Havens Succeeds at State

The Pleasant Plains Cardinals Varsity Golf Team finished a great regular season with a record of 22-7. The team, led by senior medalist Austin Havens (72) advanced out of the Greenview Regional with a score of 328. Austin is the second regional champion ever at PPHS. Their Sectional Golf Tournament was held in Monmouth, Illinois at Gibson Woods. The Cardinals finished with a team score of 350 and were once again led by senior Austin Havens with a score of 79. The team finished sixth overall and did not advance. On the other hand, Austin Havens placed sixth as an individual and had advanced to the 2011 IHSA state Golf Tournament. The Single A State Golf Tournament is hosted at Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington, Illinois. The first day of the golf tournament was with no surprise a very windy and cold day. The conditions were very typical of a state golf tournament. Austin, this being his third appearance for state golf, was more than used to the horrid weather.
Havens started the day off on the back nine, which was harder in his opinion. He shot a 39 on the back. As he proceeded to the front nine, he knew he had a chance to get it back. Unfortunately, he started off the front with two straight double bogeys and finished the front with a score of 41, for a total of 80 on day one. After all of the scores has came in, Austin was still in the Top 25 and knew he had a chance to get back in contention.
On day two, Havens started on the back again. He finished the back with an even par 36, so he was very pleased considering the conditions were nearly the same, if not worse than the day before. Advancing to the front nine, Havens had great confidence. He fired another even par 36, to total out his round for a 72. This 72 put Austin in third place total for the tournament. His two day score was eight-over-par 152. Austin is the first PPHS Cardinal ever to place in the Top 10 in the IHSA Golf Tournament. This was a very big accomplishment for Austin as well as the program. Congratulations Cardinals on the great year!

Austin Havens
-The Cardinal

Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

Thousands of fans lined up the streets at midnight on Tuesday, November 8th, 2011 for Activision’s new Call of Duty game, Modern Warfare 3. For many games it is hard to gain the hype they did for past games. Many games will be released this year, but it will be a struggle to reproduce the hype, expectation, and dedication of fans of the Call of Duty series.
Keeping excited gamers up all night may not have proved to be a problem, but it seems that the traffic has been too much for the newly released Call of Duty: Elite Service. This was built for the people who love stats. The service organizes every tiny bit of activity happening in the online games, tracking every stat possible from distance covered to number of shots fired with a particular weapon.
The official Call of Duty Twitter stream gave confirmation of a problem with logging in and registering to the service, however did provide information that the service was still capturing all MW3 game play data.

Schyler Hollis
-The Cardinal

Lady Cardinal Volleyball Team’s 2011 Season

The Varsity Volleyball Team proved to be a threat this 2011 summer’s pre-season matches. Starting the season off with multiple wins from the summer, the team and their fans were confident to go far. Within the first few games of the actual season opinions were proving to be correct. It wasn’t until a tournament in Mahomet that the varsity players left with not only their first loss of the season, but also their second. With heads still reeling over the losses the team struggled to compete. It was not until their ninth loss of the season that the Lady Cardinals began to pull through the remainder of the season. Finally after much hard work and effort the team competed against Auburn in the IHSA Regional Championship coming away with a new shiny plaque and Cardinals Volleyball Team’s head coach, Mrs. Ballinger’s 600th win. The team energized, arrived in Beardstown for Sectionals ready to play. After easily defeating the Illini Bluffs in two, the real challenged for the Cardinals came with the Sectional Championship Match against QND. Unfortunately after a delayed start, the team pulled just short of the win ending their season in the Sweet 16, an accomplishment only made by the year before. The Pleasant Plains Lady Cardinals finished their season with a total of 27 wins and 10 losses. The program is proving to be a force worth fighting, and with new talent coming in, hopes are higher than ever.

Megan Wavering
-The Cardinal

A Play of Murder, Mystery, and Full of Laughs

In the full play, The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940, a strange scent of murder was in the air throughout the play. Although it was short with little amount of scenes, the production was entertaining to say the least. A small cast of only 12 members did a great job of capturing the audience’s attention and keeping the spirit of the play alive.
Dramatic killings and mysterious characters made for an enjoyable show, as well as the cast members keeping with lines and being the perfect balance of dramatic and realistic. The show was ultimately a success. Not to mention the beautiful backdrop and intricate backdrop the art club provided for the production.
Hidden passage ways by means of sliding and revolving bookshelves kept the audience on their toes as the cast members tried to find out which one of them could possible be the “Stage Door Slasher.” This production is definitely of the theatre with its dramatic and hilarious sense of murder. Being a young cast, hopefully this means the upcoming productions of our own Pleasant Plains High School are going to stay filled with excitement and talent just as this play was.

