Pangborn-Breen Phillips Preview
By CASEY KARNES
Sports Writer
Breen-Phillips opens its season Sunday with a tough matchup against undefeated Pangborn.
The Babes (0-0) are fresh off a bye week, while the Phoxes (2-0) opened their season with a pair of blowout victories. They opened their season with a 28-0 victory over Walsh on Sunday and dominated Welsh Family, 24-0, on Monday.
With a defense that has yet to allow a point and a potent offense, senior captain and offensive lineman Mary Kate Veselik said she is impressed with her team so far but still sees room for improvement.
"I think we performed very well last week," Veselik said. "We knew what we wanted to do, and we went out and executed that. I think the one area that we can improve on is hitting the open girl on our offense routes."
The Phoxes have been sharing quarterbacking duties this season between juniors Caitlin Gargan and Liz Quinn. Gargan has impressed her teammates thus far with both her legs and arm, but Veselik believes Quinn and a young receiving corps will be this week's standout players.
"I think ... Quinn will have a breakout game," Veselik said. "We have been splitting quarterback duties this season, but this weekend I think Liz will shine. Freshman receivers Anne Arnason and Heather Lystad are also looking to have big games this weekend."
Facing down the potent Pangborn offense will be the Babes' untested defense, led by senior linebacker Monica McNerney.
Breen-Phillips will be looking to bounce back from a 1-5 season that left it on the outside of the playoffs looking in last fall. Senior captain Molly Toner says her team is playing to utilize its running game more and is excited for its first game of the season.
"We plan to run it more," Toner said. "Should be a fun weekend ahead."
The Babes will attempt to run to victory over the Phoxes on Sunday at 4 p.m. at the LaBar Practice Complex.
Contact Casey Karnes at wkarnes@nd.edu
Howard - Walsh Preview
By REBECCA ROGALSKI
rrogalsk@nd.edu
Howard and Walsh look to secure a victory in their head-to-head matchup Sunday.
The Ducks (1-0) opened the season Sunday with a 13-6 win over Welsh Family. The Wild Women (0-2), alternatively, hope to earn their first victory after a 28-0 loss to Pangborn on Sunday and a 23-0 loss to Ryan on Monday.
During this week's practice, Walsh's junior captain Maggie Fisher said she encouraged her team to keep the faith.
"The biggest issues we face so far are not being able to score and not having a solid quarterback-receiver connection," Fisher said. "We get some good drives but never seem to capitalize. Our team is also very young. We have a lot of new players joining who have never played, so we're trying to get everyone accustomed to the game."
Howard looks to find success in its offense. Ducks sophomore quarterback Stephanie Peterson said she strives to keep improving the offense but mentioned a few areas where the team can step up.
"Our defensive players need to be more aware of where the ball is, exploiting the offense at any chance it gets," Peterson said. "If our players know their routes better, I believe that they will be ready for whatever situation is thrown at them."
Howard and Walsh will clash Sunday at 4 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
Contact Rebecca Rogalski at rrogalsk@nd.edu
McGlinn vs. Welsh Family
By CORNELIUS McGRATH
Sports Writer
With two teams looking to rebound, McGlinn versus Welsh Family promises to be an intense and exciting game as both teams battle it out in search of their first win of the season Sunday.
After a tough 40-0 loss to Ryan, McGlinn (0-1) hopes to strengthen its offense by reassessing the quarterback situation.
"Throughout the game, we had three girls switching in and out of [quarterback] which did not work out," Shamrocks senior captain and receiver Tara Crown said. "I feel that we will better off focusing on just one or two [quarterbacks] and then helping the other girls develop into their positions"
Crown said she is not worried about reigning champion McGlinn's slow start to the season since the team has lots of athletic ability which she plans to utilize.
"This loss was certainly a wakeup call, but we have plenty of athletic ability that will allow us to bounce back and I believe that it will be easier for our girls to play as the underdogs," Crown said.
