Death of the Trees 

By: Jade Willis

Auburn tradition forever changed. 

  In Auburn, last year the Toomer’s Corner Oak trees were poisoned by a rival Alabama fan, which resulted in the death of the trees.

 Tuesday morning, Toomer’s Corner intersection was shut down as thousands came to roll the trees one last time. At 6:20 a.m. and at 7:00 a.m. as workers began the process of removing the two iconic trees.

The removal process was expected to last a few hours. Auburn plans to continue the tradition by planting two new Oak trees.

  The trees are schedule to be planted after the 2013 football season.

Geno Smith Doesn’t Get Drafted in the First Round

By: Brandon Culverson

  West Virginia Quarterback Geno Smith, once thought to be a top-10 pick, was not even selected during the first round of the NFL draft.

  Smith, who was in attendance, sat in the waiting room for over three hours just to hear his name not called. The Buffalo Bills selected E.J. Manuel with the 16^th overall pick. This was a surprise to most of the sports world.

It is quite the fall for Smith, whose draft stock had been the subject of much speculation leading up to the draft. Scouts questioned whether he was even worth a first-round pick. Turns out those naysayers were right.

Hopefully, when the 2^nd round comes around, a team will call Geno Smith’s name, and hopefully have a similar story to Aaron Rodgers who’s draft stock slid dramatically back in 2004. We all know how that turned out; Aaron Rodgers is Super Bowl winning quarterback and a NFL MVP. Only time will tell if Geno Smith becomes that type of player, but until a team selects Geno Smith, social media will continue to make fun of the former standout quarterback for not being taken in the first round.

Cheer Tryouts

By: Riley Alford

  Cheerleading tryouts for the 2013-2014 school year took place on February 26^th through the 28^th. Mrs. Kendall, the head coach of the cheerleading team, reports that there were 35 people who tried out. Sixteen girls are required for each the varsity and the junior varsity squad.

  The results on who made the squad will be posted by the end of next week. The 32 girls selected will participate in three workout sessions and two practices a week during summer break. They will be training for six competitions that will begin in September. Mrs. Kendall is looking forward to the new season and is excited to see the potential in the new members of the teams.