By EVAN ANDERSON
Sports Writer
Pangborn rode a masterful performance from dual-threat junior quarterback Caitlin Gargan to a 27-6 victory over Howard on Sunday to remain unbeaten and seize first place in the standings.
Gargan completed seven of 10 passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns and added another 108 yards and a score on the ground. Senior captain and offensive lineman Mary Kate Veselik said the deep ball was particularly key for the Phoxes (4-0-0).
"We're very fortunate that [Gargan] can throw that deep ball," Veselik said. "A lot of it is speed. ... We have so many quick receivers and once they're gone, they're gone if she can get it to them."
Gargan also emphasized the importance of her team's speed on the outside.
"It's definitely a huge asset to have such fast receivers," Gargan said. "When they're beating the cornerbacks, it really opens up the rest of the offense for me."
Pangborn, which beat its first three opponents by a combined score of 89-0, faced a tougher test in Howard (3-1-0). The Phoxes allowed their first points of the season when Howard senior quarterback and captain Clare Robinson scored on a one-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter to cut the Pangborn lead to 7-6.
"I was really proud of our team today," Robinson said. "Hopefully we'll get another chance at them in the playoffs, but we have a big game [Monday] and right now we're focused on that."
Howard was back in action Monday against Ryan, while Pangborn's next game is also against the Wildcats on Sunday.
Contact Evan Anderson at eander11@nd.edu
Ryan 41, Breen-Phillips 0
By BRIAN PLAMONDON
Sports Writer
Ryan dominated both sides of the ball Sunday as it handed Breen-Phillips a 41-0 loss.
Freshman quarterback Kathleen Conaty led the high-powered Ryan offense, throwing four touchdown passes to four different receivers.
The Wildcats (3-0-0) opened the scoring on a 17-yard touchdown pass from Conaty to junior receiver Ashley Veselik en route to a 34-point first half.
The Ryan offense did not have to take the field again after that touchdown until the second quarter because of touchdowns scored on both defense and special teams. Senior cornerback Beth Meisinger returned an interception 25 yards for a score, while senior running back Leah Fisher had a 40-yard punt return touchdown.
"I had time, so I looked and saw three players coming from one side," Fisher said. "I then decided to take off down the other sideline."
On offense, Conaty found freshman receiver Mary Grace Kenny and sophomore receiver Erin Clark for touchdowns in the second quarter and hit senior receiver Maddie Swan for a touchdown in the third quarter to complete the scoring.
"We mesh well as an offense," Conaty said. "With three games under our belt, I think we really have it down."
Breen-Phillips (0-3-0) never picked up enough momentum to have a chance in the game - an illegal forward pass penalty negated a touchdown, while the offense could not capitalize after big plays.
"Ryan is a really good team, an established program," Babes senior captain and linebacker Monica McNerney said. "Hopefully [Monday] will be a better outcome."
Ryan looked to remain undefeated Monday against Howard, while Breen-Phillips also played Monday against McGlinn in search of its first win.
Contact Brian Plamondon at bplamond@nd.edu
Pasquerilla West 25,
Farley 6
By RENEE GRIFFIN
Sports Writer
Pasquerilla West managed to remain undefeated Sunday with a 25-6 win over Farley.
The Finest (1-2-0) got a quick start against the Purple Weasels (5-0-0) in the first half, with junior Caitlin Smith throwing an early touchdown pass to senior receiver and captain Lauren Ladowski. That was followed by several defensive stops for Farley, including an interception by senior cornerback Amanda Horst.
But Pasquerilla West came back with a vengeance in the second half, as the defense made five interceptions, four of which the offense was able to convert into touchdowns. Ladowski said she was disappointed her team couldn't capitalize on its early advantage.
"It was super frustrating because we won the first half but we couldn't keep it up in the second half," Ladowski said. "We need to work on reading the defense better and knowing when we should throw the ball to cut down on the interceptions."
The Purple Weasels hope to carry the success they had in the second half of the game into the rest of the season and perhaps maintain their sterling record, senior captain and quarterback Rachel Rogers said.
"Our defense really picked it up second half with some key interceptions and our offense was really starting to convert on the plays as our receivers got comfortable with the routes," Rogers said.
The Finest will get a chance to redeem themselves against Lewis tonight, while Pasquerilla West has a break until playing Lewis on Nov. 3.