Mallorie Lohman
-The Cardinal

Volunteer Opportunities for the Holiday Season

There is something about the holiday season that gets people interested in helping out in their community. Whether you’re a student wanting service hours or a good person offering your time, there are many volunteer opportunities worthy of checking out.
A favorite of many past Beta Club members would be volunteering at the Festival of Trees. The event is held at the Orr Building of the Illinois State Fairgrounds and benefits the Memorial Medical Center. With specially designed Christmas trees, gingerbread houses, and community entertainment, it’s a great way to get in the holiday spirit. Volunteers are needed to decorate and sell gingerbread cookies, assist children with crafts, sell tickets for the holiday train, and much more. The Festival of Trees is open Saturday, November 19 through Sunday, November 27. Check out their website* for an online registration form to volunteer.
Another great volunteer opportunity this winter is to bell ringing. Working in two hour shifts, you and a small group of friends can ring the bells and ask strangers to donate to your kettle. These bright red kettles are placed in front of many Springfield area stores, including Macy’s, Schnuck’s, and Walmart. All profits from the kettles will be donated to Springfield’s Salvation Army to help serve meals and gifts to needy families over this holiday season. Volunteers are needed to cover shifts over November 11 through December 24. Check out their website** to get involved.
* www.memorialmedical.com/MMF/Festival-Of-Trees/Volunteers.aspx
** www.tsaspringfield.org

Melissa Studach
-The Cardinal

NBA Lockout

Will the Dallas Mavericks stay the defending champions for another year? Will the number one draft pick, Kyrie Irving, get to show off his talents as a rookie in the NBA? These are just some of the questions being asked around the media concerning the 2011-2012 NBA season.
The lockout is taking place because the owners felt that they were losing too much money and the players are making more then what they deserve. The owners felt that they might lose up to $300 million this season and they needed to make changes. The only way that there will be an upcoming season is if the players agree to salaries that are suitable for the owners to make a profit from their team. Some of the owners of a smaller market team felt that they were not included, and the commissioner is trying to fix that by making a goal were the teams will make a profit. All 30 teams will be able to compete. Players are now being stuck with tough decisions on what to do.
If a player goes to the summer Olympic qualifier the NBA will not secure insurance if that player gets hurt. Players are starting to sign contracts with teams overseas. They will play there if the NBA season fails to continue. The NBA teams are not allowed to talk to their players during the lockout. They are encouraging their players to stick it out and wait. During the NBA lockout the players will not be getting paid. Also, all pre-season games have been cancelled. NBA’s free agency, which would of started the first Friday in July, has been cancelled, and the free agents are the ones who are in a very tough spot because they have no team at all.
Last year’s NBA season boosted the tickets sales, merchandise sales, and television ratings. The owners feel that this would be another good season if they could agree on contracts and make a profit. League officials said that 22 out of the 30 teams would lose money this year if they do not do something about it. Last time there was a NBA lockout was the 1998-99 season. They ended up settling an agreement and played a 50 game season. The players agreed to a 50/50 split of basketball revenue after earning 57 percent last season. They want more concessions from owners on numerous peripheral items such as the mid-level exception and lighter luxury taxes for free-spending teams. Players from all thirty teams will meet November 15th and 16th to analyze the latest offer. The fans want to see if the Miami Heat can win a championship, or if they will have to wait another year. The season is relying on a signature that will determine if the NBA brings in millions or loses its fans to another sport.


Logan Gebhards
-The Cardinal

2011 Football Recap

This past football season was a huge disappointment to the players, fans, and coaches. This year the cardinals finished their season with a record of 2-7. The players came into camp this year very excited and ready to hit. Plains started off the season with a hard hitting game against Staunton. The game was back and forth, but Plains eventually fell short and lost by a touchdown. The following week Plains faced Auburn. For the first half of the game the cardinals had the biggest lead against Auburn that any other team had all season. The lead wasn’t enough though as Auburn rallied in the 4th quarter putting them up by one point. The final seconds of the game consisted of one of the most heartbreaking moments of the season with a field goal that only missed by inches concluding another loss for Plains football. The Cardinals then lost their next two games against Athens and Williamsville; both games were lost by only a touchdown. The following week the cards got their first win against a tough Riverton team. The game went back and forth all night until the cardinals got the lead and ran out the rest of the clock. Plains’ playoffs hopes were ended in the next week after a loss against Sangamon Valley. The frustrations of the players were shown in the homecoming game when Abe Bruce and Kyle Weller both got ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct. Plains won the following week to get their second win of the season against a 0-9 Petersburg Porta. The season ended with the final game of the season against Nokomis. The cardinals lost once again finishing their season 2-7. Weeks after the season was over Coach Oller announced his resignation along with Coach Sanchez and Coach Debarr. Plains football will be going into the next season with a new coaching staff and hopefully, a lot of enthusiasm for better results of Pleasant Plains Football.

