By Taylor Neugabauer The boys’ basketball team made another trip to the state tournament this year. While they were undefeated in the regular season, everyone was out for blood at state. The boys knew they had to go in focused and be prepared for anything. They brought home the Championship trophy to fill up more space in the trophy case. Senior Sigi Avalos said, “When I saw the shot go up, against Kit Carson, I was hoping that it would go in because we were already in 3 overtimes and my heart couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted it to be done and once I hit the shot it was a big relief because I knew the time expired and I knew we won. I don’t like close games like that and I didn’t expect to get the shot, but I did and I just tried to remain as calm as I could and I just shot it. The comeback was pretty special in the championship game, too. We didn’t practice our press a lot but it looked like we did in the game. Making runs is pretty good and we had one against Ouray so we knew we could do it again. And making a comeback like that in the championship game is pretty awesome. And to end my senior year with that comeback is special.” Yaniel Vidal said, “All three games we got off to slow starts but we just know how to win. State basketball was fun and it is a sweet feeling to win and go 250. I feel like people are going to remember this team for years because of the way we won games and what we accomplished. From buzzer beaters to comebacks, it was just a fun year and we just kept getting it done. As far as the Kit Carson game, we didn’t shoot very well as a team but we just kept chipping away at their control of the game. We got an open look and hit it at the buzzer and that’s all she wrote. Saturday night all we could think about was how close 25-0 was. We were confident going into the game and sometimes things just don’t go your way. The first half, we were in shock, we didn’t know what was going on. In the locker room at half time, it was silent for a while but then we realized we are too good to get blown out. So from there on we were pumped and we didn’t want to experience the feeling of losing. When we started coming back we felt awesome. When we took the lead, we knew we won because Cheyenne Wells was so mentally out of the game. When we heard the buzzer it was just such an amazing relief. It is such a memorable feeling.” Congrats to the Wildcats on an undefeated and amazing season. Your community is proud and will miss watching this team play. We look forward to future successes and wish good luck to all the graduating seniors!

Contents Page 2: Honor Choir/ Girls Basketball Page 3: Summer Clothing/ Wildcat Baseball Page 4: Ask Wanda/ Wildcat Track and Field Page 5: North Korean Missile Threat/ Holly FFA Page 6: Komodo National Park/ What to Watch Page 7: March Madness/ Horizon Zero Dawn

By Alexandria Gutierrez A few of the Holly High School honor choir students went to La Junta for the OJC Honor Choir on Monday, March 6th. The people who attended was Josie Cook, Ashlyn Crossland, Trace Salzbrenner, Miguel Morales, and Jordan Lozano. These five got accepted to attend the concert that night. The choir director for that night was Todd DiCamello, or Mr. D as he likes to be called. Mr. D. had directed the choir a few times before his previous time in 2014. Jordan described Mr. D as very sassy and crazy. To prepare for the choir, the students were given four songs to try to learn before the day of the concert. There were two Jamaican style songs, a French song, and a ten-minute medley from “The Phantom

of the Opera.” Trace stated that his favorite song was “The Phantom of the Opera” medley. During the song, there was a person that dressed up as the phantom, walking around the auditorium. The hardest song for them to learn was the French piece. The Students had trouble with the pronunciation of the words and the timing as well. Upon arrival, the students practiced these songs all day with only a few breaks in between. There were a few troubles with some of the songs, but they eventually got the songs down for the concert, except for one. Mr. D had asked that one of the Jamaican pieces be an SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) arrangement, but it was ordered in an SAB

(Soprano, Alto, Bass) arrangement. Mr. D was trying to teach them with the SATB song while everyone else was trying to sing from the SAB version. In the end, the song ended up being scrapped. The concert went pretty well, though Jordan and Trace say that they didn’t do as well as they could have. The Holly High School honor choir loved to experience this visit at OJC in La Junta.

By Jordan Lozano The Holly High School Lady Wildcats ended their basketball season with the team going into the regional tournament. They played against the Eads Eagles and the final score to that game was 56 to 52. They had fought incredibly hard to get to where they wanted to be. They were one step away from getting to go to the state tournament! The girls were very upset that they didn’t qualify for state, but they knew that they had done everything they could to try to win that game. From all of the hard work they gave from practicing for two to three hours a day, Monday through Thursday the one goal they wanted to accomplish was to get to state.

