Drew Brees grew up in Texas and started playing for pay in faraway San Diego. But he made New Orleans his home and its cause uniquely his own.

After 43 years of futility and one of the finest quarterbacking performances ever delivered in a Super Bowl, he made sure there's no need to ask "Who dat?" anymore.

Thanks to Brees, the answer to "Who dat say they gonna beat them Saints?" is: nobody.

The ultimate underdogs, they ain't. Not anymore. The Saints are Super Bowl champions now.

Who Dat? Try Drew Brees, Sean Payton and a team that has reversed its embarrassing past, carrying an entire city to the top with it.

Put away those paper bags forever.

Brees and the Saints rallied to upset Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday night in one of pro football's most thrilling title games.

Hoosiers and Who Dats. And, oh yes, the two best teams in the NFL also happen to be on hand for Sunday's Super Bowl.

Peyton Manning and his AFC champion Indianapolis Colts are 5-point favorites to spoil the ending of the New Orleans football renaissance for Drew Brees and the Saints. The odd twist to this story is that the boy who grew up in the Big Easy rooting for his dad as he quarterbacked the awful Saints, may end up breaking its heart.

"You hear the term Hoosier Hospitality, and I really didn't know what that meant, coming from New Orleans, where you hear Southern Hospitality," says Manning, the league's only four-time MVP who guided the Colts to the NFL title three years ago, in the same stadium. "I really feel it is kind of the same thing. It is good people.

Former football star Warren Sapp was arrested Saturday following an alleged domestic violence incident at a Miami Beach hotel, police said.

Sapp was charged with one count of misdemeanor domestic battery and is expected to appear before a Miami-Dade County judge Sunday, Miami Beach police spokesman Juan Sanchez said.

Shortly after police officials confirmed the charge NFL Network spokesman Dennis Johnson said in an e-mail to The Associated Press that Sapp — who is an analyst — wouldn't be part of the Super Bowl coverage for Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints.

Here's how you stop Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith: Put them in the Hall of Fame and watch them break down and cry.

The men who tore apart NFL defenses couldn't handle the emotions Saturday when they were elected to the shrine along with five others.

"They told me 'Don't cry,'" Rice said, his eyes wet with tears. "It meant the world to me, just like winning a Super Bowl. On draft day, I didn't take that for granted. I didn't take this for granted."

He could have.

Scheyer, Smith score 21 apiece to lead No. 10 Duke to 66-63 win over Boston College

Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith scored 21 points apiece to lead No. 10 Duke to a 66-63 victory over Boston College on Saturday.

Boston College cut a 10-point halftime deficit to 64-63 on Reggie Jackson's long, high-arcing 3-pointer with 16 seconds left. Scheyer was fouled after he received the inbound pass and made both free throws before BC's Joe Trapani put a long 3-point attempt off the front of the rim at the buzzer.

Harris has 24 points, Coastal Carolina uses big first half to defeat UNC Asheville 98-62

Joseph Harris had 24 points and nine rebounds and Coastal Carolina cruised to a 98-62 win over North Carolina-Asheville on Saturday to continue the Chanticleers' best start in school history.

Coastal Carolina used a 22-2 run to break the game open at 36-12 with 6:53 left in the first half en route to a 51-25 halftime lead. The Chanticleers swept the season series, having won 58-57 on Jan.

Late free throws allow No. 21 Georgia Tech to avoid upset, beat NC State 73-71

Zachery Peacock scored 22 points, freshman Derrick Favors added 16, and No. 21 Georgia Tech held off North Carolina State 73-71 on Saturday.

The Yellow Jackets (17-6, 5-4) improved to 12-1 at home, and they have won four of six in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Georgia Tech struggled to hold off the last-place Wolfpack, however, despite leading by 16 points with 5:01 remaining.

STAFF REPORTS

LINCOLN COUNTY - Lincoln County Parks and Recreation has begun registration for a women's basketball league for women 25 years of age and older at the East Lincoln Community Center in Denver.

All completed registration forms and fees must be turned in at the Team Captain's meeting on March 31st at 7:30pm at ELCC.

Co-ed Indoor Kickball League Registration & Captain's Meeting

LINCOLN COUNTY - Lincoln County Parks and Recreation has begun registration for a co-ed kickball league for adults 21 years of age and older at the East Lincoln Community Center in Denver.

All completed registration forms and fees must be turned in at the Team Captain's meeting on March 31st at 6:30pm at ELCC.

The league will begin on April 18th and run for 6 weeks.

Delaney's 21 points help Virginia Tech keep North Carolina in tailspin 74-70

Malcolm Delaney scored 21 points, including two key free throws with 36.6 seconds left, and Virginia Tech kept North Carolina in its worst tailspin since a five-game losing streak in 2002-03 with a 74-70 victory Thursday night.