Jake McNamara
-The Cardinal

Sophomore Stuns at State

Sophomore Daniel Plunkett was the only Pleasant Plains High School cross country runner to advance to the State finals in Peoria on Saturday, November 5th.
Plunkett was ranked 25th going into the race. Daniel set off at a brisk pace on a chilly morning as he raced through the mile marker in four minutes and fifty-six seconds. During the second mile, Daniel forged ahead and joined the lead pack, blending into a sea of jerseys. The pack of runners sped into the North Loop, which put them out of sight from most spectators.
A matter of minutes later, the lead pack surged around a tree and back onto the main course, as they chased the lead runner from Monticello. Plunkett was in 22nd place as he ran through the 2-mile marker in a personal best of ten minutes and eleven seconds. He made one final loop of Peoria’s Detweiller Park, in pursuit of his first state medal. Finishing uphill, Plunkett maintained 23rd place to the finish line. “I went through two miles in a personal record, and just tried to sprint the last mile. It was the worst mile of my life,” said Plunkett.
Daniel, who was overjoyed by his finish, didn’t even return to the campsite to retrieve his warm-up clothes. An hour later, Daniel Plunkett strode across the stage and received his medal. He was one of three sophomore medalists. “My goal was to get a medal this year, and I did that. Next year we have a team goal of making it to state, and doing really well,” Daniel said after getting his medal.
Coach Ruggless was proud of everybody’s performances this season. She is looking forward to next year when the high school team will receive two more great additions, David Plunkett (Daniel’s brother), and Tyler Johnson, the reigning IESA State Champion.

George Wayda
-The Cardinal

Be Prepared for Winter Driving Conditions

As the weather gets colder and starts to change, make sure you know what to do in certain weather situations.
As the months of November and December creep around the corner, some things you need to watch for are animals, especially deer. When coming in contact with deer, make sure you don’t slam on your breaks because the front end of your car then will start to slant down, giving the deer an easier chance to hit the windshield. Also do not flash your brights because this puts the deer in a state of confusion.
As the weather starts to vary between being icy, snowy, rainy, and foggy, know how to avoid common accidents when driving. When you are stuck in fog, make sure to have your lights on, but not your high beams. The most common reason for accidents during rainy weather is hydroplaning. To avoid hydroplaning, make sure your speed is appropriate for the weather conditions, and never overcorrect your mistakes. This winter is said to be extremely snowy and icy. When driving in the snow, know that there is always ice on the ground layer. In the winter, there tends to be less traction, so when coming to a stop, avoid losing control and getting stuck.
Q: What do you do if you car does not start in the cold weather?
A: Make sure car is winterized before the winter comes. Make sure your heater works. Some things to put in your car in case of an emergency would be blankets, shovels, and an ice scraper.
Q: What do you do if you start to slide on ice?
A: Well, ease of the accelerator and turn the tires toward the direction of the skid. You may also want to know that if you are going over an overpass or bridge, it can still be slick due to the fact that they thaw slower than the roads will.
Q: Do you have any tips for driving safer?
A: Yes I do; slow down, increase following distance, and always be a defensive driver.
Some other safe driving tips to use this winter are to manage your time wisely. Plan out how long you will need to get to your destination based on the weather conditions. Also remember to watch your speed, especially when the weather begins to change, to ensure you are not in harm and you are not putting anyone else’s life at risk. Above all, just be a defensive driver and always alert!

