Garret D. Junior

African

Isaac B. Junior

The last of the Mohicans Reggie S. Senior

Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief

The release of Paranormal Activity 3 could not have come at a more impeccable

time. Halloween is in four days and, like

every year, it is time for all of us to get scared

out of our wits. To be horrified. To be

shocked. To be frightened.

To fully experience Halloween—for

the older population, that is— horror movies

are a definite must. They‘re even better with

laugh-out-loud pranks during them. How-

ever, a movie is an enjoyable experience.

Here are the top five horror movies of all

time. Sleep well…

1) Psycho (1960)- universally considered to be

the mother of all horror movies, Psycho is not

only a great story, it‘s ending is very open

ended, like many movies, and examines the

psychology of a human mind. Watch the older

version, the new one doesn‘t nearly capture

the terror. There aren‘t very many special

effects but the music will definitely be famil-

iar. Arguably, Psycho has the most memora-

ble scene of all time: the notorious shower

scene. You will instantly recognize it. But

please, once you see this classic movie, do

take a shower. Spare us.

2) The Exorcist (1973)– the highly rated film

is unique in one very special way: the ele-

ment of the color green. Scenes have a green

tint, the characters are a sickening green

color, the lights even look green. And it all

works well for The Exorcist. Set in Washing-

ton D.C., where, ironically, several posses-

sions seem to take place politically, the movie

is in a perpetual battle for first against Psy-cho. However, with a remake also out, either

version will work perfectly. For more of a

thrill, watch the newer one. The special ef-

fects are insane! And the creepiest scene will

leave you sleeping on the couch.

3) The Evil Dead (1981)- Also a movie about

demons possessing others, The Evil Dead

goes pretty far to gross you out. There‘s de-

capitation, dismemberment, and blood. Lots

of it. Essentially, this movie is mostly about

survival in a very dangerous setting. I mean,

how can you crack a joke to your possessed

relative when they‘re eating their arm? Al-

though it may not as scary as some films,

The Evil Dead is absolutely disgusting.

Sometimes that‘s enough.

4) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)-

This movie absolutely terrifies me. I hate it

so much I love it. We are all familiar with the

certain family member who wears the hockey

mask and has a certain way with the chain-

saw. Yeah, you know what I‘m talking about.

From the beginning, when we hear of the

grave robberies and the decomposed corpses,

we know: we‘re in for a ride, and it‘s gross.

With a slightly less glamorous sequel of the

same name, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the pinnacle of being chased. Better keep

an eye on those family members…

5) The Saw Franchise– Jigsaw has a whole

new meaning to these movies. You will know

why if you watch them. Unique doesn‘t begin

to describe Saw. Instead of murders, victims

are put through experiments to test their will

and to see if they will live through physical

and psychological torture. Those who survive,

will be stronger people. Those who do not,

well, I think we all know what happens. The

series officially reached its end with Saw 3D, but series creators say that it is still open to

more films. After seeing these films, you will

definitely have a new way of looking at your

stuffed animal. That is, if you still have

one… :)

Oh, the horror! The horror! Get ready for the big day with

The absolute best horror flix

Trick-or-treating Stealing little kids’ candy

Candy Corn Real corn

Dressing up in a costume Staying at home in your sweats

Getting candy from doors Getting candy

from vans

Corn mazes Calling 9-1-1 when you are stuck

in a corn maze

Carving pumpkins Plastic jack-o-lanterns

Page 10 Friday, October 14 , 2011 Torrington High School

Page edited

Page edited by Dylan S.

Torrington High School Friday October 27, 2011 Page 11 Congratulations Madison B! You won the scary story contest!

Jeremy D. reporter

―Brothers to the End‖ is the

famous quote from Epic Games‘ lat-

e s t b l o c k b u s t e r g a m e

Gears of War 3. Gears of War 3 takes place

eighteen months after Gears of War 2. The Lambent, a race of infected

creatures propelled by the miracle

fuel of imulsion, is running wild

through the planet Sera. Marcus,

Dom, and other characters are now

fighting for their very survival

against the Lambet infection. ―Gears of War 3 has a better storyline and

great graphics.‖ Chris Will, fellow

student and Gears of War fan said.

