Keeping The Holiday Spirit Alive

When Director Brandi Nylen heard that St. Paul’s School was discontinuing the ten-year tradition of a holiday performance, she decided that Eastern Ballet Institute would keep the tradition alive by presenting a creative rendition of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” Auditions for the performance were held in early September and Brandi Nylen, the Director of Eastern Ballet Institute, needed 50 talented and young dancers. Ms. Nylen carefully choreographed each piece, and she is excited to share her show with the community.

The Twelve Days of Christmas” will be held on Saturday December 17^th, 2011 at The Capital Center for the Arts. There will be two matinee performances, one at 1:00pm and the other at 4:00pm. From the “Twelve Drummers Drumming” to the “Partridge in a Pear Tree” it is going to be a great show that you don’t want to miss.

Random Act of Violence Claims Four Lives

By A. Hubbard

On Sept. 6 2011, gunman Eduardo Sencion walked into an iHop in Carson City, Nevada, and open fired with an AK-47 killing four and wounding six. According to the authorities on Carson City, Sencion drove up in a red minivan, shot a women standing by in the parking lot of the iHop before entering the restaurant where he strode to the back and open fired at five National Guardsmen/women. After, he went on a shooting rampage, spraying local businesses with bullets. Afterward he shot himself in the head. Eduardo Sencion died three hours later in a local hospital.

The family of Eduardo Sencion said that he had been battling with mental health issues. No one is sure what specific mental issues Sencion had been struggling with.

To understand why someone would carry out an attack like this, an interview was conducted between myself and a guidance counselor at Hopkinton High School, Kim Haley. She explained that when a life or death situation breaks out, such as a shooting, people will make a decision that takes literally half a second to make. She said it is best described as “Fight or Flight.” In the iHop shooting, many witnesses were interviewed, and a lot of these witnesses said that they were paralyzed with fear. They stood there and watched as the event happened.

Family member of those lost mourn their passing in a random act of violence

What's in Store: Summer Olympics 2012

By Matthew G

2012 summer Olympics

Today people view the Olympics in a lot of different ways; some people believe they bring the world closer together and others just view it as a competitive sporting event for bragging rights against other countries. What some people forget about the Olympics is the pride. The pride that you see every athlete has when they’re wearing their countries colors, the pride that every fan has when they’re cheering for their favorite athlete.

Next year in London, England the Olympics should be better than ever. The Americans are coming off record- setting performances by swimmer Michael Phelps and by the basketball team who captured their first gold medal in eight years.

The Olympics are still ten months away, but students at Hopkinton High School are already getting excited. Athlete Liam McNicholas is counting down the days until he sees his favorite sprinter run, Usain Bolt who is hoping he can break his own record in the 100-meter dash. Hopkinton Basketball star Dalton Morris is hoping that Kevin Durant and the USA basketball team can bring home another gold like four years ago.

Even though the Olympics isn’t for another ten months, athletes across the country should be getting ready because next summer in London sports fans are going to witness something great.

New Ways Of Learning

By Zach Calley

The Concord High School has a program that is Called Concord Regional Technical Center, also known as CRTC. This is a new way of learning for students who go to CRTC, because they don't really have the knowledge of the class they are taking. CRTC classes will teach students more about it. For example, students taking a Construction class get experience in construction. They know a little bit about it, but they don't know a whole a lot about it. This is a good way to learn more about Construction.

For students looking to go to CRTC next year, good luck because they might be canceling some of the classes for juniors. However, they may not if they can afford it, but if the Concord School District can't, then current Sophomores and Juniors will be out of luck.

Jump Start to the Real World

By Troy Campbell

Graduating early can be helpful to seniors in many ways. It can provide them with time to work and make money towards college, or it could just give them a break from school before beginning your freshman year at college. When graduating early, a senior's school year ends after first semester in January once they have completed all their finals. Technically, they do not graduate until June when they walk with the rest of their classmates.

There are also a few things seniors need to keep in mind: it's not one of those things that they just decide to do, it is something they need to plan early in their high school career, making sure they have all of the necessary requirements accomplished by the deadline. They also need to work hard throughout high school to be accepted. Overall graduating early is not an easy process to go through, but, for some, it is most definitely worth it.

Political Parties: Who needs them? We do.

By Daniel Fletcher

Both liberals and conservatives are coming to the conclusion that a dual party system may not be the fairest way to elect politicians in the United States. What makes most people realize it is not the most effective method is when the party of their choice begins to fall behind in the polls due to an uncontrollable circumstance. In many situations, when something negative occurs, people tend to blame the party that has a person in office during that time. This occurs whether it is this person’s fault or not.

