Good Longhorn News

How to Cook a Cardinal

November 7, 2025

The Holcomb high school football team is preparing for their playoff game happening today, Nov. 7th, against Cheney. This will be the second time our Holcomb Longhorns face off against the Cheney Cardinals. The previous match up against the Cheney Cardinals resulted in a 15-13 victory for Holcomb. Players such as Holcomb’s Cooper Cranston (sophmore), Mathew Rosen (senior), Javid Corral (senior), and Cheney’s Nolan Durr (senior), Reece Toler (Senior), and Ayden Koenn (senior) promise for an interesting, intense game.

Expecting a tough game, the football team has been preparing in various ways. Trey Teeter, Head Coach, said, “We have been watching a lot of film and studying some of their tendencies. We have tried really hard to keep the same routine. We think we are doing some good things in the weight room to prepare our bodies for the demands of the game. Our kids have been working really hard all season and we have been super proud of them. Their efforts all winter and summer have been paying off.”

Preparation is important on a personal level too. Senior Luke Thyne, #6, has a simple routine to prepare himself. “I get a lot of sleep, drink a lot of water, eat some good food, and watch a lot of film.”

Similarly, junior Heagen Hartman, #11, said he likes to “listen to music, and pray to God.” Sometimes simplicity is key.

Now that we are in the intense rounds of the playoff season, there is always the risk of any game being the last. That would mean for the 8 seniors this season, they would say goodbye to something many of them have been putting time, effort, and love into for many years. Senior Brendan Deloach, #55, said, “I would be pretty sad knowing that’s the last time I get to play with the seniors and the rest of the team.”

The game means a lot to every member of the Holcomb Longhorn Football team. Small traditions for the team, such as November sunsets, Thursday night dinners a BWW, and pregame meals (often prepared by the parents) are all little traditions that unify the team. The game also means something to more people than just the football team. It’s an opportunity for the community to gather together.

However if the team wins today, this means we will play the winners of Rock Creek & Hesston. To clarify, if Rock Creek wins, we will travel to them for the game, but if Heston wins, we will get to host the game, giving the community a final chance to show their love and support for the Holcomb Longhorn Football team.
Are iPhones Overrated?

October 27, 2025

Controversy is constantly flooding the internet with the question of whether the iPhone or Android is the better smartphone. I will compare the iPhone 17 and the Pixel 10, including the difference in price, camera quality, features, design, and the interface. Now let’s take a deeper look at similarities and differences between the two.

First of all the price of both of these phones are about the same. The newest iPhone 17 Walmart is going for around $830, while the newest android, the Pixel 10, is going for around $800.

Now that we know these phones are about the same price, let’s see if their differences can win users over. The iPhone 17 has 256gb of storage while the Pixel 10 only has 128gb. The iPhone 17 also has the hardware to charge faster than the Pixel 10.

Taking photos is an everyday thing, and buyers want the best camera quality they can get. So which phone has better camera quality? The iPhone has a bigger front camera and could be better for taking selfies, but the Pixel 10 has 3 back cameras, while the iPhone only has 2. So the Pixel 10 would be better for taking on the back, whether it’s up close or far away. However, the iPhone has a new feature where users can take horizontal photos without turning the phone sideways.

Next, one thing that is similar between the two is face recognition. On both phones users are able to unlock the phone with face id, but only the Pixel 10 also has the ability to unlock the phone with a fingerprint as well. The iPhone 17 and the Pixel 10 are also the same size. To close the similarities these phones have, both use the same charger and don’t have a place to connect headphones in at.

Finally, as the last comparison between these phones, there is a difference in the interface and operating systems of the two. While the iPhone has a very minimalist interface, meaning there’s not a lot users can do to change the home screen and set up of the phone, the Pixel 10 has a very customizable user interface, so users can have their home screen however they would wish.

To conclude, the iPhone 17 and the Pixel 10 have many things in common, from the charger they use, to the size, or even the price, but each phone has its own benefits from the Pixel 10 having three back cameras, to the iPhone being able to take pictures horizontally while not turning. Both of these phones are great in their own way, but which one is ultimately better?
(In)Conveniences

October 27, 2025

Have you ever had to drive all the way to Garden last minute to get supplies for your little siblings school project? It’s annoying for everyone involved, the time spent to go out, using gas in the process, and the time to come all the way back. Holcomb needs more stores.

Personally, I find it annoying to have to go to Garden every time to get clothes, groceries, and eat out. If we had a good line-up of at least these three things, we wouldn’t have to do those long drives. Sure, sometimes it’s fun to go see a movie, eat something nice at AppleBee’s, and come back late. If my mom wants organic eggs and milk, dog food, and whatever else for the next week, the trip feels a little more tedious.