Senior Taylor Neugebauer said, “Losing at regionals wasn’t what I expected but it’s what happened so we just had to deal with it. We played our hearts out against Eads but we still couldn’t get it done. I never cry but I cried when I went to talk to my mom because knowing that that was my last game was really heartbreaking. I’m thankful for Coach Cook and Coach Hammes for believing in us and pushing us to do our best. I’ll miss playing ball for Holly, but I know that the girls next year are going to kill it. Good luck next year!” We will miss watching this team and we will miss seniors Taylor and Marie. They had a great season and improved tre-

mendously from last year. We enjoyed your season girls and we are very proud of what you accomplished this year. You fought hard every game and even when you were down by 17 at a half, you proved that you could come back and win because you guys had heart and talent. Congrats on a great year ladies!

By Paulina Rodriguez Who is ready for summer? I know I am! I graduate in a couple weeks. YAAAAY! I am very excited to shop for my graduation outfit. I might just have to order it from FashionNova. I recommend this online store because it has the latest outfits. It also is very cheap (for the quality that it is). Shorts and tank tops are upon us and I think everyone is very excited. Jean shorts are my favorite. I love how high wasted shorts fit. Ripped shorts are a must. I would not recommend colored jean shorts besides white, black, or kakis. Tank tops that are lose always satis-

fies the fashion industry around here. Sandal season is here and everyone is putting their winter boots away. It kind of makes me sad. Indian style sandals have become very popular over the years. You can get cute sandals at Walmart if you want to be cheap. My favorite store to shop for sandals are Vanity. They have the cutest sandals in all types of styles for a reasonable amount of money. What type of swimming suits do you prefer, a two-piece or one-piece? Swimming suits have evolved over the years. Two- piece swimming suits use to be

simple but now they have different types of styles that you can pick from. Some of my favorite one-piece swimming suits have strings that wrap around the stomach. The one-piece swimming suits are almost the same but have more openings around the body. My favorite swimming suit is the one-piece. They fit better on people and kids! I cannot wait until warm weather and school is over. I am ready to go camping and swim! Thank you for taking my advice on fashion but always remember be confident and never little anyone bring you down!

By Diana Olague The Holly Wildcats Baseball team is starting the season off right with a lot of new and old talent. There is a lot of confidence in the Holly Wildcats because they play with heart and great attitude. The Holly Wildcat boys always are ready to have fun and improve as much as they can every game. All these Wildcats and fans are hoping to win another state title and they will work hard to reach that goal. Spring break weekend, the Baseball team had a tournament in Fowler Friday morning. The Holly Wildcats were able to win the game 12-0 against the Grizzlies. Brandon Wilson said, “It went pretty well, there was no competition, in other words, it was an easy game.” Senior, Yaniel Vidal, talked more about how they played Friday morning. Vidal said that the boys hit the ball well,

fielded well, and were just playing great. “Friday’s game was great and they dominated it, which brings a great start to the season. Following that game, the Wildcats played the Monte Vista Pirates. Our boys won that game as well with the score of 10-0.

happy. The guys did great, their pitching, batting, catching was overall amazing. I would like to appreciate Mr. Heck for being able to schedule these games.”

Everyone on the team, have a great outlook on the season and hope to Saturday afternoon the Holly Wildcats make it to state again and bring back faced the Lamar Savages in Rocky Ford. another title. Every day, they are The boys were pumped up and hoping getting better and better and they are they would get this win. Unfortunate- more than ready before a game. We ly, the boys went down during the wish you Holly boys good luck for this fourth inning and made a lot of errors. season and hopefully, everything goes Senior, Ricardo Juarez, was able to as wished. make a home run in the game, he was excited that he was able to score the first point as a home run. Coach Eaton was very proud of the boys. It was “an awesome experience. It could have been better but I was still

