BY KYLE ZIES (’16)

A weekly addition of news and notes across the sports world, all in the humble eye of Kyle Zies.

NFL Notebook:

In 1999, one of the games’ greatest running backs walked away from the game at an early age. Barry Sanders opted for early retirement rather than sticking it out with the God awful Detroit Lions. Just under twenty years later, the Lions are having major déjà vu as arguably one of the greatest receivers of all time is going to choose early retirement as well. Calvin Johnson, or “Megatron”, is only 30 years old and still dominates secondaries across the league. The sad truth to this is that the Detroit Lions’ brass has failed to bring in an adequate number two receiver for Matthew Stafford to throw to. Defenses have keyed in on Megatron leading to massive amounts of beatings the 6’5 receiver has taken. Those beatings have finally taken their toll and it’s time for Johnson to walk away. Shame on you Detroit.

Granville Boys’ Basketball Wrap-Up:

In a season that entered with questions and puzzle pieces scattered, head coach Adam Teeters was able to complete the jigsaw to win the LCL Championship Tuesday night over Watkins Memorial. When asked about the overall thoughts on the game, senior Alex Meurer stated “This was a big team win. Everybody stepped up and showed that our loss against Watkins (during the regular season) was a fluke.” Meurer went on to say the coaching staff played an integral role throughout the night and the season. The Aces now head off into post season play, as the 13^th seed and will play the winner of the Johnstown versus Highland game. Johnstown, almost a sure bet to win, will be another great test for the Aces who are finally budding into their own identity and might be poised for a post season run after their statement win over Watkins.

John Scott and the All-Stars:

Just when Gary Bettman and the NHL thought they were toast, an unlikely hero came out of the shadows and perhaps rescued the annual all-star game for at least another season. John Scott played as a fan favorite this year, although not necessarily to the league’s liking, and actually netted two goals in the new 3-on-3 format. The tournament style of play in 3-on-3 games versus the traditional 5-on-5 format ramped up intensity of the games and was much more appealing to the fans. Scott, who now resides with the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, the St. John’s IceCaps, may never play again at the NHL level simply because of lack of talent and need in the league. However, he did make his mark on history and in the words of my kid brother, “stuck it to the man”.

Granville Baseball Preview:

The Aces depth chart remains similar to last year as they lose a very small amount of seniors and starting players will return to the lineup. “We have the potential to be very good because we are a very senior landed team and we expect big things from us this year,” senior Sam Stewart, committed to Jefferson College in Missouri, said. In the dugout this year will be Vince Ghiloni, for another year and shot at a title. With the likes of Zach Vanderink, Matt Crudele, Zach Blumling, Stewart, among others, the Aces are a veteran team and one who has no room for growing pains.

Cleveland Cavaliers:

This whole season the Cavaliers have been consistently inconsistent. On January 22, the Cavs brass (cough, LeBron James, cough) made a change and fired head coach David Blatt. The LeCavs turned right around and named assistant coach Tyronn Lue head coach and gave him a three year contract extension. Hmm. Since then, the Cavs have generated much more offense, putting up consistently 95 to 100-plus points per game. However, the defense has struggle, allowing consistently 95 to 100-plus points per game. The Cavs defeated the San Antonio Spurs and things were looking great, they turned around and struggled against the Pacers and fell to the Hornets and Celtics, respectively. Kevin Love has looked much better in my opinion since the Blatt firing but, in all its hard to consider this Cavs team as elite. Dangerous, but not elite.

Extended Piece: Super Bowl 50

In an earlier print issue, I stated my depression for the end of an era in which Peyton Manning held for many years. However, I spoke too quickly. In week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, head coach Gary Kubiak benched the young deputy Brock Osweiler and put back in the old sheriff Peyton Manning. Manning never looked back as he led (sort of) the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl 50 and pulled off the win over the seemingly unstoppable Carolina Panthers.

Wade Phillips and the number one ranked defense won the game and the season for Denver. However, we have to give Peyton Manning a little credit. Manning was a conductor of the offense. He was able to put his team in position to win games. He didn’t put up Peyton Manning-like numbers on the stat sheet but, he was able to take some pressure off the defense, kill some clock, and put up some points.

The sheriff will most likely walk away from the game. Riding off into the sunset like a true cowboy would after his final shootout in Santa Clara at Levi Stadium. Manning is a first ballot Hall of Famer. Manning is an ambassador to the game. Manning is a role model. Manning will forever live in our hearts as perhaps the greatest quarterback in NFL history and his highlights will play in our minds for eternity.