With the clock winding down in the second half, it appeared as if Badin was going to pull off a stunning upset of undefeated Pasquerilla West. Trailing by six points, the Purple Weasels quarterback connected a 15-yard bullet pass to freshman Alice Yerokun, who then evaded a defender and ran 25 more yards for the improbable touchdown.
The Weasels' defense then rallied to shut down the Bullfrogs' on their final possession and they snuck away with the narrow 8-6 win.
"A lot of credit to Badin, they played really well, with intensity," Pasquerilla West senior captain Cynthia Curley said.
The Purple Weasels struck first, with quick senior Lindsey "McManimal" McMahon catching the Bullfrogs' quarterback off guard in her own end zone for a safety. This set a standard for the tenacious Pasquerilla West defense who would concede only one first down in the entire game, and recorded several more sacks.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Weasels used an effective option run for numerous short gains, but failed to put any numbers on the board until the end of the game.
"Offense had trouble producing early on," Curley said. "We relied too heavily on the run."
Badin's defense was in control for a large part of the game, holding Pasquerilla West at the goal line on two occasions. Sophomore Ryan Cooney returned an interception 40 yards up the field, dodging through a mob of defenders for the team's only touchdown.
"We were matching them play for play," Bullfrogs' senior captain Kelley Daniels said. "There was just one defensive breakdown and that was all they needed."
Freshman Ashley Okonta showcased the offensive side of the ball, running for many big gains supported by a solid offensive line that included the agile sophomore Carli Fernandez.
The Purple Weasels will likely get a first round bye in the playoffs but, never taking their opposition lightly, will continue to prepare in the meantime.
"We're really happy with the undefeated season, but it means nothing now," Curley said. "Its all about the playoffs now, we're taking it one game at a time."
Badin has one more chance to go out with a bang with one more regular season game on their schedule without the pressure of competing for a playoff berth.
"We're out of the playoffs but we're not done playing," Daniels said.
The Bullfrogs will play their final game on Sunday against Ryan.
Pangborn 27, Ryan 0
Pangborn (3-2) notched a win over Ryan (1-4) Thursday at Riehle Fields.
The Phoxes came out swinging as junior quarterback Gabby Tate completed a 35-yard strike to one her favorite targets, senior receiver Megan Bescher. Pangborn never looked back on their way to the victory.
It was a rough night for Ryan. The Wildcats had trouble moving the ball against the powerful Pangborn defense. Defensively, Ryan had trouble containing the big play ability of Pangborn.
"Our defense wasn't able to get big stops, and our offense just wasn't clicking," Ryan senior captain Kenzie Bowen said.
On the other side, Pangborn Hall had no trouble executing their game plan. Dual-threat Gabby Tate had a big game, running for two touchdowns. She also connected with sophomore Liz Pawlak and Megan Bescher for the other two. Defensively, the Phoxes stymied the Wildcats offense. Junior Emily Wurtenberger led the way with a fantastic sack.
What was more impressive was that Pangborn was missing a few players for the game and still won, showing their versatility.
"We really played fast tonight, moving down the field and winning back the ball quick on offense," Pangborn sophomore captain Julie Cooney said.
While Ryan may have struggled this season, they still have enjoyed it and look forward to their last game.
"We are going to have a lot of fun and end the season on a good note," Bowen said. "We have a lot of freshman with a lot of talent. I think we will be strong the next couple of years."
Meanwhile, with their victory tonight, Pangborn has a chance to play themselves into the playoffs with a big game against Cavanaugh on Sunday. They are looking forward to the game and are ready for the challenge.
Cavanaugh 14, Lyons 0
Led by an inspiring defensive effort and key plays from the offense in the second half, Cavanaugh beat Lyons to win their third game of the season.
The Chaos scored the game's first touchdown early in the second half on an 18-yard wide receiver reverse pass on fourth down.
Cavanaugh added another touchdown later in the half on a 25-yard touchdown from Rebecca Cink to Brittni Alexander.
"The receivers ran good routes and it all comes together when everybody does what they're supposed to do," Cink said.
"We've been working really hard at it," Alexander said. "We've been running new plays. We communicated really well and it all meshed and come together."
The Chaos offense sputtered early, but the defense made sure they were not trailing heading into the half.
"The defense picked up our slack in the first half," Alexander said. "We didn't do anything and the defense picked us up, not allowing a first down at all. They were awesome."
After winning their third game of the season, the Chaos will try to keep it going Sunday when they play Pangborn.
"We're going to practice hard and we're going to bump up our intensity," Cink said.
Lyons remains winless after losing to Cavanaugh. They were in it the entire game and feel they are playing their best football right now.
"We played a team game out there and gave it our all," senior captain Claire Connell said. "There was a lot of hope at halftime when it was 0-0. We played very well in the first half. It was an overall solid performance by Lyons Hall."
Lyons has been decimated by injuries throughout the season, but no members of the team had to leave the game against Cavanaugh. They hope they can get healthy enough to return some players for Sunday's game against Walsh.