“What do you do if your best friend gets mad about you and a certain girl...?” Well, here’s what’s going on. Truth is your friend is jealous of you and that girl. If he’s getting mad over something so simple, it is because he likes her too. Sorry to tell you bro, but he’s not a good friend. “Does Mike Wazowski wink or blink?” This is a question that kept me up at night. Considering that he only has one eye, it’s most likely a blink. Winks aren’t necessary, but you need to blink. So, honestly, it’s a blink. “Why are girls so violent?” Well, to tell the truth, I have no idea. I think it’s because they think that they’re superior and that they can just bully guys. To be honest, it’s probably girl stuff. So try not to worry about it so much, young buck! (Plus, if girls are mean to you, they probably like you.) “How can I be successful later in life?” I can’t really tell you that exactly, as I too am still in my young years, but I can give you some helpful tips. First of all, be a good student. That will get you far in life alone. Second, have a dream or a plan. You can’t work toward something you don’t know you want. You have to have some sort of an idea. Third, do your research. Know what it takes to get you there. Lastly, don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t. Use that as motivation and stay on that grind. “Is it possible for a pony to be faster than a horse?” Yes, it’s possible. Imagine this… if you put a pony to race against a horse with a disability. Exactly, the pony would obviously win.

By Sigi Acalos For all those people that love being out in the sun all day and getting sunburned should be very excited. Track season is here and it has come faster than ever. With not much preparation the first track meet Holly will compete in is Saturday, March 25th. The track meet will be held in the well-known Savage Stadium in Lamar. There are about forty people that will participate in track. This is the second year that Mr. Boydstun will be the head coach with Mrs. Nancy as the assistant coach for a couple of years straight. The Holly track team is stacked with many great athletes that are able to do many kinds of events. Holly has it all from throwers, sprinters, jumpers, and long distance

runners. The track team has had some of the athletes go to state the year before and are making sure they make it this year also including new members. Kobe Davis, Gus Dominguez, Marie Gomez, and Yaniel Vidal are some of the returning athletes that have competed in state track. Coach Boydstun will have his hands full with one of the biggest track teams Holly has had in a couple of years. Even though the track team has lost good athletes, new members will have to step it up to make it into new spots for relays and events. There is a lot of excitement and Leo couldn’t hold his excitement back. Leo said, “Yeah, well you know, we are going to put our shoes on and we gonna

step on the track and we are gonna put our left foot forward and our right forward a bunch of times. Hopefully I can do it faster than everybody else, but in all seriousness, I feel like we’re gonna get out there and have a really fun time and enjoy the evening.”

By kleat Benson On Wednesday United States and South Korean officials believe that North Korea had attempted a missile launch. The launch has appeared to have failed. United States officials say that the missile exploded just seconds after North Korea launched it. Officials believe that North Korea did this as a way to show their power and capabilities as right now is when the US and South Korea participate in their season of military exercises and North Korea usually decides to demonstrate their military capabilities during this time as they have done before in the past. North Korea uses missile tests as a way to show their military capabilities as missile tests aren’t as dan-

gerous as other options. The US knows that North Korea has participated in an extensive missile test program for decades starting in the 1960s and continuing up to today. The program started with tactical artillery rockets and has since led to more advanced short and long range ballistic missiles in the 1980s and 1990s. Officials today fear that North Korea is now looking to lead nuclear missiles that would gradually increase the rate missile production through a decrease in the size of their missiles. Other officials are surprised with North Korea’s unprecedented speed when it comes to creating missiles mostly due to

the belief that North Korea is heavily sanctioned and does not have the capabilities to create and test missiles at such a fast and astonishing rate. North Korea has already completed 5 missile tests in the past and have informed the US and South Korea that they are beginning work to create and test a hydrogen bomb, which would dramatically expand their military capabilities causing officials to worry over North Korea’s intentions. When Donald Trump was elected president former president Obama had informed him that the North Korean missile situation was the most pressing matter when it comes to US foreign poli-

