With playoffs on the horizon, the Lewis Chicks (3-2) and the Badin Bullfrogs (1-3-1) will meet Sunday at 9 p.m. at Rhiele West Fields in what should be a particularly heated game.
Lewis, the No. 3 seed in the Women's Blue League, just finished beating the Bullfrogs 14-9 on Tuesday and will now face the No. 4 seed in a game that could have playoff implications.
Tuesday's game was won on intensity, Badin receiver Courtney Rains said.
"They came out a lot more aggressive than us, and it wasn't until about the last 10 minutes when we came out aggressive, that we played them strong and started to come back," Rains said. "They just had it all game and we didn't and that gave them the edge."
Even if Lyons loses to Walsh, guaranteeing the Bullfrogs a playoff spot, Rains said they'll be gunning for the Chicks.
"I think it's going to be pretty tense," she said. "There was a lot of trash talking on the field, and I think they're going to come out knowing that we want to beat them."
Lewis receiver Becky Rambo says the Chicks will have to stay extra sharp to pull off the season-sweep.
"I'm kind of nervous, because we just played them, and they kind of know what we do now," Rambo said. "We just need to be on the top of our game, because now they're going to try to adapt to us."
Though the Chicks have already clinched a playoff berth, Lewis is approaching this game as if it meant as much as any other.
"We come out every game 100 percent," Rains said. "Every game is just about improving on the last, and fine-tuning everything and getting everything ready for the playoffs."
In particular, the Chicks are looking to prepare for a trip to Notre Dame Stadium.
"It's very important [to us] to win this game," Rains said. "Two years ago, we went to the stadium, and a lot of the seniors and juniors want to go back."
Howard vs. Cavanaugh
It's David versus Goliath Sunday night at 7 p.m. as the Howard Ducks (0-4-1) take on the undefeated Cavanaugh Chaos (5-0) in a No. 1 vs. No. 6 positional game.
Cavanaugh comes in as a heavy favorite, most recently coming off of a 13-6 win against Lyons. The Chaos have posted four shutouts in five games, and also possess a high-powered offensive attack that dismantled Walsh 18-0 earlier in the season. Led by quarterback Lisa Ruffer and receivers Nancy Powaga and Janice Flynn, Cavanaugh has rolled through the women's Blue League en route to a No. 1 seeding this week. But despite their success, middle linebacker Kerri Bergen said her team is aware of the dangers of facing a team with nothing to lose.
"We are definitely not looking past this one," Bergen said. "We have to work on what we want to do for the playoffs, and we want to stay undefeated."
Bergen added Cavanaugh will look to get inexperienced players some valuable playing time should the score allow it.
"When it comes time for the playoffs, it's always a good thing to get everyone some playing time, so they're ready if we ever need them to come in," Bergen said.
Howard does not have that luxury.
The Ducks enter the contest without a win, but receiver Mary Kaminski is looking on the bright side.
"By the numbers, we look like we haven't had a great season, but we have shown signs of improvement week by week," she said.
Despite looking at the positives, Kaminski acknowledged that it will take a tremendous effort to upset the Chaos Sunday night.
"We have to execute perfectly and put all the little things together, but we haven't been able to do that yet," she said. "We've been working on the little things, like blocking, tackling, defensive coverage and running routes."
Kaminski pointed to senior running back/safety Callie Whelan and freshman receiver/cornerback Liz Price as players who could possibly help the Ducks pull the upset.
To the casual viewer, this game looks to be a runaway for the Chaos. They appear to hold a very favorable advantage both offensively and defensively.
But as history has shown, the game isn't played on paper.
Lyons vs. Walsh
Hope is not lost.
If Lyons can beat Walsh in the final regular season game this Sunday, and if Badin loses its game against Lewis, the Lions can make the playoffs.
Of course, beating Walsh is easier said than done, as the Wild Women's only loss this season came to unbeaten Cavanaugh.
Lyons knows the difficulty of the task it will face, because the Wild Women shut them out 20-0 when they met last week.
However, Lyons has a new source of confidence as it just played its best game of the season on Tuesday against Cavanaugh, becoming the first team to score a touchdown on the Chaos all season and showing remarkable defensive resilience.
They lost, but gave Cavanaugh a strong challenge, and captain Katie Mackin said she and her team are confident heading into Sunday.
"After our game against Cavanaugh, we are starting to pick up momentum," she said. "We had practice today and will again on Saturday. We know Walsh's plays, offensive and defensive, and we think we can play well against them."
Walsh, meanwhile, looks to hold onto its No. 2 seed in the Women's Blue league heading into the playoffs and would like nothing more than a solid win to boost its confidence. However, the Wild Women are assured a playoff berth no matter the outcome.
The game looms at 8 p.m. Sunday night on Riehle West.
Pangborn vs. Pasquerilla East
On Sunday at the West Quad fields, the Phoxes of Pangborn will take on the Pyros of Pasquerilla East in a game with playoff implications.
In the Women's Gold League, Pangborn, as of the latest released standings, sat a half game behind second-place Welsh Family, and one game behind first-place McGlinn, which handed the Phoxes their only loss of the season.
Pasquerilla East, at 1-3, needs a win to stay in the hunt for the playoffs.
In the Gold League, four teams make the playoffs. McGlinn and Welsh Family sit in strong positions for the first two, but the last two may come down to the final slate of games as the other five teams are still in the hunt.
So far, the teams have played two common opponents. Both lost to McGlinn - PE fell, 20-0, and Pangborn, 6-0. Pangborn defeated Pasquerilla West, 18-0, while PE came up a touchdown short against its neighbors, 19-13.
With so much at stake, fans can be sure they will witness a hard-played and emotionally-charged game Sunday.
