Badin and Walsh clash this weekend as both teams fight for a ticket to the postseason at 3 p.m. at LaBar fields.
Both teams have gained experience over the season and hope to be firing on all cylinders during this match-up.
The Bullfrogs have relied on a blend of veteran experience and new young talent to make strides this season. Recent wins gave Badin momentum heading into the end of the season.
"This season, we have shown great improvement on both sides of the ball," senior captain Katie Rose Hackney said. "We are not a team to be overlooked."
On the other side of the ball, the Wild Women have turned a rebuilding year into a possible playoff run. At 3-2, a win Sunday would almost guarantee a spot in the post-season.
"We came into this season knowing that we were going to have to develop a lot of new players," senior captain Cindy Brenner said. "But if we win on Sunday I am pretty sure that we will be able to make the playoffs"
Badin relies on a strong receiving core to drive its team. Senior Courtney Rains, along with freshmen Ryan Cooney and Carli Fernandez dominate the Bullfrog offense.
"We have a lot of talent and we're hoping to utilize all of our offensive and defensive threats," Hackney said.
Walsh will rely on its gritty defensive line, highlighted by Brenner and junior linebacker Molly McCartney. Offensively, sophomores quarterback Amy Langnecker and receiver Lindsay Schanzer run the passing game, while running back Meghan Hadley gets the touches on the ground.
"This year the team's notorious upperclassmen have been instrumental in leading more freshmen than the team has had in years," coach J.J. Rees said. "The team is coming off a huge last-second win over BP, and the girls look forward to showing Badin their best football."
Lewis vs. Farley
Farley will try to bounce back from a loss to Welsh Family against winless Lewis Sunday.
Farley (2-1-1) would like to finish their season the same way it started - 2-0. With only two games left in the season, captain Jenny Rolfs is confident that back-to-back wins will land her team a spot in the playoffs. Rolfs said Farley's strong defensive play was the key to the game.
"We have been playing amazing defense, we have moved a couple freshman into the rotation and they are doing an excellent job," Rolfs said.
In order to be successful though, she also said the offense needs to be more consistent in finishing their offensive drives, despite the dependable play of quarterback Emily Murphy, who, Rolfs said, "always does a great job".
Lewis is still playing with as much intensity as they have all season. After losing last week to Pangborn 25-12, the Chicks' new mission is to ruin someone's season. Lewis has shown steady offensive improvement throughout the year, and with the great play of captain Kristie Shushinsky, Lewis could very well play the role of spoiler in either of its last two games.
Farley's Finest and the Chicks will face off this Sunday at 5 p.m. on the LaBar Practice Field.
Welsh Family vs. Breen-Phillips
Two teams couldn't look more differently right now than undefeated Welsh Family and winless Breen-Phillips, who play Sunday at 6 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
The Babes (0-2-2) come into Sunday's matchup off of a tough loss to Walsh last week. The Breen-Philips offense finally began to operate on all cylinders and held the lead for most of the game. With 21 seconds left, the Babes led 21 - 19 when Walsh took over on offense.
Needing a touchdown for the win, Walsh quarterback Amy Langnecker launched a bomb to receiver Lindsay Shanzer who caught the ball seamlessly and ran it in for the touchdown that handed a stunned Breen-Phillips team its second straight loss.
Welsh Family (4-0) comes to the matchup following a win over Farley this past Sunday. In the battle of the unbeatens, Welsh Family emerged victorious, coming from behind to beat a strong Farley team and remain undefeated for the season.
Despite this strong performance, Whirlwinds captain Jenni Gargula said she is never satisfied and this attitude is what accounts for much of their success.
"I still don't think we have come close to playing up to our potential," Welsh Family captain Jenni Gargula said.
The Welsh Family team remains determined to perfect every aspect of their game.
"We have been working on the goal line play of our offense," Gargula said. "We've had some mistakes on extra points the past few games, which should never happen."
Oftentimes, the threat to a team so accustomed to winning is complacency. This seems far from the truth, however, with Welsh Family. The team continues to run intensive practices and continues to expect only the best from the players.
"We are just looking for turnovers from our defense and scoring drives from our offense," Gargula said. "Every person on our team contributes and is capable of making big plays."
Pasquerilla East vs. Pasquerilla West
On Sunday, another chapter will be added to the Pasquerilla rivalry.
Pasquerilla East (0-4-1) will face off against the Pasquerilla West (2-1-2) at Labar Field at 1 pm.
"It's a big rivalry," Pyros captain Tara Pillai said. "We just want to win."
Mired in a disappointing season, the Pyros are coming off of a tie last week against Cavanaugh.
"We had some good drives on offense last week," Pillai said. "We just couldn't score."
The Pyros offense last week effectively used the shovel pass, which Cavanaugh had difficulty defending. They were also happy with their stingy defense against what they said was a good Cavanaugh team. Pillai wants her team to put it all together on offense and defense Sunday.
After last week's victory in the rain against Lyons, the Purple Weasels are looking to avoid an end of the season slip-up before the playoffs. In clinching a playoff berth, the Pasquerilla West offense successfully utilized its short passing game as well as a strong running attack behind quarterback Cara Davies. Its defense also played well, intercepting three passes and keeping the Lions out of the end zone.
Although their season will end on Sunday, the Pryos are looking to win their first game against their rivals.
"We're fired up and absolutely ready to go." Pillai said. "We can ruin P-Dub's season."
Howard vs. Cavanaugh
Howard will face the Cavanaugh for the second time this season Sunday, and after losing to the Chaos 7-6 two weeks ago, the Chaos hope to use this game as an opportunity for revenge.
"We are finally getting into the groove of things, the offense is getting the ball rolling, and the defense is making some great stops," Cavanaugh captain Katie Dunn said.
Cavanaugh's key players include freshman safety Caroline Walsh, senior wide receiver Laura Geizeman and wide receiver Krysten Jeffries.
"Jeffries is coming off a really good game, look for her to be making some great catches out there," Dunn said.
The Ducks will also be relying on their offensive talent to solidify the win.
"The receivers had a fantastic game on Tuesday, they ran sharp routs, they made the plays, they are the best I have seen in my four years of play," Howard captain Kayla Bishop said.
Bishop is the starting quarterback for the Ducks, but may be forced to sit out due to an ankle injury.
"I have a great backup, Caitlin Booth, who might get some reps for the first time Sunday," Bishop said.
The Ducks' gameplan, though, remains simple.
"We are just going to do our best and hope it works," Bishop said.
The game should be an equal offensive matchup, putting pressure on each defensive squad to make the stops.
Kickoff is Sunday, 2 p.m. on LaBar Field.
Lyons vs. McGlinn
Lyons takes on McGlinn Sunday in a matchup of two teams trying to make a statement at the end of the season.
The Lions have used a team approach that emphasizes communication to lead them to victory three times this season.
"It's been a successful season," captain Claire Connell said. "We're happy with how we've played."
On offense, the Lions are working on improving their play execution, while they are working on the fundamentals of the game on defense. However, Lyons still hopes to improve the mental aspect of their game.
"We just need to keep our focus," Connell said. "If things go wrong in a game don't get down on yourselves."
At this point in the season, Lyons holds a winning record and is hoping to continue their season into the playoffs.
"We've set high goals for ourselves," Connell said. "But we're going to take it one step at a time. We're confident that we can make the playoffs and from there we'll see if we can take it all the way."
