After starting at quarterback for four years, leading the way to three consecutive undefeated regular seasons, and to two Stadium appearances, Jenni Gargula has one goal left to attain.
On Sunday, the Welsh Family Whirlwinds will look to Gargula for leadership as they have all season - and most of the past four - in an effort to finally win the Interhall Championship.
Towards the end of her freshmen season, Gargula took over at quarterback for the Whirlwinds. Since then, Welsh Fam has not lost a regular season game. Along the way, Gargula has pushed herself to improve.
"Jenni has learned a lot about the game," senior receiver Meghan Mulhern said. "She has always been very knowledgeable, but she goes into each game each week knowing and remembering what the upcoming team has done in the past."
Not only does Gargula vividly remember her opponents, but every week she also needs to correctly remember the fifty plays Welsh Fam runs. It is this pursuit of knowledge that differentiates Gargula from typical team leaders, as she shares it as much as she can.
"She has helped me learn about the game so much," freshmen receiver Natalie Baldasare said. "Her experience and knowledge help us learn about adjustments during the game."
Compliments such as these may be nice, but they do not ease the pressure Gargula feels every week, but especially concerning this upcoming game. The team's success throughout her career has only driven Gargula's aims higher, as well as her expectations of herself.
"I don't want us to have gone four years without getting a championship because we have been so successful," Gargula said. "It just doesn't feel right that we would end up without a championship."
"I do feel pressure on myself [to win the championship]. I think a lot of that pressure I put on myself as well. I have really high standards for myself. I feel pressure in every game; I put pressure on myself every game to perform well. Even if we win and I don't play as well as I should have, I'm not happy about it."
The time nears for the pressure to produce the desired results for Gargula, and no one on the Whirlwind team is shy about the specificity of the desired results.
"Our goal has been to not only get to the championship, but definitely to win," Mulhern said.
"We know what it feels like to go into the Stadium and lose. We don't want that feeling again," Gargula said. "We're looking to end our careers on a high note and finally get that elusive championship, which has been our entire focus this year."
When teammates old and new say things such as "We know what to expect of Jenni," and "Jenni is the center of our offense," as Mulhern and Baldasare, respectively, did, it is clear that Gargula will be the focus of both teams on Sunday. Yet, the most pressure she feels will be from within herself. She would have it no other way.
"Our time is now," Gargula said. "Our goal is to win."