Delaney's free throws doubled the lead to 71-67 for the Hokies (17-4, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), and the only basket the Tar Heels could manage thereafter came at the buzzer, sealing the fifth loss in six games for last year's national champions.

Johnson scores 25 to lead Miami to 80-69 win over No. 9 North Carolina

Shenise Johnson had 25 points and 10 rebounds as Miami snapped a three-game losing streak with an 80-69 victory over No. 9 North Carolina on Thursday night.

The Hurricanes broke a 61-61 tie with 10 consecutive points late in the second half. Johnson scored seven points during the spurt and her two free throws with 3:18 remaning capped the run.

STAFF REPORTS

VALE, NC - West Lincoln held Senior Night on Wednesday nigth against North Lincoln.

The Rebels are now 5-0 in Conference action and 19-5 overall.

They will travel to Highland Tech on Thursday night to end the regular season.

West Lincoln will also host the 1A/2A Southern Piedmont Conference Tournament on Saturday, February 6th at 10:00.

Here are the results of Wednesday night's match:

Kansas returns to No. 1 in AP poll, replacing Kentucky; 4 teams receive 1st-place votes

After three weeks of not being No. 1, Kansas moved back to the top of The Associated Press' college basketball poll.

The Jayhawks (20-1) were No. 1 in the preseason Top 25 and for the first eight weeks of the regular season. They moved back into the top spot Monday, receiving 54 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel.

The other three Division I teams with just one loss — Villanova, Syracuse and Kentucky — were second through fourth.

Jacinta Monroe scored 16 points and No. 15 Florida State held on to beat No. 9 North Carolina 83-73 on Monday night after nearly blowing a 19-point lead.

Courtney Ward added 13 points for the Seminoles (19-4, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference), who had their big second-half lead whittled all the way down to a point three times in the final minutes. But Florida State put together an eight-point spurt in the final 3 minutes to finally pull away, sealing their first win in Chapel Hill since the 2000-01 season.

It was quite a way to bounce back from a humbling 30-point loss at Duke on Friday night, a game in which the Seminoles fell way behind in the opening minutes and never mounted a challenge.

Agent: Panthers ignoring Julius Peppers; expects 5-time Pro Bowl DE to leave in free agency

Snubbed by the Carolina Panthers since the end of the season, the agent for five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers is convinced his client will play elsewhere in 2010.

Carl Carey said Sunday night the Panthers have "not made a single inquiry this offseason" regarding the impending unrestricted free agent.

"And we don't expect to hear from them," Carey told The Associated Press in a phone interview, setting the stage for Peppers to become one of the top defensive players to hit the market in years ahead of a potential season without a salary cap.

Jasmine Thomas scores 23, No. 7 Duke routs No. 13 FSU, 73-43

Jasmine Thomas scored 23 points to help No. 7 Duke beat No. 13 Florida State 73-43 on Friday night.

Krystal Thomas added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Blue Devils (18-3, 6-0). The only team unbeaten in Atlantic Coast Conference play went up by double figures to stay before Florida State hit its second field goal, and cruised to its 11th straight league victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Courtney Ward scored 11 points, but the Seminoles (18-4, 4-2) had a season-high 27 turnovers and had their four-game winning streak snapped with their most lopsided loss of the season. After falling behind by 19 in the first half, they didn't get closer than 15 after the break.

Thompson helps defending champion North Carolina end 3-game skid, beat NC State 77-63

Deon Thompson scored 20 points and North Carolina ended its longest losing streak in nearly seven years by beating North Carolina State 77-63 on Tuesday night.

Larry Drew II scored 18 points for the Tar Heels (13-7, 2-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who snapped their first three-game losing streak under coach Roy Williams. They also finally earned their first road win, something they desperately needed to do if they had any hopes of regrouping in the final month of the regular season.

North Carolina shot 51 percent and held the Wolfpack scoreless for more than 8 minutes in the second half, helping the Tar Heels build a 17-point lead in front of a stunned home crowd for N.C. State.

VALE, NC - West Lincoln hosted the Cherryville Ironmen in wrestling on Tuesday night.

The Rebels won 68 – 6. I

On Friday night, West Lincoln will hold Senior Night as they take on North Lincoln and Bunker Hill beginning at 6:00.

Below are the match results:

West Lincoln High School Wrestling
January 26, 2010

West Lincoln 68 Cherryville 6

103: Chad Stamey (WL) won by forfeit
112: Ty Conant (WL) won by forfeit
119: Daniel Hayes (C) won by forfeit

Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts opened as a four-point favorite to beat New Orleans in the Super Bowl.

