"How does it feel to be a part of Notre Dame history?" Ryan senior captain Kenzie Bowen asked her team after Ryan's first victory in hall history.
Ryan (1-1) topped Lyons (0-1) 19-0 in the newly formed dorm's second game.
Even though these girls came from all over campus to form a new dorm, they lack neither numbers nor talent. They have a large number of freshmen ready and willing to step up wherever they are needed.
The first half began slowly, with both teams getting used to the rain and cold. Ryan quickly got going with a long outside run that resulted in a touchdown by sophomore Brianna Curtis. The rest of the first half was full of powerful runs by Bowen at quarterback, and also by Lyons senior quarterback and captain Claire Connell.
"Our offensive line worked really hard the whole game," Curtis said. "We had great practices this week and we made all the improvements we needed to."
The second half began with promising progress by Lyons, but Ryan came through with a strong stop on Lyons' fourth down. Ryan controlled the rest of the game.
A run by freshman Leslie Sullivan started the roll that lasted until the end of the game.
A pass from Bowen to freshman Kelly O'Brien gave Ryan its second touchdown.
Soon after that, Ryan scored its third and final touchdown after an advance down the field near the 10-yard line, followed by a run into the end zone by Curtis.
"It felt incredible to be a part of Ryan Hall's first-ever win," Bowen said. "Everyone did exactly what they had to."
The Ryan girls ended the game with cheers and a mud-slide, happy with their performance.
"It was just a really fun game," Curtis said. "You can't ask for anything more than a win in the rain and mud."
Lyons's next game is Sunday against Pangborn, and Ryan will look for a second win Thursday also against Pangborn.
Cavanaugh 6, Walsh 0
The mud that coated victorious Walsh following its 6-0 victory over Cavanaugh was evidence of the hard-fought defensive battle between the two teams.
A steady rain that quickly evolved into a torrential downpour in the second half caused problems for both teams on the offensive side of the ball.
"The conditions were rough," Walsh junior quarterback Amy Langnecker said. "But the team stayed positive and kept their heads up."
The Walsh defense had its way with the Cavanaugh offense, as the stalwart defensive line plugged up the Cavanaugh running attack while the rain made passing difficult. The first half consisted of numerous punts and failed drives, including an interception by both teams. Walsh drove the ball deep into Cavanaugh territory at the conclusion of the first half, but the clock ran out before they could put any points on the board and the half ended scoreless.
"We moved the ball well throughout the first half but we just couldn't finish," Langnecker said. "We knew coming out for the second half we had to get it in the end zone and finish off a drive."
The Walsh offense finally turned the score in their favor midway through the second half. Langnecker moved the ball down the field with short passes and quarterback draws. Near the goal line she ran a misdirection play to senior captain and running back Meghan Hadley, who turned the corner, slipped past two defenders and dove into the end zone for the game's only touchdown. Walsh failed the point-after attempt.
From that point, the stingy Walsh defenders combined with horrific weather to close the shutout. Cavanaugh attempted to put a drive together but the rain made it difficult to attack downfield as Cavanaugh's defensive backs knocked down several underthrown passes until the clock ran out.
The victory puts Walsh at 2-0 as it looks to its Sunday matchup with Badin where it will hope to put itself in dominating position for a playoff spot.
"The team played great tonight," Langnecker said. "Everybody did a great job."
Pasquerilla West 6,
Pangborn 0
Pasquerilla West defeated Pangborn Hall 6-0 in a game that will certainly go down as one of the most exciting of the season. With less than 20 seconds remaining, Pasquerilla West junior quarterback Simone Bigi rolled left, found nobody open, and sprinted towards the end zone, dodged a few Pangborn defenders along the way and dove in for the score to break the 0-0 tie.
Facing the elements of rain and mud, both teams battled in a back-and-forth game. Several times players from both teams lost footing and balls slipped through hands.
"I enjoyed playing in the rain and the mud but unfortunately it didn't work to our advantage," Pangborn freshman Diana Bartone said.
As much as the game was a story of the elements, it was a story of officiating as the officials called several critical penalties.
On two separate occasions, including a spectacular touchdown throw and catch, Pangborn junior quarterback Gabby Tate stepped up in the pocket and threw strikes downfield, only to find that she had stepped over the line of scrimmage and completed an illegal forward pass.
Later in the game, Pangborn senior all-purpose player Megan Bescher had a thrilling run into Purple Weasels territory, only to have it taken back on account of a hold.
"I could say a lot of things about the officiating, but I won't," Bartone said.
Although the Phoxes were moving down the field with ease under a high-powered passing attack led by quarterback Tate and her outstanding receivers, they were unable to convert on their momentum and reach the end zone.
The Pasquerilla West offense, relatively a non-factor for the first three quarters, awoke in the fourth. With about four minutes remaining, Bigi scrambled for two big runs to put Pasquerilla West in scoring position. However, the Pangborn defense tightened and brought up a fourth-and-goal. On the next play, Bigi threw a dart to her receiver in the end zone, but it was dropped in the rain.
"After we missed on the goal line, things weren't looking good but we made sure not to dwell on it," Pasquerilla West senior captain Cynthia Curley said. "We got a quick four stops. We got the ball back and got it done."
It was certainly an exciting game in the elements and both teams will be contenders this year.
"It was absolutely dramatic. It was a battle," Curley said. "That felt like a championship."
