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The Prospector

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News Sports

McClatchy Lions vs. Folsom Bulldogs Varsity Baseball

The McClatchy Varsity baseball team played an away game against the Folsom Bulldogs on Friday the 15th. The game was close until the end.

In the first inning, the Folsom Bulldogs scored the first point when a runner attempted to take second, and an unfortunate pass from the McClatchy pitcher went over the second baseman, and the runner on third took home. Folsom maintained this one-point lead up until the top of the fifth inning.

The fifth inning was the most lengthy game, with over 10 batters taking the plate. In the top of the inning, McClatchy was up to bat. The first two batters, #18 Jacob Lyons and #2 Antonio Barber, both managed to secure a base, landing them on first and second. #11 Ari Silva went up to bat and bunted the ball, advancing the two bases but getting out himself. With players on second and third, #24 Austin Aten took the plate, hitting the ball to the outfield, letting #18 take home and tie up the score. With a runner on third, #8 Jackson Halverson hit a single, advancing the runner on third to home plate and putting the Lions in the lead.

The bottom of the fifth had Folsom up to bat. The Bulldogs managed to hit two singles, making them have two runners on first and second. At their fifth batter, #5 Logan Hutton slammed the pitch deep into the outfield, allowing the player on second base to make it home, tying up the score. Their next batter got walked, leaving the bases loaded, but their next at-bat hit the ball, and as the runner on second was taking third, the McClatchy catcher threw the ball to third but, unfortunately, the baseman missed the catch, letting the runner take home. The Lions were unable to make up the point in the sixth and seventh innings, making the final score 2 to 3, Folsom taking the game.

An unfortunate loss for the McClatchy Boys Varsity Baseball team, but there is always hope for winning their upcoming matches.

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News Sports

Dublin Distance Fiesta

McClatchy‘s track and field team had a busy weekend, with the sprinters attending the Jesuit meet and the distance runners heading down to Dublin on Friday evening, with some races on Saturday. According to reports, the Jesuit meet went well for the sprinters, achieving many personal records (PRs) and the 4×1 relay team securing second place. In the Dublin race, some of the 1600m and 3200m runners competed on Friday. Despite receiving short notice about the race being moved up a day earlier, they performed great. On Saturday, many runners came out and had good races. 

The following interview was with Coach Watkins:

“So Coach Watkins, how do you as a coach feel about how your runners’ performance today?”

“I’m just really proud of everyone for showing up and doing their absolute best. Really proud of the runners that came out on Friday and ran even though it was short notice.”

“Yeah, the schedule change probably really knocked everyone off. But, they came out and they did really well! How many PRs do you think were set overall?”

“There have been 20 PRs”

“Woah that is amazing, 20 PRs!”

“Yep 20, some of them by a lot!”

“That’s right, Maelys PR’d by four seconds in her 800m!”

“Yeah and the 800 m when you are already really fast? That is crazy!”

The following interview was with Maelys Garros:

“Yeah, Maelys, you finally got some spikes. How do you think they affected your race?”

“Oh, they made all the difference. I felt like I was flying with those!”

“Oh yes, you were!”

The remainder of Saturday’s race went well, with Hugh Heyer setting a new PR by a second in his 800m, in a fast heat where many runners finished under two minutes. All runners gave their best at this highly competitive meet. Look forward to the team’s upcoming Metro League meet this Wednesday, March 20th, at Burbank High School. 

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Book Buzz With Amanda

How It Feels To Float by Helena Fox Review

How It Feels To Float, by Helena Fox, is a novel wrapped around the obsession of death. How we as people view death, the one inevitable thing we won’t be able to escape.

This novel revolves around a 16-year-old girl from Australia named Biz. She struggles with every emotion that comes her way, not knowing how to feel in the moment, only to feel it later. She talks a lot about her father’s death that happened when she was very young, around 7 years old. 

She talks very openly about her mother and little siblings, and the adaptations they had to make through it all, focusing on her mother. Something I found interesting was how she mentioned her mother’s first date after he died. Biz comments how the sacred last kiss of her dad would be forever gone if her mother kissed someone else. Gnawing at the tragic fact that everything can erode, even if you can’t see it. 

To cope with her father’s passing in her way, she imagines him in the present. She can imagine him in any situation she’s in, knowing what he would say in the moment, and seeing when he would leave. She talks to him through memory, trying to understand everything around her.

This novel includes identity crises, teenage torment, and seeing how a death through a young person’s eyes can shape someone for the rest of their life and how they view themselves and everyone else. Death is something so certain and sacred, yet it’s the one thing humans won’t ever fully understand. 

