The Falcon's Nest 1

  Image taken by Geoff Magliocchetti , The Jefferson Chronicle The Jefferson Township High School Varsity Baseball Team had a successful season this past year, making it to the Elite Eight in the crazy and unique last dance tournament. It was a great event and new experience for Jefferson, playing teams they never played and making every game more important than ever. Once your team lost a game, your season was over. With the 2020-21 season fast approaching, how will Jefferson be as good as last season, losing Zack Roskowsky, John Knox, and Justin Cece who are key players on the Jefferson squad? The team hopes to continue with their success, as one of the players has high hopes for the upcoming season.  I asked Tyler Ruban, a Varsity baseball player that is a Senior this upcoming season, some questions about next season and how Jefferson was so successful last season. Ruban is a Varsity baseball player on Jefferson who is a prominent infielder that loves the game. I asked him how he th

On Friday, October 2nd, the Jefferson Falcons football team faced off against West Milford. After a long game the Falcons were able to win 21-0. Before the game we interviewed Falcons starting DE and LT Riley Kandel. Kandel proved his confidence in his team before the game when he said, “Yes, I think we are going to win, we spent many weeks preparing for this team.” The Falcons are a team ready to win a championship, their players and coaches all share this same goal. Kandel believes that his team has improved on their defensive line and their linebackers. Those two spots were areas of need last year that were improved nicely over the offseason. As for Kandel himself, his goal is to start every game and make a positive impact on the team every play that he is out on the field. This is a Falcons team that made the playoffs last year and if things go the way the team thinks its gonna go, then they are in for an exciting year.

A young student athlete, Sean Mazzacano, enters the turf as a Sophomore playing for the Jefferson Falcon Football Junior Varsity team this season. He and the team all practice hard every day prepping for the big game on Friday night. Mazzacano and the Falcons are prepping for the big game against West Milford on Friday night, Oct. 2. “On Monday we watch film, Tuesdays are full pads, and the other days in uppers and helmets. It goes from a hard to easy practice,” Mazzacano explains. Mazzacano is ready for the big game and is prepared to be thrown into the game at any moment. Mazzacano says, “Yea I think I am ready, I think I will get playing time and be ready whenever the coach needs me.”    Being a student athlete is stressful during the pandemic but it will make him stronger. “It is at times stressful, but I know in the future it will help me be stronger mentally and physically,” Mazzacano says. Mazzacano is an offensive linemen and an inside linebacker on defense. He is number 53 on

  Photo taken by: Ali Sanchez Jemela Selimi plays on the Jefferson Field Hockey team. She is one of the strongest defense players but during one of the most recent games, she got hit in the eye with a ball and immediately had to be taken off the field. This interview was taken over the phone because of the Covid-19.  Jemela Selimi is a starter of three years for the field hockey team and has had a very solid four years experience playing for the JTHS field hockey team. During a tough game against Hackettstown, the Falcons were defending their goal, they had all of their sticks down waiting for a girl on the opposing team to take her free hit. Seeing her winding up for a big hit and BOOM. The ball goes flying straight at Selimi’s face like a bat out of hell. She immediately puts her hand up to her face and everyone can see she scrunches her face like she is in immense pain. She answers back to the ref “I’m ok.” As she turns around, her teammates see blood pouring down her face and neck.

          Photograph by Corey Sipkin Welcome to year five of the New York Knickerbockers’ rebuild. It’s been a long half-decade for James Dolan and his Knicks ever since their last playoff appearance in the fabled 54-win 2013 season, amassing a grand total of one appearance south of the 11-seed in the Eastern Conference in that span (including two last-place finishes). Since that season, six head coaches have come and gone, two general managers were given the axe (as well as long-time president Steve Mills) and three “franchise-saviors,” Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis, fled for their lives and two of them never even glanced back - more on that later. Where are they now? Well, things have changed. The cross-town rival Brooklyn Nets are the big cheese in the big apple, with former New York free-agency hopefuls Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving dodging the dumpster-fire in Madison Square Garden and signing max deals to play in Barclays Center last summer.  Long-t

  Photo Taken by:Laura Grant After a COVID prohibited season, Andrew Grant, a Senior at Jefferson Township High School, prepares for his final lacrosse season with new roles and expectations.  Growing up, Grant has always been athletic, playing three sports as a kid - football, basketball and lacrosse. His passion was always lacrosse. He began playing in second grade and fell in love with the game and hopes to carry on his love through college. While this season may be different than the rest with new COVID guidelines, Grant is making sure he leaves Jefferson Township High School with a stellar lacrosse season. Prior to the postponed season, Grant’s Sophomore year, the team went an impressive 15-6, winning the Pooley Division. In that season, Grant tallied four goals and an assist. This year, Grant hopes for more opportunities. Grant has played all year round to prepare and improve on his Sophomore season. “I play travel lacrosse all year round working every week with them preparing f

  Picture taken by Rebecca Weber Following his two interception game against West Milford, Andrew Weber comes into this unusual zoom interview feeling at his best. The Varsity football cornerback almost matches his career interception total just one game into his Senior season.  Weber says, “I knew the quarterback was more of a runner” so when he saw the defensive lineman on his tail he knew the ball was his to get. Weber is a three sport Varsity athlete with his best being basketball. He is a two-year basketball Varsity player and played a significant role off the bench last season for the Falcons after losing some significant Seniors.  He specializes in rebounding and his ability to shoot. He looks to take a bigger role coming into this next season and improve on the 23-7 record last year.  He is a part of the Varsity baseball team where he can do almost everything, whether it is infield, outfield, or pitcher. On top of that, he can hit the ball but his ultimate goal is to help the