Welsh Family continued its dominance on the Interhall gridiron Thursday with an 18-7 victory over Walsh.
The undefeated Whirlwinds (3-0) jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. On their first possession Whirlwind quarterback Jenni Gargula threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Charlotte Seasly for a 6-0 lead. On the following possession, Meghan Mulher caught a 10-yard touchdown strike from Gargula for a 12-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, it was more of the same for the Whirlwinds. After several designed quarterback keepers brought the ball down to the 20-yard line, Gargula found Muhler in the back of the end zone again. Muhler's second touchdown catch of the game gave Welsh Family an 18-0 lead.
Despite the deficit, Walsh (2-2) never gave up and scored the first points anyone has score this season against the vaunted Welsh Family defense. Quarterback Amy Langnecker found Molly McCarthy across the middle for a 25-yard touchdown score. Wide receiver Meghan Hadley made a diving catch for the extra-point, cutting the lead to 18-7.
"Well obviously we are not happy about the touchdown," Welsh Family coach Mike Kaiser said. "You can't expect to go the whole season without giving up some points. However, overall I am very pleased with the defense's performance."
Although Welsh Family surrendered its first touchdown of the season, it seemed as if it was competing with its own offense for most of the game. The defense answered every touchdown with an interception, one each by Jenna Spizzirri and Katie Rehberger, and a fourth-and-goal stand. However, at least for tonight, the offense got the last laugh.
Kaiser had high praise for Gargula, who was a force with both her arm and her legs, throwing for three touchdowns and running for 60 yards.
"She is a fierce competitor," Kaiser said. "She makes my job easy because she sees the field so well and can make any throw."
Walsh coach Michael Wakim noted the performance of Hadley.
"She is short but she is dynamite," he said. "She does a lot for us and that's why we call her 'Mighty Mouse.'"
In spite of the loss, Wakim remained optimistic.
"We knew that they had a good defense, but knew that we could score on them," he said. "It's OK though, we will get them next time."
Pangborn 28, Breen-Phillips 13
Led by sophomore quarterback Gabby Tate, who threw for two scores and ran for two more, Pangborn rolled to a victory over Breen-Phillips Thursday.
Breen-Phillips' senior quarterback Melissa Meagher may have described Tate's performance best.
"It was her athleticism," Meagher said. "She is the most talented quarterback we have seen yet."
The game opened with Tate efficiently leading a drive down the field. As was her pattern all game, Tate found receivers on short slant patterns play after play. Before the Babes had time to adjust, Tate had already scrambled six yards for a touchdown.
Breen-Phillips' offense roared back with 13 unanswered points, including a 60-yard touchdown bomb by Meagher.
The Babes' offensive outburst did not last for long. Just before the half Tate tossed a 10-yard touchdown. After the half, she found junior Annie Kotz for another touchdown. To seal the game, Tate dashed from a yard out for one final touchdown to boost the Phoxes lead to 28-13.
Breen-Phillips did have one opportunity to possibly tie the game. Down only 21-13 at the time, Meagher threw a 15-yard touchdown strike, but, as has been their season-long tendency, the Babes shot themselves in the foot at the most inopportune time. A holding penalty voided the touchdown, and another knocked them out of scoring range.
"We were successful on some things from practice, but didn't always execute," Meagher said. "We need to be more consistent on both sides of the ball."
The Pangborn defense did step up in the second half to shut down the Babes' attack.
"The second half the defense poured it on," Tate said. "The past two games we've been pouring it on."
As time expired, Pangborn safety Kaitlyn Furrie pulled in her third interception in two games.
Sunday, Pangborn will put its 2-2 record on the line against Lewis, while Breen-Phillips will play Welsh Family in search of its first win of the season.
