In a fierce battle between two intense defenses, it was the girls of Badin who came out with a 7-0 victory over Lyons on Thursday night at Riehle field.
Badin came out with a relentless passing attack on their opening drive, capped off by a Molly Donnelly 21-yard touchdown reception. Badin seemed flawless moving the ball down field, with quarterback Erin Zachry getting all of her receivers involved in the flow of the game. With completions of 16 yards, 16 yards and 20 yards, Badin easily moved the ball leading to the only touchdown of the game.
"We did a good job running our routes today," said Badin's Molly Donnelly. "But in their credit, they did a good job on defense. Their defense was tough all day."
After Badin's opening touchdown, the game turned into a defensive showdown where both teams did not allow another touchdown. Badin stopped Lyons twice inside the red zone, including a late interception to virtually end the game. Badin intercepted quarterback Roxi Travolta a total of three times, two of which came from defensive back, Jenn Carter.
"The defensive really did all of the work today. Carter was amazing. We give them all the credit," said Donnelly.
Zachry played well on offense and was able to complete several passes for over 10 yards. The Badin offense completed 8 passes for 65 yards including Donnelly's first half touchdown.
"Lyons' defense applied a lot of pressure today, but our offensive line did a good job protecting our quarterbacks and filling up the holes," said Zachry.
Badin is now looking ahead to finish the season strong and make a legit run at a championship. With the offense clicking on the opening drive, and the strong defensive play throughout the game, these goals are not distant.
"We're going to keep getting better. Everyone better watch out come playoff time," said Donnelly.
Lewis 15, Howard 0
Lewis was anything but chicken as the Chicks defeated the Howard Ducks 15-0 in Thursday night's game.
Although the Lewis offense struggled in the first half, the Chicks were able to convert with 40 seconds left on the clock before halftime. Quarterback Erin Nasrallah with her excellent pocket presence and ability to keep composure as she scrambled, threw a wide open pass to Lynne McChrystal in the deep left corner of the end zone. McChrystal also completed the two-point conversion to make the score 8-0 at the end of the half.
The Ducks were unable to answer, burdened by their own offensive struggles and a strong Chick defense. The Ducks tried several special options and despite the strong defense from Lewis, the Ducks remained persistent and continued to battle.
"The defense was as awesome as usual," said McChrystal. Nasrallah agreed as she believed the defense was focused
"Our offense was a little shaky at first but we were solid once we got rid of the pre-game jitters," said McChrystal.
The solid offense continued into the second half as McChrystal came through for the team with her second touchdown of the night. McChrystal also completed the one-point conversion afterwards to make the final score 15-0.
The Ducks did however put pressure on Nasrallah with several sacks by freshman Emmi Calland and team captain Brin Anderson.
McChrystal attributed Thursday night's win to both the defense and offense.
"The defense only allowed Howard to get a couple of first downs and the offense kept moving the ball and we could not be stopped," said McChrystal.
Despite the loss, Howard captain Anderson remained optimistic.
"It was our first game of the year and we did not have much experience," said Anderson.
"We have a young team and everyone stepped up ... the offense did great running options and the defense did an awesome job," said Anderson.
From this young team, freshman Calland showed leadership and great potential for the future as she had, "a really good showing," said Anderson.
Although the Chicks won the game with a shut-out, quarterback Nasrallah said she believes the team will, "still improve with each coming game."
McGlinn 21, PE 19
After getting off to a shaky start, the McGlinn Shamrocks came back to defeat the defending interhall football champions, Pasquerilla East, 21-19 in an exciting, action-packed game Thursday night under the lights.
"It was huge. We knew how good Pasquerilla East was. We just had to come out strong," said Raquel Ferrer, McGlinn's running back.
"I think we'll be the defending champions now," said her junior teammate Theresa Novotney.
The Shamrocks were down 6-0 after Pasquerilla East's Tricia Davis made an interception early in the game and Leslie Follmer scored on the following series. The Pyro's increased their lead when Kristin Marcuccilli scored off a 10-yard play midway through the first half, making the score 12-0.
The Shamrocks were not easily discouraged, however, and they came back with two quick touchdowns as the first half was winding down.
Novotney ran the ball in from 10 yards out and Ferrer showed her explosive burst as she scored from two yards out. Quarterback Bridget Meacham connected with Carolyn Gibbs in the endzone for the extra point after both touchdowns, making the halftime score 14-12 in favor of McGlinn.
"It was awesome. We were just ready to come back," Novotney said.
After their halftime break and several penalties in both directions, the Pyros answered with a 20-yard touchdown pass to veteran receiver Kathryn Lent. The freshman quarterback Laura Adams found the endzone again for the extra point, this time with Follmer making a diving catch.
With the score 19-14 in the Pyro's favor, Shamrock receiver Liz Maher broke free from the defense after catching the ball near the 50-yard-line and ran it in for the final touchdown of the game. Again, Meacham connected with Gibbs for the extra point, making the final score 21-19.
"Our defense held us in the game last game but we knew we had to come out there and score some points against PE," said Drew Pittman, a McGlinn coach. "It just clicked tonight."
Backed by a mass of spirited fans, the Shamrocks are excited to extend their winning streak to 2-0.
"To win a championship, you have to beat people who have won championships and Pasquerilla East won it all last year," Pittman said. "Both sides came out ready to play. It could've gone either way. We stopped them, they stopped us; they scored, we scored. I tip my hat to everyone, especially Pasquerilla East. They played a great game."
Both teams are already looking ahead to their next game on Sunday.
"It was a tough loss, but the Pyros gave it their all," said avid fan Caitlyn Doyle. "They'll come back next game."
"I was really nervous for our first game, but the upperclassmen stepped it up," Adams said. "We made a lot of mistakes but we'll get better as we go along. I'm looking forward to getting a win on Sunday!"
Likewise, the Shamrocks are confident and optimistic about the rest of the season.
"We have a tough game Sunday against Lewis, but we're ready to just go out there and play," Novotney said.
