September 2010 – The Advocate Online

Varsity Football Team Gains Another Win: Confidence Increases

Photo by Sekayi Lyles | Story by Samantha Sanburn |

On Saturday night, the varisty football team came head to head with the Judson High School Rockets. Mavericks brought home a win with an ending score of 45-28. The crowds were cheering and school spirit was in full force.

“Judson has a good team, I thought it was an even game. It was anyone’s game and it ended up going our way,” Coach Jim Streety said.

The team’s hard work and with having Judson’s star running back out of the game, gave the Mavs a slight advantage according to senior safety Andre Wiggins.

“Their [Judson’s] star running back, Qualan Jones wasn’t playing. If he would’ve played it probably would’ve been a closer game because he would have gained a lot of rushing and yards. We played really well,” Wiggins said.

This Friday at Comalander Stadium the Mavs will take on Johnson for their homecoming game at 7:30 p.m.

“I expect to win. Winning against Judson made me feel really confident. Our offense is blocking good which makes my job easier. All I have to do is run,” senior running back Aaron Green said.

Student Council Kicks Off Homecoming Week

Photo by Third period PhotoJ | Story by Makala Finley | Colorful posters hanging on the walls, students dressed in wacky outfits and classes uniting to compete in absurd games during lunch periods can only signify one thing; Homecoming Week. Student Council members have been hard at work e-mailing core teachers about homecoming activities, taking votes for Homecoming court and selling tickets for the Homecoming dance. They have also been busy organizing the night pep rally scheduled for this week. Student Council sponsor Julie Masters has enjoyed seeing her StuCo kids gain leaps and bounds as they have prepared for this year’s homecoming extravaganza. A lot of work has to be put in.

Jerzee Boys Concert Big Success

Photo by Chloe Medina | Story By Christina Dimyan |

Madison and MacArthur united Thursday night for the fourth annual Jerzee Boys concert. It was held at 7:30 at the MacArthur auditorium. All the participants wore their favorite jersey from a sport of their choice.

“I did [Jerzee Boys] for a way to promote men singing in the middle schools. It inspires the young singers to know that it’s okay to be a guy and sing,” Michael Murphy, Madison Choir Director said.

Ag barn welcomes baby pigs

Photo and Story By Lorenzo Cisneros | Some of the newest inhabitants of the barn are owned by senior Mary Lavender, who welcomed 12 new piglets into her pen on Aug. 31 when her Hampshire pig gave birth. She currently has eight piglets that are just over three weeks old.

Debate stays strong at early tournaments

Photo Illustration and Story By Samantha Sanburn |

The Madison Forensics League competed at the La Vernia High School debate tournament last weekend. The team took 12 competitors with a few advancing to the Finals and Semi-Finals. The team is excited for the rest of their season and is looking forward to their future success.

“I think our season should go really well. We have a lot of novices who are enthusiastic, excited and already excelling,” varsity member, Jessica Hernandez said.

The weekend before, Madison Forensics League attended their first tournament at Brandeis High School on Sept. 11. The team did well with members advancing to the Finals and placing in multiple events.

“The first tournament is always challenging. But with our coach, we were well prepared and we placed in the tournment , which was exciting,” president senior Summer Mills said.

With success already blooming, the team proves to be off to a great start of the season.

Tennis: Fresh Start, High Expectations

Photo by Chris Lerma | Story by Juan Garcia |

This year tennis starts the 2010-2011 season with a new coach, new courts, and new goals. However, due to rain, the first JV tennis tournament held on Sept. 20 was cancelled.

“This year tennis has a fresh start,” said tennis head coach Jennifer Cordova. “I have a positive outlook for this season.”

This is Cordova’s first year as a high school coach and as a former Madison tennis player, Cordova knows what to expect.

“I have high expectations for the next JV match against Lee on Sept. 27,” said Cordova. “And for the next varsity match on Sept. 30 against Johnson.”

The Varsity district tournament is Oct. 21 – 23 at the Blossom Athletic Center. The JV district tournament is Nov. 12 – 13 at the Blossom Athletic Center.

Halo Reach: Many New Changes, Excelled Gameplay

By Michael Lugo | Contributing Writer|

Halo Reach was finally released on Sept. 14. Halo Reach takes place before Halo, and explains the fall of Planet Reach. In any Halo game, you play as the Master Chief; however, in Halo Reach you play as the Noble Six. Noble Six is a rookie and no one knows much about him. His ranks however, are good enough for a noble squad.

Halo Reach has changed the game a lot, from the new and gorgeous visuals to the new and improved game play, Reach brings a lot of new features that some Halo fans may not be used to, such as the new classes. Reach gives you new several classes to choose from.

Armor lock is a class that allows you to lock up your armor, and be invincible for a short minute. Hologram allows you to create a Hologram of your character. In addition to these two classes, there are four more — left for you to discover on your own.

Halo Reach now possesses new and improved multiplayer. Multiplayer is now faster. Most likely every Halo player enjoys assassinations in the game, so why not be able to perform them? Now you can. When behind another player in Reach, simply press and hold the “B” button on your controller.

A ceremony of remembrance

Story By Kristian Bush | The air was filled with remembrance at 8 a.m. on Sept.13, in memory of those who lost their lives on Sept.11, 2001.

“It was a chance to remember all the civilians we lost, and realize how much hate is in the world,” JROTC Cadet Evan Wester said.

The choir sang the national anthem at the ceremony, and Lt. Colonel Amador Cano presented a speech. The whole ceremony was planned and brought together by the JROTC cadets, and was officiated by Cadet captain Jack Scogrin. In addition, the JROTC color guard presented the flags at the ceremony.

“The Cadets put on a fantastic show, and opening of JROTC program for freshmen cadets,” MSG Xavier Sandoval said.

Organizations Come Together for Stu.Co BBQ

Story By Christina Dimyan |

Ready, Set, Cook! Student Council hosted its second annual Maverick BBQ cookoff on Saturday, Sept. 11. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the front parking lot was filled with food and music. Everyone was asked to wear red, white, and blue in honor of Patriot Day. The theme for the day was “Mavs Remember.”

“It went really well; we had more of a turnout than last year,” student council sponsor Julie Masters said.

Local firemen were there to judge the cook off. There were a total of four teams competing, from parents and students to army recruits. Each team won in different categories. Many organizations had set up booths there as well. They sold food, snacks, and drinks to help raise money for their organizations.

“Despite the heat, it was a great success,” Masters said.

Summer Reading A Bore

By: Samantha Sanburn Summer reading is an outdated method of teachers trying to force students to keep their minds sharp over the 2 months of summer break. When teachers assign summer reading, the goal is to read, comprehend, annotate and sometimes write an essay on the assigned book. But the question we ask is, “Why…