If there were no parties and people ran only as individuals, then this would not happen. Voters would not be able to blame a party as a whole because there would be no party to blame. Bryce Fletcher was asked, “Do you believe parties are necessary?”

“Yes, without parties only the rich would become elected because you need large quantities of money to become known. When a person runs for president they rely on the parties wealth to create advertisements and publicize the persons views and ideas,” replied Mr. Fletcher. His view of the importance of parties is a widespread view amongst liberals and conservatives.

Mary Beth Fletcher was asked, “Do you think more parties would make the voting system more fair?”

“Yes, with only two parties then when something goes wrong everybody turns from one party to the other. However, if there were several parties with politicians in office then people might be more likely to make a decision for who to favor based truly off of their beliefs and views,” said Mary Beth Fletcher. Although there are only two major parties, there are actually many parties active in the United States. With the upcoming election in 2012, it will be interesting to see with the Tea Party emerging.

Cloudy with a Chance of Over-Priced School Lunches

By J Jones

The new school year welcomes a list of new challenges, crazes and even controversy here at Hopkinton High School. Any student attending the school is aware of the ongoing increases in prices of the school lunches throughout the years, but is the new three dollars per meal pushing the envelope a little too much?

Many students seem to think just that. When asked about how they felt about the issue the majority of enthused learners replied with, “it’s stupid”, “it sucks”, “it’s awful, I hate it”, and “[the prices] should go down.” Sam McManus, a senior this year, raged, “The prices right now are ridiculous. That’s why I don’t buy school lunch.” Other school attendees took a more understanding approach like sophomore, Josh Walker, “I think it’s ridiculous, but I understand because of tax cuts."

Despite all the annoyance, Walker was right in blaming funds. According to the head of the lunch program, Tracy Barker, the cafeteria conquerors’ duties go without any funds from the school. The only way to acquire revenue for them is to make money, for the finances come from the profits made. These profits are supposed to also cover the wages given to the hard-working lunch ladies. On top of all this, federal regulations have made stricter requirements and mandates to comply with for meals offered by the school consisting of more expensive veggies and whole grains.

Rather than be upset about the new prices students perhaps should look deeper into the situation, because with everything said, it is a wonder the prices are not even higher!

Homocide or Self Defense

By Adam Liberty

New Hampshire has made a new law allowing citizens to use guns and other deadly weapons to protect themselves against an attacker wherever they feel publicly threatened. Although this law was passed, it was vetoed when it reached Governor John Lynch.

The House of Representatives had overridden this law and will go into effect on November 15^, 2011. Three out of the five people that have been interviewed on this topic say that it is going to raise violent crime and give gangsters an excuse to use deadly weapons. Although the other two people that were interviewed on this major state topic say that this law that has been passed in other states has not raised violent crime at all, if anything, and the gang members that do use this law as an excuse will just eliminate other gang members and make living standards better for the average citizen.

Mr. Nadeau, one of the social studies teachers at Hopkinton High School says, “The current law we already have is working perfectly fine. Protect or leave. With this other law that says we no longer need a permit to carry a Concealed Weapons, License is going to completely change the way this state has been working.” This basically means that they are almost giving us absolute freedom. Every society in the history of the world has recognized, that with absolute freedom you get chaos.

To some, this new law shows that we have become civilized, we hope, we won’t just kill each other when we get the chance. To others, this just represents the amendments we have as a free country.

Northern Pass Project

By Nate Glanville

In the state of New Hampshire, we are not fully employed; we have been collecting social security and not working or finding and local jobs that are commutable.

A new project, the Northern Pass project (a hydroelectric energy plant) will give opportunities for locals to begin working. This project will not only benefit workers, but the state’s population by providing hydroelectric energy to potentially power millions of homes in New Hampshire. This energy will come from Quebec Canada, and travel throughout the state stopping in Concord and Deerfield. Currently the set date for project is the year 2013-2014.

Some citizens of NH believe the Northern Pass Project will be beneficial for the state because the construction will put up the power lines and create jobs for the people. PSNH is looking forward to keeping the project.F rom this project, PSNH will have to put up new power lines of electricity through the state.

