Kevin Gaiss
Staff Writer
The entire New England region was distraught Sunday Night as The New England Patriots trailed 21-3 at the half to the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. The feeling was universal – this one was a lost cause. There was no hope for beloved Pats. But prayers were answered, and in the second half, the world beared witness to one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
Tom Brady, or as most refer to him now, the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time), led his team to a 25 point comeback that will be remembered for a lifetime. There are certain moments in life that leave such an impact on you that you will always remember the feeling – where you were, and even what you were doing at the time – and for New England Fans, this was one of those moments.
“In the fourth quarter, every time Brady dropped back for a pass, I would hold my breath. As time ticked off the clock, I witnessed greatness and it was all for my team. That was something special,” said freshman Orion Seraph.
The wait was over and campus could breathe again. They had done it in a fashion that even a filmmaker couldn’t have made more dramatic. But with every great triumph, there are those that do not support the outcome.
“I felt like the game was set up for a ‘big comeback’, it just seemed to perfect and too extreme for it to be real,” freshman Giancarlo Lawrence explained.
Some believe the game was rigged and that there were controversial calls toward the end. However, the game is over and the overwhelming majority of students from the New England area could not be more excited.
“They (the Patriots) always seem to do better when they are the underdogs. I had given up by the end of the first half, but it only made it sweeter when they came out on top,” said freshman Carolynn Bedell.
There was victory in the air Monday morning as everyone shuffled to classes. For many, it was not just a typical Monday, but a day of mass satisfaction.
“I was just grateful to be a part of Pats nation and to be around so many other Patriots fans all day. The atmosphere was everything I could have wanted on that particular Monday,” freshmen Colin McKenzie was happy to report.
Students eating in Cheney Monday morning were greeted with smiles from the staff and would hear the occasional victory screech coming from our own baker Mike Lukas. The sounds and sights were some for the ages and appropriately so. Patriots jerseys and t-shirts were on every other person passing by as they grinned from ear to ear. To think that just the night before they had almost given up hope, and there they walked the next day proud to be a part of Pats nation.
Even those that were indifferent about the outcome of the game were shocked at the end result. Aarin Feliz, a sophomore, wasn’t concerned with the outcome.
“I was amazed at the end of the game, because I thought the Falcons were going to keep the pace of the game going but they remained sedentary. I thought that once the Pats punched them in the mouth, that they would punch back, but they didn’t and I think that’s why the Patriots were able to score so much,” Feliz explained. “I was excited to see the Patriots win based on the way they fought and the way they proved at the end of the game that they deserved to be Super Bowl champs.”
Whether you were for, against, or indifferent in regards to the Patriots, there were a few things to take away from this Super Bowl. The game isn’t over until the clock says so, Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T, and that brisk Sunday in February will live on in our memories forever.