Considering the prestige that the Premier League teams have over every other regional football league in the world, they were utterly battered by their opposing LaLiga teams in the recent Round of 16 second leg placements in the Champions League. Real Madrid continued their domination against Manchester City, with Vinicius scoring 2 more goals against the English team, ending the Match in a 5-1 aggregate win. They are facing Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid put up a good defense against Tottenham as Tottenham still won the second leg match with a score of 3-2 but it still was not enough to get to the quarter finals as Atletico still held 2 more goals above them from their lead in the first leg against each other.
Barcelona tied 1-1 against Newcastle at St. James’ Park in the first leg match against them. Newcastle United stood no chance against the Catalonian team as they demolished the English team in Camp Nou scoring 7 goals against them, with Raphina and Lewandowski each scoring two goals. The match ended 8-3 on aggregate and they look forward to facing Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals.
The Vikings Baseball team finished up their Florida trip with a sweep on March 18th at the RussMatt Invitational, beating Holyoke Community College 11-1 and Northern Essex Community College 3-2 to move to 8-0 on the year. In game one, right-handed pitcher Joey Gecewicz was lights out with four hitless innings and eight strikeouts, while Red Maron and Robert Melo each had a home run and two RBIs. Game two was a back and forth pitchers’ duel, with Jeremy Graham earning the win with five innings pitched, while Alexander Dietz closed the game out for the save.
The Vikings Baseball team continued to dominate even after coming back, after beating SUNY Broome in the home opener on March 25th by scores of 15-3 and 10-2. Game one saw Robert Melo have a career day with two home runs and seven RBIs, while Alexander Dietz earned the win with eight strikeouts in four innings pitched. Game two saw starter Eliezer Rosario throw four shut innings with ten strikeouts, while Nico DeSanto led the offense with three hits. The Vikings are now 10-0 and have their next match on Saturday at Binghamton to face SUNY Broome again.
The Viking Men’s Lacrosse team lost two games at home this week, falling to Howard Community College 34-2 on March 20th and to Onondaga Community College 30-6 on March 25th. Romeyn Murray and Josh Whitmore each scored a goal in game one, while goalkeeper Brayden Cooper made 14 saves facing 88 shots. Nathan Stone led the team with five goals in game two, while Dylan Ryan added two assists. Hudson Valley falls to 1-4 on the year and are going against DuPage next at the Outdoor Athletic Complex at noon on Friday.
Coach Jon Schueyer is now in his nineteenth season with the Duke Blue Devils. Preseason polls had been ranking Duke in the top 5 before this team ever stepped foot on the court. Expectations were high as they always seem to be for this program. Coach Scheyer hasn’t had this level of talent on his team in years, as you can imagine the hype is real. Going into November with high hopes the team struggled out of the gate. With Duke losing a couple of games they were expected to win. The team’s challenges certainly didn’t stem from a lack of talent but rather chemistry issues and inconsistency. As far as conference play goes Duke rose above the rest in the ACC, absolutely dominating inter-conference opponents and rivals. As the season was under way and the team had a month of play under their belt that’s when the team started to gel. Cooper Flag will get all the attention this season, deservingly so. But you have to mention Jalen Johnson. After not living up to the hype he had some sort of turnaround, his incredible defensive abilities have secured Duke countless victories. Veteran players like Kyle Filipowski are owed a tremendous amount of credit in coaching and counseling the young guys. Well, past midseason now the Blue Devils look unstoppable. Cooper Flag is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot of in the basketball world and for good reason. He is averaging 20 points a game at the most competitive level of the NCAA. His ability to change the momentum of games and make it look effortless is a huge reason why I believe Duke is the team that has the best chances going into March. I wouldn’t want to play Duke in March and that feeling is shared by every team in college basketball. Duke hasn’t looked this good in a decade including their 2015 championship team. Anything can happen in March Madness, but it looks like it could finally be Duke’s year.
