Fenwick graduation 2012
Ponitz graduation 2012
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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2012 > February > 05 > Entry
Giants over the Pats and four other things I think
INDIANAPOLIS - Here are 5 things I think:
1 - The New York Giants will edge the New England Patriots today in Super Bowl XLVI…The score? How about 24-21.
2 - Giants tight end Jake Ballard from Springboro will make a couple of big catches against the Pats today. … He already helped New York derail New England, 24-20, on. Nov. 6. with a huge, 28-yard, third down catch on the game’s final drive and then he made the winning TD catch with just 15 seconds left.
Interestingly, Ballard is No. 85 for the Giants, the same number of another Giant who tormented the Patriots four years ago in Super Bowl XLII. New York got that 17-14 upset win thanks in a big way to David Tyree.
The unheralded wide receiver had the game of his life against the Pats, making his first NFL TD catch early in the contest and then making a spectacular, third-down, 32-yard snag - leaping up and pinning the ball to the top of his helmet - to set the stage for the 13-yard game winning TD pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress.
3 — Matt Light - the Patriots left tackle from Greenville - deserves to be the NFL Man of the Year. This is certainly not a knock on Baltimore’s Matt Birk, who won the prestigious award this year and will be presented with it today at the Super Bowl. The 14-year NFL center is a worthy recipient because his youth literacy program “Ready, Set, Read” and other projects that his foundation are in involved in.
But before he’s out of the game, Light - the 11-year vet who has started every game for which he’s been healthy but two since turning pro - should be honored for his work with the Matt Light Foundation, which helps youth nationwide with programs in Greenville, the Boston area, West Lafayette, Ind. (he’s a Purdue grad) and on a Montana Indian reservation, among other places.
His 500-acre camp, Chenoweth Trails, outside Greenville brings in teens from all different areas of the country and various ethnic groups and shows them how to get along and be better people using outdoor activities as a motivator. His Foundation already has an over $1 million endowment.
4 - Cris Carter belongs in the Hall of Fame. The Middletown High/ Ohio State wide receiver who played 16 NFL seasons with Philadelphia, Minnesota and Miami was bypassed again Saturday when the panel off 44 Hall voters failed to make him one of the five modern era players who will be enshrined later this year.
Carter was an eight-time Pro Bowler and remains No. 3 all time in NFL career TD receptions (130) and fourth in receptions (1,101). He had 13,899 career receiving yards.
5 - Peyton Manning will end up with the Miami Dolphins.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback is reported to have gotten medical clearance for the serious neck injuiry that kept him off the field this entire season. He’s due a $28 million bonus on March 8 and it’s almost certain the Colts aren’t going to pony up for the 36 year old vet.
Miami and Washington both want him badly and Manning - who owns a condo in South Florida - may well be enticed by the Dolphins, who seemed to be a team on the rise by season’s end. The have an offense-minded head coach in new boss Joe Philbin and a Pro Bowl receiver in Brandon Marshall. And the late-season sunshine sure is nice.
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