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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
The Observer

Defending champion Badin beats Lewis 7-0

Defending champion Badin started the year off right Sunday afternoon, defeating Lewis 7-0 in a rematch of last year's championship game. The Bullfrogs scored the only points of the game early in the second half when quarterback and senior captain Stephanie Heath connected with Lizzi Shappell for a 10-yard touchdown pass. Heath ran in the extra point herself, and that was all Badin would need.The game was a defensive struggle from the start, as neither team could get much going on offense. Badin tried a balanced running and passing attack, but the Lewis defense led by linebacker and senior captain Sheila Dawes was solid as a wall. "In the first half of the first game you always have lots of jitters," Heath said. Lewis also had trouble on offense and failed to take advantage of a struggling Bullfrog offense. The Chicks played much of the first half in Badin territory but were not able to strike pay dirt.After starting just short of midfield, the Chicks offense, led by quarterback Meg Bustin, drove deep into Badin territory only to have a pass dropped in the end zone. Two plays later, Bustin threw an interception, ending Lewis' best chance of the afternoon."We came really ready to play," Dawes said afterward. "We just got a few bad breaks and couldn't finish things off."The Lewis pass rush that had held Badin and Heath at bay in the first half was nowhere to be found after halftime. The Bullfrogs marched 60 yards down the field on their first possession of the new half, thanks to some timely scrambling by Heath and a couple Lewis penalties.On fourth-and-goal from just inside the Lewis 20-yard line Badin drew a pass interference call, resulting in the ball being placed inside the 10 along with a fresh set of downs for the Bullfrogs. Shortly after, Heath connected with Shappell for what would be the winning score."In the second half, we knew what we had to do; what adjustments we had to make," Heath said of her offense.The Badin defense made adjustments as well, and Bustin was not able to get the Lewis attack off the ground. Badin continues its season Thursday night at 8 p.m. against Howard on Riehle Field.Lewis' next game is also against the Ducks from Howard and is scheduled for Sunday at 5 p.m. on West Quad. Welsh Family 19, Pangborn 0Amidst a chorus of shrill cheers and songs, Welsh Family showed an impressive aptitude for pigskin power in their 19-0 win over the Pangborn Phoxes Sunday afternoon. The key to the Whirlwind victory proved to be their passing attack, especially late in the game.The Whirlwinds got off to a great start early with Lauren Osterhus' 60-yard punt return registering the first score of the game."I got some great blocking on my return. Right when I got the ball, my blockers created a huge hole and as soon as I was through I was wide open," Osterhus said. After a failed point-after-touchdown attempt, both teams' defenses took over, ending the half with Welsh Family still on top, 6-0. The second half took a drastically different course, however, as the Whirlwind passing game came alive. With about nine minutes remaining, quarterback Melissa Sands capped a 60-yard Welsh Family drive with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Lauren Hoeck."Melissa threw a perfect pass. She hit me on the run, and it was all easy from there," Hoeck explained. "I think we started finding holes in the Pangborn defense and our offense just started to click."Sands connected with Lauren Prease from eight yards in the corner of the end zone late in the game for the Whirlwinds' final score, jumping to a 19-0 lead over the Phoxes. The Welsh Family defense lived up to preseason expectations, shutting down the Pangborn offense throughout the game. Captain Mary Prendergast was not surprised by the defensive dominance of her team."This was a testament to all of our hard work," Prendergast said. "Our other captain, Daphne Zeringue, kept telling us to play like it was a 0-0 game, and that's what we did. We're just going to keep playing that way for the rest of the season."Though disappointed with the outcome of the game, Pangborn captain Katie Murray feels her team will benefit from the experience."The first game of the season is always a learning experience," Murray said. "Today, we saw a lot of things that we did well and some things that we need to work on. We're going to work on those things in practice and be ready when our next game comes around."Lyons 26, Howard 0For the second year in a row the rector of Howard must ruefully wear the costume of a lion. After Lyons beat the Ducks 26-0 Sunday, the costume must be worn, as tradition is honored. Every year a wager is made that the loser must wear the costume of the victorious dorm's mascot. Howard has come up on the short end yet again, continuing an overall seven-game losing streak that began last season. Lyons came into the game very prepared. The Lions had practiced consistently for over two weeks and were confident in the team's ability. Lyons captain Traci Kazmerski named her team's top priorities as working together, concentrating on teamwork and taking the game more seriously. It worked for the Lyons as the team won handily over the Howard Ducks.The Ducks may have taken a tough loss, but that doesn't diminishes their hopes for this upcoming season. Ducks captain Callie Whelan is looking to improve by sheer numbers, as double the number of players came out this year than the previous year. She is also glad to have an experienced core of players being complemented by a very athletic and fast freshman class. The Ducks take on Badin Thursday at 8 p.m. on Riehle West Field. The Lyons face Pangborn Thursday at 9 p.m. on Riehle West Field as well.