Though the temperature at Riehle Field West may have been cold, the air was hot with action in the matchup between the Cavanaugh Chaos and McGlinn Shamrocks last night.
For McGlinn, Bridget Meacham and Becky Brown combined to throw for over 100 yards, completing eleven passes on fourteen attempts with one touchdown.
Cavanaugh's captain, Lisa Ruffer, however, refused to be outdone.
Setting the tone early in the game, Ruffer completed six of her first ten passes for eighty-five yards. With just over eight minutes left in the first half, she connected with Jenny Nokes for a touchdown pass to give Cavanaugh a 6-0 lead.
"Their defenders were pushing up, and [Jenny] did a great job getting open," Ruffer said.
Ruffer finished the contest with two touchdown passes on 13 completions, throwing for 170 on 23 attempts.
She hit Janice Flynn with four minutes left in the game, giving the Chaos a 14-6 lead after the two-point conversion.
Ruffer's effectiveness, though, was not limited to the air. On the final play from scrimmage, she ran for a six-yard touchdown to make the score 20-6.
For McGlinn, the loss was not as bad as the score indicates.
"We're a little disappointed, but we played a great game," Becky Brown said.
The Shamrocks tied the game late in the first half with a stellar catch and run to the goal by Liz Maher. On third-and-two, Brown hit Maher at the nine-yard line, slashed past two defenders to even the score.
Unfortunately for the Shamrocks, that would be the only McGlinn score of the night.
After Cavanaugh took the lead again, the McGlinn had to try to convert a tough fourth down with 1:15 left.
Chaos middle linebacker Lizzy Brown adjusted to the pass and intercepted the ball. Her 20-yard return to the McGlinn 6 set up Ruffer's touchdown run and sealed the game for the Chaos, now 3-1.
"Cavanaugh's offense was determined to convert on the opportunity," Nokes said. "After the interception, we really wanted to step up and convert the opportunity the defense gave us."
At 1-3-1, McGlinn will have difficulties finding post-season play as the season is coming to a close.
For Cavanaugh, the focus now centers on Breen-Phillips.
"We have a big game Sunday against BP," head coach Lou Perry said. "They might be the best team we faced, and they'll be angry after they lost tonight."
Pasquerilla West 13, Farley 6
There are great moments in sports when an unexpected hero steps up to lead his or her team to an important and memorable victory.
Such was the case for Pasquerilla West (2-1-1) in its 13-6 win over Farley (1-4) Tuesday night, when quarterback Heather Van Hoegarden hit center Anne Marie Hart for what turned out to be a crucial touchdown late in the game.
"It was a pretty simple play. Heather rolled out and was looking on the outside, and I was just in the middle right in front of the end zone," Hart explained.
"They were covering our slants, and I don't think they saw me as a potential receiver."
The play gave the Weasels a 13-0 lead heading into the final stretch of the game, which proved to be very important as the Finest scored a late touchdown to get within seven. After completing the pass, Van Hoegarden was happy with Hart's play.
"Their defense was covering the outside receivers pretty well, and I saw Anne Marie floating in the middle," she said.
"I was happy to complete a pass to her, because she did a great job on the line all game, and I was glad that she got some recognition."
Pasquerilla West was solidified when Van Hoegarden capped a 70-yard-drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.
"We had been passing the whole drive, and the middle was wide open, so I just took off running. It was 3rd down, so I just wanted to get the ball in the end zone," Van Hoegarden said.
The game was a must-win for the Weasels, who are hoping for a playoff spot.
"This game was really important, because we were coming off a loss to Cavanaugh on Sunday," Hart said. "We're really coming together as a team. We're communicating better, and everything is just starting to click. I think this game really set a precedent for how we're going to play the rest of our games."
Walsh 6, Breen-Phillips 0
When two undefeated teams play one another, it is the team that avoids making the big mistakes that wins. At least this was the result of Tuesday night's match when Walsh upset top-ranked Breen Phillips with a 6-0 victory.
Garnering "MVP" and "Hesmond for Heisman" chants after the game was senior cornerback Katie Hesmond, who grabbed two interceptions for the Wild Women. Hesmond has had two interceptions in each game this year, bringing her season total to ten.
Hesmond's first interception came late in the first half, when she intercepted a pass by Breen Phillips sophomore quarterback Ali Brosnan. Her 30-yard interception return set the Walsh offense up with great field position deep in the Babes' territory.
Walsh freshman quarterback Mary Sullivan was able to convert the good field position into points for her squad with back-to-back quarterback keepers, the second of which was a ten-yard scramble for a touchdown.
"That run was all set up because of downfield blocking," Sullivan said.
Gaining nearly one hundred yards on the ground individually, Sullivan has proven to be the catalyst for the Walsh option attack.
Throughout the entire contest, Sullivan slashed her way through the BP secondary. She was able to gain significant amounts of yardage and took time off of the clock during every possession.
As hard as Sullivan was for the Babes to contain, Hesmond's defensive dominance was the reason that the Wild Women shut out their fourth opponent in five games.
With a handful of pass deflections, and the two crucial interceptions, Hesmond made it nearly impossible for Breen Phillips to make any completions.
Hesmond gave Walsh plenty of reason to celebrate as she provided constant harassment to the BP passing game.
"The defensive line pressure forces the quarterback to make bad decisions," Hesmond said.
She also noted that nearly every member of the Wild Women defense has come up with an interception throughout the season.
The play of the Walsh defense has been the story the entire year, allowing only six total points all season. With only one game remaining, Hesmond and Sullivan look to lead Walsh to an undefeated season this Sunday against Pasquerilla East.