Obviously, there’s Ron’s Market, arguably the only decent retail store, but not everything a person would need is there. Google Reviews complain about it being too expensive. No one goes to Ron’s because they truly want to, but because they need to. I want an avocado, so I go to Ron’s for convenience. A single one is 3$. I think, “Dang, that’s a lot for one avocado.” Then, I pay at the register and head home so I can eat it with my breakfast.

I’m not asking for an entire Walmart to be slammed into the middle of town. I’m saying that if we had a good amount of stores here, ones we really need, there’s no reason they wouldn’t do well. There’s El Rancho, but the reviews don’t stray very far from Ron’s’. Thirsty Dawg is good, but that’s the one good food spot in Holcomb. If you want anything other than fried food, you’re out of luck.

It’s possible that you like the food, that you really don’t need anything more than Ron’s has, and you don’t mind the drive to and back from Garden. That’s all pretty nice and easy for the people that are okay with it. But for people with a lower budget, who don’t have cars, or some other inconvenience (because not everyone’s lives are the same), it’s not as simple.

Any complaint in regards to Holcomb feels a little pointless, because most of the time the reason for it is that we’re a small town. Still, is it too much to wish that we, as a small town, could provide for ourselves a little more?
We Should Have Open Lunches

October 27, 2025

Have you ever opened the school lunch form and decided you aren’t going to eat lunch that day? I don’t know about you, but if there’s something on the google form that just doesn’t sound appetizing, I’ll wait to eat until I get home, hours later. Not eating causes students brain activity to wane which is why I propose open lunches.

Open lunches will promote student independence and responsibility. Having that option to have open lunch will mean that students will use gas money and use money for food at restaurants, this means they have to be responsible for how much money they use in a day. If they use it irresponsibility then they will have consequences, not only from financial struggles but also from their parents getting angry over their irresponsibility. It’s not the school’s job to hold the students hand every step they go, especially as they get closer to being out into the real world.

Leaving school and going to get whatever food you want should be a reward. Seeing as freshmen are still not quite developed from their middle school years, and even some of the sophomores, I say that we should give juniors and seniors the opportunity to have open lunches. Here’s the catch: it’ll work the same way interventions do. If you are on the interventions list, then you don’t get to leave. This rule is a better reward for getting their grades up than just early release.

Open lunches would provide people the option to go get food if they don’t like the school food and ensure that they actually eat instead of starving themselves. According to Piedmont.org, when skipping a meal your blood sugar will decrease, which then can lead to disorientation and not allow the student to focus properly on school work. It also said that low blood sugar can cause people to feel grumpy, confused, and fatigued, which can lead to higher levels of stress. When skipping meals our body goes into survival mode and this can cause your body to crave food and nine times out of ten those foods are unhealthy and all attempts of eating healthy go out the window, which could cause obesity. As Haley Robinson, a Piedmont clinical dietitian, said, “When you are that hungry, anything goes.”

While we don’t have time on traditional days, I argue that we have time for open lunches on hybrid days. During hybrid days students will be sitting in their homeroom for over an hour, most doing nothing but sitting there sleeping or just being bored. Now if students want even more time to go out and eat, then I think that during longhorn period if you check your grades with your seminar teacher and they give you a pass on having good enough grades, then you can leave during that fifth period for more time.

Overall, I believe that having open lunches will help students want to get their grades up and it will ensure that they don’t starve themselves due to not liking the school food. On top of that it’ll teach them an important life skill of being responsible. If we trust students with the responsibility of their education, why can’t we trust them with the responsibility of their lunch?
Girls Need the Tea App!

October 24, 2025

The tea app is a dating safety app designed for women which allows them to anonymously share reviews, seek advice, and run background checks on men they are dating. A key point is you have to be verified as a woman… Why should women use the tea app? If you upload a photo of the guy you’re talking to/dating, others are allowed to add red flags or green. They are also allowed to add comments good or bad. This could include “he’s a cheater” or “He’s a liar” or worse… All of these comments could potentially make you think he is not the person you thought he was.

Is this man loyal to the woman he’s dating? You just started talking to a man and he’s kind of showing you some red flags, but you don’t know if you should over think since you’re not even dating him. So with curiosity you download the tea app and search his name up. You then could see the amount of red/green flags he has. To top that off you could see other women’s experiences with dating that man.

Is this man a cheater? By having the tea app others can talk about their past or current time with that person. Whether it be him texting multiple girls at the same time, or even him texting a girl while dating you, the app can help you notice different patterns in your partner’s behavior that you might not have noticed before. Sometimes when your emotions get in the way, it’s really easy to believe their excuses, but hopping on the tea app and seeing stories repeatedly from women helps you realize the truth faster.

Is this man dishonest or manipulative? You could sense signs of him being a little manipulative towards you. Curious, you hop on the tea app. You can then find out if he’s been a known manipulator or just a guy that is genuinely really honest. Many women deal with “love bombing” in the beginning of their relationships with this app. It could help notice that by others’ experiences.

