The stage has been set for the biggest regular season NFL football game since ... well ... maybe forever. The unbeaten and thus far unchallenged New England Patriots play at the unbeaten Indianapolis Colts Sunday in Indianapolis.
The Patriots have been unstoppable so far this season on offense, but they haven't played a defense as good as Indianapolis. The Colts are much better this year than last year when they won the Super Bowl. They've made some personnel adjustments that have enabled them to play a tougher, more physical brand of football.
Everyone knows about the Patriots bringing in controversial receiver Randy Moss. The thought was that Moss would tear apart the team if things started to go bad. That certainly hasn't been a problem. The Pats' offense has been spectacular despite not having a consistent running game. Tom Brady is having a year like we have never seen before.
That being said, I'm picking the Colts. I like their physical style of football and their home-field advantage. Colts 28, Patriots 24.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Prep Football Playoffs
Except for Class A and six-man tonight and Class B next week, the first round of the playoffs are complete. It was a typical opening round. There were some upsets, some not-so-upsets and plenty of blowouts. That's expected when over half the teams in the state qualify for the postseason.
Burwell's win over Heartland in Class C-2 was a thouroughly enjoyable game. Some trick plays by both teams and a game that went down to the wire before the Longhorns prevailed 15-12. Sometimes teams seem to have luck on their side, and sometimes they make their own luck. Seemed to be a little of both for Burwell, which now hosts Superior.
The loaded West bracket in Class C-1 brings us a pair of great second round match-ups just 14 miles apart on Wednesday. No. 1 Hastings St. Cecilia travels to Pierce and GICC goes to Norfolk Catholic. Also, after traveling to Mitchell to post a 58-0 blanking, Adams Central gets rewarded by hosting Chadron.
Palmer made a statment in Class D-1 by blasting defending state champion Overton. Anybody not think the Tigers are for real? That's a mistake.
Burwell's win over Heartland in Class C-2 was a thouroughly enjoyable game. Some trick plays by both teams and a game that went down to the wire before the Longhorns prevailed 15-12. Sometimes teams seem to have luck on their side, and sometimes they make their own luck. Seemed to be a little of both for Burwell, which now hosts Superior.
The loaded West bracket in Class C-1 brings us a pair of great second round match-ups just 14 miles apart on Wednesday. No. 1 Hastings St. Cecilia travels to Pierce and GICC goes to Norfolk Catholic. Also, after traveling to Mitchell to post a 58-0 blanking, Adams Central gets rewarded by hosting Chadron.
Palmer made a statment in Class D-1 by blasting defending state champion Overton. Anybody not think the Tigers are for real? That's a mistake.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Big 12 not so bad
There was a lot of talk early in the season about how bad the Big 12 was. There were some struggles early, but now it's obvious the Big 12 isn't as bad as advertised. In fact, it's pretty darn good.
There may not be any great teams in the conference, but their are several that could pull in a BCS berth - including a couple from the previously horrid Big 12 North. Missouri and Kansas both have that look about them. The Tigers and Jayhawks are the class of the North, and will play Nov. 24 at Arrowhead Stadium. That will be a battle and will probably decide who plays Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game.
This year, unlike the last few, that North champion won't be a huge underdog in the conferencee title game. Missouri is good. So is Kansas. If you go deeper into the North, you see Colorado is a dangerous team. So is Oklahoma State. Nebraska and Iowa State? We won't go there.
Then you look at the South. Oklahoma is the class of the South. Texas is solid. So is Oklahoma State. Texas A&M and Texas Tech can do some good things at times. Baylor? We won't go there either.
There may not be any great teams in the conference, but their are several that could pull in a BCS berth - including a couple from the previously horrid Big 12 North. Missouri and Kansas both have that look about them. The Tigers and Jayhawks are the class of the North, and will play Nov. 24 at Arrowhead Stadium. That will be a battle and will probably decide who plays Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship game.
