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Upcoming Events
November 17
Digger Bash 5:30-6:30 pm

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November 19
Guys and Dolls 7 pm

December 13
District Music Christmas Concert 7pm-8pm

December 13
Bonneville JV Wrestling Tournament 8am-10pm

on the Inside

High School Students Hear AntiDrug Broadcast Sugar Salem Junior High Hosts Wrestling Tournament Sugar Salems Freshmen Girls Volleyball Team Falls Short of Beeting Shelley.

Freshmen Diggers Meet Shelley Russets on the Grid Iron

BY Amanda Mullinax
he Sugar-Salem Diggers football team faced off with the Shelley Russets on Oct. 17. Before the coin was tossed to see which team would have first possession, players from both teams took the field to warm up their muscles and get into a winning mentality. One concern the fans had coming into the game was the effect of the potato harvest break. [The team] worked over the break and they work hard during the games, said local student, Kailtyn Om. Both teams took the field and the game was underway. The Diggers played hard in the first half with good defensive plays and strong offensive drives. Sugar-Salems offense executed perfect passes and the linemen were able create holes in the Russets defense, but were unable to convert the drives into points scored. The Diggers came up just short of a touchdown multiple times. During halftime, Coach Jay Miller advised his players on strategies for the second half and encouraged them to play to their potential. Team captains pumped up their fellow Diggers by running around the huddle, shouting words of encouragement. Fans wondered if the Digger boys would be able to come back in the second half. With enough work, theyll be able to bring it back, said Om. These sentiments were echoed by the crowd of fans yelling, Stay fired-up boys!

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As the second half began, the Diggers had a great play returning the kickoff all the way to the Russets 35 yard line. The Diggers lined up quickly and threw a quick pass but were again unable to secure a touchdown. A failed third-down conversation forced Sugar to punt the ball but they quickly stopped the Russets for a short return. Despite being behind, the Diggers continued to fight, frustrating Shelleys quarterback and forcing several incomplete passes. The Diggers pass defense displayed moments of brilliance, showing incredible athletic ability, but was unable to make consistent plays to stop the Russet offense. The Russets continued to execute and widen the gap on the scoreboard.

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During one play, the Russets snapped the ball and passed it down the left sideline. The intended receiver caught the ball and dove into the end zone bringing the score to 32-0. Diggers fans, however, were proud when the team blocked an attempted two-point conversion by Shelley. The third quarter was brought to a close and as the fourth quarter ticked away, a Digger victory was becoming a distant dream. With minutes left, Shelley was able to score another touchdown ending the game with a score of 45-0. Regardless of the final score, the Diggers fought hard and left it all on the field.

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BY Kyle Rose
ugar Salem High School students participated in a broadcast from Madison High School where Monte Stiles, a retired federal drug prosecutor of 28 years, spoke of the dangers of drug use. With his history in the field, the message Stiles delivered was clear and effective. Students packed into an overflowing auditorium at the high school to hear Stiles speak. Stiles grew up in Emmett, Idaho, where the population was Latter-day Saint dominated and therefore drugs werent a big issue for him during his high school years. He did, however, know one person in his class who used marijuana because he thought it was cool, but ended up doing it for so long that the drug burned many of the important portions of his brain, and he now simply wanders around Emmett not recognizing anyone. This person was the first example of evidence that Stiles gave to present his point that you dont get to do what you want if you make choices now that restrict your future. He then referred to a variety of other bad choices people make. He talked about the effects of the drug methamphetamine (meth) and said, It is the scariest drug I know of; people will kill you for it, while showing a picture of a mouth rotted out by meth. As a federal drug prosecutor, Stiles learned that a large reason behind people hurting other people is due to substance abuse. He said that the main cause of domestic abuse is alcohol and drug abuse. He then warned that if we as a culture accept drugs into our schools and communities we are inviting violence into our schools and communities as well.

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High School Students Hear Anti-Drug Broadcast

Guns and drugs go together, he said, leaving a bold statement for the students to ponder. He said that community members spend a lot of money as taxpayers fixing things that are done because of drug addicts. We end up spending money to fix things instead of building things, he said, making it apparent that the effects of drugs spread across society as a whole rather than just the individual using them. Turning back to the issue of marijuana, Stiles warned the audience not to believe the lie that it isnt harmful to our society. He compared marijuana use today to cigarette use in the past and mentioned that many people used to think that cigarettes were actually good for them. Today some people say marijuana would help them medically. Stiles then said boldly that those who use marijuana today are six times more likely to try another harmful drug. He continued on but changed his presentation to be more positive. He talked about how to get the natural highs in life instead of through drugs. On his website, Stiles says, I know that boredom is often cited as an excuse for early experimentation with drugs or other destructive behavior. In my view, the cure for boredom is to tap into the sense of wonder we all experienced as little children. In the end, this is infinitely more satisfying than anything the drug culture can offer. Stiles showed many photos hes taken in nature (many of which have been featured in and on the covers of magazines about the great

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outdoors) and talked about how nature has had a positive impact on his life and encouraged students to choose good things on life that will make them happier than drugs ever can. Stiles ended his presentation by focusing on how making good choices in life means giving people

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more freedom. In an interview with Local News 8 Stiles said, I try to contrast the drug world and how it narrows your freedoms and narrows your focus to the world of photography, where for me, its expanded my enjoyment of the world -- all the people, all the places, all the things to do.