How could the tea app not be so beneficial? Although adding comments about the truth could help someone out, the information could also be misleading and dishonest. That information could bring down a guy’s reputation for his future dating life. Women could also post other women on them and bring them down. A huge downside could lead to cyber bullying which could lead people to harm themselves, however that is not the goal of the app at all.

Overall the tea app can be helpful for women to stay safe while dating/talking to someone. It allows users to share honest experiences and warn others about potential red flags. While there are risks of dishonesty and misinformation the main goal of the app is to create a supportive community where women can make smarter and safer dating choices!
Stop Talking, Start Dating!

October 24, 2025

Dating in high school can be very awkward, but you know what’s more awkward? Talking stages. Most high school relationships start with a talking stage and end in two months. They are a waste of time, awkward and over all, they doom relationships.

Talking stages are supposed to be a getting to know each other phase, but isn’t that what dating is for? The definition of dating is literally “two people spending time together for romantic or social reasons to see if they are compatible.” The reason people date is to get to know each other, so why have an entirely different period to see if you like the person? If you start dating someone and you realize you aren’t compatible, break up.

Many people use the excuse that they were “just talking” to snap and date other people. Talking stages are just an excuse to avoid commitment and are often used as a buffer. It allows people to keep emotional distance and avoid the commitment and vulnerability that comes with a committed relationship. Keeping relationships surface level while having a “roster” can lead to pain from both parties. Imagine if you found out the person you were talking to and wanted a relationship with was talking to five other people, how would you feel?

Couple Silhouette Standing Away From Each Other

If you are in a talking stage for more than a month, your relationship is doomed to fail. This is because during a talking stage there is a constant stress to impress the other person. When you are trying to impress and get someone to like you, many people develop an inauthentic persona. Once you get to the actual relationship, real personalities and feelings start to show. If you suddenly realize that you don’t like your partner’s personality, it is not going to end well. If you go from friends and straight to dating, there are no unrealistic expectations.

Some might say that talking stages are beneficial because it allows two people to gauge compatibility, but that’s why you date someone. The dating period is the time to figure out if you have the same values and if you belong together. Marriage is the real commitment where you should already know all of this. Therefore, talking stages are a waste of time.

Next time the person you are interested in says they want to have a talking stage before they date, run. They are most likely avoiding a serious relationship and have commitment issues.
Is Volleyball Being Overlooked?

October 23, 2025

Have you ever been put in a position where you have to argue that a sport you play is just as physically demanding as other sports? Since both volleyball and basketball require hard work, dedication, and teamwork, each have various hardships. They have opposite mechanics and contact, giving them two different outcomes and rewards.

One of the main differences is camps. High school volleyball will usually have three in the summer. College coaches run these camps. They run these camps as if the participants are college athletes. The conditioning and faster pace activities are killer to a high school student. These camps are often a week long, six to eight hours a day . On the other hand, basketball will usually only have one camp and it will only last around 3 days.

However, team conditioning is a different conversation. When volleyball does condition, they don’t do it alone.They do it as a team. When someone messes up, the whole team will pay the price. They will all run and do burpees. In one serving drill, all players line up on the end line serve and jog to the net and back. If someone misses, the team has to sprint back and forth until the person can get the serve over and in. So, the conditioning relies on the whole team.

Finally we can talk about the game schedule. In basketball, they have only one game a night while volleyball will have up to three games a school night. Sometimes these games can be up to 2 hours away. Volleyball games will usually be on Tuesday and Thursday. So that is up to six games a school week. Then tournaments are almost every weekend lasting from seven am to around five pm.

In conclusion, all sports at some point are physically demanding. All sports are different including the practices, conditioning, and time given to the sport. Instead of arguing over who does more, it should be normalized to just support each other and be humble. Society needs to understand that different things are difficult for different people.
My Mom’s Calling…

September 30, 2025

Students at HHS are experiencing mixed emotions about the new phone policy. However, this new phone policy could be beneficial to students and their learning time. Students are not allowed to have their phones during class time other than in the hallways or during lunch.

Shayla Macias, freshman, does not agree with this new phone policy. She said, “It’s not beneficial, doesn’t make a difference and it’s too strict. Since we are high schoolers we deserve our phones.”

Other people disagree. Nano Tapia, junior, thinks the phone policy is beneficial. He said, “It’s a good thing, that way everyone can learn. It’s not that hard to put your phone away. I completely agree with the rule since that’s the teachers time.”

On the other hand some students have mixed emotions about our new phone policy. Ariela Aguilera, junior, said “It’s a good thing because we get our work done, and it’s less strict than other schools like Scott. But at times it can be too strict and unnecessary.” Alexis Murry, junior, also mentioned that it could be a bad idea due to all the gun violence in our world today, they said “That one phone call can make a difference.”

