Tuesday night's game between the Breen-Philips Babes and the Wild Women of Walsh should be a battle of two teams jockeying for playoff positions.
After dropping two of the past three games, the Wild Women are beginning to gain momentum after handing Farley their fourth loss of the season last Sunday.
"The win over Farley is helping us to restore our confidence," Walsh captain Colleen Gannon said.
The Wild Women are on the verge of securing a birth in the playoffs and need a critical win over the Babes.
Veterans Carrie Campbell, Amanda Borys and Karla Bell are not the only players who are being depended upon.
"On offense, we have been looking for the freshmen and sophomores to step up," Gannon said.
The Babes see themselves as tough opponents on both offense and defense.
"The defense has progressed throughout the year, and we are now evenly matched [with offense]," Babes team captain Kelly Deckelman said.
Breen-Phillips is looked at as one of the toughest teams in the league, second only to undefeated Cavanaugh, who gave the Babes their first loss of the season last Sunday.
The two teams will meet tonight at the west Riehle field at 9 p.m.
Cavanaugh vs. Pasquerilla West
As the interhall football season comes to a close, thoughts turn to the playoffs and the march to the stadium. Cavanaugh (5-0) and Pasquerilla West (1-2-2) are no exception.
However, whereas Cavanaugh has already secured the first place seed in the playoffs, the Purple Weasels are fighting for their postseason lives.
"We expect a tough game and we're taking [Tuesday night] very seriously," Pasquerilla West captain Leslie Schmidt said. "We know that Cavanaugh is the best team in the league, but we haven't given up yet."
Cavanaugh toppled previously unbeaten Breen-Phillips 12-6 on Sunday to clinch the Blue League.
Pasquerilla West, on the other hand, enters play tonight following a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to Welsh Family on Sunday.
After a first-half interception led to a 7-0 Whirlwind lead, the Purple Weasels battled back, getting on the board with a little over two minutes remaining in the contest. However, the two-point-conversion failed and Pasquerilla West was forced to watch helplessly as Welsh Family ran out the clock.
While the Chaos boast a flawless record, senior Jessica Leibowitz and Cavanaugh realize that the squad can always improve.
"We can definitely get better and our coaches continually strive to help us do that," Leibowitz said. "Each team is different and what works against one team may not work against another."
Regardless of the game's results, Schmidt is pleased with the team's progress this season and believes they have paved the path to future success.
"The team really matured this year," Schmidt said. "The sophomores came back ready to play and the freshmen stepped up and added speed and depth to our team. Even if we fall short, I definitely think the stage is set for next year."
Farley vs. Pangborn
Although tonight's game between Farley and Pangborn is not the matchup of the two best teams in the league, it will still be a hard-fought tough game as both teams look to end the regular season with a bang.
Pangborn will walk onto the field with some confidence and momentum after snapping its four-year losing streak last week with a win against Walsh.
"The win spoke so much to how much hard work and effort we have put into this season," Pangborn captain Katie Murray said. "It is good to get a good result, and we want to do what we did last game."
In the last game, Pangborn's defense stepped up and made big plays that were missing in the previous games.
Pangborn is a team made up of mostly freshmen, but they have grown considerably since the start of the season.
"Our freshmen have improved a ton," Murray said. "They now know how to execute and make big plays. Their athletic ability and knowledge of the game finally clicked."
On the other side, Farley is coming into this game without a win this season.
"We're looking forward to this game," Farley captain Angelina Zehrbach said. "We are not ending this season without a win. We are going to come out fighting and give Pangborn everything we've got."
Farley's record doesn't tell the team's whole story. The squad has a solid offense lead by quarterback Katie Popik and wide receiver Lizzy Coghill.
As they have proven this season, the Finest can move the ball, but have difficulty scoring touchdowns, struggling in the red zone.
"We must find a way to score and play aggressively to limit the big plays on defense," Zehrbach said.
