Ryan Bautista | Head Editor & Layout Manager
February 6, 2026
It’s finally time! In a postseason without a clear favorite (thank you to everyone who beat the Chiefs), the Super Bowl is upon us. After a postseason of insane final two minutes, heartbreaking losses, and coaches not taking field goals, one game remains.
This year, representing the AFC, we have a dynasty returning to the biggest game of them all, the New England Patriots. For the NFC, we have the powerhouse Seattle Seahawks, led by quarterback…oh boy, our football program is never going to shut up about this…Sam Darnold.
First off, absolutely nothing against Sam Darnold. His story has been crazy, from being drafted by the New York Jets third overall, to now finally making it to the Super Bowl with his fifth team. Oh yeah, and in case you’ve been living on the other side of the planet, he also went to SCHS. His mom has actually served as an assistant coach for our Girls Flag Football team, helping (obviously) with the quarterback position. Freshman Delaney Bautista stated that the hometown connection “absolutely makes her root for Seattle more,” and she hopes for her “football coach’s son to win!”
However, when someone talks about Sam Darnold and the Patriots, they often bring up a game when he was on the Jets in 2019. Down 33 points, he was caught telling his coaches he was “seeing ghosts,” a quote that has haunted him, no pun intended, for his career.
Thankfully for Seattle, the only ghosts around are the ones from the legendary Legion of Boom, inspiring their defense. Seriously, their defense has been insane, from getting 18 interceptions to being top seven in the NFL in sacks. Junior Charlie Coniglio called it “the best defense in football,” claiming “no one can compete against it.” He added how “if they stopped the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, the Patriots will be easy for them.” They are the number one scoring defense as well, and may as well be constructed out of complete ghosts. Why, you may ask? No one knows any of their names. Funnily enough, the same thing goes with the Patriots.
For the Patriots, this Super Bowl is a very nice surprise at the end of what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Last offseason, they completely cleaned house by firing everyone and hiring their former linebacker, Mike Vrabel, as their new head coach, while also hoping Drake Maye would become a good quarterback. Guess what? Drake Maye became an excellent quarterback, and Mike Vrabel won Coach of the Year. Maye was one of the two quarterbacks fighting for the MVP award, with the other being the eventual winner: Matthew Stafford. Maye was so good that the Patriots had 14 wins in a rebuilding year. There are teams who exclaimed, “this is our Super Bowl year” at the beginning of the season who went under .500 (Chiefs, Ravens, Cowboys), while the Patriots did that without breaking a sweat.
Now, there is a slight catch to this 14-3 record. Every NFL team must play its three divisional opponents twice, and the Patriots’ division includes the Jets and the Miami Dolphins. Neither one of those teams really screams “We’re so good! Beating us is a real accomplishment!” I mean, the Jets didn’t have a quarterback or an interception all season, and the Dolphins fired their coach at the end of the season. Especially compared to the gauntlet Seattle went through playing in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, the Patriots’ schedule may be a little easy.
Nevertheless, none of that matters now. There is one game left, and the best team will win. To end this off, here’s one piece of advice for the two teams:
Seattle: Run the ball on the one-yard line.
New England: Hope Tom Brady being in the building is enough to get you another trophy.
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