A team known for its suffocating defense turned in another solid performance this past Sunday as Cavanaugh handily defeated Pasquerilla West 24-6. Unfortunately, at least for the rest of the league, the Chaos offense seems to be catching up.
After being shutout in its season opener, the Cavanaugh offense has blossomed into a very formidable and explosive unit, as the Weasel defense found out all too well. Cavanaugh accumulated 160 yards of total offense, including 65 yards on the ground, en route to two touchdowns through the air and one off of an option. Chaos quarterback Lisa Ruffer made certain to spread the wealth on offense, as she connected with six different receivers.
"I think that first game got us angry," Ruffer said. "We wanted to live up to the expectations."
Cavanaugh came out firing; scoring on each of its first two possessions, one of which was a perfectly executed quarterback option that freshman Tarah Brown took the distance. Seniors Sara Gilloon and Jenny Nokes pulled down the offense's other two scores.
Pasquerilla West's quarterback Heather Van Hoegarden was under constant pressure all game and the Weasel offense never got itself established. The Weasels did, however, come out and score off a long drive on their first possession of the second half, pulling them within a touchdown. The Chaos defense then rose to the challenge, keeping the Weasels from even coming close to scoring again.
"The defense, and the team, works on getting better each week," Chaos coach Hunter Craig said. "We feel confident that we can win every week."
With the game already in hand, freshman cornerback Lizzy Brown, on the last play of the game, intercepted a Van Hoegarden desperation pass and returned it 30 yards for Cavanaugh's fourth and final score. Cavanaugh's balanced offense and stingy defense were too much for Pasquerilla West to overcome.
Pasquerilla West (1-1-1) will look to rebound against Farley this Tuesday at 7 p.m. while Cavanaugh (2-0-1) tries to remain unbeaten when they take on McGlinn this Tuesday at 9 p.m. Both games are at the Riehle West Fields.
McGlinn 19, Pasquerilla East 0.
It was a big game for both teams, and McGlinn came out on top. Both the Shamrocks and Pasquerilla East came into the game without a win and the Shamrocks came out victorious with a win.
"Our offense didn't give the ball away as much," McGlinn coach Jake Granatino said. "We had great defense."
McGlinn scored very early in the game. The Shamrocks ran for a 40-yard touchdown for the first six points. Before halftime, they scored on a 15-yard touchdown run. Neither of the two extra point attempts were successful. This brought the score to 12-0 at halftime.
The Pyros were having some trouble moving the ball at the start of the game. The offense could not get into the flow of the game. Penalties hurt the Pyros, but by the end of the half, they were moving the ball better.
The Pyro defense struggled, but intercepted one pass in the first half.
In the second half of the game, McGlinn ran for one more touchdown and the extra point attempt was good. Although down, the Pyros didn't quit. The offensive line was cheering for the defensive line. They fought a hard battle and never gave up. Towards the end of the game, they had more successful running plays. However, McGlinn was just too much to handle.
"PE ran an unorthodox offense," Granatino said. "They had some break downs. They got shut down."
Pasquerilla East is now 0-4, while McGlinn is 1-2.
