Defense provided the winning points as Howard (3-0) had a 9-7 victory over Lewis (1-3) Sunday.
In the waning minutes of the second half, pressure from Howard's defensive line forced a fumble in the end zone, resulting in a safety for the winning margin.
The Lewis offense came out strong as freshman Connaught Blood moved the ball effectively as a running quarterback. However the Chicks switched to sophomore quarterback Christine Hamma mid-way through the first half, and she quickly threw for a 50-yard touchdown pass.
"It was our one defensive breakdown," Howard junior captain Kayla Bishop said. "And it was a costly touchdown."
Bishop soon helped Howard get back on track. Despite a slow start for the Ducks' offense due to multiple drop passing, the offense eventually found a rhythm. After a couple huge gains through the air, Bishop ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown.
"It was a broken play," Bishop said. "My receivers couldn't get open so after a few seconds, I just ran for it."
After Bishop tied the game at 7-7, the game appeared to be headed for a tie before Howard's defense forced the safety. The strong defense proved to be the deciding factor for the Ducks, a trend Howard would like to continue.
"Defense is going to win us the championship," Howard senior Mary Jenkins said.
McGlinn 21, Welsh Family 13
McGlinn (1-1-1) came out on top of Welsh Family (1-3) in the battle for West Quad supremacy Sunday afternoon by making a defensive stop when it mattered most.
With the Whirlwinds threatening to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, McGlinn senior captain Emily Dore delivered the play of the game. On fourth-and-goal, the defensive end split two offensive linemen and sacked Welsh Family freshman quarterback Victoria Moreno to end Welsh Family's chances at victory.
"I was lucky enough to break free and have enough time to get to the quarterback," Dore said.
Dore's play ensured the first win of the season for McGlinn.
The Shamrocks got back on track with an efficient passing attack led by sophomore quarterback Lauren Miller and electrifying play from running back freshman Megan Scheitlin. The two connected on a 60-yard pass play for McGlinn's first touchdown of the game, beginning what would become a back-and-forth offensive battle.
Welsh Family answered with a minute left in the second quarter. Moreno found sophomore wide receiver Charlotte Seasly in the back of the end zone to knot the score at seven before the half.
"Our passing game was really working today," Moreno said. "Give credit to wide receivers Seasly and sophomore Natalie Baldasare for an excellent game."
The Shamrocks and Whirlwinds traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Miller found Scheitlin for another touchdown, and then Moreno responded by hitting Baldasare for a 40-yard strike. Welsh Family failed on their conversion attempt, leaving McGlinn with a lead it would not relinquish.
Miller and the Shamrocks added an insurance touchdown to increase their lead to 21-13, setting the scene for Dore's defensive heroics.
"We're real proud of our team today," Miller said. "This was a championship rematch and most importantly, we're proved ourselves the best in the West [Quad]."
As for Welsh Family, the loss was a tough one to take.
"No matter what, we will always hold our heads high," sophomore standout cornerback Erin Byrne said. "We're going to get practicing and make ourselves and our team better."
Walsh 12, Ryan 7
Walsh's undefeated season continued when they topped Ryan Sunday.
Once again the defense came up in a big way for the Wild Women (4-0), as it used goal-line stops and well-timed turnovers to preserve the victory.
The Walsh defense intercepted a Ryan (1-3) pass early in the third quarter to take control of the ball with a 12-0 lead. However, the defense had to take the field just one play later after the Wild Women threw a pick of their own.
The Wild Women came up with a goal-line stand on that series to keep it a two-possession game.
"In a game like this where it was going back and forth, the play of the defense is huge," senior Meghan Hadley said. "We got a pick which was really big, especially for morale, and it was crucial in the second half when they scored a touchdown and our defense stayed strong."
Walsh was able to strike first on a fourth-and-goal touchdown pass in the first quarter to take a lead they would never relinquish.
"Our offense is really executing," Hadley said. "Their defensive line was coming pretty hard. Our offense played very well and ran crisp routes. I have to give a shout-out to our quarterback who was able to get the passes off."
Ryan remains optimistic as they prepare for their final two regular season games.
"We have Cavanaugh on Thursday," Ryan senior quarterback Kenzie Bowen said. "We're going to keep playing our game. We definitely think we are one of the best teams in the league and we are going to keep bringing it to them."
Walsh will go for their fifth consecutive win Thursday against Pasquerilla West.
Pangborn 19, Badin 13
Pangborn (2-2) used two second-half touchdowns, one off an interception, to top Badin (0-3) 19-14.