This year, unlike the last few, that North champion won't be a huge underdog in the conferencee title game. Missouri is good. So is Kansas. If you go deeper into the North, you see Colorado is a dangerous team. So is Oklahoma State. Nebraska and Iowa State? We won't go there.
Then you look at the South. Oklahoma is the class of the South. Texas is solid. So is Oklahoma State. Texas A&M and Texas Tech can do some good things at times. Baylor? We won't go there either.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Prep Football Week 8
In some rare positive football news this week in the state, it is Day 2 of the annual two-day end of regular season football festival. If Thursday was any indication, tonight should be a fun night.
Teams are fighting for playoff berths, home games and district titles. Grand Island Senior High hosts Kearney trying to bring an end to the Bearcats' winning ways in a battle for a district title.
Although the Class B season extends one more week, Aurora has its bye next week so it ends its regular season by hosting Seward with a playoff reservation on the line.
On Thursday, Ord earned its way into the C-1 field with a double OT win over Central City, also playoff bound.
Osceola snuck into the picture in Class C-2 by upsetting East Butler.
The game of the night saw C-1 No. 1 Hastings St. Cecilia best No. 5 Adams Central 7-0 on Riley Nikkila's 71-yard punt return for a TD near the end of the third quarter. This game could be taken several ways. Both teams showed they have defenses to get deep into the playoffs. But there's questions about the offenses now, even while playing on a windy and wet night.
Teams are fighting for playoff berths, home games and district titles. Grand Island Senior High hosts Kearney trying to bring an end to the Bearcats' winning ways in a battle for a district title.
Although the Class B season extends one more week, Aurora has its bye next week so it ends its regular season by hosting Seward with a playoff reservation on the line.
On Thursday, Ord earned its way into the C-1 field with a double OT win over Central City, also playoff bound.
Osceola snuck into the picture in Class C-2 by upsetting East Butler.
The game of the night saw C-1 No. 1 Hastings St. Cecilia best No. 5 Adams Central 7-0 on Riley Nikkila's 71-yard punt return for a TD near the end of the third quarter. This game could be taken several ways. Both teams showed they have defenses to get deep into the playoffs. But there's questions about the offenses now, even while playing on a windy and wet night.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Volleyball thriving in G.I.
Once again, the Grand Island high schools are producing some outstanding volleyball teams. Grand Island coach Bill Root, GINW coach Diane Rouzee and GICC coach Sharon Zavala are among the top coaches in the state.
The Islanders are following up last year's state runner-up finish with another fine season. They may not be quite as talented as last year's team, but they play hard and get the job done. The Islanders are hosting the first two rounds of the Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday.
Northwest is now 26-3 after winning the Central Conference Tournament on Saturday. The Vikings absolutely hammered a good Aurora team and a good Holdrege team. They beat Class B No. 1 Lincoln Pius X early this season and get another shot Tuesday, Oct. 23 when they host the Thunderbolts at GINW.
Central Catholic played what Zavala called their best volleyball of the season Saturday in winning the Utica Centennial Tournament. That included a surprisingly easy victory over Class C-1 No. 2 Centennial in the championship match. The Crusaders host Aurora on Tuesday.
If you're a volleyball fan, get out there and watch some of the best volleyball the state has to offer.
The Islanders are following up last year's state runner-up finish with another fine season. They may not be quite as talented as last year's team, but they play hard and get the job done. The Islanders are hosting the first two rounds of the Heartland Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday.
Northwest is now 26-3 after winning the Central Conference Tournament on Saturday. The Vikings absolutely hammered a good Aurora team and a good Holdrege team. They beat Class B No. 1 Lincoln Pius X early this season and get another shot Tuesday, Oct. 23 when they host the Thunderbolts at GINW.
Central Catholic played what Zavala called their best volleyball of the season Saturday in winning the Utica Centennial Tournament. That included a surprisingly easy victory over Class C-1 No. 2 Centennial in the championship match. The Crusaders host Aurora on Tuesday.