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Cuisine and Recipes

Butter Mochi

Many think mochi is just those little balls of ice cream wrapped in chewy skin, but mochi can be so much more than that. This chewy rice cake is super easy to make so it’s great for anybody that hasn’t made mochi before. Like traditional red bean paste or blue raspberry, Mochi can be just about any flavor. My favorite though is this Hawaiian butter mochi. It’s creamy, crunchy, and chewy, so what’s not to love? To make these even better, I like putting the dough into muffin tins to get those crispy edges in every piece. 

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sweet rice flour
  • 1 stick butter
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ cup shredded coconut (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 350℉. In a large bowl, add rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix until combined.
  1. In a separate bowl, mix milk, eggs, and vanilla until fully incorporated.
  1. Pour the wet mix into the dry ingredients, and stir until combined.
  1.  Melt the butter, and add the coconut milk and butter into the dough and mix until smooth.
  1. Grease your pan.
  1. Pour dough into the prepared pan and sprinkle with coconut if desired. Bake for around 1 hour or until golden brown and crispy on top.
  1. Let cool, and enjoy!
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Entertainment Opinion

In Defense of The Curse

While receiving critical acclaim, Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s new show, The Curse, has yet to be well-received by audiences. Following an HGTV couple as they gentrify a small community in New Mexico, Española, under the guise of improvement, The Curse is one of the most disturbing yet intriguing shows I’ve ever seen, one I’ve already managed to watch twice. While it may not bode well for those sensitive to cringe, this show may have some of the most interesting performances and concepts I’ve ever seen.

The Curse follows Whitney (Emma Stone) and Asher Siegal (Nathan Fielder) as they film a home improvement show focused on implementing “passive,” eco-friendly homes in the area. The couple is accompanied by their pretentious producer, Dougie (Benny Safdie), as they fabricate their entire persona in order to seem as if they are benefiting the area they are, in fact, gentrifying.

Juxtaposed by natives to the area and community problems created by the production of “Flipanthropy,” the HGTV show produced by the couple, The Curse satirizes the exploitation of people of color and poverty in small communities by real institutions, as the Siegal family capitalizes on the misery that their “renovation” causes others. The team comprising “Flipanthopy” takes advantage of the disadvantaged community to make themselves seem like the town’s saviors, despite confrontation from several citizens of Española, outright calling them “cancer” to its livelihood.

The TV show within a TV show makes the plot feel like you’re watching behind-the-scenes footage instead of a finished product. As the couple’s facade drops when they’re behind the camera, the viewer gets the impression they are seeing their true colors, a stark contrast to the caring family they present on screen. However, as the series develops, the thin veil of their adoring relationship begins to slip, escalating their marital issues on and off-screen.

After watching The Curse, I will never watch an HGTV couple the same way again. This show was horrifying without having any actual “horror” within the plot, as the dialogue between Safdie and Fielder was disturbing enough on its own. I’m exceedingly impressed by how truly awful all the characters in The Curse are to each other and the people around them, hopefully, as a result of their phenomenal acting. I can’t help but applaud the cast for being so convincingly insincere and nasty to their counterparts.

The show does have a TV-MA rating for sex and nudity as well as language. However, the show is fairly moderate overall, not necessarily as grotesque as its rating would suggest. The uncomfortable energy that the actors bring, particularly the chemistry between Safdie, Fielder, and Stone, is the most cringe-worthy aspect of the entire series. In fact, I would say the nudity and profanity’s only purpose is to amplify the characters’ drama.

I would recommend this show to fans of horror who enjoy tough but rewarding watching experiences, as the final episode, without spoiling, completely changes the entire perspective of the series with a strangely satisfying yet bizarre ending.

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Short Stories Sins In The Dark

Chapter Three

Finally getting home from one of the weirdest shifts I’ve ever had, I found Nia on the couch.

“Nia, hey!” I said excitedly, closing the door to our apartment.

“Hey boo, how was work today?” she questioned as I walked over to the living room.

“Strange, actually. Don’t mind that part though. Did you want to go out with me tonight?” I asked as she stretched.

“Oh my goodness, yes!” she shrieked, obviously excited.

“Yay! Okay, someone’s coming to pick us up at nine-thirty, okay?” I asked, and she stood up, jumping and pulling me in for a hug.

“Thank you so much!” She ran to her room and began to get ready for wherever we were going.

The way the tension was with both of them in that room, I wonder if it’ll get worse or not. I’m scared for my life, honestly. I really hope that some drinks will make them less uptight. I’m also going out with my boss so I don’t know if I’m allowed to drink. It would be one lame night out if I couldn’t.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I stand from the couch with a big stretch and head to my room. I grabbed a towel and showered, shaved my legs, washed, and deep-conditioned my hair. With a towel wrapped around my body and another wrapped around my hair, I stepped into my room.