Most teacher had common feelings about our phone policy. Mr. Schreibvogal, science teacher, said “I like it, it keeps us from getting distracted. They’re like digital pacifiers, if we take them away students throw a fit.” He even went on to say the policy isn’t strict enough.

Mrs. Sullivan, accounting teacher, and Mrs. Gifford, counselor, had the same views. Both of them agreed with the policy and think our phones can be a distraction to our learning. They also think without our phones, it gives us time to create more social skills and makes us interact with others more.

What do you think about the new phone policy at HHS? Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Hallway Shenanigans, do’s and don’ts!

September 23, 2025

Have you ever been walking in the hallway and saw something that you wish you hadn’t? Students and staff at HHS have some advice for how YOU can avoid being the center of hallway shenanigans.

Many things can cause disruption to the environment of our hallways.

Mr. Schreibvogel, science teacher, wanted to make sure that we specifically put his quote in exactly as he stated. He said, “I think the most annoying thing that the students do in the hallways is lollygagging.” He believes that the use of phones on the way to class have been the main reason for tardiness at the beginning of his classes.

However, this isn’t the only annoying occurrence taking place in the hallways. Another pesky shenanigan is hallway horseplay. Ava Albright, freshman, said, “Something you shouldn’t do in the hallway is trip or push people.” Is she speaking from experience or simply giving advice? I guess you could always find her in the hallways to ask…or maybe not.

Freshman had unique advice to offer, Michael Davis is most annoyed when people “Breathe.”, while Chevvy Huber is bothered when his friends call him in the hallway, especially when they are, “Headed to the same class.” He also confirmed that this happens more than you would think.

Isabella Galliart, senior, had a different concern about hallway shenanigans and spoke about when people stop to talk to a friend they may see in the hallway. She made a very valid point when she stated, “It’s really annoying and you take up the whole hallway.”

She made a good point on how we need to be more conscious of others in the hallway, rather than just focusing on ourselves and what we are doing. Another good point that was made about a more serious issue that can occur in the hallways, was brought to light by Ms. Kelly, substitute teacher. She reflected on how bullying can take place in the hallways and said, “I do not like seeing students mistreating other students.”

Speaking about interactions between students like bullying, senior Fernando Rodriguez, spoke about how he has also seen fighting in the hallways before, and even had to break one up himself. He added, “If you’re gonna fight, at least don’t lose.” Interesting opinion to have there Fernando. Though school fights may be a relevant subject in regards to things that can happen in a hallway, they should be avoided.

One matter that we can all agree on is seeing too much PDA going on in the hallways. For the most part, none of us want to witness affection in public at school, especially early in the morning, when we could barely just get out of bed. Matthew Rosen, senior, said it best. “Don’t bring your physical relationship to school” Not just that, but don’t bring any of your shenanigans to school, especially your hallway ones!
Is It Unblocked?

September 19, 2025

Students and staff of Holcomb High School have recently been struggling with the problem of needed resources being blocked on school Chromebooks. In past years, this hasn’t been an issue, but recently, these problems have skyrocketed. Many students as well as teachers have expressed their frustrations in the form of mental breakdowns in the middle class, furious emails, and sometimes even going directly to the source.

Jade Ardery, junior, said, “When I get on my Chromebook and see that something I need for an assignment blocked, it gets me mad and sad at the same time. I just want to punch my computer.”

The seniors seem to be complaining the most. With the absence of work due to easy classes, they are left with nothing to do during the day. Since they are no longer allowed to have their phones, YouTube and games are their only options left.

Not only students are struggling with their assignments being blocked. Teachers are also feeling this frustration when they assign something and the next day its blocked. Ms. Kleeman, English teacher, said, “I feel a little irritated, especially if I checked it the day before and it wasn’t blocked.”

Ms. Kleeman also asked the question, “We didn’t see this problem as much as last year so what changed from this year to last year?”

The new IT guy, Mr. Schartz, is trying to address the problem. Schartz said, “If something is blocked that shouldn’t be, email me.” He also added that when something gets unblocked it takes 20-30 minutes to go through the system, so be patient.

When he heard about the students’ frustrations, he responded with, “It’s not always me who blocks things, sometimes it’s the teachers who choose to block things.”

Mr. Shartz brought up the website Github, which is an online website that you can access almost anything through, from games to explicit videos and pictures. Many students were trying to access this website and were acquiring viruses.

Just remember, if something is blocked, it’s probably for a reason, even if it is frustrating. If you are having problems, just email Mr. Schartz and he will be more than willing to look into it and unblock it for you.

Before you ask yourself, is it unblocked or is someone getting socked? Email Mr. Schartz