Men’s basketball ranks nationally

The men’s basketball team is ranked 25th in the nation, according to USA Today.

Varsity coach Anthony Martin said that the team is excited about the ranking.

“My experience tells me that praise, like criticism, is fleeting. So [the team and I] take this with a grain of salt. All that being said, this is pretty cool stuff and a small reward for a lot of work,” said Martin.

The team mirrors the coach’s cautious but proud outlook. “We are excited, but it is humbling,” senior guard Elijah Long said. “We still aren’t the greatest, but we still have potential.”

“It’s just a good opportunity to get where we want to go, but it doesn’t mean anything at this point,” senior captain and guard Kimbal MacKenzie said.

Martin cautions the team to be weary of praise going straight to their head. According to Martin, he and the team “will enjoy it for what it’s worth, but not let it define us.”

Morgan Taylor is a Copy Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.

Turf fields continue to move forward

Since Oct. 20, Dixie Construction has been working on installing two new turf fields to replace the football and field hockey fields. According to Head of Facilities Stewart Walker, certain sewer pipes have been relocated, while another was relined with a synthetic liner. Given favorable weather, construction will finish at the end of December.

“Things have been running smoothly,” Walker said. “Really, all our challenges [were] on the front end.”

Once the ground is excavated approximately eight inches down, it will be built back up with filter fabric, the underdrains, stones, and a top inch of stone dust. After that, the turf will be placed on top.

“I’m so excited to be able to play on the turf,” junior lacrosse and soccer player Mary Kate Gerety said. “Everyone has been waiting so long for it, so I think everyone is excited to play on it.”

Both fields are being done simultaneously to increase the speed of construction. Also, rather than opening the whole field up at once, the project is being done in sections, which decreases the time needed to recover from bad weather.

“At this point, the weather is going to be our biggest challenge,” Walker said.

According to him, if there is heavy snow in December, construction might have to be shut down until the weather clears, costing the school extra time and money.

Kathy Deaver is the Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.