Rummaging through my entire closet, I finally found my blinged top with no back. Looking in the same place where I found the shirt, I found the matching mini-skirt that went with it. I got dressed and paired it with a black coat and some black heels. We’re in the middle of winter in New York; I was gonna be cold at some point. My curls bounced out of the towel as I took it off, thinking of what to do with it. I ended up going half-up, half-down with two curly strands out in the front. Grabbing my purse and shoes, and exiting my room, I get a call from Ace.

“Hey, are you outside?” I asked, putting him on speaker as I bent down to put on my heels.

“Yeah, I hope you dressed cute,” I can hear his smirk through the phone.

“Don’t I always?” I smugly reply and hang up on him.

Not long after, Nia walked out of her room in a black mini-dress and some silver heels. We were opposites! We chuckled seeing each other and made our way out.

Finally getting outside, a limo sat right in front of the entrance. A man seemed to be waiting for us because as soon as he saw us, he opened the door. We entered, and there we found Ace dressed in black pantsuit bottoms and a black button-up with the top three buttons undone, showing off his tattoos. Next to him was Mateo with a white button-up and the same black bottoms as Ace. Both of their hair was messily styled, and they smelled like Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue.

“You didn’t tell me it was with Ace,” Nia says, smacking my arm as the door shut behind me.

“I knew you wouldn’t come if I did,” I say, looking at her with nervousness in my eyes.

“Hey ladies,” Mateo says, very obviously under the influence.

“Hi,” Nia says shyly, smiling at him.

“Wow, you do clean up nice,” Ace says, looking me up and down with a smirk.

“Like I told you, I always do,” I say, blowing him a kiss, and he chuckles.

The ride there wasn’t as awkward as I thought it’d be. Nia quickly got loose and began to have fun. She was singing and dancing all the way to the club. The car door flew open with flashing lights blinding me for a second.

“Talk about a flashbang,” I say as I am helped out of the car by Ace himself.

“You’ll get used to it, love,” he replies as he places his arm around my waist and poses for the cameras.

“I didn’t know he was so famous,” I whisper to Nia as I admire Ace’s face shining in the flash of the cameras.

“Yeah, me neither,” she says, as shocked as I am.

We walk into the VIP section of the club, and waitresses immediately come to him with his drink. He throws himself down on the couch, grabs his drink, and takes a sip almost immediately.

Nia and I sat in a corner of the super big couch and chit-chatted. I felt like I was being watched the entire time. The hairs on my neck stood, feeling the presence of someone behind me.

“Can I have a dance?” a man appeared behind me so quickly I didn’t notice him until he spoke.

“No, thank you,” my face obviously showed that he scared me.

“Oh, come on, what if I buy you a drink,” he tries to convince me.

Uncomfortable, I shift in my seat and lean away from him and onto Nia.

“Sir, I said no,” I replied, frightened.

“Alright, and I’m not taking no for an answer,” he grabbed my arm, and immediately both Mateo and Ace stood.

Ace walked over to me, gripping the man’s arm a lot harder than the guy was gripping mine.

“I’m pretty sure she said no,” he removed my arm from the man’s now loose grip.

“Sorry, dude, I didn’t know she was yours,” the man said, trying to remove his arm from Ace’s grip.

“Apologize,” Mateo states, his eyes piercing the man like daggers.

“I’m sorry, lady, have a nice night,” he said, visibly shaken by the two tall buff men as he ran off.

“Thank you, guys,” I say, turning toward them, glee sparkling in my eyes as I look at them.

“Of course, sweetheart,” Mateo said simply with a smile as he sat back down on the couch.

I sat next to Nia once more, and she cooed about how Ace was so protective of me for about 20 minutes.

“Alright, I know I shouldn’t, but I need a drink,” I say as I stand.

Nia follows behind me, and we order drinks at the bar. Practically chugging the drinks down was not the best decision. My throat burned for like 15 minutes after, but by that time, I was on the dance floor without a care in the world. The music slowed, and a slow song turned on. Nia was almost immediately dancing with Mateo, so accepting that I was alone, I went back to where we sat, and Ace was nowhere to be found. I sat down and laid back, waiting for everything to be hype again but ended up falling asleep.

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News Photo Series

McClatchy Student Body Election

The annual student body election kicked off with speeches from the runners for Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President, and President. All the candidates gave amazing speeches and presented themselves very well. The first rally was quite rowdy with not the most respectful crowd. Many unkind gestures and words were said while candidates gave their speeches, but the audience at the second rally was much more respectful.