Welsh Family senior captain and linebacker Carissa Henke said she thinks the Whirlwinds (0-2) need to improve in many areas if they want to get their first win this weekend against the Shamrocks.
"We still have plenty of work to do on both sides of the ball if we want to challenge the top teams," Henke said.
The Welsh Family squad includes only seven returners from last year, and Henke said the team will look toward junior receiver Natalie Branch to step up and lead from the front.
"We definitely lack experience, but I am confident that our big players such as Natalie can bring belief and strength to the side, especially our offense," Henke said. "Hopefully we can show our West Quad rivals exactly who the Whirlwinds are."
The Whirlwinds will battle the Shamrocks on Sunday at 5 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
Contact Cornelius McGrath at cmcgrat2@nd.edu
Cavanaugh vs. Lewis
By MEGAN WINKEL
Sports Writer
As the season is underway, Cavanaugh and Lewis face off Sunday, each with different levels of practice and game experience.
Although the Chaos (1-1) lost their first game against Pasquerilla West last Sunday, they turned it around with a win over Badin on Tuesday. Senior captain Meaghan Ayers said they plan to continue their success by beating Lewis.
"The second time around our team was less intimidated by the fact that they had been on the field and in a game situation before," Ayers said. "Our offense made good catches and throws and our defense was really strong. It also allowed us an opportunity to get used to playing with each other."
That is one opportunity that Lewis (0-0) has not had, because it has not started its season. With two games under their belts, the Chaos might seem like an intimidating first opponent to the Chicks, but Lewis senior captain Colleen Haller said she believes her team may still have the upper hand going into this game.
"It could've been helpful to have already played a game, but because we did not have one, we were able to have extra practice time where we taught freshmen more about the game to get them started on the right foot," she said. "More practice time could definitely work to our advantage in this upcoming game."
Haller said Lewis looks forward to using what it has practiced in the game against Cavanaugh, as well as the rest of the upcoming season.
"If we carry out the basics we worked on in practices, we have a good chance against Cavanaugh and a lot of the teams this season," Haller said.
Lewis and Cavanaugh face off at 5 p.m. Sunday at LaBar Fields.
Contact Megan Winkel at mwinkel@nd.edu
Pasquerilla West vs. Lyons
By ZACH KLONSINSKI
Sports Writer
It will be a showdown of two undefeated teams featuring high-powered offenses and stingy defenses when Pasquerilla West and Lyons match up Sunday afternoon.
The Weasels (2-0) came up with a dominating defensive performance last Sunday against rival Cavanaugh in a 6-0 win, followed up by a 27-7 win over neighbor Pasquerilla East on Tuesday evening.
Senior quarterback and co-captain Rachel Rogers had the only score of the game for either team against Cavanaugh - a rushing touchdown - but said she is excited to watch her young receivers continue to develop as they learn the system.
"We're kind of starting out from scratch, and it's getting a lot better," Rogers said. "We only did score six points, so we're looking to ... convert, especially with the defense getting us such good field position."
The Lions (1-0) trounced Badin in their first game 32-7 behind the arm of freshman quarterback Kristen Lombardo and the defense of freshman safety Taylor Sears, who had three interceptions in the game, including one she ran back for a score.
"Kristen had a lot thrown at her and she just took care of it," Lyons senior captain and receiver Christina Bramanti said. "Taylor had three interceptions ... She was our player of the game, there's no question about it."
Bramanti knows her team faces a challenge ahead as it prepares for Pasquerilla West.
"We had one defense for the first game," she said. We're going to work on that; we're going to have a couple more defenses in there."
One team will leave with an unblemished record and the other with a loss in Sunday's game at 6 p.m. at Labar.
Contact Zach Klonsinski at zklonsin@nd.edu
Badin vs. Farley
By MANNY DE JESUS
Sports Writer
In the second week of the flag football season, both Badin and Farley look to win their first game when they take the field this Sunday.
Both teams struggled offensively in their season-opening losses. They only managed to score one touchdown each, but captains from Badin (0-2) and Farley (0-1) said they expect to turn their offenses around and make an impact in week two.
