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  • Publications (documents)
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• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2014-01-31_Vol79_No08_A05

January 31, 2014 inspiration. Lyon isa hard-working student athlete, and during her college career, she has } pad a curve ball thrown will affect not only her | athletic career but more -jmportantly, her life. Basketball was not on the forefront of Lyons familys mind initially when it came to their daughter. My mom wanted me to be a cheerleader like her. They put me in bal- let, they wanted me to do _the feminine thing. Once [told them I wanted to play they let me. They said Lyon. Lyon decided she wanted to pursue basket- ball on her own. er I couldnt do anything better than him. It was self determination to do ' something he couldnt, said Lyon. She has been playing tasketball since she was | il years old, and has 10 years.: Lyons favorite moment |} ofher career in the game Was the shot she made Ryan Michaud ~~ Sports Writer / Tts set. What we have been waiting for since Sep- _ tember, the Super Bowl. | Feb. 9,the Denver Bron: -. {cos will take on Seattle Seahawks i in New Jer- sey to see who will be | deemed champions of the NFL. When you think about it, it really is quitea | matchup. The older, _ | wiser, mature 37 year- Wold pocket quarterback | Peyton Manning from | Denver, who owns many NFL records, will take on young, electric, humble and scrambling 25 year old Russell Wilson of Seattle. Manning has had a sea- | son for the record books. ' He threw for 55 touch- down passes, an NFL -tecord; 10 interceptions; .} and 5,477 passing yards, | another NFL record. Wilson, on the other hand, finished with 26 touchdown passes, 9 interceptions, and only 3,557 passing yards. This Super Bowl will literally be the leagues offensive juggernauts versus the defensive gi- ants. Manning and his high-flying Broncos will square off against the . defense of the Seahawks - led by the loud Richard Sherman and versatile Earl Thomas. However, as I predicted in a previous article in December, Denver will beat Seattle because of three weak areas within the Seahawks: their .}-tegular season schedule | of quarterbacks, their of- fense, and the away turf. _ Although the team combined for 28 intercep- tions this past season and Sherman is the least targeted cornerback in the NFL and has the _ | most interceptions, I still fam not sold on Seattles | secondary. |. Their schedule shows why. This season they played opposing quar- terbacks such as Cam Newton, Colin Kaeper- nick, Chad Henne, Matt Schaub, Andrew Luck, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Carson Palmer, Sam Bradford, her way, one that has and | are very supportive now, Having an older broth- been playing the sport for matchup, is now set. On! ea A . of college, Lyon played 28 out of the 31 total games for WCU. Sophomore year, she found out that she had a setback in her health that would affect THE WESTERN CAROLINIAN A5 SPORTS Once she was diag- nosed, her coaches worked with her and her teammates rallied around her in support. Although her abilities to her basketball career and work out as consistently her life. T have chronic fatigue. My muscles are always tired, says Lyon. She also suffers from neuro- cardiac syncope which affects her blood flow. Tt is like having a new body every day, you never know, said Lyon. The conditions have be- since diagnosis. Lyons health not only could have affected her game, but her studies as well. However, she - presses forward in both. Lyon will be graduat- ing at the end of this semester with a degree in Psychology. She prepares to attend graduate school to obtain her Masters in Counseling. Her dream is to open her own counsel- ing service. Clinical mental health is the area I want to work with: enhancing quality of life, depression and family members with dis- abilities, said Lyon. \The Bronco's will as her other teammates have declined, Lyon perseveres, playing and practicing as much as her health will allow. Lyons personal goal in the game is, Being con- sistent, being able to play a significant amount of minutes.and contribute in a way that will help come progressively worse the team. The way the coaches want Lyon to contribute to the team is by making defensive stops. Lyon speaks of her mother being her hero. Mom inspires me to play because it is very challenging to me be- cause of health issues, like my mom, says Lyon. Perhaps it was the ex- ample her mother set that enabled Lyon to be able to cope with her health conditions in an effective manner. Through all of the struggles and victories Lyon has gone through in her college career, she The official logo of the 2014 Super Bowl. Mike Glennon, Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, and Christian Ponder. The only Super Bowl winning quarterback who can be considered elite that they have played this season was Drew Brees. They em- barrassed Brees earlier in the season when they held him to 147 yards but allowed him to throw for 309 yards in the playoffs. Last year, when Seat- tles defense had a chance to play an elite quarter- back, Tom Brady, they let him throw for 395 yards and two touchdowns. Seattle has a great de- fense, but they have not shown that they can stop an elite pocket quarter- back such as Manning, whom they will face on Feb. 9. Seattle has a relatively weak offense. Wilson is a good quarterback, but he has not shown that he, can outplay Peyton Man- ning. The Seahawks have only scored 35 or more points this season twice while the Broncos have done so 10 times. In the past five games, Wilson has thrown for a combined 804 yards of of- fense while Manning has thrown for a combined 1,585 yards of offense.: Wilsons inconsistency is a major reason why Se- attles offense has relied so heavily on running back Marshawn Lynch who rushed for 1,257 yards and has 12 touch- downs this season. The Seahawks have yet to see a steamroller offense like the Bron- cos, and they will have trouble with it. Seattles defense is young and Manning will use his wisdom of the game to outsmart the younglings. and being without the 12th man, Seattle has lost a perk they have held throughout the playoffs. Seattles loud home base makes it difficult