The four-nations faceoff came to an end Thursday, February 20th as Canada defeated the United States in the championship game. The game had hockey fans on the edge of their seats with end-to end action. In an absolutely thrilling championship match, Canada came out on top 3-2 scoring their final goal in overtime at TD Garden Arena in Boston. Both teams had several chances to put the game away in the final period but fell short. The Edmonton Oilers’ very own Connor McDavid scored the dagger in overtime to bring it home to Canada. The theatrical end to the championship was reminiscent of the way the 2010 Olympics ended. Another matchup with USA and Canada playing on the world stage and Canada once again scored an overtime goal to best the USA. The round-robin tournament was a huge success being the first international hockey event that included NHL players since 2016. The championship match drew in 5 and a half million viewers at its peak making this one of the most watched hockey matches of all time. The NHL was able to come to an agreement this year to allow their players to participate in the one-off four-nations tournament despite issues in the past with the Olympic committee. The tournament was received well and drew in millions of viewers. It was a heartbreaking loss for Team USA but an incredible effort to make it to the championship match and a huge step forward for international hockey.
The USA has been dominant in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, securing a top spot in the standings as they head toward the championship game. This international tournament, featuring the best talent from the NHL, has been a thrilling return to top-tier global competition, with the U.S. proving itself as a serious contender for the title. For New York Rangers fans, this tournament has been particularly exciting. Several Blueshirts are representing Team USA, including Vincent Trocheck, who has played a key leadership role. While Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs has officially been named captain of the international tournament team, rumors have swirled about Tro check potentially stepping into a bigger leadership role for the Rangers. Trocheck’s presence has been crucial, bringing grit and experience to a team filled with high-flying offensive stars like Jack Hughes and Matthew Tkachuk. His performance could help him take on a more significant leadership role when he returns to New York. The Rangers have had a tough season, battling injuries and inconsistent performances. Despite a strong start, key players have struggled to stay healthy, and the team has had difficulty maintaining momentum in the Eastern Conference. This tournament gives Rangers players a chance to reset and find their best form before returning to the NHL grind. For the players, winning the 4 Nations Face-Off would be a career highlight, especially given how rare, best-on-best international tournaments have been in recent years. The last major event of this caliber was the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, where many current stars had yet to establish themselves. For Rangers fans, this championship push is an opportunity to see their favorite players shine on the international stage. If Team USA continues its dominance and lifts the trophy, it could inject momentum and confidence into the Rangers’ locker room as they gear up for the playoff push back in the NHL. With the final approaching, all eyes are on Team USA and their Rangers representatives. Can they finish the job and bring home the title? Fans won’t have to wait long to find out.
Coaches in the NFL are one of the most vital factors in what makes or breaks a franchise. An NFL team can have all the raw talent in the world, but it wouldn’t amount to much without a proper coaching staff—that’s half the battle. Of all the jobs in the NFL the position of head coach is widely considered one of the most stressful. If the team does poorly they are the first to come under fire. Kellen Moore started his coaching career in 2018 when he was signed as the Dallas Cowboys quarter back coach. Team instability led to a midseason promotion to Offensive coordinator. This position change is anything but casual, the responsibilities of Offensive Coordinator far outweigh those of his previous job. As Offensive Coordinator and therefore the play-caller, Moore rose to the occasion and put up franchise-record-breaking numbers with the Dallas Cowboys until 2021. Moore spent a year as the OC for the Chargers and found himself singing with the Philadelphia Eagles in resulting in a Superbowl win in 2025. Moore’s most successful season by far was his most recent. This 2024-2025 season Moore found himself coaching a far more talented roster than he ever had before as well as working in conjunction with the head Coach Nick. Moore’s offensive genius is in disputable, he has successfully managed some of the league’s best offenses Sirianni. Kellen Moore served as an elite play-caller but simply lacks the confidence and leadership skills required of a Head Coach. Moore surely would have found himself a head coaching job years ago if these qualities never came into question. Moore’s elite football IQ and play calling skills perfectly complemented Sirianni’s bravado and fierce leadership. From what the league has seen in the past I have reason to believe that there is more to being a successful head coach than play calling. Kellen Moore has his niche and is an elite offensive coordinator. The New Orleans Saints need a leader and someone who is going to find direction for the franchise. The Saints need somebody who is going to shift the culture the same way Dan Campbell has for Detroit. With that being said The Saint’s options were limited with many NCAA coaches signing long contract extensions this offseason they had to turn to hiring from within the league. I don’t believe the new head coach signing is going to yield positive results for New Orleans. Kellen Moore is simply not their guy.
