In the middle of the 1^st quarter, some players got frustrated and confused because some calls the ref’s made. Owen could not understand why the traveling calls were made. The Bolton guys were happy that they were up but at the end of 2nd quarter BHS went up by 5. The excited audience got up on their feet to encourage them and got caught up in the fast paced game.

During half-time, it was unclear whether valuable players Aaron Bell and Desmond Howard might be hurt, but they both got ice packs and were back in the game by the end of 4^th quarter.

Third quarter went as planned with Desmond Howard and Chris Chiozza were back and forth with the lay-ups and rebounds, but because of bad defense  Bolton got back a 2 point lead.

Later in the 4^th quarter, a misunderstanding about possession delayed the game for about two  minutes. With 3 minutes on the clock, Marqurious Boddie (Itchy)  threw the ball to Ant, and  Anthlon threw up a three before their clock time was up.

Coming back down the court on Bolton’s end, Jeffrey Dockett stole the ball and rushed down the court with a minute to go,  passed it to Chris , who tossed it back to Itchy who made a lay-up. The Real BHS the crowd went crazy, the game was over, and the final score was 76 to 66. Leaving our Bartlett High boys basket bell team with a 17-3 record.

The conference championships ended in dramatic fashion as the New York Giants defeated the San Francisco 49’ers in overtime after a Kyle William’s fumble on a punt, and the New England Patriots won by preventing overtime, with Billy Cundiff missing the potential game-tying, 32-yard field goal with only 11 seconds remaining.

The rematch is interesting, yes, but the way these two teams are coming into this game is different than last. The Patriots are not undefeated, and the Giants are not necessarily huge underdogs. Back in Super Bowl XLII, the Patriots were 12-point favorites and lost by 3, but in this game, the Patriots are still favorites, but only by 3. In fact, the Giants’ run to the Super Bowl more resembles the Green Bay Packers’ run last year. Having to win their last few games to get in the playoffs and knocking off 3 teams to get to the Super Bowl, even the Packers themselves suffered defeat from the Giants.

The Patriots however, were the number one seed in the AFC, defeating Denver and Baltimore. Furthermore, Tom Brady is playing great football, especially with tight end Rob Gronkowski. But is Eli playing better? Manning has more 4^th quarter touchdowns this season than any other quarterback, which  helped earn him  the most 4^th quarter comebacks. Manning also has receivers Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks to throw to.

This Super Bowl may be a rematch from only four years ago, but it brings all the hype for a game of this magnitude.

The road the Indy becomes clearer as the final four teams remain, with Baltimore traveling to Foxboro to face the Pats and the Giants heading to San Fran.

Tom Brady and the Patriots will be ready for the Ravens after scoring 45 points against the Broncos. The Broncos were unable to stop Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski, but the Ravens won’t allow 45 points. This strong and relentless Raven D, led by Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, is hungry for a chance at getting after Brady. Their  offense needs to step up, especially quarterback Joe Flacco. He will have to play like an elite quarterback and make some clutch plays and reduce turnovers if Baltimore hopes to go to the Super Bowl.

The 49’ers and Giants are both on an emotional highs after 49’ers tight end Vernon Davis caught the game-winning touchdown against the Saints and the Giants defeated the favored Pack. The Packers were at home, had 2 weeks to rest and get healthy, but lost the game due to clumsiness. Four fumbles and 8 dropped passes caused the Pack to struggle all game. And that last-ranked defense in the league finally came back to haunt them, giving up 37 points, and disrupting the flow of the offense. It’s no wonder why New York is moving on.

The underdog Broncos pulled the upset at home against Pittsburgh. The overtime victory had people crazed. The first play in overtime saw Tim Tebow bullet an 80-yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas to finish off the Steelers.

That means the Broncos head to New England for the top-seeded Patriots. Will Tim Tebow’s prayers run out in New England? Or will Tebow prove he can play with Tom Brady, one of the best of the best?

The other 3 games resulted in blowouts: Houston defeating Cincinnati 31-10, New Orleans cruising past Detroit 45-28, and New York crushing Atlanta 24-2.

Houston heads to Baltimore to take on the 2^nd seeded Ravens. Most people had counted on the Texans losing to the Bengals, but a hardworking defense and a big time rusher like Arian Foster can stun anyone. With Baltimore having a week to prepare and rest for this divisional match-up, the Ravens will obviously be favored at home against the same banged up Texans. Can Houston do it again?

New Orleans travels out West to San Francisco to take on the 49’ers. New Orleans is on fire right now, currently on a 7-game winning streak. But the 49’ers have a week to rest and prepare. So who has the advantage? A well-rested San Francisco team with one of the best defenses in the league? Or the red-hot Saints with Drew Brees? Saturday brings all the answers.

This round concludes with New York Giants at the Green Bay Packers. The Giants came close to upsetting the Packers in the regular season. But will this time be different? The Packers are rested and will have wide receiver Greg Jennings returning from his injury. Can the Giants and Eli Manning defeat the defending Super Bowl champs? As long as Rodgers outplays Manning and reduces turnovers, as well as the defense creating turnovers, this game will no question be won by Green Bay. For the Giants, keeping the ball out of Rodgers hands is a priority.

The first AFC match-up holds two rookie quarterbacks, Andy Dalton for the Bengals and T.J. Yates for the Texans.

The Texans’ first division title in team history and first year to make the playoffs will be a rough one. The Texans are hobbled by key player injuries such as starting quarterback Matt Schaub, back-up quarterback Matt Leinart, and star wide receiver Andre Johnson.