Gears of War 3 is similar to

its predecessors with new features

added to make the game play fun

and exciting for old and new fans of

the Gears of War saga.

The story of Gears of War 3 begins with Marcus receiving a mes-

sage from his father (whom Marcus

thought was dead), saying that he is

still alive and has the cure for the

Lambet infection. The campaign is

now four player co-op instead of two player co-op, over Xbox live or via a

system link. The campaign can be

played in the cinematic version or an

arcade version where players can com-

pete for high scores, by killing more

enemies and earning multipliers for

more points.

There is also now the updated

version of Horde from Gears of War 2 called Horde 2.0 in Gears of War 3. In

the old version of Horde, players

fought for survival against waves and

waves of the locust horde; in Horde 2.0 players can build their own bases and

build fortifications such as barriers,

turrets, sentries, and, my personal

favorite, the Silver Back Mech suit.

Players can also complete mid-

wave objectives for cash which is used

to buy fortifications to make their

bases bigger and better. Earning cash

is as simple as killing the enemy: each

kill is worth cash that can be used to

upgrade bases. But beware as every

10th wave ( 10, 20, etc.) is a ―boss

wave‖ in which Queen Myrrah will

unleash the full might of the locust

horde. Horde can be player by yourself

or with up to four friends.

Horde 2.0 now has a counter-

part called Beast mode. In Beast mode

players take control of the locust horde

and the locust creatures. In Beast,

players must kill all the humans which

are A.I. controlled in order to advance

to the next wave of humans—who are

dug in a certain spot each wave. As

players kill more humans, they can

unlock the next set of beasts for play-

ers to control. When players have

killed enough humans, they can unlock

the most beastly of beasts of them all

for the players to control. Players will

have to be fast and swift because each

wave is timed, and if the players don't

finish in time, they have to start over

from the current wave they are on.

This can also be played with up to four

friends.

Last is Versus or multiplayer

mode. In Versus it is player versus

player in skill-based competitive

matches with Gears of War 3‘s, new,

dedicated multiplayer servers that

make the game have less lag when

playing Versus to make it fair for all

players. Gears of War 3 ‗s versus is

much more action-packed and full of

excitement compared to the previous

Gears of War games.

There are new executions and

finishing moves to put the hurt on the

players‘ enemies like curb-stomping or

using enemies as meat shields for pro-

tection. Gears of War 3‘s new ―Team

Death Match Mode‖ has been im-

proved with respawning, and if you‘re

more of the classic Gears of War fan

there is also still the classic Warzone

and execution game modes with no

respawning. Other new game modes

have been added like capture the

leader and weekend events to spice up

the action.

―In general I think it‘s a great

game,‖ Aaron Williams said. ―Gears of War 3 has great game mechanics and

story with a lot of variety and replay

value.‖

The final word of this game is

that it is a great buy for anyone who

likes shooting things and having tons

of fun ripping apart enemies (or

friends). There are many new weapons

to play around with and to dismantle

enemies and other secrets just waiting

to be unlocked.

Gears of War 3: New modes, enhanced multiplayer, and a compelling storyline

Madison B. Contest Winner

Through time, our story is one of the

many that has been lost. However, for

the few of us involved, it is a lingering

reminder that the darkness is not a

safe place and the bump in the night

isn‘t always the wind.

It all started with a simple dare. We

were 16 and on top of the world.

Nothing and no one could bring us

down.

We were all planning our weekends

when Zach decided it would be fun to

sneak into the old Stilder Manor

house on Willow Hill. The old place

had been abandoned for over 20

years, ever since old man Stilder went

crazy and hung his wife from the an-

cient willow out front before jumping

from a third-story window. All in all,

a creepy place in the daylight, but

down right terrifying at night. Zach said it wouldn‘t be that bad, just

something to get us in the mood for Hal-

loween.

―I‘ve heard stories about that place,‖

Sarah spoke up. ―My Granddad helped

move out the bodies back in the ‗80s. He

said it was like nothing he had ever

seen. The wife‘s body was slashed up,

but the only blood found on the old man

was his own.‖

―It‘s like there was another person

there,‖ Johnathan mused aloud while

staring into his ever-present Pepsi can.

Libby squealed from the back. ―Do you

think it was murder?‖

―I don‘t care what it was,‖ Zach said

waving away our protests. ―I am going!

