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Monday, March 18, 2024
The Observer

Off-Campus, Badin meet

Redemption and the chance for improvement will serve as motivation when Badin and Off-Campus square off tonight at the Riehle Field. Both teams look to rebound from losses last Sunday. While the two teams share goals, their mentalities are different. This game offers Badin the opportunity to wipe away the memory of a disappointing 26-0 defeat at the hands of Pangborn. The loss was especially disheartening, considering the high expectations Badin carried as defending Interhall champions. The Bullfrogs will look to be more focused and prepared than they were last weekend. "We need to bring more intensity," captain Stephanie Heath said. "We were sluggish on Sunday."Heath stressed the need to improve in all aspects of the game, especially in developing consistency on offense. "We need to complete more passes, which will allow us to sustain drives," Heath said. "All of our scoring has been on big plays. That needs to change this week."Heath was encouraged by her team's practice this week as she saw vast improvement in the team's defense, as well as the offensive line, which struggled in last week's loss. She expects the line to step up in tonight's game.For Off-Campus, last weekend's loss came with noticeable improvement, especially on offense. In its loss to Lyons on Sunday, the team managed to score for the first time this season. The team built on its strong defensive play while continuing to grow into its offense this week as it prepared to take on the defending champs."Badin's loss gave us a sense of hope," team captain Lauren Blum said. "We'll do our best, and hopefully things will fall into place for us [tonight]."Blum was realistic, however, about long term goals for her upstart team. "We're looking to improve every game, and hopefully we can manage a win along the way," Blum said."We want to make a run for the Stadium," Heath said. "It will be a tough road as there are a lot of good teams out there. We're going to take it one game at a time."Pangborn vs. LewisWhat's the perfect remedy to early season woes? A convincing shutout victory. Lewis and Pangborn, both coming off impressive victories, face each other today and take one more step towards playing in Notre Dame Stadium at the end of the season.With both teams notching a win and a loss in their early season games, the Chicks (1-1) hold tough-nosed defense as key to a victory against the Phoxes (1-1-1)."We're going to have to play hard and stay at home and also try not to give up any first downs," Lewis captain Sheila Dawes said.After torching the defending interhall champion Badin team for 26 points en route to a solid victory Sunday, Pangborn hopes to carry their offensive success into today's game. Using four different players to score their four touchdowns, the Phoxes clicked on offense throughout their last game."They're coming off a huge win," Dawes said. "Anytime you score 26 points, you've got a great offense, and when you don't give up any points, you've got a great defense. Plus, they've got momentum, so they present a lot of challenges."But Pangborn will have to find a way through a stingy Lewis defense that only gave up three first downs in its last game. After relying on their defense to quickly get the ball back and power their offensive drives, the Chicks will try to use the same principles for tonight's game."[We will] keep trying to work on our defense and offense feeding off each other," Dawes said. "When the offense scores, have our defense come out and get a stop and vice versa."Trick plays could be another key factor that dictates the outcome of the contest. Both teams burned their opponents for a touchdown using a well-timed flea-flicker."Defensively, we're just going to have to guard against their trick plays," Dawes said.Game time is 7 p.m. tonight at Riehle West field.Welsh Family vs. LyonsUndefeated Welsh Family takes on Lyons tonight in a match of two highly-ranked teams.Each team has come out strong this season - neither has lost a game yet.Welsh was ranked second in the preseason polls, but after a two-game winning streak to start the season is currently ranked No. 1. Lyons, on the other hand, has one win and one tie under its belt. Although Welsh Family is undefeated, it refuses to take Lyons lightly."They have been putting up a lot of points on the board," Welsh captain Mary Prendergast said. "They play a good game, and we are looking for this to be a challenge."Both teams have been preparing all week for tonight's game."We've been preparing like we always do," Prendergast said. "I think the key to making it to the Stadium this year is to keep getting better with every game. Just because we've shut teams out before does not mean we're set."There is always the opportunity to improve. Our defense is strong, but our offense struggles with their rhythm and they really need to get going on a good note."Welsh may just keep its strong hold on the No. 1 spot, and not only because of its play on the field, but also because of its approach to every game."We're not taking this game lightly at all," Prendergast said.