Here is what is on my mind.
• The email came across Thursday morning that Siloam Springs cross country coach Sharon Jones had been honored by the National Federation of High School Coaches Association as Arkansas' Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year, and it couldn't have gone to a more deserving individual.
Sharon Jones is a great coach -- not only in Siloam Springs but in the whole region -- when it comes to cross country, and this award verifies that. She is very detailed, thorough and prepared when it comes to her teams and it shows up in the product she produces each year.
This season's 6A girls state championship was the fifth overall that Jones has led the cross country program to in eight years -- three with the girls (2011, 2014 and 2015) and two with the boys (2008 and 2009). There have also been five runner-up finishes.
And Sharon Jones is not done either by any stretch of the imagination. She's likely to win several more before it's all said and done.
• So it's the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7 from Santa Clara, Calif., home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. Carolina destroyed the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 on Sunday night in the NFC Championship, while Denver defeated the defending Super Bowl champs New England Patriots 20-18 earlier in the day in the AFC Championship.
I know of at least two people in Siloam Springs who will be pulling for Denver. One is my wife, who grew up in Colorado Springs and loves the Broncos. The other is our Herald-Leader columnist Willie Williams, a longtime season ticket-holder of the Broncos.
I would think a lot of people in this area pull for the Broncos, but also with so many Kansas City Chiefs fans around here they might be pulling for Carolina just to spite Denver.
Hopefully it's a well-played game, no matter who wins.
• The John Brown University basketball teams each picked up big Sooner Athletic Conference wins on Saturday against Bacone, Okla.
The women improved to 4-4 in league play, while the men are now 3-5 as both prepare to play St. Gregory's on Thursday at home at Bill George Arena.
Five of the last six SAC games for both teams have been on the road, and the men survived the stretch by going 3-3 and the women went 2-4.
There are 10 conference games remaining before the conference tournament during the first week of March, including the next three games at home. It's a crucial stretch for both teams if they want to have any hope of earning an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament.
It's not impossible, but both teams certainly have work to do in order to reach that goal.
JBU hosts St. Gregory's on Thursday at BGA to start the three-game homestand. The women play at 6 p.m., followed by the men at 8 p.m.
-- Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the Herald-Leader. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Sports on 01/27/2016