by Izzy Mignardi ‘27 on February 5, 2026

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Sports - NFL

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New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has taken not only New Englanders, but all Americans, by storm. His youth, charisma, and talent have impressed Patriots and non-Patriots fans alike. Likewise, his wife has become America’s sweetheart, New England’s “Queen of the North.” Ann Michael Maye won the hearts of many not just with her steadfast love for her husband, but because of her love for his fans, too.

The couple’s love story begins in seventh grade. They continued to date throughout college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In January of 2025, Drake Maye proposed. The following June, the two were married when the quarterback was just 22 years old and she 21. 

This past December, Ann Michael Maye gained media attention of her own, going viral for her videos completely unrelated to football. In her “Bakemas” series, she recorded herself baking different desserts or treats every day of December. She posted these to her TikTok page, where Patriots fans immediately flooded the comments, insisting that she feed their beloved quarterback well. “Gisele never baked cookies for us,” many wrote in reference to Tom Brady’s ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen. Clearly, with every video posted, Ann Michael Maye formed a closer connection with Patriots fans. They were no longer simply football fans, but Ann Michael Maye fans. 

Arguably the biggest of these fans is none other than Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports. Portnoy proceeded to post videos of himself following Ann Michael Maye’s recipes. On Christmas Eve, Ann Michael joined Portnoy on one of his iconic pizza reviews in Needham, MA. If New Englanders didn’t love her before, they certainly couldn’t resist now. Her and Portnoy’s video generated an overwhelming boom in business for Gianni’s Deli and Pizza and a surge of New England pride. 

Now, Ann Michael Maye’s popularity has grown so much that she’s received the recognition of NBC Sports Boston, who offered her her own cooking show titled “Beyond Bakemas.” Portnoy even appeared in an episode. Clearly, Ann Michael Maye’s charisma (a trait shared with her husband) has won the hearts of the public. In turn, the public approval has launched her to successes unrelated to football. If there was ever a “WAG” who lived in the shadows, it certainly is not Ann Michael Maye. 

by Greg Lahr ’26 and Izzy Mignardi ’27  on February 5, 2026

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Sports

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Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks are finally back in the Super Bowl where they will meet a familiar opponent: the New England Patriots. It has been 11 years since Seattle was in the big game, and the last Super Bowl they played in is not one that Seahawks fans will remember too fondly.

Up against the same team, the New England Patriots, Seattle suffered a heartbreaking defeat on a play that every football fan remembers vividly. With 34 seconds left, they were down four and on the Patriots’ goal line. On second down, instead of going to All-Pro running back Marshawn Lynch, quarterback Russell Wilson threw the game-ending interception to Malcolm Butler.

Now, Seattle is back for its revenge. While none of the current players were on either team when they met 11 years ago, they will definitely be reminded of the history. Led by quarterback Sam Darnold, the Seahawks are one of the most complete teams in the NFL. Both the defense and offense are at the top of their respective rankings this season and will certainly be the toughest test the Patriots have had in the postseason.

With New England’s stout run defense, the Seahawks will have to rely on the arm of Sam Darnold, who is the only quarterback besides Tom Brady to have back-to-back 14-win seasons. Head Coach Mike Macdonald, in his second year with the team, has been preparing the team all season. There is no doubt that he will have to get top receivers Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba going early to get Darnold comfortable. If Macdonald can keep the nerves from getting to Darnold, this Seattle offense will not be easy to contain.

While the Seahawks have one of the top offenses in the NFL, they also have a top defense led by DeMarcus Lawrence and Leonard Williams. Although the Patriots have an elite run defense, Seattle’s may be even better. If they can stop New England running backs Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson, they will force Drake Maye to throw the ball, which could be the key to shutting down the shaky Patriots offense and leading Seattle to its second Super Bowl victory.
– Greg Lahr ’26
Sports Writer

Patriots

While the Seattle Seahawks have almost everything they need to win the Super Bowl, football fans aren’t counting the New England Patriots out just yet. 

Many argue that Seattle will win the championship because of their dominant defense. However, it’s important to note that the Patriots haven’t allowed more than 16 points in a playoff game this year. 

What will motivate the Patriots to win Super Bowl LX is the fact that so many people doubted their ability to come this far. Repeatedly, the team and fans alike heard claims that their “easy schedule” was the reason for their success. There’s more on the line for the Patriots here. They’re one game away from shutting down those comments once and for all.

Additionally, the team chemistry with Coach Mike Vrabel is unmatched. As a former Patriots player, he knows what it’s like to wear that uniform and have millions of eyes on him and expectations of him. Anyone can watch a game and realize that Coach Vrabel is more than a coach to these players. He emphasizes individual connections with each player and encourages them to form these connections among themselves. This coaching style is what allows the team to work so seamlessly together on the field. 