Courtney Brewer and Sarah Bandy
-The Cardinal

Clayville’s Haunted House and Hayride

Clayville haunted house and hayrack ride were quite surprising this year. When people first glance at the town of Clayville, they notice nothing less than an old, run down town. This town was purchased by Pleasant Plains earlier last year. It is a common wonder of how these buildings are even still standing. However, looks can be deceiving, especially when referring to this haunted town.
The haunted house and hayrack ride had a lot to offer at such a low price of eight dollars. The entire event from start to finish lasted close to an hour. Before the hayrack ride people were seated around a warm fire to wait for the upcoming events. The town was filled with frightening clowns, jokers, bearded women, and even creepy children. The hayrack ride did not fail to frighten everyone on the ride, even those near the back. The ride took us through trails and monsters would jump on the back of the trailer. They even said things to the victims of the ride. After all the spooking, the hayrack ride led into the haunted house. There was about a twenty minute wait for the haunted house, but it was well worth it. As the characters rushed us into the haunted house, they proceeded to tell a story on the upcoming experience of the haunted house. Throughout the house people were jumping out of corners and screaming due to fright of unexpected visitors. The haunted house continued to get scarier as we moved along. The basement was flooded with darkness. We had no idea where we were headed at this point. We got through the tricky maze of the house eventually.
Overall, Clayville’s haunted house turned out better than expected. It was a very unique and frightening Halloween experience. This haunted house would be recommended to anyone interested in having a scary Halloween experience. It is a cheap way to enjoy a good time with a little bit of fright.

Ben Buckles and Megan Hergenrother
-The Cardinal

2011-2012 Basketball Preview

This season the Pleasant Plains basketball team has big expectations. With four returning starters, the team looks set in all positions with experience to follow. The official start of the 2011-2012 season was on November 7th, which is when practices began. The first game will be help on November 21st in the Crimson Classic shootout in Jacksonville. The team hopes to overcome the loss of five seniors and believes that this year’s senior class can step up and lead the team in the right direction. Returning starter and leading scorer, Braxton Lanier, will lead with experience from previous years. Most of the players on the team continued to participate in basketball activities over the course of the summer. Players competed in many tournaments, including one held at SWIC (Southwestern Illinois College) which is one of the best JUCO’s in the nation. The schedule this year is very similar to last year. They are still continuing to compete in the Macomb Holiday Tournament and the County Tournament, where the team hopes to repeat in the championship, but there is no Plains Invite because the team will be competing in the Sports Radio 1450 Shootout. The team is very deep with a lot of talented players that can step up and fulfill their role. Last year the team had a 19-11 record, the season ended with a heartbreaking loss in triple overtime against Pittsfield in the Regional Championship. However, this year their goal is to go further than that. The boys are expected to be one of the top teams in the Sangamo Conference, as well as the state of Illinois. The team is excited and ready for the season to come around so they can begin what is hoped to be a special season of basketball for the Pleasant Plains Cardinals.

Braxton Lanier and Taylor Staff
-The Cardinal

2011 Soccer Run

The Pleasant Plains boys’ soccer team had another great season this year, making it all the way to the Regional finals where they came up short in a great game against Quincy Notre Dame, which ended in a 1-0 loss. The final record for this year’s season was sixteen wins, four losses, and three ties. We interviewed two of the three captains, Andrew Hamerlinck and Tyler Cameron, along with both Coach Bryan and Coach O’Connor.
The Cardinals began the season’s first three games by scoring 4 or more goals against Litchfield, Carlinville, and Lincoln. “The seniors did a great job of leading the rest of the team, bringing experience and competitiveness to raise the bar for the rest of the players,” said Coach Bryan. Approaching the middle, and hardest part, of the season, the team focused mainly on formation and strategy. Unfortunately, the Cardinals hit a rough patch between Springfield High, Jacksonville High, and Rochester. “We started out strong and competitive, but we had a little lull where we couldn’t finish,” said Coach O’Connor, “we put our whole game together towards tournament time.” The Cardinals defeated Williamsville 5-0 and then went on to face Quincy Notre Dame in the Regional Championship game. Both coaches found the game against Quincy Notre Dame to be the high point of the season. “We played all 80 minutes with the never die mentality,” said O’Connor.
Both Andrew Hamerlinck and Tyler Cameron, senior captains for the Cardinals, felt that the season went better than expected. Tyler Cameron, a defender, was able to score two goals for the Cardinals this year. “Tying Williamsville then beating them 4-1 the next time we played them was one of my favorite memories from the season,” said Cameron. Andrew Hamerlinck, who plays goalie, had five shutouts this season and one assist at goal. The Regional Championship game against QND was his favorite season memory. “Even though we lost to the team, who then went on to win state, we played hard and I’m proud of that,” said Hamerlinck. Although both captains plan on continuing their soccer careers in college, they are undecided as to where they would like to play.
Over all, it was another good season with a final record of 16-4-3. Although the team is graduating 9 of 11 starters, we are excited to see what next year’s season will bring.