The Philadelphia Eagles shocked the world on Superbowl Sunday (February 9th) in what the experts said should have been a close game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The experts missed the mark this time as the Eagles won 40-22 in an incredibly dominant fashion. The honor of MVP was awarded to Jalen Hurts but make no mistake this game was won by The Eagles generational defense. The Chiefs offense was a force to be reckoned with, as Chiefs quarter back Patrick Mahomes out scored his opponents in the regular season by a combined 97 points. The Chiefs were 1.5-point favorites going into the game as the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. The Eagles Defense consists of a variety of veteran players who have been around the league for a while as well as rookies fresh out of the draft. The Eagles managed to sack Mahomes a whopping 6 times in the Superbowl. This number becomes even more impressive when you consider the fact that the Eagles did not blitz for the entire duration of the game. Only four teams ever in the Super Bowl era have not blitzed in the Superbowl.
This unorthodox decision was in the hands of the Eagle’s newly acquired defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. By trusting his front four and never stacking the box Fangio had the advantage with the back 7 always available. Fangios Defense was able to force two turnovers. When Mahomes threw two interceptions the Eagles capitalized on those drives and put points on the board. The same cannot be said for the Chiefs, when Jalen Hurts threw an interception the Chiefs offense gave the ball right back on downs. Kansas City had clearly not run into a defense of this caliber this season and it showed. From the eye test, it is apparent that the score does not accurately reflect how one-sided the game was. At the worst of it, the Eagles were leading the Chiefs 34-0. The seemingly perfect storm came for the Chiefs with Fangio’s masterclass coaching performance, The Eagle’s elite front four, and a near-flawless team effort from Jalen Hurts (Eagles Quarterback) and the offense. The Chief’s three peat was stopped dead in its tracks in the most humbling way imaginable.
When Hurts made all the plays the offense required, a fierce Philadelphia Eagles defense harassed and irritated 22 on Sunday to win the team’s second Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs’ hopes of winning three consecutive Super Bowls were dashed. It was far from it. Josh Sweat put pressure on Mahomes all night, Cooper DeJean received a pick-6 on his 22nd birthday, and the Eagles defeated the Chiefs 40 Vic Fangio’s defense was so strong that the Eagles didn’t require much from Saquon Barkley, and Hurts ran for a score on a tush push and threw for two touchdowns to win Super Bowl MVP. The game-changing running back broke Terrell Davis record for most yards rushing in a season, including playoffs, with 57 yards at the end of the season. Hurts had a 221-yard pass.
After 12 weeks of NFL action, the playoff picture for both the AFC and NFC is still completely up in the air. Multiple divisions still don’t have a clear frontrunner, and the number one seeds in both conferences are here by just one game. Let’s delve into what things will look like for the final six weeks of the regular season. Starting in the AFC, the least competitive division is easily the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills (9-2) can all but coast to their fifth consecutive division win with a four-game lead over the second place Miami Dolphins (5-6). The Bills are currently in line to be the number two seed in the AFC. The Dolphins are the only other team in the playoff conversation and are currently a game and a half back from the seventh and final playoff spot. Switching now to the most competitive division, the AFC North. The Pittsburgh Steelers (8-3) hold just a half game lead over the Baltimore Ravens (8-4). This slots the Steelers in as the number three seed and the Ravens in at number five as the best wildcard team. The third-place team Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) are just a bit too far back for me to consider them in the playoff hunt, but at 2.5 games behind the seventh seed could still technically make it in. The worst division in the AFC looks to be only sending one team to the playoffs this year, that division being the AFC South. The Houston Texans (7-5) hold a comfortable two game lead over the Indianapolis Colts (5-7), despite being the AFC division leader with the worst record. The Texans are currently slotted in at the number four seed, with the Colts being behind the seventh seed by two games. The last AFC division, the AFC West, is easily the most dominant with their teams currently holding three of the seven playoff spots. The division is headed by the current number one seeded Kansas City Chiefs (10-1). And while the Chiefs look like a lock for their ninth consecutive division win, the Los Angeles Chargers (7-4) and Denver Broncos (7-5) are still in the hunt, currently seeded at number six and seven respectively. The NFC finds itself in a similar situation, with very little certainty after ⅔ of the regular season. One of the most interesting storylines of the season has been the NFC North battle, as three of the best teams, not just the NFC but the entire NFL, reside there. The division is headed by the Detroit Lions (10-1), who are the number one seed in the NFC. Followed close behind are the Minnesota Vikings (9-2) and Green Bay Packers (8-3). These two, while not in the division lead, currently hold the best wildcard positions at five and six. Another highly competitive division, but on the other end of the record spectrum, is the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks (6-5), Arizona Cardinals (6-5), Los Angeles Rams (5-6), and San Francisco 49ers (5-6) all sit with in a game of the division lead. The Seahawks currently hold that honor, coming in as the third seed. But the other three currently find themselves outside of the playoffs by half a game (Cardinals) and a game and a half (Rams and 49ers). Currently home to the number two and seven seed in the NFC is the NFC East. Headed by the Philadelphia Eagles (9-2) and followed by the Washington Commanders (7-5) this looks to be the fourth year in a row in which the division sends multiple teams to the post season. Wrapping up the NFC conference is the NFC South. The Atlanta Falcons (65) currently hold the lead, but are followed closely by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6). The Falcons are slotted in as the last division leader in the fourth seed, and the Buccaneers find themselves a game and a half back from the fourth seed, but have their sights set on the division lead, which they are only one game out of. With so many different storylines and possible scenarios it will certainly be interesting to see what the playoffs look like come January.
