First and 10: Breaking the bank

Austin Poore
April 26, 2013
Filed under Columns, First and 10, Top Stories

Right in the middle of March Madness, news quietly broke regarding two of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) marquee players: Tigers’ ace Justin Verlander and Giants’ catcher Buster Posey each signed record-setting long-term deals with their respective teams. Posey signed a nine-year, $167 million... Read more »

First and 10: Fine by me

Austin Poore, Features Editor
December 15, 2012
Filed under Columns, First and 10

At the rate professional athletes are being fined these days, it’s a good thing they make a lot of money. Some of it is understandable; the NFL wants to protect players, for instance, and penalizes defenders for helmet-to-helmet hits. On the other end of the spectrum, however, are some truly bizarre... Read more »

Giants fans of all ages flock to San Francisco for championship parade

Austin Poore, Feature Editor
November 1, 2012
Filed under Pro Sports, Top Stories

An estimated one million fans flocked to downtown San Francisco on Halloween to help celebrate the Giants’ World Series Championship. The team paraded down Market Street before ending up at the Civic Center for a ceremony where many of the players, members of the front office and San Francisco... Read more »

First and 10: Patriot games

Austin Poore, Features Editor
October 12, 2012
Filed under Columns, First and 10

When the Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup in 2011, the team received the traditional honor of an invitation to the White House to meet with President Barack Obama. While the majority of the players on the team, of which only two are American, took advantage of the potentially... Read more »

Football drops league opener 24-19 to Milpitas

Austin Poore, Features Editor
September 29, 2012
Filed under Football, Top Stories

The Palo Alto High School football team lost 24-19 to the Milpitas High School Trojans as the Vikings' second half comeback fell just short on Friday night under the lights at Paly. After falling behind 17-0 late in the first half, the Vikings worked hard to claw their way back into the game but... Read more »

Viking adviser Ellen Austin receives national journalism award

Austin Poore, Features Editor
September 10, 2012
Filed under Featured Sports Scrollbox, Features, Top Stories

Ellen Austin, the adviser for The Viking, Palo Alto High School’s sports magazine, received the Dow Jones News Fund 2012 High School Journalism Teacher of the Year Award this past weekend. Paul Kandell, a fellow Palo Alto High School journalism teacher and the winner of the award in 2009, informed... Read more »

Roots of resilience – Jeremy Lin’s past foreshadows his NBA future

Kevin Dukovic and Austin Poore
April 20, 2012
Filed under Basketball - Boys, Featured Athlete, Featured Sports Scrollbox, Features, Uncategorized

AT THE BEGINNING OF FEBRUARY, Jeremy Lin (‘06) was just another NBA benchwarmer, toiling in the depths of the New York Knicks roster and unknown to all but the most loyal of fans. His claim to fame at the time was limited to his status as the first American player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent... Read more »

Paly girls’ lacrosse forced to vacate six league victories

Austin Poore, Features Editor
April 20, 2012
Filed under Lacrosse - Girls, Spring Sports, Top Stories

The Palo Alto High School girls’ lacrosse team found out Thursday that it will be forced to vacate six of its Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) wins this season as a result of a Central Coast Section (CCS) rules violation. The violation, which resulted from an unspecified administrative... Read more »

Girls’ lacrosse defeats Leland, 12-3

Austin Poore, Staff Writer
March 31, 2012
Filed under Featured Sports Scrollbox, Lacrosse - Girls, Spring Sports

The Palo Alto High School girls’ lacrosse team beat Leland 12-3 under the lights at home last night with a shallow bench, overcoming the absences of several players. “It felt really good,” Kimmie Flather (‘12) said. “The win was great with two subs.” The Lady Vikes dominated the game... Read more »

Sports Illustrated columnist Phil Taylor visits The Viking

Austin Poore, Staff Writer
March 8, 2012
Filed under Pro Sports, Top Stories

Sports Illustrated columnist Phil Taylor, who currently writes the “Point After” column on the magazine’s final page, visited The Viking today to discuss his career and offer some insights into professional sports journalism. The unassuming Taylor effortlessly commanded the room, holding... Read more »

Girls’ lacrosse beats Sacred Heart Preparatory 14-5 in season opener

Austin Poore, Staff Writer
March 7, 2012
Filed under Lacrosse - Girls, Top Stories

The Palo Alto High School girls’ lacrosse team defeated Sacred Heart Preparatory 14-5 on a chilly Wednesday night under the lights at Paly.The Lady Vikes jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the first 10 minutes of the game, and never looked back, dominating the Gators in all facets of the game, including... Read more »

