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Super Bowl 58 for dummies

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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.

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Baseball Roundup

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Nocona
The Nocona Indians ended their regular season with a sweep of Alvord to secure a number one seed heading into the playoffs.
The Indians won 13-6 and 3-1 to earn the top seed in the big school division in the playoffs.
With that much on the line despite already securing a playoff spot the previous week, Nocona had a lot to play for in its final regular season series.
The Bulldogs got on the board first with two runs, but the Indians answered with nine runs in the bottom of the first inning to retake the lead 9-2.
Both teams scored one run in the third inning before Nocona scored three runs in the fourth inning to go up 13-3. Alvord was able to extend the game and avoid getting run-ruled by scoring two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth inning.
The Indian bats were cold in the final three innings, but the defense bounced back to shut out the Bulldogs in the seventh inning to win 13-6.
RJ Walker and Jayce Lehde each drove in three runs to lead the team while Ladon Fatheree and Zyrus Moreno both drove in two runs. Nocona finished with nine hits and drew nine walks during the game.
On the mound, Walker Murphey pitched six innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on 12 hits while striking out one and walking two.
The second game was more a pitcher’s duel that had far less action scoring runs.
The Indians scored first in the second inning with one run, but Alvord tied the game with one run in the fourth inning. Nocona answered with two runs in the fifth inning and held on to win 3-1.
Lehde and Fatheree drove in one run each while Murphey scored the other run on the basepaths thanks to a wild pitch. Nocona had only two hits while the team drew seven walks.
Walker helped carry the team on the mound, pitching the whole game while giving up one run on four hits and striking out 13 batters. The defense committed no fielding errors.

Bellevue
The Bellevue Eagles ended their season on Monday this week, losing some tough games on the way out before closing with a win.
The Eagles lost to Perrin-Whitt 13-1, to Bryson 17-2 before beating Saint Jo 7-2 to end the season on a high note.
Bellevue struggled against the two other 1A teams in its district in its previous matchups as both teams are heading towards the playoffs. Both the Pirates and Cowboys proved it once again in the final matchup on April 22 and Monday before playing a team more on its level.
The Eagles and Panthers were 1-1 against each other this season. Playing after Bellevue’s loss to against Bryson right before on Saint Jo’s home field, the Eagles wanted revenge.
Bellevue got it with a 7-2 win against the Panthers to end both team’s season and this year improve the series 2-1 in the Eagles favor.
River Trail led the team with two RBIs while Hunter Blackburn had a team high two hits.
The team finished with seven hits and drew 10 walks.
On the mound, Bryce Ramsey allowed two runs on nine hits while striking out seven and walking five. The defense committed one fielding error.

Saint Jo
The Saint Jo Panthers had a tough final week to their disappointing season.
The Panthers lost to Bryson 10-4 before losing to Bellevue 7-2 to close out their season.
Saint Jo knew it was out of the playoff hunt and was playing for pride as it hoped to end the season with its head held high.
The Panthers played the Cowboys on April 22 and were put behind the eight ball when Bryson rallied off seven runs in the third inning. Saint Jo closed the game well, but could not overcome that bad inning as it lost 10-4.
Sam Martin, Charlie Evans, Mathew Sampson and Jayden Curry each drove in one run each. Saint Jo had nine hits and drew six walks during the game.
Unfortunately, Saint Jo’s defense allowed 10 hits and nine walks while committing five fielding errors.
The Panthers then waited a week before ending their season on Monday, due to rain causing the game to be rescheduled, against Bellevue. Each team had beaten the other so far this season and with both teams out of the playoffs, it was a game about local pride more than anything.
Unfortunately for Saint Jo, it did not go its way on Monday. The Eagles scored in every inning besides the first and seventh inning while the Panthers only scored in the fourth inning. Bellevue won 7-2.
Devin Stewart led the team with two RBIs on a double he hit. The team finished with eight hits and drew six walks, but it was not enough to hang with the Eagles.
The pitching staff allowed only four hits, but three fielding errors and nine walks allowed Bellevue to rack up the runs.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

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Jackrabbits end season with series sweep

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Bowie baseball Coach Jason McCoy picked up his 100th career win during the team’s senior night win last week.

