And by the end of the fourth quarter, I was reassured that nobody had it better than us 49er fans. 24-23, Saints leading, with a couple minutes left in the game — this is what sports fans live for. The game was far from over. With a touchdown run by Alex Smith and a pass to Vernon Davis in the last nine seconds of the game, the Niners came out on top to earn their spot in next weekend’s championship game vs. either the Greenbay Packers or the New York Giants.
Who could have thought that a team with a 6-10 record last year could end the regular season the following year with a record of 13-3 and a spot in the league championship game? With his “refuse to lose” mentality, Paly and Stanford alumnus head coach Jim Harbaugh has transformed this team to restore fans’ confidence in Bay Area football.
In sports, being matched up against a team with better stats can be intimidating – the pressure can become too much and can cause teams to fall apart. However, sometimes being the underdog can be motivating. As seen in the 2010 Paly girls’ volleyball State Championship game between the Paly Vikes and the Marymount High School Sailors, the players that continue to believe in themselves and their teammates, even when all hope seems lost, can be the ones who bring home the victory. Despite the fact that the Saints won the Super Bowl in 2010 and were predicted by many to breeze through the playoffs, the 49ers played today’s game with confidence and heart.
What an amazing two years it’s been for Bay Area sports: the San Francisco Giants won the World Series, Stanford went to the Fiesta Bowl, and the San Francisco 49ers just secured a spot in the League Championship game. Nobody has got it better than Bay Area sports fans of 2011-2012.