By Trace Salzbrenner The end of the year is a very busy time for the Holly FFA. Applications are turned in for State FFA Degrees and Proficiency Awards, the FFA Hired Hand Sale and Silent Auction has happened, but there are still more events for Holly’s chapter to do. “The event went well for their first AG Day but with changes in format and delivery it will be even better,” stated Holly FFA Advisor Rheanna Melcher. Her comment was about Skyland Grain’s first FFA Day, when one of the many events the FFA has been to in this busy time. Twenty members of our local chapter was able to learn about agronomy sales, marketing, agriculture law, and agriculture lending throughout the day. Another huge part of FFA current events is the FFA Hired Hand Sale and Silent

Auction. The sale is the Holly Chapter’s biggest fundraising event in the year. This year thirty-five students were auctioned off to help raise money for the many events that the FFA provides for its students. Lastly, FFA members in Holly have all turned in their applications for Proficiency Awards. Proficiency Awards are a chance for members of FFA to get recognized for their hard work that they have put in throughout the year. Kallie Cathcart, Brendyn Nordyke, Josie Cook, Trace Salzbrenner and Michael Rushton all submitted Proficiency Award Applications to the State Association in their respective SAE areas: Equine Science, Agriculture Sales, Diversified Agriculture Placement, Agriculture Communications, and Swine Entrepreneurship. The results

will be announced at the chapter’s FFA Banquet. Also, Holly junior Alex Venegas has submitted an application to get his FFA State Degree. This award is given to members who have dedicated themselves to the organization and is usually given to seniors; however, Venegas met the requirements as a junior (a running theme as Holly’s last two recipients Nakayah Isley and Trace Salzbrenner were also juniors when they received their degrees). Venegas will learn if he will be receiving this honor soon. All in all, FFA has accomplished a lot this year and is already making arrangements to make the next year better.

By Cordell Doss Komodo National Park is located in the center of the Indonesian archipelago. The park was established in 1980 with the main purpose of conserving the Komodo dragon and its natural habitat. The goals of the park have since expanded to conserving its entire biodiversity. In 1986, the Park was declared a World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, both indications of the Park’s biological importance. Komodo National Park includes three major islands. Komodo, Rinca and Padar, as well as several other small islands. As well as being a home to the Komodo dragon, the Park provides sanctuary for many other notable terrestrial species such as the orange-footed scrub fowl, an endemic

rat, and the Timor deer. The Park also includes one of the most abundant and richest marine environments including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semi-enclosed bays. These habitats harbor more than 1,000 species of fish, some 260 species of reef -building coral, and 70 species of sponges. Threats to terrestrial biodiversity include the increasing pressure on forest cover and water resources as the local human population has skyrocketed 800% over the past 60 years. In addition, the Timor deer population, the preferred source of prey for the Komodo dragon, is still being poached. Destructive fishing practices such as dynamite and compressor fishing severely threaten the Park’s marine resources

by destroying both the habitat and the resource itself. Today, the PKA Balai Taman Nasional Komodo and PT. Putri Naga Komodo are working together to proctect the Park’s vast resources. Our goals are to protect the Park’s biodiversity and the breeding stocks of commercial fishes for replenishment of surrounding fishing grounds. The main challenge is to reduce both threats to the resources and conflicts between incompatible activities. Both parties have a long term commitment to protecting the marine biodiversity of Komodo National Park.

By Adriana Mares If you are wondering what movie you should go see when it comes out and can’t choose between any of the new releases then here’s a suggestion for you. The fate of the Furious, it’s the eighth installment of the Fast and Furious franchise and it comes out in April of this year, so next month. What makes this movie so interesting is Dom Toretto. In all the other Fast and Furious movies Dom is all about family, fighting for and with his family, and was doing any and everything he could to get his girl Letty back, but in Fate of the Furious a mysterious evil woman, played by Charlize Theron, comes in and gets into Dom’s head, she makes

him turn his back on family and the team faces trials that will test them like never before. The rules have clearly changed in the Fate of the Furious because Hobbs and Shaw join forces in helping take down Toretto and this mysterious woman. The setting changes throughout the Fast and Furious movies, they go to Los Angeles, Brazil, London, Tokyo, Abu Dhabi, the beautiful Cuban shores, to the streets of New York City, and finally to the icy plains of the arctic Barents Sea. With Mia and Brain retired from the gang and Dom turning his back it is up to Letty and the rest of the team to drive across the globe in order to stop Dom and this

mysterious woman from unleashing chaos on the world and it is up to Letty to get Dom back to the man he used to be. Hopefully, the team succeeds and gets their family back to the way it was but the only way to know if they did for sure is to continue them on their adventures and go watch the movie in theaters when it is released.