Sebastian Power and Chris O’Connor
-The Cardinal

The Great Outdoors

As we progress through the calendar year one date catches every bow hunters eye, October 1st. This day is special to many because it’s the opening day of whitetail bow hunting season in Illinois. It’s a day many look forward to because for some it’s their first taste of deer hunting since the season ended in the middle of January. Any bow hunter will tell you that there is nothing comparable to the feeling of being out in the tree stand again after such a long time off.
Bow hunting is unlike any other hunt because there are so many more factors that have to be accounted for before a deer can be harvested compared to firearm hunting. The toughest is the mental factor that plays into bow hunting. Several hours of shooting practice are necessary for a hunter to be comfortable with all the different scenarios they may face while they are in the stand; confidence in the shot is one of the biggest keys to success in the field. Other factors that must be accounted for are wind, distance, and scent. First year bow hunter and senior at Pleasant Plains Clayton Otto, had this to say when asked about how he feels about all the challenges and factors that go along with bow hunting, “I feel like these challenges will be easy to overcome with the preparation I have been putting into it. I watch videos of other hunters and I practice all sorts of different shot possibilities I may face. As far a scent control goes, I like to hang my clothes outside prior to my hunt to let them air out. Then when I get ready to walk into the woods I’ll spray myself down with some scent control spray.”

Justin Mably
-The Cardinal

Ultimate Frisbee Games at Calvary Academy

On every Wednesday and Sunday night at 8 pm, students from Pleasant Plains and Calvary Academy host an ultimate frisbee game at the baseball field at Calvary Academy. The teams range anywhere between 5 to 7 players with a quick ten minute draft before each game. The frisbee directors are Josh Gordon from Lanphier High, Andrew Huffmen from Calvary, and Sebastian Power from Pleasant Plains. Everyone is welcome.

For more information, you can contact any directors or join the Springfield Ultimate Frisbee group on Facebook. This page will keep you up to date on game times, players and other information. We will play every week as long as we have enough players and as long as the weather is permitting.

-Sebastian Power
 The Cardinal

What Seems to Be the Problem?

Students run into so many obstacles in their high school years.  It is an unavoidable part of life.  Sometimes, it feels like their aren't any solutions.  When answers are hard to come by, The Cardinal is here to help. The OnlineCardinal  is opening an advice column to help students solve the problems faced daily.

 If you need advice, feel free to send us an email at plainsadvice@gmail.com


-Amber Skeeters
The Cardinal

2011 Sangamo Conference Golf Tournament

2010 Cardinals placed 4th at State

Last year in the 2010 Sangamo Conference Boys Golf Tournament, the Pleasant Plains Cardinals took first by 33 strokes. The individual winner that year was Austin Havens, with a score of 72. This year, the 9-5 Cardinals, unfortunately had a different story. The 2011 Conference Tournament was held at Shambolee Golf Course, in Petersburg. For the tournament, the weather was overcast through most of the day, and the temperature stayed in the high seventies to low eighties. Teams from Auburn, Illini Central, Mount Pulaski, PORTA, Riverton, Williamsville, as well as your very own Pleasant Plains Cardinals competed in the tournament.

PORTA entered the tournament ranked 1st and ended the tournament as the overall champions. The team had a total score of 305, led by the top two finishers, Ethan Brue and Will Edge, who shot 70 and 75. Pleasant Plains came in second with a team score of 330, led by their top two finishers, Austin Havens and Matt Nika, who both shot 73. Finishing third, Williamsville shot a 331 and had Curtis Clark finish with the Bullets' best score of 77. Mount Pulaski finished fifth with a team score of 359 and top individual score of 84, while Auburn came in sixxth with a total score of 366 and top individual score of 89. Illini Central finished in last place with a score of 383 and a top individual score of 87 from Justin Onken.

The top ten individual scorers for the tournament were: Scott Painter, Riverton (83); Luke Sinclair, PORTA (82); Marty Pesch, Williamsville (82); Nate Hopper, PORTA (78); Curtis Clark, Williamsville (77); Will Edge, PORTA (75); Austin Havens, Pleasant Plains (73); Matt Nika, Pleasant Plains (73); Ryan Painter, Riverton (73); and Ethan Brue, PORTA (70).

The second, third, and fourth place individual scores were determined by a score card playoff, which is a playoff in which tournament officials select the hole with the lowest handicap and determine the player who finishes better based on the score the player received on that particular hole. If a tie remains, officials proceed to the hole with the second lowest handicap and so forth. In the case of Havens, Nika, and Painter, all tied with a 73, so final placements were determined by scores on hole five. Havens scored a bogey, and Painter and Nika both tallied par. Moving on to hole 11, in which Nika bogeyed and Painter shot par, officials awarded Painter second place, while Nika finished second and Havens third overall.

