The end is near

by Brandon King

Super Bowl LVII is just days away. The hometown Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will go head-to-head on Sunday night for their right to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Both teams made different moves this offseason that completely flipped the direction of each franchise.

The Eagles came into this season with something to prove after a 9-8 season.

Crestwood Wrestling Comets eliminated from District 2 3A Duals

State-ranked Delaware Valley stormed past Crestwood 44-24 in the quarterfinal round of the District 2 Class 3A Team Wrestling Championships last week in Plymouth.

Magnus Bibla recorded Crestwood’s only pin, decking Christopher Dellabella in 45 seconds at 215 pounds.

Other Comet winners included Sam Jeckell, who posted an 11-3 major decision at 127; Thomas Stavitzski, who claimed a 15-12 decision at 139; Devin Shaw with a 16-1 technical fall at 152; and Lincoln Bibla, who won by forfeit at 189.

Crestwood went on to drop its consolation match to West Scranton (35-29), which had dropped its first contest to host Wyoming Valley West 33-29.

Delaware Valley, the number 3 seed, then went on to take out the second-seeded Spartans 34-24 in the quarterfinals, earning a berth in the team championship final against top-seeded Abington Heights. In the finals, the Warriors posted a 37-25 victory over Abington Heights, capturing their fourth district team title in the past six seasons, and securing a berth in the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships this week.

They identified the major weak points that GM Howie Roseman would need to address, the biggest being a true #1 wide receiver for young quarterback Jalen Hurts. Roseman found him by trading one of the Eagles first round picks for deep threat and reliable pass catcher A.J. Brown. Brown posted over 1,400 yards and double-digit touchdowns.

On the other hand, the Chiefs gave up their #1 guy Tyreek Hill, Patrick Mahomes’ favorite receiver because Hill wanted a contract extension which KC was not willing to give. This will be the first time Mahomes is without Hill in the Super Bowl so the Eagles will need to capitalize on this as well as prioritizing their #1 guy.

The keys to this game will be the Eagles running the ball and playing keep away from Mahomes. This should not be a problem for Philly as in the NFC championship all four of their touchdowns were from the running attack. Hurts is a versatile threat with his arm and his ability to get outside of the pocket and I think that plays a crucial role in a game where the defense will be playing against the most dynamic and arguably best at the quarterback position, Mahomes.

Hurts had 22 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing. In the Super Bowl he will have to have at least one of each if he wants to keep pace with Mahomes.

As for Kansas City they will need to try to do what many teams have failed at this year - beating the Eagles. The way they do this is turning the game into a shootout.

In this game Mahomes will have to show his ankle is fully healed and excel at getting out of the pocket. If the Chiefs want success look for Mahomes to be scrambling outside the numbers and looking downfield for specifically Juju Smith-Shuster or Travis Kelce. Kelce will be playing with a little extra chip on his shoulder as he will face his brother on Sunday. It will come down to the wire but at the end when the dust settles, I think Hurts will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy for the Eagles after an MVP caliber performance, a game in which the Eagles defense creates multiple turnovers and gets in Mahomes’ face. The score will look something like 27-21. What are your predictions? Will there be an unsung hero that nobody expects that changes the game?

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023