Month: October 2025

A Tough Homecoming Loss for Sem

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Matt Mascarenhas ‘26

At first glance, Wyoming Seminary’s 26 points might suggest a competitive matchup. But the Pennington Red Hawks proved too much to handle, pulling away for a 50–26 victory on October 10, 2025.

After being shut out 20-0 by Kiski in their home opener, the Blue Knights entered the contest hoping to start a turnaround. Instead, Pennington quickly took control of the game. The Red Hawks forced a quick three-and-out on Seminary’s opening drive, sending punter Cormack Price onto the field early. 

As opposed to the Blue Knights, Pennington wasted no time in making a statement. On their first drive, the Red Hawks needed just three plays to find the endzone, breaking loose for a 47-yard rushing touchdown. 

The Blue Knights’ offense continued to falter during their next possession, losing 10 yards before punting again. Pennington capitalized almost immediately, as its quarterback broke free for a 37-yard touchdown run to extend their lead to 14-0 with 5:24 left in the first quarter. 

Seminary gained its first first down of the game on a catch by tight end Leo Rath, but the drive stalled. A muffed punt by Pennington’s returner bounced harmlessly out of bounds, which was a warning of what was to come.

On the next series, a botched snap rolled to the 2-yard line, where the Blue Knights recovered. Running back Mikey Allard Jr. punched in a short touchdown, though the extra point failed.

Senior lineman Aaron Kutney ‘26 reflected on the team’s resilience: “We made some mistakes early, but we stayed focused and didn’t give up. That’s what this team is all about.” 

Pennington’s ball security concerns continued on their next drive. Another fumble hit the turf, and this time, senior Ryan Crete recovered the ball for a Blue Knight touchdown. The score cut Pennington’s lead to 14-12 after Sem’s two-point conversion came up short.  

The Blue Knights couldn’t sustain momentum. A late safety pushed Pennington’s lead to 16–12, and two more rushing touchdowns gave the Red Hawks a commanding 29–12 halftime advantage.

An onside kick attempt to open the second half backfired, as Pennington scored again in just two plays. Quarterback Nelson Martinez answered with a scrambling touchdown pass to receiver Martin Kasungu, cutting the score to 36–18. But the Red Hawks’ ground game kept rolling, adding two more long touchdown runs to seal a 50–18 lead. 

New BNT Company Centered On Mental Health

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By Michael DeMuro ‘27

Over the summer of 2025, Emmanuel Onyemali ’26, a Senior Wyoming Seminary student, and Levi Sprague started a new clothing company named Better Next Time (BNT). Not only does BNT sell a wide variety of high-quality clothing, but it also serves as a platform to spread mental health awareness through its message, ‘Better next time.’ This message serves not as an excuse, but as permission to fail, as well as motivation for improvement. Whether it’s a loss in a wrestling match, a bad performance in football, or a failing grade on a test, the message means that next time, you will be better, you will not make the same mistakes, and you will slowly become an improved version of yourself.

Onyemali’s inspiration for creating this clothing brand was his mother, and their struggle together during their transition from Nigeria to Canada about seven years ago. When things began to settle down for him and his family, he decided to use his story of strength to help his friends and family, who he knew struggled with mental health. Onyemali decided to use clothing as the main way to market his message because the way we armor our bodies with clothes is the way we should armor our minds with positive energy and the ability to control how we react to tough situations. 

Currently, BNT has around 500 followers across all social media platforms and is growing steadily. In fact, BNT has been named the number one small business in Canada for 2025. Additionally, Onyemali was featured on CBC national radio to talk about his company and the message that it delivers. When asked how BNT reflects Wyoming Seminary, Rachel Bartron, Head of the Upper School campus, said, “…Better Next Time is the constant conversation that our adults and students have regarding anything that students are doing.” 

The way that the name, Better Next Time, was created is also quite extraordinary. As Onyemali put it, “When I thought about the name, it appeared to me in a dream a month prior… fast forward a month, and I’m sitting in my basement, and it kinda just popped in my head, like a downward from God Himself.” It was also conveniently short and catchy, so he stuck with it, giving the world the powerful movement that we have now. 

When asked about the ultimate legacy Onyemali wants to leave behind with his company, he said, “The biggest legacy is healing. Healing generations by spreading a good message. That is the legacy I want to and I will leave behind.”

Wyoming Seminary Presents Blood Brothers

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By Abby Ryu ’26

The 2025-2026 Wyoming Seminary Fall Musical Blood Brothers took place this past weekend, November 7-9, on the Kirby Center for Creative Arts (KCCA) stage. For those who did not attend, Blood Brothers, originally written by Willy Russell in 1983, tells the tale of twins who were separated at birth and grow up in very different socioeconomic classes. Chloe Caputo ‘26 played the poor mother, forced to trade one of her twins, played by Sophia Roper ‘28 and Kurt Soreth ‘26, to a rich infertile mother, Kate Barth ‘26, as she could not support both financially. 

The cast worked tirelessly throughout the months leading up to opening night under the guidance of director Mr. Sherry and faculty advisors like Mr. Harvey and Mrs. Voijtko. Every day was spent rehearsing, either blocking (positioning actors on stage) or working on music or dancing. When asked about the most difficult part of preparations, Sophomore George Malloy ‘25 didn’t hesitate in his response: “the accent, which is Scouse or RP British depending on the social class.” Regardless of the challenges however, the cast did not falter in continuing to put forth their best effort and it definitely paid off; the work poured into the production was very clearly felt by the audience. 

This year marked the end of an era in Wyoming Seminary Theatre as it bid farewell to many long-time staple performers–Kurt Soreth ‘26, Chloe Caputo ‘26, and Kate Barth ‘26. When asked about her feelings towards participating in her last Wyoming Seminary Fall Musical, senior Chloe Caputo ‘26 reminisced “I have made some of my best friends through SEM theatre and will always cherish memories I’ve made here. However, I’m also very excited to see what’s next for me in the future.” A similar sentiment–nostalgia towards the past but also excitement for the future–is felt towards Wyoming Seminary Theatre more broadly as this year welcomed new performers and featured younger names in leading roles like Sophomore Sophia Roper ‘28. The performance, all in all, served as an unforgettable final bow for seniors and left both the audience, as well as the performers, in excited anticipation for what’s to come next year!