Aaron Rodgers has always been a lightning rod for controversy, even before he made the switch to the New York Jets. After 18 years with the Green Bay Packers, where he won four MVPs and a Super Bowl title, Rodgers’ reputation took a hit. Whether it was his off-the-field drama or the way that he seems to ruffle feathers wherever he goes, the quarterback became known just as much for his attitude as his arm strength. But now, a recent poll has given him a new, more ironic title: the NFL’s “Most Annoying Player.” A survey conducted by Action Network found that 27% of NFL fans think Rodgers is the league’s most annoying player. That’s more than any other player by a long shot. In fact, 24 out of 32 fan bases voted him the most annoying, including fans in Green Bay. And while his reputation was tarnished in his final years with the Packers, it seems his baggage has only gotten heavier in New York. Rodgers’ last few years in Green Bay were a rollercoaster of bad press. He feuded with former coach Mike McCarthy, then declared he wanted out of Green Bay just before the 2021 draft. The following season, he was openly critical of his teammates, and his refusal to show up for the offseason program only deepened the divide. By the time he left Green Bay, Rodgers had alienated a large part of the fan base, despite his undeniable talent. But it didn’t end there. After being traded to the Jets in 2023, Rodgers was expected to revive the struggling franchise. Instead, his first season in New York was cut short by an Achilles injury after just four snaps. Since then, his absence from the field has been almost as notable as his time there. The Jets have been in constant disarray, with Rodgers reportedly skipping out on mandatory minicamps and generating more headlines off the field than on it. Rodgers’ impact on the Jets this season has been mixed, to say the least. With a 3-7 record and ranking 26th in both scoring and total yards, it’s safe to say that the much-anticipated Rodgers-led revival isn’t really happening. The team’s offense has been underwhelming, and despite the additions made around Rodgers, the results simply aren’t there. Boomer Esiason, former Jets quarterback and current analyst, didn’t hold back when discussing the state of the team. After a dismal loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Esiason said that Rodgers had “completely sucked the air out of the building,” claiming that the team’s players were deferring too much to him. This has been a recurring issue, Rodgers has often been the center of attention, both on and off the field, with little to show for it in terms of wins. As the Jets’ season continues to spiral, the whispers about Rodgers’ future with the team have grown louder. Reports suggest that the Jets are looking to move on, especially after firing GM Joe Douglas. Rodgers’ relationship with the front office, particularly his influence over coaching decisions, has raised questions about his commitment to the team. With rumors of a potential split after this season, it seems clear that Rodgers’ time in New York might be limited. For Jets fans, the question isn’t just whether Rodgers will stay with the team, it’s whether the Jets made a huge mistake bringing him in at all. Rodgers has never been a figure without controversy, and his lack of leadership in the face of adversity this season has made many question his role on the team. While Rodgers has undeniably been one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, his performance in New York has not lived up to the hype, and the Jets might be better off cutting ties and looking for a fresh start. As a Jets fan myself, I’m torn. Rodgers’ legacy is hard to ignore, but right now, his presence feels like more of a distraction than a solution. The Jets need stability, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that Rodgers, for all his talent, isn’t the answer to what’s ailing this team. If the Jets want to turn things around, it might be time to consider moving on from their once-great quarterback and making the tough decision to let him go. In the end, Rodgers’ time in New York will likely be remembered for the drama as much as his performances. Whether or not he can redeem himself before the season’s end remains to be seen, but as it stands, the Jets would be smart to start looking beyond him for their future.
The Hudsonian 