Howard showed its dominance from start to finish Sunday, and is going to the Stadium after a 31-0 win over Pangborn in the semifinals.
The Ducks (6-0) started the game on offense, and marched down the field behind the arm of senior quarterback and captain Kayla Bishop. Bishop completed all four of her passes on the drive, the last finding junior wide receiver Jenny Gassner for a 15-yard touchdown that set the tone for the day.
Pangborn (4-2) then took possession, but a stifling Howard defense forced the Phoxes into a three-and-out.
Gassner returned the punt to the Phoxes' 14-yard line, and Bishop scrambled in two plays later for the score. Bishop finished the day with 61 yards on the ground.
"Kayla can throw it perfectly to us, every time," Gassner said. "That opens up the long runs, and then we're really able to mix up our offense."
The teams then traded a series of punts, with Pangborn still unable to put a drive together. Pangborn senior quarterback Gabby Tate said that Howard's ability to shut down her team's offense stemmed from the meeting between the two teams in the regular season.
"Running and scrambling is a big part of my game, but Howard was able to totally take that away this time around," Tate said. "K-Rob [senior Kaitlin Robinson] was spying me all game, and she played phenomenal."
The Ducks were able to score once more shortly before halftime, with Bishop finding Gassner for a 38-yard score.
The Phoxes came out to play in the second half, and were able to drive all the way to the Ducks' 3-yard line. But on a crucial fourth-and-goal, Tate was sacked by freshman Claire Robinson, Kaitlin's younger sister, essentially putting the game on ice.
"I'm so glad to have Claire here," Kaitlin said. "It's good to know Howard football will be alive and well after Kayla and I graduate."
Howard's next drive was capped by another long touchdown for Gassner, which pushed the tally to 25-0.
"We were able to attack the holes in their zones all day," Gassner said. "We used a lot of different routes, and we were able to keep our offense fresh."
Pangborn's final two drives ended in interceptions, one returned for a touchdown. With the final whistle, the Phoxes' playoff run came to an end. Although their season ended one game too soon, Tate said she was still pleased with her squad.
"I'm really proud of us," Tate said. "We we're hoping to pull it out today, but Howard played phenomenal."
The Ducks now turn their eyes to Notre Dame Stadium, where they will take on Pasquerilla West in an attempt for a second consecutive unbeaten season.
"It's pretty awesome to go back. We were really nervous because Pangborn has played so well, but we were able to pull it out today," Gassner said. "Now we have one more game to win."
Pasquerilla West 6, McGlinn 0
In an intense defensive battle that featured at total of ten sacks and five interceptions, Pasquerilla West reserved its spot in Notre Dame Stadium for the second straight year with a win over McGlinn.
"Every single one of these girls deserves a scholarship to Notre Dame for the way they played today," Pasquerilla West coach Ryan Hawley said. "It's almost unbelievable."
The No. 2 Purple Weasels' (6-0) defense showcased a bend-but-don't-break effort, giving up 173 total yards but coming up with two key goal line stands against a versatile Shamrocks offense.
"[McGlinn] came out with an unusual game plan that we couldn't defend behind the line of scrimmage," Pasquerilla West senior captain Libby Koerbel said. "But we stepped up when we needed to and played an overall great game."
The No. 6 Shamrocks (3-3) relied heavily upon sophomore receiver/safety Emily Golden, who accounted for 137 of the 173 total yards and also intercepted two passes. Golden's efforts were not enough for the upset win over the Purple Weasels, however.
"We came out and surprised a lot of teams this year, including [Pasquerilla West] today and I am really proud of the way we played out there," McGlinn senior captain Gillian Allsup said.
The Shamrock defense held Pasquerilla West to only 44 yards of offense in the first half while preventing the Purple Weasels from crossing the 50-yard line. The only score of the game came on Pasquerilla West's first play of the second half, a 45-yard option run by sophomore wide receiver Alice Yerokun that was all the Purple Weasels needed for the victory.
"It's a really unfortunate end to a wonderful season," McGlinn coach Steven de Groot said. "It's a shame that we were one flag pull away from a totally different game but that's the way things work sometimes."
The McGlinn offense never got going in the second half, stymied by Pasquerilla West sophomore defensive tackle Meghan Schmitt, who recorded five sacks in the game. The Shamrocks had one last chance with one minute left in the game after forcing the Purple Weasels to punt, but a 38-yard desperation pass left them fifteen yards short of the end zone, sending the Pasquerilla West sideline into jubilation.
"We wanted a rematch [of last year's championship game against Howard] to happen," Pasquerilla West defensive coordinator Tim Bossidy said. "Howard has good athletes but I know for a fact that we have the better team."
Undefeated Howard and Pasquerilla West will meet Sunday in a rematch of last year's championship game in Notre Dame Stadium to determine the 2010 women's interhall champions.
Welsh Family 7, Pasquerilla West 0
Welsh Family came ready to fight as the Whirlwinds shut out the Purple Weasels in the Women's B-League championship.
Pasquerilla West's (4-1-1) defense shut out the Whirlwinds (5-0-1) until the final two minutes of play, but a late reverse to freshman Stephanie Lobaccaro gave Welsh Family the win.
"I think we played defense pretty well today," Pasquerilla West freshman linebacker Tori Creighton said. "For the most part we held them several times right by the end zone and goal line."
Creighton intercepted the ball in the first half, coming right after a long run by the Whirlwinds.
"It's just reading the defense. We were putting pressure on the quarterback, so she was trying to get rid of the ball," Creighton said. "Basically, I knew she was looking to throw the ball, and [I] was there for the pass."
Purple Weasels freshman quarterback Elizabeth Arevalo had a few key rushes, but the Whirlwinds stopped Pasquerilla West's offense every time they crossed midfield.
"We tried to take advantage of their holes, and we got through sometimes but they just made some good plays," Arevalo said. "I'm really proud of how our team played. It didn't go our way, but we worked hard out there, and it was a good season."
Without a starting running back, freshman quarterback Farrell Murphy took over the rushing game early in the Whirlwind's championship victory.
"I tried to run it a little bit to try and mix it up, so that they didn't know what we were doing," Murphy said.