There are some people that don’t like the idea of having power lines though their backyard. According to Ruth Mailhot from Colebrook, New Hampshire, she is totally against the idea of this project, because it would go through her backyard. Construction would also interfere with her travel routes. This is what she thought about the Northern Pass Project: “I really don’t like the idea of having power lines going through my back yard, and I don’t need to be paying more."

New Assistant Principal At Hopkinton Middle High School

By Oliver Josephson

As you look around the hallways of Hopkinton Middle High School, there are a few new faces seen in both the faculty and student body. One of the most important new faces in our building this school year is our new assistant principal, Rebecca Gagnon.

Whenever it is time to select a new principal or assistant principal in our school, it can be a lengthy process, which the organized committee has to go through. First, the school has to post the opening for the position and then the application for candidates who are interested in or have potential for the job get collected. Once all of the packets are collected, the pool is narrowed down to about six or seven candidates to interview. All of the selected candidates are interviewed, and then the selection committee has to decide who they would like to recommend to the Superintendent. Then, the selected candidate meets with the Superintendent and he forwards the names of the selected candidates to the School Board for approval. Ms. Gagnon was in the perfection position: Principal Christopher Kelley said, “Ms. Gagnon was the only one selected out of the six candidates we interviewed.”

Ms. Gagnon’s success in the education field began right after she graduated college in 1998. Back in college, she earned a double major in computer science and elementary education. Her first few jobs after graduating college were all in the Franklin School District. Those jobs included teaching computers at the elementary level, teaching at a high school, becoming Director of the technology building, and working with networks. Right when she began working in schools Ms. Gagnon decided to work in the education field because she loved working and being with kids. She also loves challenges. Back when Ms. Gagnon was working with networking as director of the technology building in Franklin, she said, “I loved it because it was a great challenge.” After working in Franklin, she moved onto Farmington and worked as the Assistant Superintendent of that district. While working as Assistant Superintendent, she did not enjoy it as much as her other jobs. She said it was because, “I missed working with kids. This was the reason why I decided to move on and become an assistant principal, so I could be around kids more.”

Currently, as Ms. Gagnon is in the beginning stages of being the new assistant principal of Hopkinton Middle High School, she is feeling confident and happy to be here. “I love it,” she said. “I’m learning a lot, and people are friendly. Overall I am having a lot of fun.” As the new Assistant Principal, there are goals she has for school that she is eager to achieve. Those include working hard to get to know all of the staff and students, learning how to best be supportive, and help people, both students and teachers, meet their goals. As happy as she is in this new position, she has one concern: how to better help new kids fit in. Overall Ms. Gagnon is excited to work here and is extremely grateful for how nice, open, and supportive both students and staff have been throughout the school.

Budget Cuts Impact HHS

By D. Seabury

The State Budget has a huge impact on HHS, even though many students don’t think so. “The reductions required a setting of priorities which impacted people I respected, admire, and have known for a long time. Overall, these cuts created anxiety and tough times for an extraordinary faculty.” says Mr. Chamberlin former administrator of HHS and current Superintendent of Schools.

A concern about the State Budget Cut has everyone on high alert. Cuts to HHS staff “could result in larger classes, fewer options, and fewer programs,” states Mr. Chamberlin. Not only does this cut affect the teachers, but it also affects students looking towards their future. Students who want more artsy futures are limited to the classes they can take.

HHS had to cut down how many classes each teacher could have. Limiting the students options on not only classes, but also times they could take them. Teachers that aren’t teaching required classes, such as English, Science, Math, or Social Studies weren’t as limited as those who teach Wood, Music, or Art classes.

Uncertainty hits HHS teachers who once felt secure. Teachers are fearful of what will come when voters, vote on the budget in March. Everyone is asking what will happen to HHS in the near future.

Hawks XC Prepare for Battle

By Rachel Sawyer

On September 24, 2011, the Hopkinton High School Cross Country team will face fierce competition at the 37^th Edition of the Manchester Invitational at Derryfield Park. Runners from all over New England and New York State assemble each fall in Manchester, New Hampshire to represent their hometowns in the 5 kilometer run. The Manchester Invitational is an all-day event that lasts from 8 a.m. to around 3 p.m. The course provides a diversity of terrains from steep inclines and wooded trails to open fields and pavement, and it is considered by the Hopkinton team to be one of the most difficult courses of the season.

Despite the impending challenge, the team is optimistic. Coach Rick Welch is confident about both the girls and boys teams. The girls are the defending small school champions and 4th time division champions. According to Welch, they are “pretty confident about the in-state teams,” and their main competition will be out-of-state teams such as Greely Maine. However, Hopkinton’s rival Coe Brown has joined the small school division, causing tension within the team.