Miranda Grimberg gave a powerful speech at both rallies, using an aggressive approach to sell the audience. Galu Rhodes walked out strong and confident, delivering her speech with a sense of fun and making it feel interactive. Many of the candidates in their speeches spoke about more student involvement when making decisions that will go to the students, along with many speaking about the cleanliness of the school and the need for more janitors. One candidate running for ASB President, Elena Baldwin, took a different approach than the rest of her candidates by not just focusing on the need for janitors but speaking about her plans for more achievable goals. She did an excellent job, but so did every candidate that ran.

When all votes were in the roles were announced. The new senior positions are Galu Rhodes as secretary, Keana Maxwell as treasurer, Miranda Grimberg as ASB Vice President, and Bennet Witherell as ASB President. Congratulations to all the candidates for going up and presenting themselves, you all did amazing, so be proud! 

Photos from the event photographed by Francisco Escobar:

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Short Stories Sins In The Dark

Chapter Two

It’s been about two weeks since my first day, and it’s been a bit of a breeze. I’ve definitely had hardships since it’s only my first few weeks, but it’s nothing I couldn’t figure out.

“Ms. Spades!” Ace shouts for me. I sigh as I stand, grab my tablet, and walk into his office.

“Yes, Mr. Phantom?” I ask, stopping in my tracks when I see another man in his office.

The tension in the room felt sickening. As soon as I stepped in, I wanted to leave.

“This is my right hand, Mateo. He’ll be around most of the time, so get used to his face,” he states as I turn to look at Mateo.

He stood near the door, hands clasped before him, tattoos covering both of his arms and a scar across his face. He studied me the same way I was studying him. His stare sent chills down my spine; it was cold, as if he hated me without even knowing me. I nodded my head, since he doesn’t seem like much of the talking type, looked back at Mr. Phantom, and turned to exit.

“Wait, Ms. Spades,” Ace says, making me turn toward him once more. “We want Jersey Mike’s today. I’ll take a pastrami sandwich.”

I proceed to pull out my tablet and type the kind of sandwich he wants and once more turn to Mateo.

“What about you, sir?” I say, looking up at Mateo. His body stiffens as he looks at me, eyes lurking with a sense of something.

“I’ll take the same thing as Alejandro,” he murmured. I can tell he was flustered, he was just good at hiding it.

“Alright, I’ll go get those. I should be back in like 20 minutes,” I smile at them, finally exiting the room from whatever tension was there.

Now confused and in a haze, I rush out, not paying attention to where I’m going, and run into a pole. “Ow, Jesus.”

With a deep sigh, I continued to walk, now actually paying attention to where I was going. Finally feeling like I could breathe as the sun hit my face, I took a deep breath.

“What is wrong with me?” I throw a fit as I walk toward my car.

Taking another deep breath before I got in my car and began to drive was definitely necessary. Oddly enough, this Jersey Mike’s had a Drive-Thru. I was so confused. I thought I was crazy. Finally obtaining the sandwiches, I drove back, and Linda’s car was in my spot. I knew it was Linda’s because she had it written on the hood. What a weird thing to do. I parked wherever I could and walked into the building where I found Linda yelling at the receptionist.

“I told you! I have a meeting with Mr. Phantom!” She shouted at the young lady who was on the verge of tears.

“Actually, you don’t. Stop yelling at this poor girl,” I calmly said, getting behind the counter and letting Cynthia go.

“But I do, you can ask him,” she tried to convince me, and I laughed.

“I’m his secretary, dummy. He would’ve told me to put it on his calendar, and we both know he’s too busy to not put it on his calendar,” I say. Offended at my comment, she tried to reach over and hit me, but she missed badly and I didn’t even move.

I laughed hysterically as she tried over and over to get to me. Once she finally gave up, she sighed.

“I just, I need to see him one more time,” she said to me sincerely, practically begging for sympathy.

“I’m sorry, Linda, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” I responded, genuinely apologetic.

She left. What in the hell made her act like that? Over Alejandro Phantom. I wonder.

I finally make it back to Mr. Phantom’s office, not knocking before entering and not even looking at him before I go to close the door. I begin to ramble, “Mr. Phantom, I’m sorry. I know you must be upset, but I had to deal with Linda. She was–” I finally turned to look at him and see he was nowhere to be found.

“So great talking to you,” I sarcastically say to myself.

“He said he’d be back in a few,” Mateo said from the corner of the room, scaring me half to death.

“Okay, please don’t scare me like that,” I say, putting my hand to my heart and taking a deep breath.

