But it was more than the average Super Bowl for Louisiana native Jon Alvarado and his girlfriend, Sterling Heights senior Jess Yaxley, who went to O’Kelly’s Sports Bar and Grille, 2000 S. Mission St.

Alvarado, a lifelong Saints fan, had traveled 12 hours from his Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va., to watch the game with her.

“Because of the Super Bowl, I wanted to be with her to watch it,” he said.

Yaxley said she wanted to take him somewhere local. The two met through a mutual friend in Annapolis, Md., eight months ago, while Alvarado was attending the United States Naval Academy.

Alvarado planned his leave around the Super Bowl after the Saints clinched their berth in the Super Bowl against the Colts two weeks ago. He came to the bar Sunday wearing his Drew Brees jersey, and Yaxley wore a homemade Reggie Bush shirt.

Sunday was the first Super Bowl the Saints have ever appeared in — something Alvarado has been waiting for his whole life.

“I’ve waited 24 years for this game,” he said. “If you had Saints tickets, it was just a bonus reason to go to New Orleans. They’ve never had anything, and now they have the Saints.”

From the residence halls

Cheers permeated through the Saxe, Herrig and Celani residence halls Sunday.

The halls hosted the Super Bowl game with a requirement that attendees bring either $1 or one can of soup for the Isabella County Soup Kitchen.

Kayla Pitt, a Grand Rapids freshman, and friend Autumn McDaniel sat comfortably on top of a Lion King blanket in front of the television. Pitt smiled whenever the Colts — her team of choice — scored.

“I like it!“ the Grand Rapids freshman said, beaming.

Craig Johnson, SHC Hall council president and a Lake City junior, was hoping the Saints would win. He said the event was for fun and fundraising.

“I root for the underdog,” Johnson said. “This is their last game of the season. A ton of people are watching and it’s showtime.”

Woodland sophomore Kasey Flessner said she was looking forward to the Colts winning.

“I think it is a good chance that they will win, they are playing pretty strong,” Flessner said shortly after the Colts scored a touchdown in the first quarter.

Other students supported teams because of a specific player. Highland Park Chris Thomas wanted the Saints to win because of running back Reggie Bush, whereas McDaniel had someone else in mind.

“I’m a huge Peyton Manning fan. I’m very excited — I love the Super Bowl,” McDaniel said.

From the pizza place

Super Bowl Sunday often means cheering a favorite team — but not everyone has the chance to relax in front of the television.

For employees at Pizza King, it meant working on one of the busiest days of the year.

“The orders are a lot larger, and we have a lot more party pizzas go out,” said owner Kyle Schonbok.

Orders for party pizzas, which have 30 slices and an unlimited amount of topping possibilities, started coming in Saturday night and only picked up as Sunday continued, said Schonbok, a 27-year-old Weidman resident.

Pizza King employees hardly had a moment to pause as gametime neared Sunday afternoon. Their work ethic was rhythmic — one person kneading dough, another applying toppings, a third pulling a fresh pizza out of the oven and a delivery boy always on hand.

“I enjoy it,” Schonbok said. “All the timed orders actually make it a little easier if we keep up on them.”

With two televisions in the store at 600 N. Mission St., employees were still able to enjoy the game, especially after halftime, when orders start slowing down.

Schonbok and employee Kayla Yaklin both hoped for a Saints upset.

For Yaklin, 22, the Super Bowl brings a wave of customers she is always glad to see.

“I’m hoping for a good rush,” she said before the game started. “This is our first Super Bowl being open, so we’re hoping for a good turnout.”

From the apartment party

More than 30 people crowded into a Lexington Ridge apartment to celebrate the big game Sunday, taking up room on two couches, at least 5 chairs and standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the kitchen.

Various snacks covered most of the counter space. Votes for the Saints and Colts were split throughout the gathering.

Nashville sophomore Chris Caldwell was energetically voicing his position as a Colts fan, yelling and high-fiving his friends standing next to the couch he was sitting on.

“It’s better with friends. You can really say whatever you want and know no one’s going to be offended,” Caldwell said. “I like any football game. I just use the time to scream.”

Caldwell was positive the Colts would win, especially since the coach’s last name also was Caldwell (Jim).

Midland freshman Jennifer Biber, a big football fan, had other thoughts — she was rooting for the Saints.

This year was different for Biber — usually, she spends it with family. Sunday, she was with friends from the group Campus Crusades for Christ.

Cheers and heavy sighs filled the air and laughter erupted throughout the apartment during commercial breaks. Biber said she enjoyed hanging out at someone’s place even more than being out on the town.

“This is the first time I’ve been to a big Super Bowl party where people aren’t rooting for the same team,” she said. “It’s kind of intimidating.”