Welch is hopeful that the boys team will finish in the top five in the small school division, and he says that they have a better chance than ever. The boys have continually finished fifth place or better at Manchester and have proceeded to the Meet of Champions for the past ten years. Competition for the boys included out-of-state teams such as Greely Maine, Harwood Union Vermont, and Martha's Vineyard as well as in-state teams like Coe Brown, Sant Bani, Kearsarge and Bow. "There's some pretty serious competition for the guys," says Welch, "more so than the girls."

When asked whether they believe the team was ready, team captains Tess Hamilton and Sam Smith responded with enthusiasm. "Definitely. No hills will be worse than Gould Hill," says Hamilton, referring to a common work out. She continues to say that "it is the mental games that determine the good races from the bad." Smith was also optimistic: "We are more than ready for the challenge Manch presents... in the end I think we have the depth and drive to win."

Both teams have done remarkably well in the past years for a small school. When questioned about the source of this endurance, Welch hints that good coaching is the backbone of a strong team; this year the cross country team has four highly competent coaches to advise and direct athletes. The next big step for Hopkinton Cross Country is their Homecoming meet, where their main opposition will be Concord High. The Homecoming meet will be at the fairgrounds on October 1st at 2:30p.m.

Our Neighboring State Flooded Out

By Kendra A

In Hopkinton, New Hampshire, many people lost power when Hurricane Irene hit the New England region of the nation in late August 2011. Hurricane Irene, however, hit our neighboring state Vermont hard. Residents of the Green Mountain State had houses destroyed and had loved ones lost in the rapid water in bridges. Many of residents were without power for days.

In Vermont, the population is 625,000 according to U.S census data. Out of those residents 47,000 including businesses and homes were without power for days. This caused trouble for residents who ran babysitting services. Nancy Reed one of the residents of Wethersfield VT said, “My state has handled this situation very well with getting the power back on quickly to my town. We are all still recovering from the floods though. Still trying to build back up businesses and mourning the loss of two of our beloved covered bridges.” Two of the oldest covered bridges were taken down and torn to shreds from the floods.

Burlington VT the largest city in Vermont has had a history of big amounts of rain coming down, but Hurricane Irene set a new record of how much water there was. It was higher than the record floods in 1971. The amount of rain that fell in Vermont was 3.38inches. The reasons for the flooding was because of how high Irene raised the White River in West Hartford VT 20.67feet high. Breaking the record previous to a flood in 1927 and a hurricane in 1938. Floods and losing power was hard for Vermont residents. They lost a lot of bridges, homes, and businesses from this flood.

Infinity and Beyond: The Future of the Space Race

By Jess Mellen

On September 14, 2011 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued a press release discussing a design for a vehicle that could carry astronauts to distant asteroids and, eventually, to Mars. This announcement was made shortly after the launch of the twin exploration satellites to the moon as well as amid the ongoing concern of the International Space Station’s possible abandonment. All of these events have been said to be important to the future of U.S. space exploration.

The press release made by NASA last Wednesday explained the concept of a multi-stage rocket simply named the "Space Launch System." This rocket, if and when finished, will be capable of lifting nearly 130 metric tons and will be able to carry human crews out of Earth’s orbit and to other celestial bodies. It has been estimated to be more powerful than the Apollo missions’ Saturn V rockets from the 1960s, making it capable of flying farther. "I think it's a great idea," Cass Mellen, a student at the University of Maryland said. "Especially because they (NASA) incorporated designs from previous concepts into the design of the rocket. I like what they're doing." Since the announcement of the rocket, there has been a mixed opinion of the concept from officials and critics alike. Some government officials support it while others question the cost.

The estimated cost is the main obstacle for NASA to get over in order to move this project forward, as increasing budget cuts over the years have made funds sparser. The development and testing of the SLS has an estimated cost of $18 billion over the next six years, not including the costs of maintenance, preparation, and construction of the rockets in the future. In order to reach the goal of the first official launch in 2017, NASA estimates the requirement of a $41 billion budget to be approved by Congress. It seems to be still too early to tell, but the rocket may or may not be approved simply because of the cost.

