SPORTS

Super Bowl 58 for dummies

Published

9 months ago

02/10/2024

In case you haven’t already been invited to a get-together, Super Bowl Sunday is coming up.
This column is not for the person who has spent every weekend gorging on football since late August to the point they didn’t know what to do with themselves last weekend with whatever the Pro Bowl is now.
It’s for the person whose only exposure to football on television is it being the cause of other people’s extreme mood in your house. That annoying show which runs over its time slot more often than should be allowed when you just want to watch “60 Minutes.”
The all-encompassing sport that everyone around you is so obsessed with and you feel left out at this point in your life.
If this is the only football game you watch any minute of this year and would like to know a bit more than just which team is the underdog so you can root for them, then this is for you.
The two teams are the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs competing in Super Bowl LVIII or number 58 because roman numerals are cool.
If you are feeling a little deja-vu when you see these team names, you are not going crazy. Yes, these two teams played each other four years ago. Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs have been in the Super Bowl four of the last five years while winning three of them, including that first game against the 49ers.
Despite that, they are not some juggernaut team or even the favorites heading into this game. This is arguably the worst Chiefs’ team of all of the most recent ones, but somehow through sports magic, some all-time great players and maybe some magic from Taylor Swift, they have clawed their way back.
Yes, a huge storyline is the fact that one of Kansas City’s best players, tight end Travis Kelce, is dating Swift. It has been going on all season and every game there are at least a few cuts to a luxury box of her reacting to the game. Some people are sick of this by now. Even as not a proclaimed Swifty, I think it is massively overblown, but we can deal with the 10-20 cuts we’ll get in-between plays.
Still, the main reason the Chiefs are riding their little dynasty now is because of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Texas-born and Texas Tech graduate has been the best quarterback in the league since he emerged six years ago and is already on pace to be among the greatest quarterbacks in league history. A win will enter him into the conversation of all-time greats at his position and he is only 28 years-old. We need to enjoy him even if it feels like we are living in a time loop with all of his winning. Off the field, he’s still likeable at this point and has no scandals to speak of outside of being caught with a “dad bod” with his shirt off in the locker room. He took it in stride since he is in fact a dad.
The only big name to know on defense for the Chiefs is the plainly named Chris Jones, a big pass rushing defensive lineman who has been along for the ride.
Coach Andy Reid is putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career, after being called one of the best offensive coaches who could never win the big one up until this recent run. His Santa Claus energy is being rewarded.
With all of this recent success, maybe you still don’t want to root for a potential dynasty that despite being the technical underdogs, have championship experience to carry them through. Just remember the Chiefs have already lost one of their recent Super Bowl appearances, so they have suffered a little.
Also take into account, Kansas City had no Super Bowl appearances since 1970 up until this recent run started. The fans had almost 50 years of barely being relevant outside of a couple of fun offensive eras.
Maybe I am trying to influence you because the favorite 49ers have cost my sad Dallas Cowboys both in recent years and historically in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
San Francisco was the team of the ‘80s in the NFL, racking up four Super Bowl wins with the at the time quarterback “GOAT” Joe Montana before getting one more in 1995 to ruin the Cowboys chance to three-peat.
While the 49ers haven’t won since and lost their most two recent appearances in 2013 and 2020, that type of 15-year run means they can never garner any sympathy. Heck, the Cowboys never even had that type of run and people hate them much more, though for various other reasons.
Beyond my bias, this San Francisco team has been the front-runner almost all season. The 49ers are stacked with so many weapons on offense I don’t want to bore you by naming them all.
The person getting the ball to all of these guys is possibly one of the great underdog stories if you want to get sappy. Quarterback Brock Purdy was not expected to be relevant when he was drafted as the very last pick in the 2022 draft.
The last pick in every draft gets called “Mr. Irrelevant” and gets a celebration in their honor amongst other stuff. Only two players, a guard and a kicker, have ever had any type of long-term career in the NFL so the ironic nickname has been true until recently.
Purdy has been so good since taking over midway through last year and all of this season, that people still aren’t sure if he is actually this good. There is just no way this physically unimpressive, baby-faced guy who has been average at best in both high school and college at Iowa State University can just walk into the NFL and be one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
It’s mostly because of his stacked skill players on offense and a head coach named Kyle Shanahan, who has been one of the most influential offensive coaches in the last 10 years. He is only missing a Super Bowl ring to cement his legacy. He is also the son of two-time Super Bowl winning Coach Mike Shanahan.
The thing that puts the 49ers over the top is their defense that also has many big names like recent defensive player of the year Nick Bosa along with linebacker Fred Warner.
Despite being stacked, San Francisco has just barely survived both of its playoff games against opponents many thought it had a huge talent advantage.
Root for the front runners at your discretion.
Some last second reminders about the game. It starts early at 5:30 p.m. and is on CBS or Paramount+ if you are a cord cutter.
Reba McEntire is singing the national anthem and Usher is the millennial act for the halftime show. My junior high self will probably identify with his 20 year old biggest hits, but you have probably heard them as well at any dance during the past 14 years.

