As many of you know, Oratory is facing off against Seton Hall Prep on Friday in the second round of the New Jersey Non-Public A State Tournament. (They may have already played depending on when you are viewing this article.) On paper, they may have a slightly better soccer team, but how does the rest of their school compare to ours? Before you read this, you should be made aware of a quick disclaimer. This is an unbiased article in the Oratory Newspaper written by a student attending Oratory Prep about whether Oratory Prep is a better school than Seton Hall. This may or may not be true, so you can take the previous statement with less than a grain of salt. The first category for comparison between Oratory and Seton Hall is the athletic program. The Pirates are widely known for their athletic prowess and place much value on the success of their sports teams. They compete on a national level in many of their athletics, so they would be ashamed to find out that Oratory’s golf team could wipe the floor with them. Oratory’s golf team has a legendary reputation that precedes itself and is led by former Rutgers Captain Mr. McGowan. Not only is our golf team heads and shoulders above theirs, our mock trial team (if it is considered a sport) could also sink the ship and leave no survivors. Our mock trial team has won tens of county championships among several region and state championships as well. For those who do not understand the phrase “sink the ship”, Seton Hall Prep is the Pirates, so the phrase signifies taking down the pirates and winning the battle. After reviewing the facts, I would have to say that the edge in athletics goes to Oratory Prep by a slight margin.

The next category is location, or which school is located in a better place? Seton Hall Prep students can boast that their campus is huge, and they have the pleasure of traveling to West Orange every day for school. However, if they ever saw the perks of being located in Oratory’s position, they would quickly understand that they should not be bragging. Oratory can proudly say they are a five-minute walk from Summit’s world-renowned downtown. Although this is a major benefit, the downtown is not the best part. Oratory is located across the street from an Infiniti dealership. This dealership is one of a kind because it provides Oratory students with so many things that are unavailable elsewhere. It gives students access to new, old, or slightly used cars. Some of the prices cannot be matched, and this is the main reason why Oratory’s location tops Seton Hall Prep.

The last category that will be addressed in this article is the amenities that the school offers. Seton Hall Prep has a nice sports complex, but it does not offer the full package as Oratory does. Oratory has it all when it comes to amenities. When you walk in the bathrooms in DeGaeta, you feel as if you were just reborn and rejuvenated. Not only are the bathrooms one of a kind, but Cavalero field can be used for several different sports which shows the extent to which we utilize all the space we can. Most recently, we installed new vending machines and a new catering service for lunch this year. Based on the data and studies profiled, Oratory is on the rise, and it has already risen past Seton Hall Prep on the way to surfing the Green Wave.