Besides this large and ambitious announcement, NASA has also been busy on the moon. The Monday before the SLS announcement, a small rocket carrying two surveying probes was launched to measure the moon’s gravity and to observe the moon’s core. These probes, named Grail-A and Grail-B, won’t reach the moon until the end of the year, but officials are hoping for good results when they do. Many supporters and criticizers of the space program question what NASA plans to do with the data gained from this nearly $496 million mission and if it will truly benefit to the future of human space exploration.

Critics could actually complain about a lot of things about the world’s effort to ‘space out’ lately. Several rocket and launch failures in Russia have brought the $160 billion International Space Station back into the spotlight. Since the beginning of the project in 1998, several individuals and groups have protested the cost and the purpose of the station. Now, some could almost say ‘I told you so’ as the station may have to be emptied of its occupants in November unless more supplies are successfully sent to it. This is easier said than done, as the Soyuz rockets that bring supplies and astronauts to and from the station have been grounded until their failures are sorted out. The current occupants of the station are in no danger of running out of food or oxygen, but will have no choice but to leave come November because of deadlines. "I find it kind of ironic," Cass Mellen also commented, "that as soon as the US retired the space shuttles, the rockets in Russia began to fail. The Soyuz rockets were supposed to be our remaining way of human space travel."

The entire state of space exploration has been in a strange state since the shuttles were retired earlier in the year, spending the time to make choices and to determine the future of NASA and the space program. Between the moon mission, the new rocket proposal, and the fate of the space station, the biggest question is, ‘What will come next?’ No one knows for sure what will happen in the coming months, but the space race certainly hasn’t ended. Not by a long shot.

New Faces Populate the Halls

By Brian Morgan

This past August, the students of Hopkinton High School (HHS) came back to school to see some new faces on the teaching staff. HHS hired two new teachers, a Spanish teacher and a math teacher. Students were excited to see new teachers in the halls when they returned. The Spanish teacher, Sra. Creamer, is from Bow, NH and previously taught Spanish and French in Hooksett, NH. The math teacher, Miss Foss, lives in Webster and used to teach at Contoocook Valley Regional High School, more commonly known as ConVal in Peterborough,NH.

Miss Foss had a big shock coming from ConVal as ConVal is roughly four times bigger than HHS. Previously, she would only have a fraction of the school population in her classes. Here at HHS, she currently has about a third of the student population in her classes. She is excited to be teaching higher level math courses than she did at Con Val. There she taught Algebra and Pre-Algebra, while here at HHS she teaches Introduction to Statistics and Integrated Math 3.

When asked, Miss Foss stated, “that the most challenging part about teaching at HHS is that I need to know so many students by name, but this is made easier because I see most of them in the halls on a daily basis.” She applied to HHS because she had heard excellent things about the school and it is close to her home in Webster. Miss Foss greatly enjoys the Day 1/Day 2 block scheduling. It makes it easier for her to plan her classes and organize her time. The students are glad to see some new faces and think that the teachers will add even more to Hopkinton High School over time. The students find Miss Foss very friendly and approachable.

Since Sra. Creamer only works part time she was unable to be contacted for comments. When asked, Jonny Arruda, a student of Sra. Creamer's Spanish 8 class said, "she was very nice and I am learning a lot from her."

Special Olympics Softball Tournament

By PEngland

On September, 10, 2011, the Hopkinton Hawks Special Olympic Team travelled by bus to Wheelock Park in Keene to participate in the State Unified Softball Tournament. The thirteen players team came home with the Division A Bronze Medal for the team competition. Peter England won the gold medal for the skills competition, which is a test of throwing, hitting, fielding, and base running abilities.

Coach Robin O’Dougherty praised the team’s good sportsmanship and effort. He was particularly impressed with the efforts of 8^th grader Abby Meister, juniors David England and Charlie Bartlett and senior Peter England.

The Hawks, who had only practiced together twice before the competition faced Special Olympics teams from Nashua, Portsmouth, and Keene.

A lunch of sandwiches, chips, cookies and water or PowerAde was provided by Subway.

Homecoming: The Hopkinton Tradition

By Ziggy Chesley

From September 30th thru October 1st, students in Hopkinton Middle High School will meet for one of the most anticipated school wide events: Homecoming. The festivities start with the spirit rally at the end of Friday’s school day. They are followed that evening by a parade with class floats and a bonfire. The next day is filled with exciting games from each of the sports teams and ending with the Homecoming Dance.

