Coming off of a disappointing shutout loss last week, Breen-Phillips will hope to bounce back against Farley Sunday.
After not scoring a single point last week, the Babes anticipate coming out strong and putting some points on the board this week. With a lot of youth on the team, the Babes hope to gain more experience with each game played.
Breen-Phillips will hope to use their young players as a surprise to upset the undefeated Finest. The Finest have yet to lose a game this year and are still hungry to revenge last year's finish.
"We were eliminated in the semifinals last year," Farley sophomore Katie Smith said. "We will be taking the season game by game."
A remarkable point on Farley's unblemished record so far this year lies in their ability to have key players step in and fill important positions.
"We really had some players step up in big places this year," Smith said.
The Babes, though, aren't afraid to take on Farley just because the Finest are undefeated.
They hope to take advantage of their raw talent and surprise the Finest.
Farley knows not to overlook their opponents as last week they experienced a scare. The Finest needed to fight back to win the game.
That being said, though, Smith said her team was confident heading down the home stretch.
"We feel that we can take on any team we face," Smith said.
Kickoff is Sunday at 2 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
Lewis vs. Howard
Flags and feathers will be flying as the Chicks and Ducks are set to square off Sunday.
Both Lewis and Howard are fresh off huge wins and this is sure to be a great match-up.
Lewis experienced an important victory over Breen-Phillips, which incited much excitement for the Chicks. At practice this week the team concentrated on reviewing the offensive playbook, which worked well against the Babes.
"Our team is looking to keep improving," sophomore Brandy Cerne said. "We plan to channel the excitement and momentum we established last week and translate it into a victory on Sunday."
Howard is also lining up a solid team on the other side of the ball. The last game the Ducks played was against defending champions McGlinn. Howard held the Shamrocks scoreless with a stellar performance on both sides of the football.
"Our defense really stepped up," junior captain Kayla Bishop said. "We had four or five interceptions and our offense was firing on all cylinders."
Howard put in a great workout at practice this week. Hands were the main focus both on offense and on defense.
"Hand-eye coordination was a point of concentration this week," Bishop said. "We worked on catching and flag-pulling, and generally getting our hands ready for the game this weekend."
Two spectacular offenses and two iron defenses are ready to collide in what's shaping up to be a great game.
The battle of the birds begins Sunday at 1 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
Walsh vs. Ryan
Following its first win in dorm history against Lyons, Ryan will now try to knock off undefeated Walsh.
Ryan's defense led the way last week in a 19-0 victory over the Lions in a rainstorm.
"It was really exciting and an all-around fun time," senior captain and quarterback Kenzie Bowen said. "We definitely need to bring our best game Sunday in order to win. Everyone is going to have to play their role."
The girls of Ryan may have come from different dorms, but they are playing as one unit and the team chemistry is very good.
The girls celebrated their 19-0 victory with a team slide in the mud.
Following this Sunday's battle with Walsh, Ryan will conclude the regular season by playing Cavanaugh and Badin in consecutive weeks. They hope to ride their current momentum and reach the playoffs in their inaugural season.
Walsh, meanwhile, took one more step towards a playoff berth with their 29-6 win over Badin.
The Wild Women will conclude the regular season next week against Pasquerilla West and have their eyes on the playoffs.
"We have a good team," senior captain Meghan Hadley said. "We have a good mix of veterans and enthusiastic freshmen. We're built around teaching young players how to play."
Hadley has been a force to be reckoned with on offense for the Wild Women, and one of the keys to victory for Ryan will certainly be shutting her down.
Because of Walsh's blowout victory over Lyons, they had the opportunity to play some freshmen and give them valuable game experience.
Hadley acknowledges that beating Ryan will not be an easy task for the Wild Women.
"We just need to go out there and do what we've been doing," Hadley said. "We're looking to improve the passing game and bring the same intensity that's been there for us all season."
The two teams will meet Sunday at 4 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
Pangborn vs. Badin
Both Pangborn and Badin have their work cut out for them for the rest of the season, but each hopes to take a step towards the Stadium when they face off this Sunday.
The Phoxes have been working on both their offense and defense this past week, and sophomore captain Julie Cooney really feels like they are starting to click.
"We've been working on speeding up our plays," Cooney said, "and our quickness at flag pulling."
Pangborn is ready for Sunday, and feel that after playing in the rain last week they can take anything weather-wise. Even though Pangborn lost that game they still feel the weather will not be a problem.