The Bowie Jackrabbits finished their season last week with a dominant series sweep against Vernon.
The Jackrabbits won both games by run-rule 13-2 and 11-1 against the Lions.
Bowie came into the week with its playoff hopes shot after splitting with Holliday. The Jackrabbits were playing for pride and knew they had what it took to win decisively against Vernon and made sure to show it.
Game one did not start off great as the Lions scored two runs in the first inning, but Bowie answered with three runs of its own in the same inning, taking the lead 3-2 and never looking back.
The Jackrabbit defense shut down Vernon the rest of the game while scoring three runs in the second and fourth innings and four runs in the third inning.
It was enough to end the game early after four and half innings, Bowie winning 13-2 in its final home game on senior night.
Edmond De Leon led the team with four RBIs while Boston Farris, Trae Seigler and Jorge De Leon each had two RBIs. The team finished with 10 hits and drew seven walks as the team consistently found ways to score every inning of the game.
Farris got the start on the mound and allowed two runs on six hits while striking out seven and walking four during five innings of work. The defense committed no fielding errors.
The second game was on the road, but the Jackrabbits made sure not to start slow like they did in game one. Edmond De Leon blasted a three-run home run in the first inning to put Bowie up 3-0.
After a scoreless second inning, the Jackrabbits scored three runs in the third and fifth innings and two runs in the fourth inning. With the Lions scoring only one run in the third inning, that was all the run support Bowie needed to end the game early again after five innings.
The Jackrabbits won 11-1.
Edmond De Leon led the team with three RBIs while hitting a home run and a triple. Seigler and Austin Cheney drove in two runs. Bowie finished with 10 hits and drew six walks.
On the mound, Seigler pitched four innings and allowed one run (zero earned) on two hits while striking out and walking one batter. The defense committed three fielding errors.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

For pictures from the last home game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874727&T=1

For pictures from senior night, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874728&T=1

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Saint Jo softball loses to Knox City 21-7 in the playoffs

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Saint Jo catcher Tatum Morman tags a Knox City player out at home base to prevent a run from scoring.

The Saint Jo Lady Panthers season ended on Thursday night in the bi-district round of the playoffs against Knox City.
The Houndettes won by run-rule 21-7 after six innings, ending the Lady Panthers year since the series was condensed to just one game.
Saint Jo came into the series after winning the district title, but knew Knox City would be tough. Still, the Lady Panthers had played in and won several games with high scores which gave them hope they could hang with whatever the Houndettes to could bring.
Knox City got on the board first, scoring on a three-run triple to go up 3-0. Saint Jo answered in the same inning with Kamron Skidmore driving in two runs on a single to cut the lead to 3-2.
In the third inning the Houndettes drove in five runs on a single, double and home run to increase their lead to 8-2. The Lady Panthers got one run back in the same inning thanks to a fielding error at third base that drove in one run to make it 8-3.
After a scoreless fourth inning, Knox City added to its lead in the fifth inning. A fielding error allowed one run to score and a three RBI triple added three more to make it 12-3.
In the sixth inning, the Houndettes reeled off nine runs to as it looked like the end was near for Saint Jo. Down 21-3, the Lady Panthers needed to score nine runs to avoid getting run-ruled.
Down to the final out, Saint Jo started a two-out rally. An error at short stop resulted in two runs to score. Jordyn O’Neal then ripped off a two RBI triple as the Lady Panthers had more than doubled their score.
Unfortunately that is where it would end. The next batter grounded out for the final out.
Knox City won 21-7.
Skidmore led the team with three RBIs while O’Neal was second with two. The team finished with seven hits and drew two walks, but it was not enough to keep up with the Houndettes who had 13 hits and drew 12 walks. Saint Jo committed two fielding errors.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the weekly edition of the Bowie News.

For more pictures from the game, click here https://www.dotphoto.com/go.asp?l=bnews1&AID=6874729&T=1

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