Many students love Homecoming. The insane competitions during the spirit rally and the competition between class floats keep everything interesting and different. “My favorite parts of homecoming are the spaghetti dinner and the sports games on Saturday” says Brittany Marshall, a sophomore. The excitement can even be felt in the middle school; for many it’s their first homecoming ever. “I’m most excited for the spirit rally,” says Justin Durant, a 7th grader, who will be experiencing it for the first time.

But, there’s a lot more planning that goes into this event than you may think. The Student Council is in charge of pulling the event off, and according to Student Council Member Maria Booth, a junior, “Weeks before homecoming, we meet at many different times to get everything ready. Between the bonfire, parade, dance and spirit rally, there’s a lot of preparing and organizing that we have to do beforehand. It’s kind of stressful, but it’s all worth it when everyone is able to enjoy the homecoming festivities.”

But sadly, the Homecoming excitement isn’t equally felt for all. In fact, many people who aren’t on sports teams see it as pointless. “Why would I go and do something that doesn’t really matter to me?” says Betty Wallingford, a senior. Unlike other school events like Winter Carnival, the competition isn’t split from class to class, but from sports team to sports team, making it hard for others to participate equally. “ I hated the spirit rally,” says Erin McAuliffe, a senior, “it’s so boring having to sit there and watch other kids have fun.” The spaghetti dinner that is hosted during the bonfire is only open to fall sports teams, which has caused issues in the past for not only non-sports members, but also for athletes that only play winter or spring sports.

No matter if you play a fall sport, a spring sport, or no sport at all, homecoming comes each year. It is one of Hopkinton’s best-kept traditions.

Military Slashed

By Sgt.Dunn

With President Obama’s signing of the $680.2 billion dollar Military Budget in 2009, the military have begun to downsize. This started by having four out of eight regiments of troops come home from the war. What this means is the United States Military ground forces are going to be cut by 47,000 troops. The Air Force is planning to cut over 2,300 Officers.

According to Col. Julie Biota (on the website Military.com), officers are going to be cut from the following areas: Line, Judge Advocate General, Chaplains, Biotechnology, and the Medical field. When these officers are cut they will have an option of leaving on their own will, which will result in them getting 1.25% more money from the military than they normally would if they were forced to leave. This operation is called Early Separation and the Air Force is the only branch taking part in this.

In a CNN news interview, Defense Secretary Gates stated, “ Even with the cuts, the military personnel will still be 40,000 personnel larger then it was in 2006.” Gates also commented on the $15 trillion taken from the Marines amphibious landing craft program. When asked where the money taken from this program would go, Secretary Gates said “The military would be turning the money to buying drones (unmanned aircraft) for the military’s use.”

The men in uniform aren’t the only ones that will be affected by the military’s budget cut. Retirees that rely on the military’s health insurance will be dropped because it costs the military money for each insurance policy that they hold and to save the money they are going to cut the insurance portion. All this is going to be in effect by the year 2015. It started in 2009 with the signing of the budget bill.

Golf Team Wrapping Up Regular Season

By Curtis Fraser

The Hopkinton Varsity Golf Team is wrapping up their season and is beginning to prepare for the state tournament scheduled for Thursday, October 6 at White Mountain Country Club in Ashland.

All four classes are represented in the team’s starting six golfers, a starting six that is the deepest that coach Jeff Cahill has had to work with in his four years at Hopkinton. “Any golfer [on the team] could shoot the lowest round on any given day,” says Cahill. “Before, it was always one guy, maybe two, that would come in with the low round.”

The team has been plagued by a difficult schedule for the second season in a row, and is 8-9 through its first six matches. Each loss has been to either Moultonborough, Newport, Derryfield, or Profile, the top four teams in Division IV, respectively. The team lost to Newport (15-2) by a stroke on back-to-back days last week. “Every stroke is huge,” Cahill says. “At least three matches have come down to the last few strokes.”

Hopkinton’s number one golfer, co-captain Ben Olimpio agreed with Cahill’s opinion. “It’s really anyone’s division to win.”

Having by far the shortest season of any varsity sport, the golf team has only three matches remaining before the state tournament. The compact schedule, where every team plays all of its matches over the course of just four weeks is a real test of the athletes’ mental strength. “Kids can get burned out,” says Cahill. “It’s hard to take a day off.”

Hopkinton has gotten strong contributions from three different freshmen over the first six matches. Peter Benson, Evan O’Keeffe, and Jamison Crouch have put up consistent numbers and have seemingly assured the team to be in good shape in years to come. “The freshmen have impressed with their positive attitudes and their motivation to improve,” said Cahill. “They will be around [for the next four years].”