Any of you yellow-bellied chickens who

want to come can be there at ten o‘clock

Friday night.‖ With that, he stood and

walked away.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The rest of the week passed in a haze

of homework, dread, and muttered ex-

cuses.

All too soon, it was Friday. Zack said

that if we came, no parents could know,

so I told mine I was staying at Lynn‘s

house. At 7:00, I left with everything I

thought I needed.

Lynn was ready when I got there. We

decided that we would go just to see

Zach run out screaming. Her parents

were okay with us leaving as long as we

were home by midnight. We drove her

car.

It takes ten minutes to get to Willow

Hill, but it seemed so much longer.

When we got there, most of the group

was already there: Sarah, Libby, Johna-

than, Thomas, and Zach all gathered

around Thomas‘s gas camp stove.

―Well,‖ said Zach, clapping his hands,

―let‘s get this started.‖ Reading into his

old Army duffel bag, he pulled out a

plastic flashlight.

―Anyone coming?‖ he asked with a

smirk. A few mumbled responses and

shuffled feet were the only reactions.

After a long, uncomfortable moment,

Thomas raised his hand.

―I‘ll go,‖ was all he said.

After that, it was easy for the rest of us

to follow his lead. Only Sarah opted to

stay outside.

Nodding and distributing flashlights,

Zach told us his ―plan.‖

―I want to see the old man‘s room with

the wondow that faces the tree,‖ he said.

―After that, we can do whatever.‖

―OK, let‘s get this over with!‖ Johna-

than exclaimed.

We all gathered our coats around our

ladies and headed for the house.

Just before we reached the porch,

Sarah called out, ―Just don‘t take any-

thing!‖

Zach ascended the stairs first, the gray

wood groaning and creaking. He waited

for the rest of us to join him before whis-

pering one last warning.

―OK, so don‘t wander off and try to

save as much of your battery as you can.

I don‘t have extras. Let the fun begin!‖

he intoned eerily, backing toward the

door. Nervous giggles and half-hearted

chuckles answered.

The door to the house was easy to

unlock. Zach pushed it open and a spine-

tingling wail was emitted from the

hinges.

―Creepy,‖ Libby whispered as she

switched on her flashlight.

The living room was covered in dust an

inch thick. Our feet left half-formed

prints in the moldy carpet.

In the beams of our flashlights, the

room had a skeletal look; it didn‘t help

that there was a snowstorm of dust in

the air.

―I think that stairs are over there,‖

Zach said, pointing. ―Let‘s go check.‖

Soon as we left the living room, Jona-

than‘s light went out.

―Hey! I thought you said they were

good!‖ he hissed at Zach.

―I guess I forgot that one. Sorry.‖

―Whatever. Libby, I‘m going with you.‖

So saying, he and Libby headed down

the hall.

Shrugging, Zach and the rest of use

followed.

The hall was narrow and dark. Old

pictures stared after us as we walked

past and the carpet muffled our steps.

The staircase was standard-issue

creepy. Steps disappearing to nowhere,

we climbed without a word.

At the top, Zach turned to use. ―OK, I

am going to the room. Y‘all can come or

explore on your own.‖ Everyone except

Johnathan and Libby followed Zach.

The room was like every other one we

had seen, but something felt wrong. The

window had never been replaced after

the old man jumped, so leaves were

strewn about, along with the dust.

The view through the window showed

the tree. Directly below us was the

branch, its bark still scarred from the

rope.

―Wow,‖ Zach whispered in awe.‖I didn‘t

thinkyou could still see it.‖

―It is really creepy,‖ I began, only to be

cut off by a chilling scream.

―I think that was Libby!‖ someone said.

Lights flashed randomly down the

hall as we moved toward the room we

thought they were in. Preparing for the

worst, we went in.

What we saw was not expected. John

was laying on the floor, laughing his

head off while Libby stood over him,

glaring and kicking.

―You idiot! What were you thinking?‖

she yelled. John was helpless to his

laughter.

Zach turned around in disgust. ―This

is lame. Let‘s get out of here.‖ He turned

and walked away, leaving John. Libby

walked away with the rest of us.

The trip down was uneventful but

creepy. Zach was just reaching for the

door when something crashed behind us.

