With all four of the top seeds, coming off a bye week, claiming victories over the weekend, the two NFL championship games are set. The Chiefs host the Patriots for the AFC crown and the Saints will host the Rams in the NFC title game. The two winners meet February 3 in the Super Bowl.
I am, of course, disappointed that the Patriots handled the Chargers in dominant fashion Sunday. I have mentioned several times how I hoped Philip Rivers would get a chance to play in a Super Bowl. Rivers has displayed a lot of dedicated loyalty to the Chargers and has enjoyed a great career, but has been unable to ever play in the “Big Show.” I am now pulling for the Chiefs and the Rams, but it’s hard to bet against the Patriots and the Saints, who have each advanced through the playoffs in the past (numerous times for New England) and won Super Bowl games.
It was a disappointment for the Philadelphia Eagles, who after surging late in the season made the playoffs and advanced to the Divisional Round with a narrow (16-15) Wild Card win over the NFC North Champion Chicago Bears at Soldier Field last Sunday, January 6. The Eagles, again guided by backup quarterback Nick Foles, had their sights on repeating last year’s phenomenal playoff run and winning it all. But, it didn’t happen. After claiming an early 14-0 lead, the Saints scored 20 unanswered points and ended Philadelphia’s season three wins short of repeating.
The end of a season is always an empty feeling. No more games. No more practices. The playoffs and post-season tournaments are elimination affairs and when you lose — you’re done.
That feeling is especially painful if it comes on the heels of a highly-successful tournament run the preceding year. Heron Lake-Okabena won a girls basketball state championship with an undefeated record in 1981 and took a 22-0 record into the Region 2 championship game in 1982, but was defeated by a very good East Chain squad (43-39) and was not able to “relive” the excitement of the previous year’s state-tournament action.
The fact that the Chainers won two games at state and took Moose Lake into overtime in the championship game certainly indicated that the Scarlet Knights had their 48-game winning streak snapped by a top-notch opponent. But that was of little consolation, it only increased the “hurt” realizing that HL-O might have been able to repeat if they could have won that game at St. James against East Chain, like the Knights had the year before (52-50) in a thrilling regional semifinal matchup on that same court in front of a jam-packed crowd.
That so called “agony of defeat” hits just about every team every year. Only the state champion feels the complete “thrill of victory” after the last tournament game (the third-place winner and the consolation champion also win their last game). But, as I have said before there are lots of thrilling victories and memorable highlights during the regular season, which has way more games and practice preparation days than does the post-season tournament.
Speaking of the regular season, several area girls teams have been playing well and creating lots of exciting moments for area fans.
Hills-Beaver Creek’s girls are still undefeated (15-0), but the Patriots were challenged in a trio of close games in the past week. H-BC improved to 8-0 in the Red Rock Conference with narrow victories over Mountain Lake Area / Comfrey (59-48) and Red Rock Central (50-43) last week and then edged Hamlin County of South Dakota, 66-63, Saturday in a game at Dakota State University in Madison, S.D.
H-BC hosted Adrian Tuesday (January 15) and the Patriots will travel to Slayton Friday, the 18th, for a rematch with a good Murray County Central squad. The Rebels are 8-5 overall this winter (5-3 in the conference) and are coming off a 58-41 Friday night victory over Adrian. H-BC won the earlier meeting with MCC (at Hills on December 18), 73-38.
Adrian (4-8, 4-3) has a big upcoming game when they host Edgerton (2-8, 2-6) Friday, the 18th. The Dragons defeated the Dutchmen, 51-47, in the season-opener at Edgerton back on November 27.
Heron Lake-Okabena / Fulda is still seeking its first win. The Coyotes (0-13, 0-8) have been close in four games this season, including last week’s narrow 52-46 loss at Edgerton. The Coyotes host the Dutchmen in the rematch January 28 at Okabena. Later, in February, HL-O / Fulda has rematches with Westbrook-Walnut Grove (the 7th) and Adrian (the 18th), both games at Fulda. W-WG won by three (58-55) at Westbrook on December 6 and Adrian clipped the Coyotes by seven (42-35) at Adrian on December 14. Those three upcoming home games should provide plenty of competitive action.
A big non-conference boys’ basketball game is on tap this Friday (the 18th) when the Jackson County Central Huskies (10-2) travel to Minneota to tangle with the undefeated (13-0) Vikings, who are the state’s top-ranked Class A team.
JCC, coached by 2009 Fulda High School graduate and former Raider athlete Alex Hein, is riding a seven-game winning streak and is 5-1 in the Big South Conference West Division with league victories over Windom, Luverne, Pipestone, Worthington and Redwood Valley. Only Marshall, coached by 1997 FHS grad Travis Carroll, has a division win over the Hein’s Huskies.