By Brandon Wilson The biggest event happening right now in The United States of America happens to be in sports. What is this you ask? This is event is nothing other than March Madness. The biggest basketball tournament in the sport features 64 teams. The Number 1 seeds for the tournament are Villanova, Kansas, Gonzaga, and the University of Northern Carolina. The overall top team and team that is expected to run the table is the University of Kansas. Traditionally in the tournament there has been a 12 seed to beat a 5 seed in the tournament nine out of the last ten years. Upsets are what bring the fans into the games because there is nothing better to watch than the underdog beat the better team.

Already in this tournament there has been a fair share of upsets. No 11 Xavier is making the most of their tournament bid. They have already knocked off three higher seeded opponents including No. 3 Florida State and No. 2 Louisville. The tournament is a showcase for the future of the NBA and where the brightest stars shine. In the past the tournament has featured the likes of Steph Curry, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard and many more. This year the biggest name in the tournament is possibly Lonzo Ball. Most of the headlines for him come from his strong basketball game, however some of this stars fame has come from his father who is blowing up the tabloids with ridiculous comparisons. His father

By Leonel Martinez I recently picked up the game Horizon Zero Dawn, and right off the bat I must say it is a masterpiece. When you get into it, you just feel so immersed and incredible it’s not even funny. After playing all day, I felt as if I was in the game going outside. The story line is just so hooking and incredible. It is incredibly detailed and just an overall beautiful story. As for the graphics the game is absolutely gorgeous. It was created using the unreal engine on 4k so it really glows out and stands out. When I say the graphics are incredibly realistic I mean it, like go out and YouTube this game because it’s unbelievable how real the faces and stuff look. The concept of the game is unique and attractive too, which is what really drove me to drive the game. You’re basically this woman that is a baller with bows and spears and different native

themed weapons, which fights robot dinosaurs. It sounds ridiculous at first but the flow and movement of the game is just so good and it’s just beautiful once you get into it. You’re thrown into a free roam world where you can go around doing side quests and getting sick gear too. There’s just so much to do in the world it’s a giant place and full of adventure and crazy robot animals around every corner. The mechanics of the game run very welly it is really a new step in the world of gaming. It blew away everyone there scoring a 9.5 out of 10 on ign. The game is really something else if you have a next generation console. I highly recommend you go out to the store and pick it up.

Lavar ball has challenge the likes of the great Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. Lonzo is projected to be the number one overall selection in the upcoming draft. He plays for UCLA. They are a 3 seed in the tournament and my pick to

Junior High

High School

Faculty

Favorite Pet?

Favorite Pet?

Favorite Pet?

Dog

Kitty Cat

Dog

Favorite Color?

Favorite Color?

Favorite Color?

Blue

Pink

Red and Black

Siblings?

Siblings?

Siblings?

1

3

2

Dream Job?

Dream Job?

Dream Job?

Paramedic

Be a Kardashian

Baseball Coach

Favorite Class?

Favorite Class?

Favorite Class?

English

Aid Hour

American History 2017-2025

Favorite Celebrity?

Favorite Celebrity?

Favorite Celebrity?

Ryan Reynolds

Justin Bieber

Aaron Leiker

Favorite Sports Team?

Favorite Sports Team?

Favorite Sports Team?

Broncos

Broncos

Holly Wildcats

Favorite Sport?

Favorite Sport?

Favorite Sport?

Baseball

Basketball

Basketball

Favorite Food?

Favorite Food?

Favorite Food?

Tamales

Mexican

Mexican Suckers

Bring your answers to Brandon Wilson, Leo Martinez, or Trace Salzbrenner for your chance to win a candy bar!

Need advice? If so, you can now ask Wanda of the Wildcat Word. Wanda will answer questions submitted in Mrs. Frey’s room. Answers will be published in the next issue of the Wildcat Word.