Category: Sports

In a division that is red hot with competition following the defeats of champions Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz, Devin “The Dream” Haney, and Puerto Rican pressure fighter Subriel Matias, 2 men meet in the squared circle each jockeying for title position and with something to prove. On October 26, Jack Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) and Regis Prograis (29-2, 24 KOs) will share the ring. Coming fresh off of a unanimous decision loss, hard-hitting 35-year-old former WBA champion Regis Prograis looks to recapture boxing gold and establish himself among the big fish in the 140lb division. But can he do so against a hungry, young (31) and dogged Jack Catteral? 

Caterall’s lone controversial loss came at the hands of former undisputed champion Josh Taylor which he avenged in commanding fashion in May of this year leaving no doubt that he should’ve been the top dog in the division. Prograis also shared the ring with Taylor where he lost in a 12-round war of a unification bout that ended in a majority decision for Taylor back in 2019 on his road to undisputed.

In boxing styles make fights. Each man is an elusive south-paw who fights mainly as a counter-puncher. Expect sharp and accurate blows from both men and, if you love a good chess match, this is the fight to watch. Like many fighters of the post-Mayweather era, Catterall has patterned his style after Floyd, utilizing the Philly shell defense and pumping sharp flickering jabs consistently.

Photo Credits: Getty Images

Prograis also has adopted the Philly shell only adjusting it so that he can land his signature straight left cross leading to 24 of his 29 wins coming by way of knockout. 

This is essentially “Money Mayweather” vs “Pretty Boy Floyd”. This is vitality vs experience. For Catterall, this is only his second high-profile opponent; can he continue proving that he is a 5-star boxer? For Prograis, does he still have what it takes to hang with the young fighters of the division? We will find out soon. Ringwalks start at 5pm and will be streamed on DAZN or check in with your local sports bar!

Backflips on ice. The most controversial and difficult move in the history of figure skating. A move done by those most daring. In fact, it was so concerning that it was banned for decades in the 1900s. Skaters could face penalties as severe as disqualification for performing the dangerous move on ice. And though the backflip was illegal until 1976, that did not stop a certain someone from making a daring decision.

That certain someone I am referring to is Surya Bonaly. A retired figure skater from Nice, France. An audacious athlete, breaking barriers and making history in the world of figure skating, a very notable career. She succeeded in doing a backflip, landing on one blade during the 1998 Winter Olympics. She incorporated the move throughout her career countless times.

Surya isn’t the only athlete to succeed at performing the backflip. As the move has become more popular to add to skaters’ routines, people like Ilia Malinin, Nathan Chen, and Siao Him Fa have done so. And if jumping off the ice to do full rotations in the air seemed daunting, backflips could
cause nausea. First off, concerning the mind, there’s like a mental rift you have to cross without a bridge. Second, you have to weigh the risks. Third, you have to be courageous. It’s not something anyone can do.

Watching a backflip being per-
formed on ice was shocking, scary, and stunning. The first time I ever saw the movie performed was by Nathan Chen during the Stars on Ice tour in Boston, Massachusetts, in 2023. I did not expect to see a backflip during the show, much less on ice. This was when I

was ignorant of the backflip existing as a figure skating move. Since then, I am still scared when seeing it done, but praying no person is injured. If there’s something we can all agree on, it’s that we don’t want to watch anybody possibly break any bones. But I believe these athletes know what they’re doing and must be confident in their abilities to take risks that they believe are worth taking. To set new records and challenge themselves by doing what hasn’t been done before. It’s exciting to set a new bar while aiming to reach for the one higher than it.

Photo Credits: Eric Feferberg/AFP via Getty Images

Women’s Volleyball played in a scrimmage at Dutchess Community College on Tuesday evening October 22nd. They won their 5-set battle, led by Abbigail Newell, who had 17 kills, 29 digs, and 1 ace. She was followed by Jordan Peacock with 11 kills, 12 digs, and 1 ace. The team’s entire roster saw the court, using a full team effort to take down Dutchess Falcons.

Women’s Soccer played Onondaga Community College on Tuesday, October 22nd, at 6pm, on the opponent’s campus in Syracuse. They took a loss, ending in the first round of playoffs to #2-seeded Onondaga. They tallied a total of 5 shots on the day. The team’s goalie Meaghan Casabonne made a total of 18 saves and only allowed 2 goals. The Viking’s offense could not break past the Lazer’s defense. The team ended the season with a final record of 4-8.

Men’s Soccer took a loss on Wednesday, October 23rd, against Herkimer College. This was the NJCAA Region III Semifinals, and was hosted at the Herkiemer campus, in Herkimer NY. They ended their season with a record of 6-7-2. The Vikings held the other side to just a single goal and keeper William Brown had a total of 5 saves.

     Men’s Football played Erie Community College on Saturday, October 19, with a victory of 55-10. The team was led by players Cameron Harbaugh, Kevin Mayfield, and Micah Gates. This win was a continuation of their Region 3 dominance. HVCC, currently 7-1, secured its fifth consecutive regional title under Coach Don Jones. The Women’s Cross Country team competed at the Mountain Valley Conference Championships, hosted by Herkimer, on Saturday October 20. Athena Seebald led the team, finishing in third place at 22:58.7.

She was shortly followed by other leading athletes, Emily Wilson (10th place) and Brooklyn Callaghan (13th). 

The Men’s Cross Country team also competed at the Mountain Valley Conference Championships hosted by Herkimer on Saturday. The team captured their title for the fourth year in a row, being led by athlete Drew Schroeder. He finished second overall, with a time of 30:05.5. Michael Kleinman (4th), Robert Wiltsie (5th), and Ryan Keane (10th) contributed to their victory and all garnered All-Conference recognition.

The Men’s Soccer team played in a game at SUNY Adirondack on Wednesday September 16, at 7:00pm. They ended with a final score of 4-1, winning overall. Goals were made by athletes Eli Charlebois, Ethan Miller, Gavin Haller, and Camryn Curet. Assists were made by Matthew Schraa, Dillon Halvax, and Simon Rogers. Goalie William Brown made a total of 8 saves, and played the full 90 minute game. The team will celebrate their success and will continue to persevere through the season, hoping to continue their wins. 

Photo credit: HVCC Athletics

     Earlier in the year I had written an opinion piece on how I thought the Jets offense would take a large step forward from last year with the return of Aaron Rodgers.  But besides a few select flashes, I have been proven wrong.  The Jets average just 18.8 points per game, and currently sit at 2-4.  This is almost entirely the offense’s fault, as their defense is considered one of the best in the league.  The defense keeps them in games by holding opponents to an average of just 18 points, aided by their 16 total sacks and 5 interceptions through the 6 games. 

This abysmal start in what was envisioned to be a successful season has not sat well with ownership, who fired Head Coach Robert Saleh and stripped Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett of his play calling duties. All of this happened in a couple day stretch, capped off with the Jets trading a conditional third round pick to the Raiders in order to bring in wide receiver Davante Adams.  But will the addition of a former Rodgers top target All-Pro wide receiver save the season, or is it too little too late?

Photo credits: Fireside Yankees – Empire Sports Media

   In just the three games that Adams has played this season, he has 18 receptions for 209 yards and a touchdown.  While these numbers are down from his average, even if he continues this production it would make him Rodgers top target on gameday. 

I believe this will be the case as in 8 seasons as Rodgers top target Adams had over 8000 yards and 73 touchdowns.

But if the Jets continue to struggle offensively the heat will be on Aaron Rodgers as he now has his previous coach from Green Bay (Hackett) and his old WR1.  But only time will tell if these two will pick up where they left off and turn the season around for the team with the longest active NFL Playoff drought.