A lot of people could say that they stayed the same throughout high school. As for me, it’s a different story. Coming into high school, I was the typical 14-year-old who was ticked off at the world. I thought I was invincible. No one could tell me what to do. I was arrogant, cocky and most of all, immature. The past four years have gone by in the blink of an eye and have taught me many valuable life lessons.

I remember halfway through freshman year when I wished this whole thing would just be over. I now regret the days I played hookie just to sit at home and watch reruns of Friends. I could have been socializing with friends I may never see again. Next year, I will be attending a college where I know absolutely no one. I’ll admit, it’s a bit scary.

I never thought I would be treasurer of CCC. I never thought I would be in a Cadet Teaching class that hasn’t only changed the life of a 14-year-old child with a disability, but mine as well. I never thought I would be the first four-year baseball letterman in NW history. And I never thought in a million years that I would be sitting here writing a farewell column in the Senior Mag.

So what’s the point of me telling you this? Take advantage and explore as many opportunities as you can. Expand your group of friends. Hang out with the so-called outsiders because they aren’t as weird as they may seem. Go to as many dances, athletic events, plays and bonfires you can. You may not think the day will come when you have just five hours left of high school, but it will. Some say these will be the best four years of our lives. My advice to you: Live it up.

Truth be told, I’ve loved every second of my high school career. Sure, there have been times when I was mad or upset, but it’s part of the experience. It’s made me realize the importance of family, friends and sticking up for what I believe in. It took a while for me to figure out I didn’t have to be like everyone else. But once I did, I felt like I finally found out who I really am.

So, farewell, Northwest. Thanks for all the memories you have provided me with and all the life lessons you have taught me along the way. The Cougar Coaster has turned me upside down, shaken me around, and at times made me throw up, but I don’t regret a single moment of my life.

Now, according to smsd.com, he’s accomplished a feat no one in major league baseball has ever done.

The big man on the hill threw his second perfect game Monday night against Leavenworth leading the Cougars to a 10-0 victory.

Giacalone faced the minimum 18 batters, striking out 11. Throwing just 63 pitches (57 of them being strikes), the Cougar is showing everyone around the league that he is determined to do something the boys in orange haven’t done in 17 years, win a state championship.

The Cougars are now 12-2 on the season and currently tied for first in the Sunflower League with Lawrence Free State. They play Olathe North thursday night at ODAC.

It will be held in the teachers’ cafeteria during all hours on Friday. The price will be one dollar for each item. Items include cappuccinos, hot chocolate, lemonade, and cookies.

“Your donations would be much appreciated by the CCC and everyone the food is donated to,” CCC president Tyler Amble said.

If anyone would like to donate money, cappuccino mix, or cookies, please contact Mr. Poplau in room 208 before or after school.

It was a moment that every seven year old has reenacted in their back yard millions of times; something that only happens once or twice every decade. But for Adam Giacalone, it was just another day at the park.

“I was working the zone pretty well and when they made contact with the ball my defense was always there to back me up,” Giacalone said.

On April 20, 2010, senior pitcher Adam Giacalone threw the first perfect game in Shawnee Mission Northwest history.

In 7 innings, the Cougar hurler struck out 14 of the minimum 21 batters faced to lead Nortwest to a 5-0 victory over Olathe East.

Key plays included a hard hit groundball in the leftside of the indfield where sophomore Chase Rader made a backhanded grab and threw the runner out in a bang-bang at first. Senior Chris Mankser also chased down a hard hit fly ball to help Giacalone preserve his perfect game.

“Throwing a no hitter is one thing, but a perfect game is almost unheard of in high school baseball,” senior Chris Mankser said. “This really shows how much we trust one another on and off the field and how close we’ve come together over the past few months.”

After a slow start, timely hits by Cody Ball, Nick Feighner, Jake Thompson, and Chase Rader provided Giacalone and the Cougars with the run support needed to capture their fourth win in Sunflower League play.

The Cougars are now 7-2 on the season and face the Eagles of Olathe North tonight at 3 and 2.

It came to no surprise to the Cougar fans, considering Slechta has carried the team through the first 4 games of the season, but the senior standout has definitely begun to open the eyes of coaches around the league.

That was all the Cougars needed to beat the Chesty Lions on Saturday afternoon at SMAC. The girls won 3-1, relying on their defense to hold strong for the remainder of the game.

The Cougars face Shawnee Mission West Tuesday night at 7 pm.

Through the first five games of the season, the Cougars remain undefeated. They won their opening game against Shawnee Heights 1-0, with the only goal coming from senior Mollie Slechta in the final minutes of the second half.