"We played through the rain and mud at Stepan last week," Cooney said. "And we'll step up again if need be. And though we lost, we tried hard to not let the weather get the best of us, adjusting our strategy to minimize errors due to weather."
The key Phox players to look out for are junior quarterback Gabby Tate, receiver Liz Pawlak and center Annie Kotz. These three are a force to be reckoned with and will try to take any of the Badin defenders down.
Badin has also been putting in the work this week with sharper routes on offense and keeping pressure on pass plays on defense. The Bullfrog offense has not been clicking the past few games, but senior captain Kelley Daniels has had these girls working to fix that.
"On offense, we sharpened our routes and threw in some specific o-line calls," Daniels said.
Their defense has also been working hard on getting to the flags quicker and getting to the quarterback. One of the key defenders for the Bullfrogs is sophomore Rachel Cink. Captain Daniels also has a lot of speed to get to the quarterback on defense.
"We worked a lot on defending the run and keeping pressure on pass plays." Daniels said. "Our goal on defense is not merely to make stops, but to create turnovers and get the ball back to our offense."
Welsh Family vs. McGlinn
West Quad dorms Welsh Family and McGlinn square off in a rematch of last season's women's interhall championship game.
Both teams are struggling to repeat last year's success and have gotten off to slow starts. Welsh Family (1-2) won their first game of the season last Sunday and hopes the victory will be a jumpstart to their season.
"We have lots of talented players and have been adjusting our team," senior captain Tara Schimpf said. "We want to get back to our winning ways."
In order to regain last year's form, the Whirlwinds must to get their talented sophomore wide receivers Charlotte Seasly and Natalie Baldasare involved. The duo will need a big game to beat McGlinn.
The Shamrocks (0-1-1) are still looking for their first win of the season. McGlinn's hopes remain high for the season said senior captain Emily Dore.
"We're progressively improving and have had a lot of good practices lately," Dore said. "We're really starting to come together as a team."
Senior quarterback Lauren Miller leads the Shamrocks. The dual threat quarterback looks to keep the Whirlwind defense on their heels by delivering the ball to the talented receiving corps of junior Kathleen Stanley and sophomore Kate Tucker. Stanley and Tucker will need big games if the Shamrocks are to capture their first win of the season. They know it won't come easy against the Whirlwinds.
"We know they would love to beat us," Dore said. This is a great rivalry and hopefully we'll come out and surprise some people."
Both a chance to return to last season championship form and West Quad supremacy are on the line Sunday when McGlinn and Welsh Family kick off at 3 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
Pasquerilla West vs. Lyons
Lyons hopes to get its season back on track with an upset against undefeated Pasquerilla West, but the Purple Weasels will not give up their perfect record easily.
"We are extremely confident in our team," Pasquerilla West senior co-captain Alyssa Moya said. "We will not let up even though we are undefeated."
The Lions will certainly have a lot to overcome. After the Purple Weasel offense was relatively quiet against Ryan and Pangborn in the early stages of the season, they exploded against Cavanaugh Hall for 30 points. The key to this offensive resurgence has been the offensive line, led by the consistent play of sophomore center Grace Concelman and the fierce play of senior Kelly Schumacher.
And while the Purple Weasels have finally established their potent offense, it was their defensive prowess carried them to their first two victories. Senior linebacker Cynthia Curley and senior defensive lineman Lindsey McMann lead the defense. McMann has been the driving force, consistently reaching the backfield of the opponent.
Lyons Hall counters with a strong quick defense, led by sophomores Kat Rodriguez and Carolyn Henderson. They hope to shut down the Purple Weasel offensive attack. Offensively, the Lions feature a strong complement of receivers led by sophomore Caroline Maroney. However, they are searching for a quarterback to get them the ball after senior quarterback and team captain Claire Connell down because of a sprained knee and senior backup Maria Petnuch will be unavailable for the game Sunday.
That leaves freshman Erica Miller to lead the Lions offense.
Lyons is the obvious underdog, but they feel they still have a chance.
"I expect us to come out with a lot of heart and a strong desire to win on Sunday," Lions Connell said. "I'm confident the with all the talent on our team we can turn our season around with a big win against Pasquerilla West."
But the Purple Weasels won't take the game lightly.
"We play against every team as if they are better than us," Moya said. "Their record does not matter to us. We just take it one game at a time."
Pasquerilla West plays Lyons at 6 p.m. at Reihle Fields.
