Several people from around Leelanau County traveled down to Detroit over the weekend to watch the Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23 to keep the Superbowl dream alive.
“The energy was insane hours before kickoff to everyone walking out,” Gaige Ticconi, who went with his father to the game said. “Being able to experience the playoff game with my dad is pretty cool, even the four hour drive down.”
Ticconi is the youngest season ticket holder ever of the Detroit Lions when he took home the title last summer after purchasing the tickets at age 17.
“I had a season ticket rep call me in the middle of class. (I asked) then I ran out in the hallway and bought the tickets.”
Ticconi was put in that position after working hard over the summer at Nittolo’s to save the cheddar to buy the season tickets that have been increasing year after year.
His father, Matt, offered to go in on the purchase with Gaige, but he refused and used it as a Christmas and birthday present for his father.
“He worked all summer long and then when he bought the season tickets he just, I think he just turned 17 at the time. But his reps, like, yeah, you’re the youngest season ticket holder we’ve ever had,” Matt said. “I’m an old school Barry Sanders fan, I got to experience that with my dad ... And for him to be a first year season ticket holder and the youngest season ticket holder ever and to see his excitement is just, it’s worth everything.”
Glen Lake high school Spanish teacher and famous Detroit Lions podcaster Matthew Soltysiak also got to experience the last two games with some high school buddies.
Soltysiak hosts ‘“Not The Same Old Lions Podcast: A Detroit Lions Podcast” where he talks Detroit Lions football with an assortment of guests. He has been a staunch follower of the team since the late 1980s. Soltysiak has a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University, he worked as a sports reporter and anchor for an NBC affiliate, covering the Detroit Lions during the Millen years and the transition away from it. In the podcast he breaks down Detroit Lions and provides insight into other areas of the NFC North and the NFL that could impact Detroit -— with plenty of grit.
“I don’t know the last time I have yelled that loudly in such an excited manner for the Detroit Lions football team. And it was the realization that we are going to the NFC championship game. I mean, it’s such a big deal,” he said.
The last time Detroit went to the NFC championship was in 1991 when they traveled to the Washington Redskins. Soltysiak won’t miss the opportunity to see the Lions play in the first NFC Championship game in 30 years as he is traveling to San Francisco this Sunday to watch the historic game.
“I’m going to San Francisco. This is like a childhood dream come true. Like, I mean, I was a freshman in high school the last time the Lions were in the NFC championship game. And so I’ve just been riding this wave and I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been able to do this. But I took that leap of faith a week ago and the Lions came through with the win and I’m going to San Francisco,” he said. “The NFC championship game while it was expensive , it’s still, a number that is much different than the Super Bowl. I’ve got a family that lives out in the San Francisco area that I can stay with, so that helps with not having to pay for lodging as well.”
Soltysiak started the podcast one year ago after the Lions first playoff win over the Los Angeles Rams last week in a storybook finish.
Soltysiak made the late night trip back home before going back to teach Spanish, and even the Lions made it into the lesson plan.
“I did manage to find a Detroit Lions podcast in Spanish, really. And a lot of the students, actually, all the students in that class are Detroit Lions fans ... just about three minutes of the podcast because you can imagine how quickly podcast people speak. There’s a lot of content, but we broke it down and we just got to talk a little bit about the Detroit Lions while using high level Spanish,” he said. “Any time you can bring content into the classroom that the kids are more excited with, that makes them more engaged in the lesson. So I always look for real world examples.”
Soltysiak’s podcast is available on all platforms where you can get podcasts.
