Well, it did not look like we were going to get here, but here we are. Times have certainly changed due to COVID-19. Civilians are forced to keep six feet apart from our loved ones, wear masks to every destination, and watch the NBA playoffs on a Wednesday in September. The NBA, who had to make necessary changes due to COVID-19, came up with the idea to keep the best teams in the league in a “bubble” setting in Orlando. Once players and staff entered, they could not leave unless they were eliminated.

Over the last month, the world has been without professional sports. The MLB and NFL were both postponed before their seasons began, while the NBA had their season postponed in the middle of a playoff race. March 11 was the last professional sports game in the United States and since then fans have not known what to do with themselves. All of these events are due to the rapid spread of COVID-19. 

The end of wrestling season is here and, with the elimination of wrestlers in districts, the Regions began. Region 3 includes plenty of teams, Nutley had eight student athletes entered into the region. Out of these eight wrestlers, one was junior Nick Polewka. The 13th seed who pulled off the most shocking upsets all throughout the region.

The NBA All-Star weekend is usually a time for players to relax, take some time off from the game, and have some fun. The NBA All-Star weekend took place on Saturday February 15th and Sunday February 16th. It allows the best players in the NBA to showcase their skills in certain events and eventually the 12 best players compete in the All-Star Game. But, this year the NBA community was deeply saddened as NBA icon Kobe Bryant  passed away just weeks before the events, on January 26, 2020.

On Monday, February 24, 2020, Sabrina Ionescu made history in both men and women’s college basketball. She became the first NCAA player of all time to reach 1,000 rebounds, 1,000 assists, and 2,000 points. Sabrina, a senior guard, plays for the Oregon Ducks and is projected to be the number one pick in the April WNBA draft.

The NHS girls basketball team achieved a huge success this year— accomplishing a 14-game winning streak that shocked not only the team, but the whole NHS community. On March 10, Coach Mitschow and Abby Scheidel shared their personal thoughts and feelings about this huge achievement in an interview.

by Allyssa Bovasso Pignataro, Dilara Kalebek, Yuna Mehdizadeh, Alyssa Ostrowski, Abigail Scheidel, 

On Wednesday, February 12, 2020 ten Nutley High School student athletes participated in the Athletic Department’s signing day. These athletes have committed to play sports at the collegiate level next year at various colleges and universities throughout the country. It was a very exciting day. 

Mr. Robert Harbison wears many hats throughout his personal and professional life. He is a husband, father of two teenage boys, high school teacher, and a coach of three NHS sports. Each of his roles require time and dedication, and each comes with challenges along the way. “My family and I try to eat dinner together as much as we can between all of our busy schedules,” said Mr. Harbison. 

For the first time in history, Nutley High School Wrestling has introduced a female onto their team. Freshman Mariah Koster does not have a starting varsity spot, but she will wrestle in many girls’ league and junior varsity tournaments throughout the year. Mariah has to train this season for the newly created, New Jersey Girls State Wrestling Tournament which will be held in February. 

A half a century after winning their first Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs are champions once again, winning Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Kansas City, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, overcame a 10-point deficit to stun the San Francisco 49ers 31-20, making the Chiefs the first team in NFL history to win three games after trailing by 10 or more points in a single postseason.

Coming into the 2019-2020 season, senior Abby Scheidel was about 160 points away from reaching 1,000 career points. Abby has been on the girls' varsity basketball team since her freshman year and now is one of the few seniors on the team. With Abby being one of the only seniors on the team, she has to take most of the workload this season and score the majority of the points.

After losing four key players from the 2018- 2019 season, Coach Robert Harbison and the returning 12 players from the NHS boys' basketball team needed something new to boost their confidence for the upcoming season. When the 2019 school year began, Mr. Alec Johnson started his first day as a Nutley High School guidance counselor and he also decided to volunteer to help with the boys’ basketball team. The team is currently 4-13, but Johnson is looking forward to their approaching, more important games. 

The Magnificent Seven Turned Into the Fierce Five, Then the Final Five, and Now the Future Four?

The National Football League season will end on December 29, but now with the coming of week 15, the playoffs are right around the corner. The playoffs are being looked at by several teams. Only the Baltimore Ravens have clinched a playoff spot so far, and many other teams are still fighting to earn their spots in the brackett. The players of all the teams across the league attempt to play their hardest all season for the chance to be in the playoffs. It comes down to the teams who have it all, the chemistry, brains, playbook, and determination.

Since the 2014 college football season,  the NCAA implemented a new way to determine the national champion, a four-team playoff with a semifinals and finals. This started because of controversy surrounding the old format. The old format just had the number one and number two ranked team play against each other to determine a champion. Many coaches, athletic directors, and analysts were very unhappy with this format because they felt it did not give all the teams a chance to prove they were the best.

One of Nutley High School’s most popular sport to come out and see is wrestling. With practice every day and the struggle to maintain their weight, along with balancing their sport and school, it takes dedication for the members of the team. 

Tennis is an often under-rated sport at Nutley High School. It doesn't receive the same fanfare that other sports like football, baseball and softball often do. Allie Protter, the Nutley High School tennis team captain, and Valerie Martin, the NHS tennis team coach, shared their thoughts about the NHS tennis team with the Maroon & Gray. 

Cheer for a Cure is an annual cheerleading competition which is hosted by the Bloomfield varsity cheer team. It is held at Foley Field in Bloomfield every October. This year’s event was held on Tuesday, October 15. The NHS varsity team continued Nutley’s legacy by winning first place in the American division, earning their ninth SEC championship title. Towns such as Cedar Grove,West Essex, Belleville, and several more competed for the first place trophy in their division. 

Nutley High School senior, Brandon Martins, has been tearing it up on the football field this season and has been a part of several wins for the Raiders. On September 28, 2019 against Central High School in Newark, Brandon made a play he will never forget. He came off the edge and intercepted a screen pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown. The Maroon & Gray caught up with Brandon, Head Coach Mr. Vick, and senior Kyle Manalang, who was in attendance for a few Raider games, to discuss the Raiders’ season. 

On October 11, 2019, Coach Michael DiPiano won his 100th game as the head coach for the Nutley High School girls soccer team. Beating Mendham, 3-2, the team celebrated with their coach on this incredible milestone. The girls have had a tough season so far being 4-8, so this win meant a lot to everyone and DiPiano hopes they continue a winning streak from this point on. Coach DiPiano is also the head coach for Nutley wrestling and the assistant coach for the Nutley softball team so he has a lot of experience dealing with wins as well as losses.