SPORTS

Girls compete in school rodeo

Published

6 hours ago

10/26/2024

bowienews

Courtesy photo

Tess Egenbacher (above), a Bowie High School sophomore, competed at the Texas High School Rodeo Region 3 last weekend in Graham. She placed eighth on Oct. 19 with 22.351 seconds and sixth place on Oct. 20 running 22.866. Also competing was senior Kiley McCracken from Prairie Valley who finished 19th with a run of 18.037 in rodeo three and in rodeo four she was 21st with a run of 18.276. Kiley also ran Oct. 18 at NXHSRA in Saginaw with a run of 17.507. Her younger sister Kinsley McCracken, who is in fifth grade, competed in goats, barrels and poles. In Rodeo three she placed fourth in poles with 26.820. In rodeo four she got fourth in goats with a run of 14.450, barrels seventh with a run of 22.384 and fourth in poles with a run of 26.175.

SPORTS

Volleyball Roundup

Published

6 hours ago

10/26/2024

bowienews

Prairie Valley’s Kailie Cearley looks to spike the ball hard past Gold-Burg’s blocker at the net.

Prairie Valley vs Gold-Burg
The Prairie Valley Lady Bulldogs were able to bounce back with a win against Gold-Burg at home on Wednesday night.
The Lady Bulldogs won in straight sets 3-0 against the Lady Bears.
Prairie Valley was coming off a disappointing loss against first place Saint Jo, which would prevent the Lady Bulldogs of having a shot at the district title.
Gold-Burg was hoping it could catch a Prairie Valley team off guard as the young Lady Bears team is looking for its first district win.
It was the third time the teams have played this season and it went similar to the first two times.
The Lady Bulldogs won with the set scores being 25-13, 25-6 and 25-12.

Bowie
The Bowie Lady Rabbits lost a tough match at Holliday on Tuesday night.
The Lady Eagles won in straight sets 3-0 against the Lady Rabbits as the end of the season draws near.
Bowie was looking for its first district win and knew it would be tough to get it at Holliday on Tuesday. The Lady Eagles were ranked 11th in the state in 3A coming into the week.
The first two sets were similar scores. The Lady Rabbits fell behind, but at times competed well with Holliday. Unfortunately it was not enough to come back in either set as the Lady Eagles won 25-13 in both.
The final set Bowie could never get anything going. Holliday turned it up a level and the Lady Rabbits could not keep up. The Lady Eagles won the set 25-8 and the match 3-0.

Nocona
The Nocona Lady Indians won on the road on Tuesday at Olney to set up a showdown in their next match.
The Lady Indians easily beat the Lady Cubs in straight sets 3-0.
Nocona came into the match confident, having previously beaten Olney on its own home floor a few weeks previously.
The Lady Indians won with the set scores being 25-13, 25-17 and 25-10.
Ava Johnson led the team with 12 kills and seven service aces. Jolie Rose, Paige Davis and Raylea Bowles each had five kills.
Leah Meekins had a team high 18 assists while Kasi Castro was second with nine. Kaygan Stone was second with three aces.
On defense, Aubree Kleinhans had a team high 10 digs while Johnson and Meekins each had five. Bowles had one block.

Forestburg vs Bellevue
The Forestburg Lady Horns won their biggest match of the season at home on Monday night against Bellevue to secure a playoff spot.
The Lady Horns won in straight sets 3-0, but each set was competitive and came down to the wire.
Forestburg came into the match with a bit more confidence, having won the first matchup at Bellevue a few weeks previously to sit in third place.
The Lady Eagles needed to win if they wanted a chance to possibly set up a play-in game against the Lady Horns for the final playoff spot.
Each set was competitive and point-to-point down to the final few serves. Forestburg came out on top in the first set 26-24, which set the tone for the match.
The second set was also close, but in the end the Lady Horns were able to get some breathing room on their way to winning 25-21 to go up 2-0.
With Bellevue’s back and against the wall, the Lady Eagles fought back and made sure they were not just going to lay down for Forestburg.
Back and forth it went and like the first set, it came down to executing the final few serves.
Also like the first set, the Lady Horns were able to come out on top 25-23 to earn the victory 3-0.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekend edition of the Bowie News. To see more pictures from the Prairie Valley and Gold-Burg match, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6869975&T=1