Sugar Salem Junior High Hosts Wrestling Tournament

BY Christie Smith, Amanda Ostler, and Kyle Rose

he Sugar Salem Junior High School hosted its annual wrestling tournament on Oct. 30. The double-elimination tournament was the first of two tournaments the school will be hosting this year. Sugar Salem Junior High students faced off against opponents from a variety of different schools within the county. Five junior high school teams attended the tournament including Sugar Salem, West Jefferson, Challis, Shelley and Firth. For this tournament, there were 16 different weight classes going from 70-175 pounds and heavyweight. Contrary to typical high school tournaments, the scores were not tracked on a team basis but were focused on individual wrestlers and weight classes. Similar to a March Madness bracket for college basketball, the wrestlers were placed into seeded brackets for each weight class where the winner of each match would move on to the next round, while those who suffered defeat would be placed into a consolation bracket, where they could try to battle back for third place.

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An early, highly anticipated match was between Sugar Salems Ace Christiansen and West Jeffersons Kash Sullivan, wrestling in the 90-pound class. The two had faced each other previously with several of their matches ending in close scores. This time Christiansen was the clear victor, majoring Sullivan 12-0 and improving his record to 7-1 on the season. Christiansen, who started wrestling when he was three, says he typically practices seven to eight hours per week. When asked what his favorite thing about wrestling is he said, I get stronger and learn to work hard. Both are great qualities to be developing as a teenager. His drilling partner, Dan Shirley, is in his first year wrestling and says that he enjoys wrestling and appreciates the positive and encouraging coaching style of his head coach, Brad Hansen, and the other assistant coaches for Sugar Salem. Shirley took first at the tournament at 115 pounds along with his teammates Zack Belnap at 142 pounds, who pinned his way through the finals, Dallin Abegglan at 134 pounds, Connor Wood at 105 pounds, Teagan Bradshaw at 70 pounds, Max Kent at 75 pounds and brothers Colby and Camry Ingram at

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their respective weight classes of 127 and 150. Christensen took second along with Seth Price at 110. Overall, Sugar Salem wrestled well with some tough competition from the other schools attending. Coach Hansen was proud of his team and enjoys coaching the boys. Its a great opportunity for the kids to get involved. Anything to keep them off those video games, he said. The sport builds them physically as well as mentally, he continued. He empathized with the boys about how hard it can be to go out on the mat and wrestle on their own, then he compared the pressures of wrestling to singing a solo. Its one thing to sing in a group, he said, but its different when youre singing solo. Those boys are wrestling solo. Sugar Salem will host another tournament on Nov. 8 before going to the district tournament on the Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. in Shelley where they expect to do well both individually and as a team.

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November 2012

Sugar Salems Freshmen Girls Volleyball Team Falls Short

By Bobby Macey

ct. 9 marked the second time in regional play that the Sugar-Salem Diggers and Shelley Russets met head-to-head in girls freshmen volleyball. The Lady Diggers were hoping to maintain a record above .500, while the undefeated Lady Russets desired to move to 5-0 in region play. After the players warmed up with some drills and adjusted their knee pads, the captains met near center court before each team took its side and then the match was under way.

The Diggers, dressed in blue and white, eagerly chased balls down to keep them in play while the red and gray Russets came out strong offensively. Both teams fought hard in the first set, but the Russets quickly reminded the Diggers how things ended the last time the two teams met, as they won the first set by a score of 25-15. Last time the two teams squared off the Russets won in straight sets.

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Sugar-Salem isnt a team that just gives up, said one fan who also said he loved the energy the girls brought to the game in the first set. After a short break between sets, the crowd, made up mainly of parents an d students, tried to give the Lady Diggers some needed encouragement by cheering louder during the second set. The score remained close during the early minutes of the set, as the Lady Diggers put extra emphasis on playing good defense. On several occasions, opposing players spiked the ball fiercely, but the Lady Diggers came together as a team to scrap and save balls that otherwise would have resulted in Russet points. Embracing after each earned point, the girls from Sugar-Salem fought to keep hopes alive as the seconds ticked away in the second set. The Lady Russets, however, turned up the heat on offense and

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clinched the set 25-16, resulting in another straight set loss for the Lady Diggers. Saddened by the loss and the team dropping to a record of 2-3, Lara Porter, Sugar-Salems freshmen team head coach said, Its always difficult to come back after potato harvest. She explained that the break from school always takes its toll on the team members, because they dont practice during that time. Porter continued to say that she was proud of her girls for fighting until the last moments and that the team played scrappy at the end, leaving it all on the court. As the team draws closer to the end of regional play, the girls that make up the Lady Diggers hope that they can still clinch a spot in the playoffs and prove that they are better than their record might suggest.