Photo Credit: Amanda Tavares[/caption]Hannah Link was born in Hillsborough, North Carolina and she has a vast family. Link’s family includes her brother, father, and mother along with two horses, two goats and six chickens. She is in her senior year at Orange High School and is the business manager for the Den Echoes newspaper this year.
After graduating, her goal is to major in International Development studies at either Alabama University or NC State. Another one of her goals is to travel to and learn about the culture of Europe.
When Link is not in school, she is often found on the tennis courts because she loves to play tennis. She is also a big fan of the NFL, and specifically enjoys watching the Patriots. She attends Ebenezer Baptist Church in Hillsborough and is frequently involved in activities involving the youth group and serving her community.
Super Bowl XLVII will be played between statistically the two teams in the NFL with both teams having the best record in their conference for just the second time in 20 years, and the Broncos and Seahawks having the number one offense and number one defense respectively. Seattle’s defense vs Denver’s offense seems to be the main storyline leading up to the big game, as it will be the largest margin of points scored compared to points allowed during the regular season, with Denver scoring 606 points, while Seattle only allowed 231. Denver had statistically the best offense in NFL history this season with their 606 points being the most ever, and their quarterback, Peyton Manning, has thrown for an NFL record for touchdowns and passing yards in a season with 55 and 5,547 respectively, while winning his fourth regular season MVP award. However, Manning has received some negative attention entering the game as well, with the question of can he get it done in the clutch. Despite winning MVP of Super Bowl XLI, Manning has been known for ‘choking’ in games that matter. Manning has also struggled in cold weather games over the course of his career, but despite what many thought would be a snow filled game at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey, will actually be around 45 degrees at kick off.
While Manning gives the Broncos a more professional look, the Seahawks enter the game as the rough and tough bunch of players including Richard Sherman, who is arguably the best cornerback in the world, but is more known for his trash talk, such as after the NFC Championship when he taunted Michael Crabtree during a post-game interview. Sherman is the face of a Seattle defense that also includes all-pro players Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor just in the secondary. Seattle also has power on the offensive side with Marshawn Lynch, known as ‘beast mode’ who once had a run so powerful that it registered on the richter scale in Seattle due to the noise created by the excited crowd. The Seahawks offense is ran by second year player Russell Wilson who has quickly made an impression as a very smart and accurate quarterback. Wilson did not put up numbers like Manning, but did throw for 3,357 yards and 26 touchdowns. Wilson will get a game-breaker back in Percy Harvin, but it will be interesting to see if he can impact the game in any way after being injured for most of the season.
Now, down to the play on the field. The game will be low scoring for the first 10-15 minutes as both teams will be trying to see what the other is doing. After that the tempo and scoring will pick up. The Broncos and Manning will be too much for the Seahawks defense to handle, as Manning has five offensive weapons including Demaryius Thomas, Wes Welker, Julius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Knowshon Moreno. In the end the Seahawks will not be able to score enough points to keep up with a Denver offense that simply has too many weapons. Seattle will be unable to contain Manning’s passing attack for four quarters. The Denver Broncos win Super Bowl XLVIII by a score of 27-17 with Peyton Manning wins his second Super Bowl MVP and taking a trip to Disney World.