The Cardinals have a match at Piper Glen tonight and another at Edgewood tomorrow before Regionals begin next Tuesday, October 4.


-Austin Havens
-Braxton Lanier
 The Cardinal

What is the Fate of Book Club This Year?

Where did book club go? Last year, the librariarn, Ms. Naylor, introduced the Book Club to Pleasant Plains High School. Meetings were once a month during lunch/homeroom. This year, however, things have changed and with the new schedule our meeting time has virtually disappeared. No meetings have been scheduled and the fate of book club is currently unknown. Is it possible that the new P.A.C.E. schedule and strictness to adhere to it may have killed Book Club? We certainly hope not, but as of right now, Book Club may not be a school activity. If students wish to have a Book Club they need to contact Ms. Naylor by Friday September 30^th, 2011 via email (Jnaylor@ppcusd8.org or pphs.library@gmail.com). All ideas will be welcomed, great ideas may even earn praise or if I may say so myself, because it is such an integrity filled act, you could earn some “Cash” -- Cardinal Cash that is.

-Doug Nickelson

 The Cardinal

Lady Cardinals Travel to the Mahomet-Seymour Volleyball Tournament

The Pleasant Plains Volleyball team has high expectations for this 2011 season.  So far they have started their season off strongly. They defeated North Mac, and won 3 out of their 3 conference matches against Auburn, Sangamon Valley, and Illini Central. These wins contributed to their undefeated record of 4-0.

            With a record of 4-0, on September 10^th, the team traveled to Mahomet-Seymour to compete in the Bulldog’s tournament.  Plains pool consisted of Urbana, Heritage, and Mahomet-Seymour. The Cardinals faced Heritage in their first match of pool play.  They came out ready to play and defeated Heritage in two games. Game one with scores of 25-13 and 25-17, improving the Cardinal’s record to 5-0.

            The next game in their pool was against Urbana.  The competition and intensity rose during this game, and the Cardinals played very well with strong defense and quick, effective offense. Both games consisted of wins with a score of 25-16, and after a great played match, this put their record at 6-0. 

            The Cardinals kept the energy up as they went straight into the final game of pool play with Mahomet-Seymour.  At this point the Cardinals and Bulldogs were both 2-0 in their pool.  The winner of this match would advance from the pool play into the championship bracket of the tournament play.  Plains started out strong with momentum and energy from their previous victory over Urbana, but Mahomet did not give up and brought the heat.  They beat Plains in the first game with a score of 25-20.  It was very close as both teams were striving for the common goal, which was to enter the championship bracket.  In game two Plains was ready knowing they needed to win the game in order to take it into a third game for a match victory.  The scoreboard was changing rapidly throughout the game and the fans became extremely rowdy.  Mahomet was ahead in game two by nine points, but Plains called a timeout, reset, and came back to be ahead by one point.  This second match was very intense, well played volleyball, and in the end Mahomet ended up defeating Plains.  This sent the Cardinals to the consolation bracket and added their first loss of the season.

            Tournament play followed after all pools had finished competing.  The cardinals faced Wilmington for their first match.  The team seemed to recover from the previous loss in the Mahomet game and won the first game over Wilmington with a score of 25-13. However, Wilmington won the second game 13-25 and then the third 11-15, changing the Cardinals record to 6-2.

            The last game left in this consolation bracket for Pleasant Plains was against St. Anthony.  The Cardinals defeated St. Anthony in two games.  The first game 25-23 and the second game 25-17.  This was a great way to recover from the previous, back to back losses, and to add another win to their record of 7 wins and 2 losses.

            In the tournament, Callie Whetstone led the Cardinals with 36 Kills, while Abby Kulavic had 40 Set Assists and Madison Oschwald had 88 Defensive Digs and 93 Perfect Passes to the setter. Defensive specialist, Jenni Ruggless stated her thoughts of the tournament, “I think we played really well, we were just unlucky in such a hard pool.  I know against Mahomet and Wilmington we were the better team. It was a learning experience.”

            Callie Whetstone, a senior, middle blocker for the Cardinals, said, “Losses are always hard but they are part of the season.  It is a learning experience which teaches us our weaknesses, what we need to fix, and how to progress from there.  As long as we pick each other up, learn, and continue playing as a team; we will have a good, successful season.”