Pangborn senior defensive back Megan Bescher recovered her second pick when the Phoxes were trailing 13-14, and she ran it back for a touchdown to give the Phoxes their winning margin.
Bescher's defensive performance came after a slow start to the game.
In the first half, the Bullfrogs began moving down the field through the air with sophomore quarterback Carli Fernandez leading the way. Sophomore Ryan Cooney managed to get into the end zone to give Badin a 7-0 lead.
The Phoxes responded with a touchdown in the last two minutes of the first half as junior quarterback Gabby Tate weaved her way into the end zone on the ground, but a missed extra point attempt left Pangborn trailing 7-6.
Badin struck quickly in the second half, utilizing a trick play to take a 14-6 lead.
Facing a growing deficit, the Pangborn offensive line gave Tate time to find her receivers. She threw a short pass to sophomore receiver Liz Pawlak. Pawlak turned the small gain into a touchdown with blazing speed that Badin could not catch.
"I didn't know if my flag was still on," Pawlak said. "I just kept running."
Badin knew it had missed a chance at its first victory.
"This was a game to a game of momentum," Badin senior captain Kelley Daniels said. "We just had missed opportunities."
Pasquerilla West 27, Lyons 0
Powered by the smooth play of junior quarterback Simone Bigi and a ball-hawking defense, Pasquerilla West (4-0) extended their undefeated record as they proved to be too much for Lyons (0-3) to handle on Sunday in their 27-0 victory.
Bigi threw for a score and ran for another while the opportunistic Purple Weasel defense snagged four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
"I thought we played a great game today," Purple Weasel junior coach Ryan Hawley said. "We made a lot of great plays on defense. Everybody showed up to play today, which was fantastic."
The Lyons defense put up a valiant effort, forcing several four-and-outs and a turnover, but in the end the Lyons offense was unable to move the ball. Unfortunately, for the Lions, they were missing several players, including their starting and backup quarterbacks.
"Even though we were missing some players and not [many] plays went our way, I'm proud of our team putting out a strong effort no matter what," Lyons sophomore Carolyn Henderson said.
The Purple Weasels took control of the game early scoring on their first offensive drive. The score was set up as quarterback Bigi scrambled to convert a fourth down. On the ensuing play, Bigi finished the job with a 20-yard touchdown strike.
The Lyons defense was able to regroup following the touchdown and forced an interception. Just as quickly as they gained momentum, Pasquerilla West took it right back with an interception of their own, which junior Libby Koerbel returned for a touchdown in spectacular fashion, spinning through would-be tacklers and somehow keeping her flags.
Returning from half time with a 14-0 lead, the Purple Weasels avoided complacency. On the first play of the half, Pasquerilla West pulled out the trickery with a reverse pass of nearly 40 yards. Bigi finished the drive with her feet instead of her arm as she cutback against the grain on an option keeper for the score.
Without much threat from the Lyons offense, the Purple Weasels finished off the game with a score by freshman running back Alice Yeoton.
The Purple Weasel win this week sets up a clash of undefeated teams with Walsh on Thursday.
"We are undefeated and going up against an undefeated team so we have a big game ahead and will be prepared," said Hawley.
Farley 26, BP 0
Farley (3-0-1) continued its romp through the regular season with a rout of Breen Phillips (0-3).
Farley's defense put the first points of the game on the board when senior defensive back Caity Shepherd intercepted the Breen Phillips quarterback and returned it for a touchdown. Shepherd's pick was the first of her three on the day. Sophomores Brittany Scherer and Katie Smith had one interception apiece as well.
"Our defense has played well all year," Smith said. "Today just shows how ready we are for the next step."
Farley's defensive secondary was not the only group to pull the ball in. Sophomore quarterback Megan Bastedo threw three touchdown passes. Sophomore Christina Brainard caught a 45-yard touchdown pass to start the aerial assault, junior Molly Casanova caught a short touchdown pass and sophomore Kaitlyn Vitale scored the final touchdown for the Finest.
"It was a fun game to play," Smith said. "We really got everyone involved and it was definitely a great team win. Everybody contributed to the win in a big way."
Breen Phillips took some positives from the game. The newest addition to the team, sophomore receiver Christina Konkey, made multiple catches despite the team's offensive woes.
The Babes defense also played better than the scoreboard said.
"Our defense held them to few first downs, but was really tired because they had to play every time there was an interception," sophomore linebacker Dee Tian said.
The Babes will have another chance at their first win when they play McGlinn tonight, and Farley will look to continue its run to the postseason when it plays Pasquerilla East after break.