“So sorry,” he chuckles as he steps toward me.

“Here’s your sandwiches; I have work to do,” I pass him the bag and walk toward my office.

“Hey, uh, me and Ace are going out later tonight. Would you like to tag along?” He says, stepping in between me and the door.

“Can I bring my roommate? She’s definitely the one who deserves a night out,” I say chuckling, the hardest overworked worker ever.

“I don’t think he’d mind. Go ahead and bring her. The more the merrier, anyway,” he smiles, finally moving out of my way.

I thought he was stone-cold. Why the hell has his mood changed? Why is he chuckling and smiling? Lord, please don’t tell me I’ve lost it. I can tell something fishy is definitely going on, and I’m scared to get to the bottom of it.

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News Sports

McClatchy Lions vs. Carondelet Cougars Girls Varsity Basketball

On Saturday night, the Varsity Girls’ Basketball team played against the Carondelet Cougars in the 2024 CIF State Girls’ Basketball tournament. McClatchy had a large turnout of friends and family cheering them on.

It was a nail-biter. At the end of every quarter, both teams were within 5 points of each other. McClatchy’s starting five were #1 Sianna Squires, #3 Norret Lewis, #5 Kaela Stancil-Williams, #22 Nina Cain, and #24 Daisy Throckmorton.

The first quarter started with McClatchy winning the tipoff, the ball going to #22 Nina Cain who promptly scored the first points of the game setting the Lions ahead. Both teams truly brought their A-game, but the Lions pulled ahead in the first quarter, leaving them ahead 12 to 8 going into the second quarter.

Quarter two had Carondelet inbounding the ball. McClatchy kept their cool and played some excellent defense, while still being able to rush down the court and keep themselves in the lead. The Lions went into the 3rd quarter 22 to 16, but at this point in the game, the Cougars began to pull themselves back. Both teams played very well, but the Cougars picked up their tempo, scoring 15 points to McClatchy’s 7.

The Fourth Quarter was when the game got serious. Although the Lions were down 2 points going into the fourth, they never stopped fighting for the win. So many free throws were shot in this quarter, with both teams fighting tooth and nail for the win. As time ticked down, both teams continued to battle, and with seconds left, a single foul from McClatchy put one Carondelet player up to the free-throw line. Scores tied 48-48, all that was needed was a single point. The silence was deafening as the player shot their shots, but the pressure was too much as they missed both, taking this game to overtime.

Overtime was the straw that broke the camel’s back for McClatchy. A few open three-pointers and a couple of unfortunate layups led to McClatchy being down 54-62. As the game drew to a close, so did the season. Having made it so far McClatchy keeps their spirits and reflects on a great season.

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Entertainment Opinion

Underdogs (2013) Movie Review

*Contains Spoilers*

The Underdogs might not look like the best football team but when they get dedicated they are beasts. 

The Underdogs are a minor football team that sucks. Until superstar Two J’s had to coach them for community service. 

Two J’s (played by Snoop Dogg) fell off after his big high school football catch. When he crashes and is charged, he has to go to court and the judge lets him do community service instead of time in jail. 

At first, the team doesn’t like him and thinks he’s a bum because he’s picking up trash, and he starts cussing them out. But he sees his childhood girlfriend and changes his mind about the kids. He sees them play football and decides to step up and be the coach seeing that the spot is open. 

 The team sucks, and Two J’s makes it obvious and doesn’t give them an easy time. Game after game they get blown out. So Two J’s finally pulls out playbooks but practice still isn’t going the right way. They run play after play until they get it perfect. 

The next couple of games they finally are up to speed and scoring and winning. So to congratulate them and make them feel official he gives them brand new expensive uniforms that Canes sponsors. 

After they get the uniforms and play all down they start breezing by teams and finally get matched up with their rivals. They Were finally good enough to match up but it’s hard for the Underdogs to get the upper hand because the other coach paid the referee off. But they finally ended up slipping out of the bad referee and finally started scoring. They have 2 minutes left in the last quarter to win. They snapped the ball and passed it but the wide receiver was too short. 

They ended up losing, and the other team started celebrating and the Underdogs started crying. But Two J’s reminded them how far they came as people and as a team. It gets them happy and proud again and then goes back to their families with a smile on their faces. 

To celebrate the good season and close becoming family they go to the coach’s house and all have a good and fun time. But the kids end up getting drunk, and the coach catches them and kicks them out of the pool and his house. 

The movie gave a lesson that it’s okay not to have anything or suck at what you love to do. But as long as you keep your head up and keep pushing you will end up doing better little by little day by day and eventually make it to the top or close enough.