-Emily Baietto
-Megan Wavering
 The Cardinal

Tiffany Leigh Brown Golf Outing

Saturday, October 1^st, there will be a four-person-scramble golf outing at the Edgewood Golf Course in Auburn. This golf outing is for the Tiffany Leigh Brown Memorial. A minimum of thirty-six teams are needed, and the cost is $100 per person, which includes lunch, dinner, and a goody bag. If you would like to just attend the dinner but not golf, dinner tickets cost $35. For registration, you can visit www.tiffanylbrowngolf.golfregistrations.com, or call (217) 741-3217. The outing opens with on-site registration opening at 10:30 am and a noon shot gun start. All the proceeds from the outing go directly to the Tiffany Leigh Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides a scholarship each year to two graduating seniors from Pleasant Plains High School in the areas of art and golf.  Last year’s recipients of the two $1,000 scholarships were Taryn Powell and Quenten Hooker.

-Blake Graham

The Cardinal

Cardinals Lose Another Close One

On Friday, September 9, the Pleasant Plains Cardinals lost another close game to the Athens Warriors. Athens is one of the top ranked teams in the Sangomo Conference, and Plains was hoping for an upset to get their winless season on a roll. The Cardinals entered the game last Friday 0-2 on the season with losses to Staunton, 19-9, and Auburn, 21-20.

 On the opening kickoff, Athens kicked short to Josh Cornett, who recovered the kickoff for a short return, and the Cardinals came out swinging. Plains rushed the ball down the field, pushing deep into Athens’ territory only to turn the ball over on loss of downs.

Athens came out with a spread offense on the first series, and Plains forced them to a three and out on the Warriors’ first drive.  The first quarter was scoreless as both defenses played the run tough.  At the beginning of the 2nd quarter, Kyle Weller intercepted Athens quarterback Brandon Vice’s pass and returned it for a touchdown. The rest of the first half consisted of hard running from both teams, but the defenses held strong and didn’t allow scores from either team.

When the second half started,  Athens received the kick and stepped out of bounds deep in their own territory.  Plains’ offense struggled, turning the ball over. Athens utilized their run game, along with a few drive saving pass plays, to drive all the way down field and score.

The Plains offense came out of the second-half gate trying to run the ball but were stopped by the Athens defense stacking the box with nine players. The defensive strategy was successful in shutting down Plains' run game.

After a good punt and a penalty tacked on the end, Athens had the ball again deep in their own territory. Plains’ defense played tough and stopped them on third down, forcing the Warriors to punt. The Athens center snapped the ball low between the punter’s legs, which resulted in  a safety and Plains retaking the lead, 8 to 7. On Athens next drive, they came out executing well and drove the ball inside Plains’ 20 yard line. Plains played tough, but Vice scored on a quarterback draw, before completing a two point conversion on a pass play to the running back.  Athens went up 15 to 8.

After the kickoff, the Cards came out looking for a big play. Plains got a first down on a 15 yard reception by Ben.  Plains then tried to throw the ball deep the next few plays but were unable to connect and turned the ball over on downs, allowing Athens to run the clock out for the victory.

It was a tough loss once again for Plains, now 0-3. Tomorrow night, the Cardinals go against Williamsville, the top ranked team in the conference. Plains is still looking for the first win of the season and a major upset to generate momentum heading into the latter part of the season and the tough stretch of games that will determine if the Cardinals make the playoffs this year.


-Jake McNamara
The Cardinal

Boys Soccer Looking for Win Tonight

The Cardinals of Pleasant Plains entered Thursday evening's game, on September 8, on a week-long winless streak with a tie to Rochester and loss to Springfield High on the previous Monday and Saturday. The Cardinals started the season with three wins against Litchfield, Carlinville, and Lincoln High Schools. They then went 2-1 in the Riverton Tournament, losing to Springfield in the championship game.

To improve their 5-1-1 record, the Cardinals were looking for a win against the Crimsons of Jacksonville. The Crimsons played strong possession soccer through the midfield and picked apart the Plains defense to score 4 goals on 7 shots. The Cardinals came close to scoring with 4 shots on goal, but the Crimson keeper stayed strong to shut out the Cardinals.

The team's struggle continued until Saturday afternoon, at Raymond-Lincolnwood, where the Cardinals won big, 7-1. The Cardinals then kept their fresh win-streak alive against Riverton, winning 3-0 last Monday as the team recorded their second shut out of the season. The team played the next night against Southeast, playing strong and winning 4-1.

The team is riding a three game winning-streak, entering their next test tonight, against the Williamsville Bullets. The game tonight is at Williamsville. The leading scorers for Plains, over the course of the three game winning-streak, were Kassing with 5 goals, O'Connor and Pavisic with 3 each, Yakel with 2, and Vermeersch and Little each adding 1. The Cardinals are now 8-2-1.