"We've had two practices so far, and we've been trying to integrate more complexity in our offense teaching the younger players how [the offense] works," Badin sophomore captain and quarterback Kristina Techar said.
Techar said the team is excited to get on the field and compete to its potential against Farley. The majority of the Bullfrogs were not able to play the first game due to exams.
"I'm not exactly sure how we'll do, but I'll expect more aggression, intensity and fluidity on the team this Sunday," Techar said.
Farley senior captain and receiver Lauren Ladowski said the Finest hope to match their defensive effort from Sunday to their offense against Badin.
"We're looking to get the ball downfield and make bigger plays than we did [last week]," she said. "Our defense did great in the first half, but we have to be able to keep that throughout the second half, as well."
Farley went blow for blow against Pasquerilla East last week during the first half, but then made defensive mistakes in the second half that cost it the win.
"I'm expecting everyone to show up and play [against Badin]," Ladowski said. "We didn't play to our greatest potential Sunday, so hopefully our great practices so far are a good indication of how we play Sunday."
Badin and Farley will battle for their first win of the season Sunday at 6 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
Contact Manny De Jesus at mdejesus@nd.edu
Howard vs. Breen-Phillips
By JOSH DULANY
Sports Writer
Breen-Phillips and Howard are set for a hard-fought battle in Monday's second-week matchup.
Howard coach Matt Lynch said the Ducks (1-0) are confident the momentum from their 13-6 victory over Welsh Family will carry into their game with Breen-Phillips (0-0), which will start its season this weekend.
"The defense was really solid and the offense was very efficient," Lynch said. "If we keep executing, I like our chances against anybody."
Lynch said the make-up of his team on the field should lead them to victories throughout the season.
"We are well-balanced from seniors down to freshmen," he said. "We have both experience and excitement."
On the other side, Babes senior captain Molly Toner said Breen-Phillips would look to senior linebacker Monica McNerney for leadership.
"Monica's played the position for four years so she knows what to do and should help the rest of the defense learn quickly," Toner said.
She also said the Babes plan to mainly run the ball on offense in their opening game.
Senior captain Clare Robinson leads Howard at quarterback and middle linebacker. Lynch said to also look for sophomore receiver Stephanie Peterson and junior running back Claire Kozlowski to stand out on offense.
"We used a heavy passing attack in our first game, but are hoping to mix it up more in the next game," Lynch said.
The Ducks and Babes kick off Monday at 10 p.m. at Riehle Fields.
Contact Josh Dulany at jdulany@nd.edu
Walsh vs. Welsh Family
By BRIAN PLAMONDON
Sports Writer
Two games into the season, both Walsh and Welsh Family will try to remedy sputtering offenses when they go head-to-head on Monday.
The Wild Women (0-2) have yet to put up a point this season, and junior captain Maggie Fisher said they are working in practice to change that against the Whirlwinds (0-2).
Fisher said she attributes the team's early struggles to a wealth of freshmen and only a few returning players, but will look for more continuity from the team in week two.
"We need to work on the quarterback connecting with receivers," Fisher said.
She highlighted junior running back Kathleen Brown as a player to watch on offense.
"She is our most athletic player," Fisher said. "She's a game changer."
Welsh Family's offense has been slow out of the gate as well, putting up six points between its first two contests against Howard and Pangborn.
Senior captain Carissa Henke said part of the Whirlwinds' struggles is due to a quarterback situation that has not been stabilized.
"There have been a couple of quarterbacks that have played so far," Henke said. "A few people have been gone, so we'll see who can make it on Monday and we'll go from there."
Henke said she would look for junior receiver Natalie Branch to step up and help get the offense going once the quarterback situation is resolved.
"We are looking to get some more rhythm and open up to the pass more," she said.
Walsh and Welsh Family will face off Monday at 10 p.m. at Riehle Fields.
Contact Brian Plamondon at bplamond@nd.edu
