Loyalist NFL fans await Super Bowl 50

By William Proulx

BELLEVILLE – Football fans at  Loyalist College are eagerly waiting to see the Carolina Panthers  take on the Denver Broncos at Super Bowl 50 this weekend.

The game tends to create rivalries  – not only on the field, but amongst the fans.

Broncos fan Derek Holota, a student in the Public Relations program, says he’s not convinced that the high-flying Carolina Panthers have a chance against Denver.

“Defence wins championships.” Holota said. “Carolina may have the No. 1 offence, but you can wear as many zebra pants as you want (as Panthers quarterback Cam Newton did when arriving in San Francisco Sunday for the game) – Denver has the No. 1 defence.”

With speculation surrounding Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning‘s post-Super Bowl future, Holota added that he believes that if Manning, 39, wins the game he will have solidified his legacy and will retire. Manning is a future hall of famer who is seeking his second Super Bowl title in his 18th National Football League season. He won his first title back in 2007 with the Indianapolis Colts.

But Carolina fans Riley Maracle, also in the PR program, and fellow student Brayden Penley-Hilton say they believe in the Panthers.

Carolina has the best all-around athlete in the world in quarterback Newton, Maracle said. Newton is 26 years old and looking making his first Super Bowl appearance.

“He can throw the ball,” Maracle said. “He can run. He’s so smart – he’s happy, he’s cocky, and he’s going to lead them to greatness.”

Penley-Hilton said he too thinks the Panthers will win the game, since they’ve been defeating teams all season. The Panthers won 15 games out of 16 in the regular season to put them at the top of the NFL, while the Broncos had a 12-and-four record.

The Super Bowl takes place Sunday at Levis Stadium in San Francisco. The players will take to the field to at 6:30 p.m. EST.