-Chris O'Connor
The Cardinal

Kenya Pipeline Explosion

On Monday, September 12, 2011, a pipeline in Nairobi, Kenya was punctured, then exploded into a huge fire that flattened homes and killed a number of people. The fire broke out around 10 a.m. from what was believed to be a group of people who were siphoning fueld from the pipeline while it was experiencing a mechanism failure that allowed fuel to spill into a drainage ditch where it later ignited. However, the precise cause of the accident is still unknown. Reports of bodies reducing to dust and homes being flattened were among the many things that forced the Kenyan Red Cross to force a massive evacuation of the surrounding area. At least 75 people have already been confirmed dead, and Red Cross officials expect the death toll to rise. A total of 118 people were admitted to the local Nairobi hospital where many burn victims were in need of blood transfusions from severe burns. Sources say that the explosion was the worst energy-related disaster in Kenya's history.

-Justin Mably, adapted from CNN.com
The Cardinal

Remembering More Than Just A Decade

Image from Online Certificate Programs Org.

September brings a lot of good things like fall, football season, and maybe even that new CD you have been waiting for.  However, it also brings a day of history and remembrance.  This year September 11, 2011 marks the ten year anniversary of the attack that happened in 2001.  The tragic event consisted of four coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States.  The hijackers crashed two planes into New York City’s Twin Towers, the third into the Pentagon, and the fourth which failed to hit the White House.  There were nearly 3,000 victims that were killed, yet millions live with the terrible effects of 9/11 still today.

This year for the ten year anniversary, a three day event called “A Call to Compassion” took place in Washington National Cathedral.  It began September 9^th with a special concert dedicated to the troops and victims.  Following on September 10^th was a free, public concert for the families to attend.  Then, on September 11^th, an interfaith vigil gathered in prayer for remembrance.  President Obama visited the three sites of attack on the morning of September 11^th.  He also gave a speech later that night to conclude the event at Washington National Cathedral.  The event’s main focuses were to “honor memories, heal wounds, and gain hope.”

            As I think back to that day in 2001, it is hard to believe it has already been ten years.  I remember that day almost like it was yesterday.  I woke up, packed my lunch, and got on the school bus at 7:30 just like I would any other day.  Upon my arrival at school I became very excited as I entered Mrs. Short’s second grade classroom. I remembered that today was my turn to be the class helper.  I got to write the date (September 11, 2001) , Mrs. Short’s teaching agenda for the day, and the lunch menu on the chalkboard in the front of the classroom.  Next, I took the class attendance, walked it to the office, and reported back to my classroom.  When I returned I looked at the chalkboard noticing I had written the days date at an upward angle.  As I approached the chalkboard to erase and re-write it, Mrs. Short stopped me and said, “Leave it. It means today will be uplifting.” 

However, this was not the case that day.  I went back to my seat to start our days’ writing lesson.  There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Short opened it to reveal Mrs. Schad standing there with a terribly frantic look on her face.  Both of the teachers left the classroom, so, naturally, the class started talking and goofing around.  I remember seeing a lot of teachers walking quickly down the hallways, and it seemed strange.  All of a sudden Mrs. Short returned to our room and wheeled in a television.  After plugging it in, all of the chatting stopped, and our mouths dropped in awe. I remember seeing LIVE in the top corner and then an airplane crashing straight into one of the twin towers and then the other.  The black smoke which followed was overwhelming, and as a seven year old in the second grade, I did not know how to make sense of what I had just seen. 

 I sit here remembering that day- ten years ago, and as a seventeen year old, I still am not sure how to make sense of it exactly.  Watching the tower collapse into itself, followed by all the black smoke is a mental image that will never fade from my mind.  The thought of such an event is so unreal, making it hard to believe, sometimes, that it really did happen.  I find it truly heartbreaking to think about all of the damage that cannot be fixed.  The lives that were taken and the families that are now broken as well as the physical devastation at Ground Zero.  Ground Zero may appear as a scar on lower Manhattan that can physically be healed with time.  However, I believe the still-healing scars left on our nation and our memories are those in which will never be able to fade away. 

-Emily Baietto
The Cardinal

Mission Statement

The Cardinal is a publication written, edited, and produced by the
high school Journalism students at Pleasant Plains High School. We are
dedicated to reporting news of interest to the school and local
community and providing a forum for public exchange of ideas. We
strive to provide fair, comprehensive, and conscientious accounts of
events and issues in a timely, honest, thorough, and stimulating
newspaper for the public.


-The Cardinal Editorial Staff