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