Founder of sports-based technology start-up Enthuse visits Paly

Austin Poore, Staff Writer
March 1, 2012
Filed under Features, Profiles

     Brian York, a former professional soccer player and the founder of Enthuse, a new sports-based tech start-up, visited Palo Alto High School on Feb. 29 to discuss his platform.      York grew up near Plymouth, Mass. where he played soccer growing up, first as a forward and then a goalie.... Read more »

Boys’ basketball smashes Milpitas 61-38

Colin Patterson and Austin Poore
February 18, 2012
Filed under Basketball - Boys, Top Stories

The Palo Alto boys' basketball team (8-2) demolished the Milpitas Trojans (1-7) in a 61-38 win at home on Senior Night. After losing the tip off, the Vikings went straight to defense.  They managed to hold the Trojans to zero and quickly scored a three-pointer by Aubrey Dawkins ('13).  After... Read more »

Boys’ basketball falls to Cupertino 54-47

Austin Poore and Spencer Drazovich
February 4, 2012
Filed under Basketball - Boys, Top Stories

The Palo Alto High School boys’ basketball team lost to Cupertino 54-47 at home Friday night after several fourth quarter lead changes. Paly jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after layups by Israel Hakim (‘12) and Aubrey Dawkins ('13). Cupertino quickly bounced back with an 11-0 run of its own, thanks... Read more »

Sportsmanship: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Austin Poore
December 16, 2011
Filed under Fall Sports, Features, Top Stories

Imagine that your football team was beaten 26-0. You are bruised, battered, and in a horrible mood after being shut out and humiliated during the loss. You wearily trudge over to exchange the traditional, half-hearted postgame handshakes with the other team, thinking nothing of the common ritual. Suddenly,... Read more »

Suck for Luck

Austin Poore, Staff Writer
November 16, 2011
Filed under College Sports, Features, Top Stories

The end of every sports season brings with it a heightened sense of urgency for nearly all teams involved, which is why it is often called a “race to the finish.” Whether they are competing for first place, a berth in the playoffs or to avoid the embarrassment of relegation to a lower league, contenders... Read more »

Girls’ cross-country places third at Baylands meet

Nikolai Solgaard and Austin Poore
October 24, 2011
Filed under Cross-Country - Girls, Fall Sports

The Palo Alto High School girls’ cross-country team finished in third place at the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League (SCVAL) center meet at Baylands park in Sunnyvale on Thursday,Oct. 20. Katie Foug (‘15) placed first for the Lady Vikes and third overall, behind only Sarah Robinson (‘14) of... Read more »

MLB playoff predictions: Phillies’ pitching should have led the way

Austin Poore, Staff Writer
October 11, 2011
Filed under Fall Sports

Come late October, the Philadelphia Phillies will be World Series champions (in hindsight maybe not, but I would like to present my argument anyway). No, I do not suffer from the chronic East Coast bias that plagues the media. No, I am not from Philadelphia. And no, I am not a Yankees, Red Sox or Brewers... Read more »

Girls’ cross-country finishes 12th at Central Park meet

Kevin Dukovic , Austin Poore, and Nikolai Solgaard
September 28, 2011
Filed under Cross-Country - Girls, Top Stories

The Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity cross-country team finished 12th out of the 14 schools that competed at the Central Park Cluster meet on a mild afternoon Tuesday in Santa Clara. Paly finished the meet with a total of 275 points, well behind the 72 points of first place Lynbrook and rival... Read more »

Girls’ cross-country places third at Lowell Invitational

Austin Poore and Nikolai Solgaard
September 18, 2011
Filed under Cross-Country - Girls, Fall Sports

On a calm, sunny day at Golden Gate Park the Palo Alto High School girls’ varsity cross-country team finished in third place at the Lowell Invitational meet this Saturday. Kylie Goo (‘13) of Westmoor, took first place in the meet with a time of 17:36, which translates to an average pace of 6:01... Read more »

Girls’ cross-country places second at league preview meet

Nikolai Solgaard , Austin Poore, Kevin Dukovic, and Grant Shorin
September 10, 2011
Filed under Cross-Country - Girls, Fall Sports

The Palo Alto high school girls’ cross-country team finished in second place at the league preview meet at Crystal Springs on Thursday, Oct. 6. The race was divided up by grade, so the members of the varsity team did not all run together. The freshman and sophomores won their race, and the juniors... Read more »

Team Paige defeats Team Sam 12-4 in annual Viking staff basketball game

Austin Poore, Staff Writer
September 2, 2011
Filed under Top Stories, Viking Tries

Team Paige defeated Team Sam in the Viking’s annual staff basketball game Wednesday on the outdoor courts at Palo Alto High School by a score of 12 - 4 Team Paige never trailed en route to its victory, although turnovers were the story early in the game. Both teams struggled to keep possession,... Read more »