Contact Renee Griffin at rgriffi6@nd.edu
Cavanaugh 32, Lyons 7
By JOSH DULANY
Sports Writer
Cavanaugh's explosive and physical effort helped them pull away from Lyons for a 32-7 victory Sunday.
The Chaos (3-1-0) produced big plays on both sides of the ball throughout the game. Senior captain and safety Meaghan Ayers grabbed two of Cavanaugh's three interceptions and junior quarterback OlivaDietzel led the offense with two passing touchdowns and two more scores on the ground.
The Lions (2-2-0) briefly held a 7-6 lead, but two quick touchdown passes from Dietzel to freshman receiver Ally Anton covered 60 yards and 12 yards, respectively, and tilted the game Cavanaugh's way.
Lyons senior captain and safety Christina Bramanti said she was disappointed the Lions did not do a better job of capitalizing on their early advantage.
"We started off pretty strong, but then we let the game slip away from us. ... We didn't do a good job of recovering after they scored a couple touchdowns," she said. "It was a very aggressive game and it was tough physically on us."
Dietzel said she was pleased with the Chaos' play in the passing game.
"We were really hitting on all our throws," Dietzel said, "Ally [Anton] had some great catches. We keep getting better and this team is really starting to gel together."
The Lions will look to quickly get back on track against Pasquerilla East tonight, and the Chaos will look to win their fourth straight game against the Pyros on Sunday.
Contact Josh Dulany at jdulany@nd.edu
McGlinn 25, Walsh 0
By JOSH DULANY
Sports Writer
With the defense pitching a shutout and the offense finding some footing, McGlinn soared over Walsh, 25-0, on Sunday for its first victory of the season.
The Shamrock offense was led by sophomore quarterback Katherine Petrovich, who tossed four touchdown passes. Three of them were to senior captain and receiver Tara Crown, including the final play of the game that clinched the mercy-rule victory for the Shamrocks (1-2-0).
On the defensive side, senior captain and cornerback KaitlynKeelin grabbed an interception, which she nearly turned into a touchdown, and led a unit she said played terrific throughout the game.
"We were overall rock solid today," Keelin said. "We contained well, had two interceptions, there were no long runs. ... We've gotten better each game and have been working towards this."
McGlinn did pull away late, but Walsh's captains said they were happy with the defense's effort to keep the Wild Women (1-4-0) close for most of the game.
"The defense played really well," junior captain and safety Molly Johnson said. "There were a couple drives inside the five-yard line that we stopped. ... I was really happy to see that because it's hard to do. We have a lot of new girls and we are definitely seeing some improvement."
For the Shamrocks, Petrovich said their first win meant a lot.
"I feel relieved. ... Everything just finally clicked," Petrovich said.
The Shamrocks hoped to keep things clicking against Breen-Phillips on Monday. Walsh will take a long break until Nov. 3, when they also play the Babes.
Contact Josh Dulany at jdulany@nd.edu
Pasquerilla East 18 , Lewis 6
By MEGAN WINKEL
Sports Writer
Pasquerilla East emerged victorious by an 18-6 margin in a matchup with Lewis on Sunday.
The Pyros (2-1-0) relied on strong defensive play to pull out the victory
"Defense was rock solid today," senior captain Caroline Kuse said. "The fact that they barely scored on us showed just how strong our defense was."
The Pyros' defense proved to be even more impressive as many starters were absent. Kuse said she thinks the victory provides momentum for the Pyros going forward.
"We were somewhat tentative going into the game because a lot of our girls were out of town and sick, but the girls that were there really stepped up," Kuse said. "People played both ways and it was awesome to see everyone playing and doing really well. It feels so good to have a winning record finally."
Lewis (0-3-0) gained momentum in the fourth quarter when senior captain and receiver Colleen Haller caught a 30-yard pass and the Chicks scored shortly thereafter. Nevertheless, it proved to be too little, too late as the clock ran out seconds later. Haller said the Chicks' improvement in the second half bodes well.
"We were really happy we got that touchdown, but we knew that we needed more points," Haller said. "We played a lot better in the second half and by the end of the game, things were working and we were able to complete passes. We just needed a little more time."
The Chicks hope the last quarter's play will spill into their game against Farley tonight. The Pyros hope to add to add another win as they face Lyons on Tuesday.
Contact Megan Winkel at mwinkel@nd.edu
