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. 

After a long, successful season for the Nutley Little League boys, everything came down to their semi-final game. Up against Maryland, Nutley American pulled through with a 13-3 victory allowing them to advance to the Intermediate Division World Series in California. The team headed there on July 26th and began competing on the 27th. The team's players include Jonathan Breihof, Rocco DeLitta, Anthony DiPaolo, Myles Gomez, Joey Haines, Kevin Jiratatprasot, Jake LoMonaco, Ryan Roque, Chris Sarno, Erik Thompson, and Jayden Velez.

The soccer, football, and cross country teams are all looking forward to next year’s fall sports season. The preparation for next season starts now. Coaches and players are practicing, getting in topform for next school year’s first sports season.

Every year, all five Nutley elementary schools take part in the Junio Olympics. student looks forward to the Junior Olympics. The Junior Olympics is an outdoor competition, in the Oval, between the fifth and sixth graders of each school. The event is spearheaded by Ms. Robyn Powell and Lincoln Physical Education teacher, Mr. Tom Gargiulo.

Higgins Sets a New School Record

After a spectacular regular season, the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors faced off in the NBA Finals. Each season, the Warriors have been able to add superstar talent with the additions to their team of former MVP Kevin Durant and All-Star Demarcus Cousins. The Raptors, on the other hand, have drastically improved their roster in just one season. Not only were they able to add their own superstar talent with the addition of former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and former All-Star Marc Gasol, they were able to add a variety of fantastic role players.

The last couple of years at Nutley High School, the varsity baseball team has had a lot of success. The baseball team has had many talented athletes come through the program and one is Josh O'Neill. Josh has been on the varsity team for all four years of his high school career. His senior year, Josh achieved a huge milestone in his career, achieving 200 strikeouts. This is very special because Nutley plays very good teams in their league such as Seton Hall Prep, Montclair, and Don Bosco Prep.

NHS spring track season recently ended and the athletes now have free time off track to do whatever they may need to prepare for the next season. Working out, eating healthy, and training may be the core things athletes need to do to increase their performance when it comes to sprinting, distance, javelin, and cross country running.

Every devoted and passionate student athlete is eventually faced with the decision of whether or not to continue playing the sport they love at the next level. For those who choose to take their game to the collegiate level, they need to go through the recruiting process. It is a lot easier said than done, though. Each person goes through a different experience depending on what level they aspire to play at. Division I, II, or III are the three options for athletes and the reason for their different styles of recruitment.

The Uefa Champions League is the most prestigious professional soccer competition in the world. When broadcast, it is the most watched annual sporting event, surpassing even the Super. The competition is at its close now with only Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC left to play it out. The Final will take place on June 1.

For the first time in 20 years, the New York Jets have redesigned their uniforms to resemble those of the 1968 Super Bowl winning team. The uniforms are Gotham Green, Spotlight White, and Stealth Black. With their new head coach, Adam Gase,  and expensive free agents, the 2019 season is looking good for the New York Jets.

Over the course of my four years at Nutley I have tried five different sports. I tried soccer, volleyball, softball, basketball, and cross country. I have accomplished many things here at Nutley High School and I am proud of every one of them. Being involved in sports is just natural to my family and me. My parents influenced me to try playing different sports at a young age and it was something I really enjoyed.

The Drake Curse is Actually Real

Softball season is an adventure for the girls at Nutley High School and is the perfect way for them to wrap up their school year. The team began their season in March with spring training in Disney World where they not only got to play eight games, but they also got the opportunity to visit the four theme parks. The Florida trip was able to show Coach Luann Zullo a glimpse of her prospering team. She was impressed with the two talented players that moved into town that gave the team a bit of a boost along with a couple of skilled freshman.