for op- posing offenses to func- tion, because they cannot hear the plays and are often confused. This will not be a factor in the Super Bowl. It will come down to Mannings ability to score more points than weapons which include Demaryius Thomas, Eric | the lowest passer rating : in the league of 47,3 dur- : ing the regular season : when passes are thrown : to his side along with recording 8 intercep- : tions during the regular ' season. Thomas has had : a breakout year of 105 : tackles, a career high for : him, and 5 interceptions. Decker, Julius Thomas, and legendary slot re- ceiver Wes Welker will be too much for Seattles defense to deal with. The surgeon will pick apart Seattles secondary and will humble Richard Sherman. Prediction: Denver 31-Seattle 24. Allison Adkins . when she broke Jordan Her academic career has _ is thankful that she was : Sports Writer High Schoolsrecordfor notbeenaffectedbyher ina supportive environ- scoring. She also holds health. ment with her coaches, Kristen Lyon,asenior the record for the most IT dont letitaffectme teammates, and WCU guard and forward for rebounds at her high in the way that it could. family when she was the Lady Catamounts school. Its somethingI willhave diagnosed. Basketball team, is an In her freshman year to deal with, said Lyon. Honestly I think that my team my coaches and the sport has been more of a blessing to me than T have been to it, said Lyon. She wants her legacy to be the inspiration she is able to bring her team- mates. Tam able to give to my teammates and give them a different perspective, said Lyon, thats what they are going to remem- ber, me encouraging them and loving them. Although she wont be playing competitively after graduation, Lyon plans to still be active in the sport. She does not want to coach, but she does want to help train athletes in skills. My little sister plays and I want to help her out as well in the community Icome from, said Lyon. Lyon is an icon of strength, hope and perse- verance. She is what the ideal Catamount is made of. You can catch Lyon and the Lady Catamounts in the next few days at the Ramsey Center play- ing Furman University on Feb. 1 at2p.m. and Wofford University on Feb 3, at 7 p.m. Kristen Lyon Joshua Turner Sports Writer This years Super : Bowl matchup is a true : testament to the saying : defense wins champi- : onships. The Denver : Broncos, the number one : passing offense led by ' Peyton Manning, will ' face off against the Se- : attle Seahawks, the num- : ber one passing defense led by Rich Being away from home a Ee Ney Seattle has arguably : the best defense to match : against the star-studded : Denver offense. Their ' defense will be why the ' Seahawks win this game. Seattles defense is ' built from the second- : ary to the front seven. : Within this secondary ' two NFL defensive player : of the year candidates : exist. Sherman, who is - considered by most to be : the best cover cornerback : in the game today, and : safety Earl Thomas both Wilson. His wide range of | nchor HHS tear: Sherman has allowed Seattles offense will be Submitted Photo the wildcard and is very important to their chanc- es of winning. In games Denver has lost this year, time of possession has been an important factor. Keeping Manning off the field and giving the defense a chance to rest and plan will be key to winning. Quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch will be key players in Seattle being able to hold the ball for long periods of time. Lynch is known for his beast mode runs, which it typically takes more than one defender to take him down. Wil- son will need to be able to complete throws when called upon and not be afraid to run the ball when nothing is available in coverage. However this is some- thing Wilson is very good at doing. He is a winner and is known to make the clutch play. In the NFC championship Wilson threw the go-ahead touchdown of 35 yards on a fourth down to win the game. Since taking over as starting quarterback, the Seahawks have been 27-9 overall. He is 3-1 in his career in the postsea- son. The Seahawks are the healthier team going into the game. Denver has Player Profile: Kristen Lyon Photo Submitted by Kristen Lyon / Super Bowl 2014 Predictions: Broncos v. Seahawks win! The Seahawks will . WIA! five defense starters and > their starting lefttackle, _ Ryan Clady out for the season. Denverrunning back Knowshon Moreno fell to a chest injury dur- a lve the AFC c 1on- "| ship Sai re be aninjury to watch since Moreno is the leading _rusher for the Broncos. Seattles Percy Har- vin will be an injury to watch. He suffered a concussion in the game against the New Orleans Saints and missed the NFC championship. If he progresses enough to play he will be a dan- gerous receiver for the Seahawks. The weather looks to be in conditions that will help the Seattle defense contain Manning and his prolific offense. The preliminary weather forecasts show the game to start around 37 de- grees with a low of 19 and a chance of snow in the forecast. Mannings struggle in cold weather environments is well documented. In 15 regular season games in fewer than 40 degrees his completion percentage drops by 1.8 points, and he has thrown 14 interceptions. In playoff games under 40 degrees Manning has thrown nine intercep- tions. If the weather fore- cast holds up, Seattles ground and pound style of offense will be a clear advantage with Wilson and Lynch who have combined for 1796 yards on the ground this sea- son. History favors the Se- ahawks over the Broncos. The last six NFC teams that reached the Super bowl and were ranked number one in scoring defense have went on to win it all. If Seattle can rely on their defense to hold Manning to below 21 points, then Russell Wilson and the offense will make enough plays to win the game. Prediction: Seattle 24-Denver 20.

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
  • Text
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 2014-01-31
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 11.5"
  • Pages: 12
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
  • Western Carolina University -- Periodicals
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_2014-01-31_Vol79_No08
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library