Millions of fans geared up for the Super Bowl 58 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers, led by Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, and the Kansas City Chiefs, captained by the dynamic duo of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. The Chiefs looked to pick up their third ring in just 5 seasons, but the 49ers were hungry for revenge after losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.
Many people around State High were looking forward to the annual event, too. Matt Lintal, Head Coach of the State High football, was excited for this year’s Super Bowl.
“My son’s been watching every playoff game. Sitting there and just analyzing everything,” Lintal said, “I’ll look forward to sitting there and enjoying time with my wife and my two daughters and my son watching the game.”
Coach Lintal acknowledges these big games and knows they can have an impact on his players. He says watching higher-level games is crucial to his team’s success. “I think you need time [for] the kids to have that experience to be able to go out and watch college film, watch NFL film, and just take and learn from it,” Lintal said.
Lintal had trouble picking the team he thought would win. He acknowledged the fact that both teams had Hall of Fame athletes on both sides of the ball, but ended up going with the 49ers. “It’s tough rooting against Andy Reid and [Patrick] Mahomes and [Travis] Kelce,” Lintal said, “But I’m gonna go [with] Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, we’re going [4]9ers.”
The game was filled with lots of action and some great performances. 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings threw a touchdown and caught one in the same game, and if the 49ers had won, was looking like the favorite to win the Super Bowl MVP. The Chiefs managed to tie the game in the fourth quarter and send it to overtime. The overtime period had fans on the edge of their seats.
Without a local team involved in the game, many groups in State College were split on which team they preferred to win. “Me and my friends were split up,” Ben Rogers, a senior who was watching the game, said, “It was half of us rooting for the Chiefs, half of us rooting for the 49ers. We were screaming at each other at the end of [regulation].”
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan got a lot of backlash for electing to trot his offense onto the field first in OT instead of kicking it off to the Chiefs, but Rogers agreed with Shanahan. “I would do it, I would take the ball first… I’m confident with my weapons on offense and I’m confident with the team.”
Unfortunately for Shanahan and the 49ers, they couldn’t capitalize and had to settle for a field goal. Giving Patrick Mahomes a chance to lead his team down the field, and complete a short pass to a wide-open Mecole Hardman Jr. for the Super Bowl-winning touchdown.
The Chiefs won this season, but now fans (as well as the betting markets) are making their predictions of who will win next season. Next season will feature a Super Bowl in New Orleans and a plethora of exciting rookies looking to make a name for themselves in the 2024 season.
