The Wild Women of Walsh are taking an unblemished record into a 7 p.m. Blue League contest with Lyons tonight, while the Lions are looking to get their season back on track at Riehle West Field.
Thus far, Walsh has defeated Lewis, 13-7, and Badin, 20-0. The defending champions are led by Mary Sullivan at quarterback. Sullivan is the Michael Vick of the Walsh offense, using both her legs and arm with equal effect.
On Sunday against Badin, Sullivan threw and ran for a touchdown. Walsh's offense also features Cigi Moore and Laurie Wasikowski at wideout.
Lewis held Sullivan in check for the first half last week, but as the defense crept up to prevent her from running, Sullivan found Wasikowski over the top for big gains. Once the defense dropped back, Sullivan used her legs to drive Walsh down the field.
Lyons opened the season in impressive fashion with a 20-0 win over Howard. Since then, however, Lyons can't quite find the right groove. It has lost consecutive games to Badin and Lewis.
"We're working on the things we need to fix," co-captain Katie Mackin said.
In the Lions' only win, receiver Jenny Delaney caught three touchdown passes from quarterbacks Kim Murphy and Lynn Truitt.
But Delaney and the rest of the Lions' receiving corps will be up against a tough Walsh secondary led by Julie Campbell, who has three interceptions in two games, including one returned for a touchdown. Also featured in the Walsh secondary are Kristen Keve and Patty Rose.
Walsh captain Mary Ellen Botta, who anchors the defensive line, is excited about her team's attitude.
"We are looking to keep up the strong defense and force turnovers," Botta said. "[We] like to give our offense good starting field position and see what they can do."
Badin vs. Cavanaugh
Cavanaugh has not allowed a point in its first two games, and the Chaos are looking to continue their streak in a 9 p.m. game with Badin (1-1) at Riehle fields tonight.
Last week, the Chaos (2-0) won big over Howard, winning 24-0, with a strong running game and an adequate passing game. Cavanaugh demonstrated its offensive versatility against the Ducks, scoring twice through the air and twice with an option running game.
If Badin hopes to win, it will have to overpower a sturdy Chaos defense. In its last game, Cavanaugh defenders forced two interceptions and held Howard quarterbacks to 6-of-19 passing.
Cavanaugh had a bye this weekend and used the time to prepare for specific situations, as the Chaos were 0-for-4 on extra points last week against the Ducks.
"We know that a close game is going to come down to extra points, and we want to be able to succeed on them to win those games," Cavanaugh assistant coach Hunter Land said.
Badin hopes to rebound this week after a 20-0 loss to Walsh, but the Bullfrogs will have a difficult game against Cavanaugh, who has not lost a regular season game in over a year.
Badin has shown promise early this season, including a two-touchdown performance by freshman quarterback Katie Rose Hackney and a shutout in week one.
Despite the odds against Badin, the team is confident it can compete with a team like Cavanaugh. Part of the reason for the loss in the Walsh game was due to injuries and sickness on the part of key Bullfrogs players.
"Our defense held strong while our offense had trouble completing passes," Badin's Allison Lang said.
Howard vs. Lewis
The Howard Ducks and Lewis Chicks will meet tonight at 8 p.m. at Stepan Fields in a matchup some are calling, "The Poultry Bowl."
Howard enters the game still in the hunt for its first win after tough losses to Lyons and Cavanaugh.
Sophomore Catherine Krug said her team has been practicing some new offensive strategy this week.
"We're looking for the offense to make some plays and for the defense to keep playing tough," Krug said.
Sophomore offensive and defensive lineman Lauren Gulley echoed the need for improvement on offense.
"The area to work on the most for us is offense," Gulley said. "Each player has to know their individual responsibilities and execute very well."
Gulley felt Howard's younger players, including freshman receiver Liz Pike, would make a greater impact in this game.
"We have a lot of freshman," Gulley said. "But now they know what to expect: the pace of the games, the level of competition of women's interhall flag football."
Lewis has the edge over Howard in record against common opponents - they also lost to Cavanaugh but beat Lyons.
Lewis also has lost to Walsh and is looking to bring its record to .500 with a victory. The Chicks will look to a strong senior class - including Kara Bailey, wide receiver Kati Kloon and captain and defender Julia Borke - to capture a win.
