Welsh Family Hall is looking to cap off a dominant run in women’s flag football by winning its third title in four years. Led by captains Corinne O’Connor and Sarah Stillpass, the Whirlwinds are ready to continue a tradition of championships with one of its youngest teams ever.
For the seniors, this will be their third time in four years in the stadium, and they hope the result of this year’s championship will follow historic patterns.
“This is our third time in the stadium in four years and we want to bring back another championship. We are two for two in the stadium, and we are hoping for three for three,” O’Connor said.
Welsh Family has built up a reputation of winning, and friends and families alike are coming out to support them.
“It will be a fun atmosphere playing in front of our friends and some of our families will be there. We want to cap off a good senior season and continue the legacy of Welsh Fam,” Stillpass said.
In order to make it to the championship game, the Whirlwinds have overcome large roster turnover, specifically on the offensive end.
“Our offense has been in uncharted territory this year, we have a new quarterback who has never really been a quarterback before. She has done a great job adjusting,” O’Connor said.
Welsh Family has had to focus heavily on roster development, especially considering that a majority of its roster is freshmen who haven’t had any experience competing at the interhall level.
“We lost our three-year starting QB this year … we have a really young team this year, over half freshmen. So, [kind of] building up those girls’ confidence,” Stillpass said.
However, having a young roster has its benefits.
“I am looking forward to the energy of the freshman, they have been really spirited off the field, we have a really great sideline. We have a couple standout freshmen on the field and they have always brought the energy consistently,” Stillpass said.
The Whirlwinds hasn’t taken the field against Ryan this year, but the last time they played each other in the stadium, the game ended with Welsh Family hoisting a championship trophy.
“’It’s the ‘Battle of the West [Quad] part 2’,” Stillpass said.
Strategically, Welsh Family knows what its keys to the game are, specifically preventing Ryan’s dynamic passing attack from taking control of the game.
“Ryan does a lot of passing, so we need to stop the long ball ... not let anything go deep. No big plays,” O’Connor said.
Even though these teams haven’t met on the field, the players themselves are very familiar with each other. Both dorms are on West Quad, and there are a lot of overlapping friendships.
“We were each cheering for each other to reach the stadium,” O’Connor said.
Preventing these friendships from overwhelming the game will be a key priority for Welsh Family.
“We need to keep emotions in tact,” Stillpass said, “We have a lot of friendship crossovers. We aren’t talking to each other for a little bit right now. We are looking forward to the rivalry.”
Spoken like a true leader, O’Connor and Stillpass will lead the Whirlwinds into battle this Sunday.
