Pasquerilla East vs. Pasquerilla West
This year's battle of the Pasquerillas will feature two teams looking for their first wins when Pasquerilla East takes on Pasquerilla West at 1 p.m. this Sunday at LaBar Fields.
Pasquerilla West (0-0-1) comes into the game fresh off of a 0-0 tie against Cavanaugh this past Tuesday.
"0-0 is embarrassing on all accounts," said Pasquerilla West captain Cara Davies.
The Purple Weasels will have to find something to spark an anemic offense that didn't show up against Cavanaugh.
"We'll need to get our offense firing on all cylinders and get some points on the board," Davies said. "We'll sharpen up routes and find better spacing on the field."
Once this offense is sparked, Pasquerilla West could be threatening thanks to an already stingy defense. The Purple Weasel defensive line is dangerous and already has amassed several key sacks that held the Cavanaugh offense back.
"It was an ugly game on the offensive side of the ball, but our defense saved it from being a lot uglier," Davies said. "We'll play a sharper all-around game Sunday."
Similarly, Pasquerilla East (0-1-0) is reeling after a painful 20-6 loss to Howard on Tuesday night.
"We had some mix ups in coverage on defense and weren't able to get a consistent passing game going on offense," Pyro captain Tara Pillai said.
Pillai, though, recognized that much of these errors might have come from the fact that it was only the first game of the season and that freshmen didn't know what to expect.
Pillai said that the Pyros would focus this week on playing tougher defense and that quarterback Caitlin Lynch and running back Kristin Mannion would try to play more aggressively.
"We need to work on consistency on both sides of the ball," Pillai said.
Breen-Phillips vs. Farley
Breen-Phillips will try to get some momentum, and Farley just hopes to keep its going this Sunday when teams meet at LaBar Fields at 4 p.m.
Farley's 26-0 onslaught over Walsh last Sunday was led by sophomore quarterback Emily Murphy and the Finest's passing attack. Team captain and wide receiver Jenny Rolfs caught two of Murphy's three touchdown passes.
"The Finest hope to continue moving the ball up the field offensively with some quick routes and runs while at the same time spreading out the defense with longer routes," Rolfs said.
Led by senior middle linebacker Brighid McGann and sophomore cornerback Emma Klosterman, the young Farley defense started the season well.
Rolfs thinks the defense will continue "to be strong and aggressive in the next game."
On Sunday, Farley's defense will be tested. Breen-Phillips' lone points last week were off a 60-yard touchdown pass by senior quarterback and team captain Melissa Meagher. This dangerous deep-threat attack will surely look to take advantage of the youth on Farley's defense.
Badin v. Pangborn
After winless efforts in their first few games, both Badin and Pangborn will look to ignite their offenses this Sunday at 5 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
In their opening game last Sunday, Pangborn was stifled by Welsh Family, losing 14-0, and fell 19-6 to Walsh Thursday.
Pangborn captain Kathy Poploski acknowledged the team's offensive woes, but is confident that things will gel as the season progresses.
"We just need to settle down and let the quarterbacks get used to the receivers," she said.
Poploski also hopes they will be able to execute much better on Sunday.
"We rushed a little bit [in our first game]," she said. "The coaches said we beat ourselves."
The Phoxes won't have an easy time against the Bullfrogs, whose defense held Breen-Phillips in check in a 6-6 tie last Sunday.
Badin captain Katie Rose Hackney was pleased with her team's defensive effort in their first game, and will be looking for more of the same against Pangborn.
"We have a lot of great leadership back there and I think the freshmen are stepping up really well," she said of her defense.
After having some problems defending the run against Breen-Phillips, the Bullfrogs are making run defense a focal point in practice.
"We are going to work [on] the defensive side, and reading the run a lot quicker," Hackney said.
Hackney also said Badin has also been working in practice to improve their efficiency in the red zone.
"We have been working on a lot of goal line plays," she said. "We didn't really have many plays scripted for that."
While Pangborn's defense has already proven itself, it will need its offense to perform on Sunday. Hackney is confident that they can step up and do just that with the right game plan.
"I think we just want to spread the ball out a little bit more and utilize a little more diversity in our routes for our wide receivers," she said.
Howard vs. Cavanaugh
As Howard looks to continue its momentum after a big win over Pasquerilla East, Cavanaugh hopes to rediscover its offense this Sunday when the teams face off at 2 p.m. at Labar Fields.
Last week, the Ducks bounced back from an opening loss to Lyons to take down the Pasquerilla East.
"Our team played great last game," Howard captain Kayla Bishop said. "We really looked like a cohesive unit out on the field."
On the other side of the field, Cavanaugh continues to play well behind its stout defense, as the Chaos have yet to allow a point this season. Cavanaugh looked impressive moving the ball in an opening win over McGlinn, but their offense stalled in a 0-0 tie with Pasquerilla West Tuesday night.
Howard's gameplan focuses elsewhere as their offense racked up 20 points on Tuesday.
"We need to stay disciplined on both sides of the ball," Bishop said. "The defense can't give up big plays."
For both teams, this next game is all about finding balance. The Ducks must continue to use a combination of young talent and experienced veterans while Cavanaugh has to improve its red zone efficiency on offense to support a so-far impregnable defense.
Lewis vs. Walsh
After a blowout 26-0 loss against Farley to open the season, Walsh hopes to continue the momentum of its 19-6 victory Thursday over Pangborn when it faces Lewis at Riehle Field at 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Captain Kehau Meyer told her girls to "be ready for anything."
"They're hungry for a win," she said.
She said she's been encouraged by the interest and intensity the Wild Women have displayed in practice, where they have worked on flag pulling and taking better angles to the ball. They have also added some new drills that the coaches designed to keep their young players on their toes.
On offense, route running and studying the playbook have been priorities. Meyer said that one of the problems against Farley was that some of the young players "weren't always sure about where to go with their routes."
Even though it can be a long season and the team has long-term goals, Meyer emphasized the old cliché of winning the game at hand first.
"We're taking it one game at a time," she said "When you start thinking about the championship or the playoffs you start forgetting what's in front of you."
