You’ll have to excuse Andy Kiah. Yes, he admits he is a life-long New England Patriots fan despite the fact they traded his favorite player, quarterback Drew Bledsoe, to the Buffalo Bills two years ago.

But the former Brewer High School three-sports star and UMass catcher-third baseman will be rooting for the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

That’s because the Panthers conduct their training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., where he is the director of athletic facilities.

“The Patriots have already have one [2001 Super Bowl title]. They need to share. I’ve got to go with the Panthers. I know who signs my check in the summer,” joked the 31-year-old Kiah.

He hasn’t been surprised by the Panthers’ rise to prominence.

“To be honest with you, the way the NFL has gone with the parity in the last four, five, six years and with the salary cap and their defense, [it doesn’t surprise me],” said Kiah. “They were 7-9 last year but they could have been in the playoffs with a 9-7 or 10-6 record. And they’re a lot better this year.”

The Panthers lost four games by three points or less during the 2002 season.

“Their offense still struggles. But if you have a [good] defense and a running game, you’ve got a chance in every game. And now, [quarterback Jake] Delhomme and [wide receivers] Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad are getting into it,” Kiah said.

He anticipates a defensive struggle, saying both teams won their conference championship games “because of their physical nature [on defense].

“I’d be shocked if they score more than 40 points [between them]. There might be a defensive touchdown here or there. It’ll be close unless someone turns it over,” said Kiah. “The New England passing game is a lot better but the Carolina running game is a lot better. Defensively, the front seven of the Panthers is better but the Patriots’ secondary is better.”

Kiah said it could “come down to the kickers.”

He said he has been treated very well by the Panther management, coaches and players.

He has developed a close friendship with offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dan Henning.

Henning was the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons and San Diego Chargers before spending three years as the head coach at Boston College.

“He’s from Brooklyn. We play a lot of golf together during training camp. We still talk once a week,” said Kiah. “We rebuilt our stadium field here and he took a liking to it and used it as a metaphor to compare it to his offense.

“We started with a black hole and then added layers and layers [of turf] until the field was done. He said his offense wasn’t very good at the start of training camp but has been getting better and better,” said Kiah.

He also said head coach John Fox is a classy individual.

“He’s a players coach but he’s very strict. There’s no screwing around at practice. He’s real serious. He’s a great guy. He’s down to earth. You wouldn’t know whether he had won a Super Bowl or a preseason game. He’s always the same, always talkative,” said Kiah.

Kiah is predicting a 17-10 Panthers win but he won’t be distraught if the Pats emerge victorious.

“If the Pats win, it might make up for the Red Sox last season. But if the Panthers win, it’ll be a fun summer,” said Kiah who will watch the game with his pregnant wife, Amy (Burns), the Wofford women’s soccer coach.

Amy Kiah played on three NCAA championship soccer teams at the University of North Carolina and was Mia Hamm’s roommate.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.