Yes, the Texans are down to their third string rookie qb and on a 3-game losing streak, but as the AFC South champs, they have confidence.

The Cincinnati Bengals on the other hand, have an enormous amount of confidence. Rookie quarterback Andy Dalton has turned the Bengals from a 4-win team, to a playoff team in just one year. Much of that credit goes not only to Dalton, but to other rookie standout wide receiver A.J. Green. Green was the first rookie receiver to make the Pro Bowl since Anquan Boldin in 2003.

In the NFC, the Saints and Lions meet on Saturday night at 7. The Lions’ have the toughest match-up, facing the red-hot Saints. Matthew Stafford is having an incredible year, throwing over 5,000 yards and 41 touchdowns. Calvin Johnson, Lions star receiver, had an amazing year as well, with 1,681 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Lions defense, especially defensive lineman, Ndamukong Suh, will have to be well disciplined for the Saints’ offense.

The Saints come into the playoffs with a 13-3 record with Drew Brees at quarterback. That’s enough to scare any defense. Brees set records this season throwing 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns. Tight end Jimmy Graham also emerged as a huge threat, catching 11  touchdowns with 1,310 yards. The Saints are the heavy favorites in this game as well as the only team given the chance to upset Green Bay in the NFC.

Sunday brings the last two games of the weekend: the Atlanta Falcons at the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Denver Broncos.

The Atlanta Falcons declined from a 13-3 season last year, to a 10-6 season. Still, Matt Ryan had his best year statistically, throwing 4,177 yards for 29 touchdowns. Rookie receiver Julio Jones and other receiver Roddy White had great years and gave two big receivers for Ryan to throw to. But Atlanta will have to show up on the defensive side of the ball if they are to defeat the Giants.

The New York Giants enter the playoffs as the NFC East champs due to their victory over the Cowboys in the season finale. Eli Manning has had a great year at quarterback this year throwing 4,933 yards and has led the Giants to 5 fourth quarter comeback wins. Victor Cruz at receiver and Jason Pierre-Paul on defense had amazing years as well. Cruz had 9 touchdowns and 1,536 yards, while Pierre-Paul had 16.5 sacks on defense. If the Giants can stop Ryan and his two star receivers, as well as running back, Michael Turner, the Giants should “Cruz” to a victory.

The final game of this weekend will prove to be more interesting than expected.

The Steelers look to be the clear favorite in this game, but with running back Rashard Mendenhall out for the season, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hobbled by a high-ankle sprain, the Broncos have a better chance. Injuries are plaguing the reigning AFC champs from last season. Along with Mendednhall and Roethlisberger, safety Ryan Clark is not playing Sunday. If the Steelers can pull through with all the injuries, they can be a real threat.

Tim Tebow. That’s all the Bronco fans want to see. Tim Tebow winning. Whether it is running or throwing the ball, Tebow must show up, along with running back Willis McGahee. The defense knows their target is getting after Roethlisberger. If his ankle injures get worse, it will severely hurt the Steelers’ chances for a win.

Winners were: Alex Carroll-third in the 106 division, Taylor Gibson-third at 138 division, Knox Strawn-second in the 145 division, Will Small-third at 160 division, Kevin Reeves-second in 170 division, Tony Hawkins-first in the 182 division, Emmanuel Barrientos-third in the 195 division, Gary Hall-fourth in the 220 division, and Adrian Keeley-fourth in the 285 division.

It is hard to say how the loss of five seniors will affect next year’s season, but Coach Walker said, “ We are going to be losing quite a bit of size, big front-line players, strength, and experience.” Walker, who earlier in the season won her 600^th game, is an optimist. “The team next season will be a younger team, but you never know what will happen.” With freshman Kenzie Fields named MVP of the district tournament and having three more years to improve, it will probably be something good.

Senior night was not only an amazing game but an emotional one with all the seniors playing their final snaps of Bartlett Panther football.

About his game-winning final kick as a Panther, Caleb Prince said, “It was a clutch kick to get us the win, yes, but it was more than that. It was our last game playing for Bartlett, and it meant more to us than anyone or anything else.”

Seniors Trey Garrin, Greg Hurt, Brandon Townsend, Caleb Prince, Quiones Jennings, Xay Kimble, Weston Philpot, Raymond Caldwell, Deandre Thompson, Gene Nolen, Jamal Cain, Chance Keeley, Cole Morton, Matthew Webb, Steven Eddings, and Preston Bradley all played their last game together here at Bartlett and were recognized before the game for their efforts, time, dedication, and love put into the team.

“It was an amazing game,” Damecio Ewing, junior receiver, said, “We knew we had to do something in the second half to get us back in the game and a chance at winning. We played exactly as we were supposed to and we held on for the win.”

Josh Hall’s touchdown late in the 4^th quarter gave Bartlett a 23-19 lead  with about a minute remaining. Bolton had the ball deep in their own territory with about 45 seconds remaining. A huge catch and run got them up near the 10-yard line with about 30 seconds to go. The whole stadium was watching in anticipation. As the Panthers stopped Bolton on a last attempt at victory, fans stormed the field to celebrate. The BHS bowl trophy stays at Bartlett another year.

“This is a big rivalry,” Head Coach Brian Brewer said. “They’re coming off a win and are feeling good. They are going to try and come to our house and beat us. But it won’t happen. We need to score early to gain the momentum.”

After a tough loss last week to Dyer county for Bartlett’s homecoming, the team is well prepared this week for Bolton. “We match-up good against them. It should be a great game,” Brewer added.