SPORTS

Several runners qualify for state cross country meet

Published

7 hours ago

10/26/2024

bowienews

The regional cross country meets were on Monday and Tuesday and the area schools are sending a handful of athletes to the state meet.
Overall there is one team that qualified and five individuals who will be competing with the best of the best in Round Rock.
To qualify for state, the criteria are the top four teams in each race and the first 10 runners in each race who are not on one of those four teams.
The Bowie Jackrabbit boy’s team competed at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock in the 3A Region I race. It was heartbreaking as the Jackrabbits finished fifth overall and were only six points away from fourth place Lubbock Roosevelt, which would have sent the team to state.
Thankfully, senior top runner Isaac Renteria was able to qualify himself. He finished seventh overall with a time of 16:53. Brayden Willett almost qualified individually as well, but was just the second runner to be cut off. He finished in 23rd. Russell Anderson got 38th, Sebastian Martinez was not far behind at 41st and Jackson Frye got 64th.
Coach Ryan Dykes was crushed for his team, but was proud for Renteria.
“The Rabbits ran exceptionally well on this challenging course,” Dykes said. “Several runners had great days and rose to the occasion. We are so proud of Issac making it to state at the 3A level after running 1A the last three years. All the boy and girl runners have given their absolute best for their season.”
Nocona and all of the 1A schools ran at Lynn Creek Park in Grand Prairie.
Nocona runners ran in the 2A region II races at the end of the first day.
The Lady Indians only had one runner compete, but she made it count. Junior Bayler Smith was able to qualify individually, finishing 16th overall with a time of 12:54.
Coach Kyle Spitzer was proud of her, knowing Smith had experience being on two teams that qualified for state, but did it almost alone this year.
“I am very proud of the work and the sacrifices she has made to get to this point,” Spitzer said. “Also I need to give Reagan Phipps a shoutout as well. She is the manager, but she also works out with Bayler at every practice. So it’s good to have her there to push her and keep her motivated.”
Unfortunately, she will be the only Nocona runner at state this year. The Indians team finished 15th overall.
The Indians top runner was Freddy Duran who got 41st with a time of 19:02. Nocona’s top five runners were Andrew Perez (52nd), Omar Salinas (63rd), Emilio Rocha (115th) and Corbyn Patton (125th).
Coach Brody Wilson lamented it being his team’s final race, but was proud of how they did against tough competition.
“I thought the boys competed hard and did their best,” Wilson said. “Our region is very tough with very fast runners. I am proud of what they accomplished this year, especially getting back to regionals as a team.”
The area 1A schools competed on the final day in the 1A region III race.
Saint Jo almost pulled off the feat of sending both of its teams to state, but its girls team just missed the cut by four points.
The Panther boy’s team qualified for the second time in three years, earning third place overall and was only five points from second place Saltillo.
Barrett Johnson was the team’s top runner as he got 12th place with a time of 19:05. His next three teammates were not far behind with Jayden Curry getting 13th, Elijah Young earning 15th and Julian Luna getting 18th. Ayden Giambruno got 46th to round out the scoring.
The Lady Panthers were trying to make it back to state for the second straight year, but were four points away from fourth place Newcastle and seven from third place Woodson.
Still, the team’s top runner, sophomore Savannah Hill, was able to qualify individually. She finished ninth overall with a time of 13:28. The team’s top five runners included Taylor Patrick (20th), Abby Carter (45th), Jordyn O’Neal (51st) and Mercedes Diaz (56th).
Coach Daniel Lindenborn was hoping both teams would qualify, but knows his runners gave their all and is happy for those that are advancing to state.
“At the end of the day you either have the race you hope for or you don’t,” Lindenborn said. “We had some runners who ran their hardest and got the results they wanted. We had some runners who ran their hardest and didn’t get the results they wanted. Our entire cross country team is excited for the runners who advanced to state and proud of the effort given by each member throughout this season.”
Bellevue had both of its teams compete, but neither were able to advance. The Lady Eagles got 11th place and the boy’s team earned 18th place. However, one runner did break through to qualify for state.
Freshman Mattie Broussard finished first overall with a time of 12:36, which was nearly 20 seconds faster than second place. The Bellevue girl’s top five runners also included Brittany Gill (67th), Tristin Shook (83rd), Brooklyn Shook (88th) and Mary Grace Broussard (99th).
The boy’s team top runner was River Trail who got 47th with a time of 21:55. The Eagle’s top five runners also included Brycen Bancroft (96th), Ryan Jones (112th), Evan Chavez (119th) and Cowyn Langford (125th).
Prairie Valley only sent two runners to the regional meet, but both were able to qualify for state again. Senior Linzie Priddy got 11th place while running 13:37. It was her third time to qualify for state in cross country and the second time in a row.
Sophomore Josh Stout got 22nd with a time of 20:05. It is the second year in a row he qualified for state in cross country.
Coach Kent Caruthers thought both athletes got what they deserved after putting in the work all season.
“I am not now or ever been a distance runner so I respect these athletes greatly to train and compete in cross country,” Caruthers said. “Both made it to state last year also so they know what they have to do to be successful. Both are great students as well as athletes and I am very proud of them.”
Forestburg had one runner compete. Jesse Wadsworth got 36th with a time of 21:03.