![Minutes before the Activities Fair in the gym, president Abhi Gowda ‘26 prepares the stall for his club Helping Hands, Sept. 4. A relatively new club, Helping Hands was co-started by Gowda and focuses on assisting the homeless, and just last year they succeeded in raising a couple hundred donations to send to shelters. This year, they have goals to expand, with hopes to increase volunteer opportunities and take in-person trips to shelters, as well as extend their help beyond just homeless people. “The Activities Fair gives a lot of underclassmen the opportunity to really get to know the Canyon culture, and it gives them many opportunities for service and volunteering,” Gowda said. “[Through the Activities Fair,] I hope to find a bunch of new and passionate members about our club and just get our name out there and spread awareness to the cause that we’re fighting for.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-2-1200x885.jpg)
![The winter guard team makes fifth place at the state championship finals in the Denver Coliseum, March 30. The team performed to Barnes Country's “Glitter and Gold,” lead by coaches Margo Sanford, Blair Bickerton and Anna Orgren. In their class there were a total of nine groups participating, and the top five who made it to finals received a plaque. “[Walking onto the stage] is very nerve-wracking, but also very exciting as well. When you first start color guard there's a lot of anxiety and uncertainty when you first perform in front of an audience, but once you've done it for a while, it starts to become the best part of the season,” Ella West ‘25 said. “It's very fulfilling to see an audience react to something you've put your heart and soul into.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Both-socal-media-nd-website-main-1-1200x846.jpg)
![April marks the 25th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, created by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). This month is to spread awareness of the harassment, assault and abuse that happens around the world. The symbol that represented the month was a teal ribbon; however, some survivors of assault create different symbols and movements like the TikTok trend in 2022, where survivors would tattoo Medusa on their body, in honor of her backstory in Greek Mythology. “I don't think [this month is known] at all. I rarely see anybody talk about it. I rarely see much of an emphasis on posting it online, or much discussion about it, and I feel like there needs to be way more discussion,” an anonymous source said. “I think just validating every experience that a person has gone through, regardless of the degree of it, the severity, is an essential step into making sure that people are aware that this is a very real problem in a society and that we need to do better in addressing it.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_0011-1200x900.jpg)
Playoffs? We Talking About Playoffs?
Jaguar Football makes history, wins their first playoff game against Smoky Hill in a down-to-the-wire 52-49 nail-biter
media by Madeline Evans
Captains Cole Dreyfuss ’22, Croix Burney ’22, and Keegan Hamilton ’22 run out of the tunnel onto the field to start their first playoff game Friday night. The Jags beat the Smoky Hill Buffaloes 52-49 at the Stutler Bowl in Cherry Creek Nov. 5.
November 11, 2021
Rock Canyon took on Smoky Hill in the first round of the playoffs Friday, Nov. 5 at The Stutler Bowl. The Jaguars came into the game ranked nineteenth looking for their first playoff win in school history, while Smoky Hill was ranked fourteenth.
The game was a thriller.
“The game was crazy. Everyone’s mood was so high and it was so entertaining,” Aidan Brock ‘24 said. “People were having such a good time and the game was so much fun to watch.”
Smoky Hill stepped out to an early lead at halftime being up 20-7.
“The energy at halftime really shifted to our sideline and once the crowd got involved we knew we were going to win the game,” defensive player Cooper Chase ‘23 said.
With some halftime adjustments. the Jags outscored Smoky Hill 45 to 29, rushing for an incredible 487 yards behind top offensive line play in the second half. After a rally of touchdowns, the game was tied with less than a minute left.
Quarterback Cole Dreyfuss ‘22, running back Croix Burney ‘22, and tight end DeAndre Horn ‘23 led the team down the field in the game-winning drive.
“There were definitely some nerves going into the final drive, but I wasn’t questioning if we would score or not, it was a matter of when,” Dreyfuss said. “Our offensive line was playing one of their best games and our running backs were running hard. Everyone on the offense was doing their job.”
After a few successful runs, the offense was set up at the one-yard line with less than ten seconds left. Kicker Breck Saenger ‘23 took the field with a chance to win the game.
“I was super confident going into the kick and I knew I needed to hit it through and not let anyone down,” Saenger said. “I needed to score for our school.”
Saenger put that all behind him and drilled the game-winning kick with no doubt.
“Once I kicked it, I knew it was good,” Saenger said. “I was so hyped that I ran straight to the crowd and slipped and fell back on the concrete.”
The Jaguars won.
They upset the fourteenth seed in a game that went down to the wire winning 52-49 on Saenger’s game-winning field goal.
This was the Jaguars’ first football playoff win in school history.
The momentum doesn’t stop here. The Jags will compete against Legend Titans, tomorrow, Nov. 12 at Echo Park. Legend is ranked second in the state.
“We need all of your guys’ support and school spirit. The crowd keeps us in the game and keeps us motivated. We are all Jaguars,” Chase said.