That was the line provided by oddsmaker Sean Van Patten of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which provides betting lines for roughly 90 percent of sports books in Nevada.

Saints make 1st Super Bowl, beat Vikings 31-28 in OT for NFC title

They sure ain't the Aints anymore.

The New Orleans Saints are heading to their first Super Bowl after battering Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime Sunday on unheralded Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal.

The team that had no home five years ago after Hurricane Katrina ravaged its city and the Superdome overcame a slew of mistakes in the biggest game the Big Easy has ever seen.

Perfect redemption: Manning rallies Colts over Jets 30-17 to reach Super Bowl

This is perfect for the Indianapolis Colts: They have Peyton Manning and they're back in the Super Bowl.

The four-time MVP threw three touchdown passes and the Colts rallied from an 11-point, first-half deficit to beat the New York Jets 30-17 Sunday in the AFC championship game.

The Colts (16-2) are now headed back to the NFL title game for the second time in four years and their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history. Better yet, they're heading back to their lucky city — Miami, where they've played all four of those games and won there twice.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - The Orlando Magic squandered a big lead against Charlotte on Saturday but scored the first 11 points of overtime to beat the scrappy Bobcats 106-95.

Jameer Nelson collected six of his 21 points in overtime and Rashard Lewis had five to end Charlotte's franchise-record home win streak at nine games.

CONCORD, N.C. - For the first time in NHRA national event history, qualifying and eliminations for Top Fuel, Funny Car, Pro Stock and Pro Stock Motorcycle at an NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series event will be conducted four-wide instead of two, NHRA officials announced today.

The inaugural NHRA Four-Wide Nationals is scheduled for March 25-28 at zMAX Dragway near Charlotte, N.C. NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series competition will be conducted in the traditional two-lane format, running some classes in the left two lanes and others in the right two lanes to assist with lane preparation and consistency.

The announcement comes just four months after NHRA conducted its first-ever, four-lane exhibition at a national event, where nearly 30,000 horsepower blasted off at zMAX Dragway during the September running of the NHRA Carolinas Nationals. In separate runs, four Top Fuel dragsters and four Funny Cars competed in the four-wide event with everyone standing on their feet to witness the most spectacular five-seconds in motorsports.

STAFF REPORTS

DENVER – The East Lincoln Mustangs let one get by them on Friday night as they hosted the Cherryville Ironmen in basketball.

Offense in the game was dismal especially considering that Cherryville was coming off their second of the season 100-point game.

The game was a Southern Piedmont 1A/2A Conference game in which East Lincoln fell to the rival Ironmen, 43.42.

STAFF REPORTS

VALE, NC - West Lincoln hosted its 1st annual Old Timers’ Reunion on Friday, January 15. Former wrestlers and coaches were recognized and treated to a reception during the intermission.

The Rebels wrestled Lincolnton in a conference match and Mooresville.

Here are the results of the match:

Favre-to-Rice connection and relentless 'D' sends Vikings to 34-3 victory over Romo, Cowboys

This is why Brett Favre said he was coming back. And back he is — maybe better than ever.

Four — count 'em, four — touchdown passes from Minnesota's 40-year-old quarterback put the Vikings within a game of the Super Bowl with a 34-3 rout of the Dallas Cowboys to advance to the NFC championship Sunday.

"Probably the most fatigued I got today was celebrating," Favre said, smiling.

MIAMI (Reuters) - Comeback quarterback Brett Favre refuses to look beyond Sunday's playoff showdown with the Dallas Cowboys despite knowing defeat for his Minnesota Vikings will refuel speculation about the 40-year-old's future.

"All I want to do is beat Dallas," Favre told reporters. "To even think about next year is doing myself an injustice and this team an injustice.

"I came in here for one reason and that is to hopefully lead this team to the Super Bowl this year, not next year.

There's a price to pay for keeping the ball out of Peyton Manning's hands. Once he gets it, he doesn't give it back — at least not until he's gotten the Indianapolis Colts plenty of points and a playoff win. In his first game since winning an unprecedented fourth NFL MVP award, Manning threw for two touchdowns Saturday night in a 20-3 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. The Colts will host the AFC championship next Sunday against San Diego or the New York Jets.

"Whoever it is, we know it's going to be a challenge and we have to step it up another notch," coach Jim Caldwell said.

Maybe a little rest was all Drew Brees and Reggie Bush needed to shift the Saints' league-leading offense back into overdrive.

That, and a visit from Arizona's porous defense.

Brees threw three touchdown passes, Bush scored on an 83-yard punt return and a spectacular 46-yard run, and New Orleans overwhelmed the defending NFC champion Cardinals 45-14 in their divisional playoff game Saturday.