At the start of the 2020-2021 NFL season, the league was unsure whether it would be able to complete a full season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five months later, Super Bowl LV will be played as scheduled at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The hometown team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will take on the reigning Super Bowl LIV champs the Kansas City Chiefs. Even though this past year has been challenging, Camas High School students are excited to have some normalcy and watch the Super Bowl.
CHS Senior Jacques Badolato-Birdsell said, “I will be watching it at my uncle’s crib and it is different for sure than other years because I won’t be able to see my other cousin because of Covid.”
CHS Senior Madeleine Holbrook, “I am simply going to avoid the male presence in my household that will be yelling at the TV screen today.”
CHS Senior Jake Silva said, “I am going to be watching the game at a friend’s house. This year is going to be a lot different, the super bowl comes around every year and it’s always exciting,”
CHS Senior Luke Basanta said, “Sadly, this year, I will be working during the super bowl.”
CHS Senior Ethan Jud, “I’m going to watch it with a few friends, I don’t have a plan yet. Usually, I would go to a Super Bowl party, but not this year because of Covid.”
CHS students made predictions about who they thought would come out victorious on Sunday.
“I’m split. I really like the Chiefs and Mahomes, but I think it would be cool to see Tom Brady win with a new team. I think I want Tampa Bay to win because they are the underdogs,” Jud said.
CHS Senior Seth Glover, “Chiefs because they have a more explosive offense and a good quarterback.”
“I will be rooting for the Buccaneers because I love Tom and his legacy,” Basanta said.
“I feel like the Chiefs are going to win the super bowl because they overall have a better offensive and defensive team,” Silva said.
“It’s a hard decision to make because it’s basically the goat versus the baby goat! If I was going to make a decision I would have to go with the Bucs because you can’t vote against Brady. He’s just different,” Badolato-Birdsell said.
CHS Senior Spencer Fewel said, “I think that the Chiefs will win a close game because they have such a great quarterback in Mahomes and they have so many weapons to use on offense and their defense is very solid too. It’s hard to go against Tom Brady in the Super Bowl but I have the Chiefs in a close one.”
CHS Senior Blake Bell said, “I think the Buccaneers are going to win simply because Tom Brady is the greatest to ever touch a football.”
The Super Bowl is full of great athletes and CHS students listed the players they are most excited to watch.
CHS Sophomore Easton McCarty said, “My favorite players are Tyreek Hill and Tyrann Matthieu.”
“My favorite player playing in the Super Bowl is Ronald Jones II because he went to my favorite college USC and was a great running back there. He’s also had a breakout season this year in the NFL so I hope he plays well,” Fewel said.
“Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill because they are good, awesome, fast, and smart,” Glover said.
“Tyreek Hill is just a great athlete to watch and every time he touches the ball he is going to do something special with. Leonard Fournette just loves the heart he plays with and the physicality. He makes it known that he is a bad, bad man and hard to tackle,” Badolato-Birdsell said.
“Tyreek Hill is one of my favorite players on the chiefs, he shows off immaculate speed and makes crazy plays which makes the game more entertaining,” Silva said.
Even though CHS students are thrilled to be able to watch the Super Bowl this year, there is no denying how different it will feel.
“I do think it is different than years past because with this game being in Tampa, and one of the teams in the Super Bowl being Tampa Bay. If the normal amount of fans were allowed in the stadium, I think it would really affect the game, obviously in Tampa Bay’s favor,” Fewel said.
“But this year you cannot have these big gatherings and the stadium won’t be that full which doesn’t give the same excitement,” Silva said.
CHS students shared the things that excite them the most about the big game.
“My favorite part gotta be seeing the result of the game. I ain’t really into the halftime show until they can get a well-known rapper,” Badolato-Birdsell said.
“My favorite part about the Super Bowl is the fourth quarter, it always gets so exciting,” Silva said.
“My favorite part definitely has to be the funny costumes during the halftime show and I am especially excited to see Gronk play this year,” Basanta said.