And of course, at the head of this team is none other than second-year quarterback Drake Maye. He’s an MVP finalist and leads the league in completion percentage. Not only is he a skilled player, but he maintains his composure during high-stress situations and maintains humility when winning. Maye is exactly the type of quarterback who is capable of leading his team all the way to a Super Bowl win. 
– Izzy Mignardi ’27 
Sports Writer

by Victoria Miele ’28 on December 11, 2025

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Sports - NFL

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On Nov. 12, NFL player Robert Gronkowski signed a one-day contract with the New England Patriots so he could retire as a Patriot. 

In the second round of the NFL draft in 2010, Gronkowski was selected as a tight-end by the Patriots, where he played for nine seasons, winning three Super Bowls. He finished his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing for two seasons and winning his fourth career Super Bowl.

It was almost no time at all before Pats fans got to know the real Gronk. Immediately after being drafted, he and his brothers celebrated on stage in such a loud manner that Gronk was quickly called by head coach Bill Belichick in an attempt to settle the newest Pats player down. Gronk’s fun-loving personality could not be tapered down, and he continued to amp up Pats fans for his whole career.

Gronkowski is the fourth of five boys and grew up in Amherst, NY. Growing up, the Gronkowski brothers played baseball, hockey, and football, although they were not allowed to start football until the seventh grade, per their parents’ request.

Even with a later start, Gronk’s athleticism carried him to be a fantastic player. He played his senior year of high school in Pittsburgh at Woodland Hills High School, where he was named a first-team all-conference and all-state player. Gronk is well known for his dumb jock persona in the NFL and he is constantly teased for suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a disorder that can result from being concussed a number of times. However, in high school, he had a 3.75 GPA and scored 1560 out of 2400 on his SAT.

Post high school, Gronk committed to play football at the University of Arizona. During his first two years there, he scored 16 touchdowns and had over 1,000 passing yards. During his third year, he suffered from a back injury, but his statistics from the first two seasons were enough to gain interest from the NFL. He was drafted byBelichick and the Patriots in 2010, and his career quickly took off.

In his rookie season of 2010, Gronk caught 10 touchdown passes and had 546 yards. His next season, he got even better with 18 touchdowns, one rushing and 17 passing which is the highest record in the league in a single season. Gronk suffered a number of injuries in the following years and had many surgeries to address ankle problems, a broken forearm, and a torn ACL and MCL.

Gronk played 15 games in 2014 and helped the Patriots win the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks with six receptions and one touchdown. He suffered more injuries and was benched because of them in 2016 when he won his second Super Bowl ring. He was back in 2017, where he became the third tight-end to record four seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards.

During Gronk’s last season as a Patriot, he helped the team win against the Los Angeles Rams for his third Super Bowl ring. At the age of 29, Gronk announced he no longer wanted to play football and retired. However, after taking a year off, he decided he was not quite done and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In his first season at Tampa Bay with quarterback Tom Brady, the team won the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. Gronk caught two touchdown passes from Brady early in the game, and they maintained their lead. He played one more season with the Bucs before again announcing his retirement.

However, Gronk’s love for New England never faded despite his short time in Tampa Bay. He signed a one-day contract so that he could finally retire once and for all with the team that launched his career, forever known as a Patriot.

by The Cowl Editor on August 31, 2017

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Sports

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By Kevin Skirvin ’18

Sports Editor

Julian Edelman, wide receiver for the New England Patriots, went down with a torn ACL injury this past Friday against the Detroit Lions. Edelman was turning upfield when his right knee buckled in a non-contact tear. He went to the ground immediately, grabbing the back of his knee in pain. It was only two minutes into the contest.

Edelman played a full 16 games last year for only the second time in his career, finishing 2016 with over 1,100 yards. Number 11 will be missed most on third downs, where he led the team in targets (49), receptions (28), yards (192), and first downs (24). He was by far and away the number one target for quarterback Tom Brady while tight end Rob Gronkowski, who, by the way, is already looking like his old self so far in 2017, was recovering from back surgery. So while the loss of Edelman hurts, it certainly does not appear to be anything New England can’t handle.

“Julian is a great competitor, works hard, is tough, does all the things that you ask him to do. So I feel badly for him, of course”, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Saturday. “We hope that he will have a speedy and complete recovery, but the team will have to move on and compete this season without him. It is unfortunate, but that’s the way it is.” Belichick will no doubt continue to preach his “next man up” philosophy to the locker room.

Wide receiver is arguably strongest spot on the depth chart for New England, and with WR Chris Hogan beginning to emerge as a star, it looks as though history will continue to repeat itself here in the Northeast. But who plays the slot? Hogan has proved himself useful out wide, where he will most likely be paired with former New Orleans Saint Brandin Cooks for a serious deep ball threat. Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels can put Gronk wherever he wants, but no way does he risk overusing him at the slot position. That leaves veteran WR Danny Amendola, who has quietly been one of the most clutch receivers for the Pats over the past few seasons, but he has never been the kind of guy to go out and steal the show. If there were ever an opportunity for him to do so, that time is now.