If you're a volleyball fan, get out there and watch some of the best volleyball the state has to offer.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
State softball tournament
Day one of the state softball tournament is almost in the books, and it was a rough one for Grand Island Senior High. The Islanders fell to Papillion-LaVista South 10-2 in five innings and Omaha Westside 10-0 in four innings. Still, the Islanders generated some highlights while taking a 2-1 lead against PLVS in the second inning. They had four hits in the inning against a team that hasn't given up more than two runs in a game this season and against ace Alexa Mackevicius, who came into state with a 23-0 record and a 0.45 ERA.
Things seemed to run pretty smoothly at Hastings' Bill Smith Softball Complex in its state hosting debut. Officials were keeping a close eye on last week's district tournament and using it as a trial run. Even though the facility has hosted a handful of national tournaments, everyone involved seems to be treating the state tournament as the most important event the complex has hosted.
One disappointing thing is the hostility some Omaha fans seem to have about having to come clear out here west of Lincoln to attend. A "Seymour Smith" chant even broke out during the Papillion-LaVista vs. Millard South first-round game in support of the Omaha facility that used to host state.
Why? The Smith Complex is a top-notch facility. Sure, it isn't fair that Omaha teams have to travel two-plus hours when teams like Grand Island, Hastings and McCook never pile up miles traveling to play games or attend state competitions. Yes, Hastings is 10 miles away from Cheyenne. But if your priority is to complain about everything instead of enjoying a well-run event, maybe you should make sure your daughter plays only sports that won't require any trip west of Lincoln...volleyball, swimming, basketball, tennis, soccer and track all make great options.
Things seemed to run pretty smoothly at Hastings' Bill Smith Softball Complex in its state hosting debut. Officials were keeping a close eye on last week's district tournament and using it as a trial run. Even though the facility has hosted a handful of national tournaments, everyone involved seems to be treating the state tournament as the most important event the complex has hosted.
One disappointing thing is the hostility some Omaha fans seem to have about having to come clear out here west of Lincoln to attend. A "Seymour Smith" chant even broke out during the Papillion-LaVista vs. Millard South first-round game in support of the Omaha facility that used to host state.
Why? The Smith Complex is a top-notch facility. Sure, it isn't fair that Omaha teams have to travel two-plus hours when teams like Grand Island, Hastings and McCook never pile up miles traveling to play games or attend state competitions. Yes, Hastings is 10 miles away from Cheyenne. But if your priority is to complain about everything instead of enjoying a well-run event, maybe you should make sure your daughter plays only sports that won't require any trip west of Lincoln...volleyball, swimming, basketball, tennis, soccer and track all make great options.
Friday, October 5, 2007
High School Football Week 6
With only three games left in the regular season, district races are really heating up.
There are plenty of interesting games in the area this week with district ramifications. Grand Island Senior High hosts North Platte in a meeting of teams that are 2-0 in the Class A, District 1 standings. The winner gets a likely district championship showdown against No. 1 Kearney.
The only 2-o teams in Class C-1, District 7 meet up when Grand Island Central Catholic goes to Boone Central. This should be a strong test for both teams with the Cardinals' varied and dangerous offense going against a Crusader defense that refuses to give up points.
In Class D-2, Spalding/Spalding Academy is at Chambers and Giltner travels to Pleasanton. Those are also all 2-0 teams in their respective districts.
There are plenty of interesting games in the area this week with district ramifications. Grand Island Senior High hosts North Platte in a meeting of teams that are 2-0 in the Class A, District 1 standings. The winner gets a likely district championship showdown against No. 1 Kearney.
The only 2-o teams in Class C-1, District 7 meet up when Grand Island Central Catholic goes to Boone Central. This should be a strong test for both teams with the Cardinals' varied and dangerous offense going against a Crusader defense that refuses to give up points.
In Class D-2, Spalding/Spalding Academy is at Chambers and Giltner travels to Pleasanton. Those are also all 2-0 teams in their respective districts.
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