“It’s always nice winning your first game to such a good team,” said Slechta.

Another impressive victory for the Cougars came on April 6th when they defeated Olathe Northwest, a team NW has beaten in the last five years.

There’s no doubt in anyones’ mind that this team isn’t loaded with talent. The only question remaining is whether they can keep the momentum going into league play.

The girls face the Vikings of Shawnee Mission West Tuesday night at 7 pm at SMAC.

All ticket sales and donations will be given help fund the medical bills of senior John Tyler Ryan who suffered a severe head injury over Spring Break.

Tickets are 5 dollars a piece and can be purchased from Mr. Poplau or Nick Feighner in room 208.

Anyone who would like to volunteer at the dinner or has questions can contact Mr. Poplau.

Your donations and attendance would be much appreciated by the Ryan family and the CCC.

The Cougars led the way with five singles victories. Seniors Max Wiebrecht and Vik Govindarajan, juniors Calvin Garland and Chris D’Silva, and sophomore Connor Holman all won their singles matches.

Boris Huston and Hunter Holman competed in a hard fought battle to win their doubles match. Garland and Wiebrecht also won in doubles.

The Cougars face Olathe North this afternoon at 3:30 at home.

Freshmen Katt Cooper throws the ball while playing catch at try-outs on March 20.

With hopes of reaching the state tournament for the first time since 2003, the Cougars return one of the best hitters in the Sunflower League in Mississippi State-bound senior, Rachael Zdeb. Coaches are looking for her to play a key role in the team’s success.

“We’re expecting big things from Rachael this year after she broke the Northwest single-season-hits record last year,” coach Lindsay Kincaid said.

Along with Zdeb, other key players will return to the team, including seniors Loryn Goebel, Stephanie Rupp and Audrey Millard, junior Logan Roberts and sophomore Sarah Male.

Perhaps the biggest question mark this season will be the starters in the infield. Of the 24 girls on the squad this year, 14 are freshman. But don’t let that fool you. There are signs of some very good talent in the youngsters. Four of the nine varsity starters could potentially be freshmen, according to Kincaid.

“We’re definitely looking for the freshmen to make an immediate impact at the varsity level this year,” Kincaid said.

Due to the harsh weather conditions, the girls have rarely been able to make it outdoors to practice. They are still anxious to see how the team will compete in a real game setting.
“We may be young, but we all believe in each other. As long as you have that trust and belief, that’s all a team needs to compete,” Zdeb said.

The softball team began their season this week with games against Olathe East and SM South. They play Olathe Northwest on Tues. at CBAC at 5 p.m.

Coming into the season with a stronger work ethic and a tougher practice routine, the boys’ swim team ended their regular season finishing fourth in the Sunflower League.

Northwest has never been known for having a great swim team; records of previous seasons can show that. But this year was different for the Cougars. They set out on a mission to show everyone that they meant business.

“This year we put in a lot more yardage during practice than we had the previous two years and knew we had the potential to be a better team,” junior Jens Thomsen said.

The Cougars were led by an array of swimmers, including freshman standout Ben Koeller, junior Jens Thomsen and seniors Clay Coffman, Lee Jacques and Alex Severance. With more depth than the previous two seasons, the Cougars competed at higher levels in more events.
“We had a lot of guys taking swimming more seriously this year and doing it year round with club teams,” Thomsen said.

The Cougars captured their first win of the season beating Washburn Rural 125-61. Washburn Rural, who finished 4th at state. Wasburn Rural was heavily favored to wipe out Northwest, but the depth and experience of the Cougars prevailed. Signs of maturity and leadership began to develop amongst the team, which led them on to Northwest’s best season since 2007.

Senior Clay Coffman was the first Cougar to qualify for state with a 22.6 second time in the 50-yard freestyle. Severance and Thomsen also had impressive performances throughout the season, finishing with state qualifying times in multiple events. Along with this trio, five other swimmers qualified for state, including Jacques, juniors Zack Congrove and Lars Winklemolen, sophomore Jonathon Plagge and Koeller.

After a fourth place finish at league, the Cougars gained confidence heading into the state meet in Topeka. They finished in 11th place, and 8 spots higher than last year. Junior Jens Thomsen had the best individual placement, finishing 6th in the 100 breast.

“It was awesome making the top 8, and hopefully with more training in the offseason, I can do even better next year” Thomsen said.
The Cougars hope to pick up where they left off next season returning many key components of this year’s success.