We all spun around, but nothing was

there.

―It might be John, trying to scare us,‖

Thomas said. Nodding, we headed for

the door. As Zach touched the knob, a

scream ripped through the air.

We all dropped to the ground in pain,

with hands over ears. The shrieking did-

n‘t stop for long minutes. When it was

over, my bones still echoed with the pri-

mal cry. Libby started to sob.

―Get out,‖ was all Zach said, his voice

even, all fear banished.

No one hesitated. We all stood and

bolted for the door. As we cleared the

door frame, the night air rushed around

us.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, for the third time that night, we

heard a scream.

It was Libby. She was standing with

her back to us, facing the willow. I fol-

lowed her eyes, and saw the rope. At the

end, her face blue, was Sarah.

A scream escaped my lips as I stared

at my friend. Through a haze of tears, I

saw the horizon tilt, then blackness.

* * * * * * * * * * *

When I woke up, I was in a hospital

bed. Mu mom sat beside me, crying qui-

etly. I touched her hand, and she looked

up. All she did was hand me a newspa-

per. On the front was Sarah‘s picture

under the headline: ―Girl killed in freak

accident at Stilder Manor.‖ None of our

lives would ever be the same.

* * * * * * * * * * *

It took almost a year for everything to

calm down. Still everything was differ-

ent.

All of us who wee there were inter-

viewed and put in counseling.

We never went to the Stilder Manor

again. We couldn‘t even look at the road.

People say ―Time heals all wounds,‖

but that is a lie. Time just gives you a

chance to forget.The one thing I will

never forget is that night and the fact

that we still don‘t know why Sarah was

in that tree.

If at first you don't

succeed then try, try again.

Then quit. There's no use

being a fool about it!

Page 12 Friday, October 14 , 2011 Torrington High School

Every year, we try to feature a bit of

information about each of our seniors:

here’s the class of 2012’s edition!

THE QUESTIONS:

1) What’s your favorite memory?

2) Most embarrassing moment?

3) If you could change one thing

about THS, what would it be?

4) What high school accomplish-

ments are you proudest of?

5) What will you miss about high

school?

6) What are your plans after high

school?

7) Advice to underclassmen?

Courtney W. 1. Being with friends and meeting new

people.

2. Falling down the stairs.

3. The rules!

4. Speech

5. Micah C. and Stormy B. and others.

6. Uhm...College!

7. Have fun and enjoy!

Sam S. 1. Hanging out with my fiancée and my best

friend Barbara.

2. Watching football and walking down the

bleathers and falling down them.

3. No hat rule/ Cell phones/ Ipods.

4. Making it to senior year.

5. Picking on the underclassmen.

6. Gatting married and going into the army.

7. Keep your head held high.

Elizabeth T. 1. Reaching my senior year.

2. I cause them, I don't have them.

3. The cell phone rule

4. Graduation

5. Mrs. Hamer– Smith

6. Not sure

7. Stay in school it isn't as bad as you

think!

Frank S. 1. To many

2. None

3. Hat and phone rule

4. I have never been sent to the office.

5. All the lovely people

6. College

7. Run faster, Jump higher.

Page edited by Jason M.

The Blazing Sun is the official newspaper of Torrington High School (THS). It is published bi-monthly, fifteen

times a year, expressly for the uses of THS students.

The Blazing Sun is a student forum written and composed entirely by student staff members. It is

photocopied by Goshen County School District #1.

Signed editorials represent the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of The Blazing Sun, THS

administrators, faculty, or students. Unsigned editorials

represent the opinion of the staff. We welcome letters from students to the editor; however, they must be

signed to be printed. Letters to the editor should be

addressed to The Blazing Sun, THS, 2400 West C Street, Torrington, WY 82240. Letters will be copy edited upon

request. We reserve the right to refuse to print, to edit

for legal concerns or for space considerations.

Famous last words:

Put your seatbelts on

guys. I wanna’ try

something.

*

* Blazing Sun

Dylan S. 1. Paula Deen the Butterqueen ya‘ll!

2. Lime green shirt gross.

3. Less strict. Like the last three years.

4. ???????????

5. The people

6. Go to college for journalism

7. Don‘t procrastinate