Old flames are going to be reignited Sunday when McGlinn faces Lewis. After McGlinn beat Lewis last year by one point to send the Shamrocks to the semifinals, there is sure to be some dirt kicked up this weekend.
McGlinn gives tribute to their coaching staff and core veterans on the team, such as seniors Jill Stinchcomb and Kate Tucker, as well as sophomore Catherine Kromkowski. Stinchcomb and Kromkowski are stacked up on the defensive line, and receiver Tucker takes care of the offensive business.
Although captain Lauren Miller gives recognition to the returning vets, she is also enthusiastic for the freshmen to experience what McGlinn football is about.
"Our team is eager to get out on the field," Miller said. "We have a lot of new, fresh faces that are ready to get their feet wet, and get into the swing of things."
Lewis, on the other hand, is ready to turn the tables and take down McGlinn. Senior captain Margot Debot is grateful Lewis has the opportunity to play the Shamrocks so early in the season.
With hopes to improve and simplify their offense from last year, the Chicks are excited to toss the rock. Although the team may be small in numbers, their persona is about quality not quantity.
"We have great impact players such as [junior] Connaught Blood, [senior] Christine Hamma and co-captain [senior] Libby Redline," Debot said. "We are sure to make a physical showing. I expect greatness from our team."
McGlinn and Lewis face off at 5 p.m. Sunday at LaBar Fields.
Lyons vs. Ryan
Lyons and Ryan face off to open the season, both looking to open the season with a victory.
Ryan senior captain Brianna Curtis has high expectations for the team this year.
"Our ultimate goal is to make it to the Stadium for the championship game," Curtis said.
Compared to last year, the Wildcats are better prepared for success because of a more-experienced team.
"Last year there were a lot of nerves, but now we have an older veteran team," Curtis said.
One player in particular Curtis said to watch for is junior receiver Kelly O'Brien.
Lyons hopes that this year they will make strides toward becoming a better overall team. Sophomore captain AubreannaBobb said Lyons is excited and ready for the season, and noted there are a few areas that the team needs to improve.
"Our record last year was 1-3," Bobb said. "We had good energy last year, but each individual's energy varied, so this year we want to make sure everyone is pumped together as a unified team."
Senior quarterback and linebacker Kat Rodriguez, senior receivers and defensive backs Caroline Maroney and Carolyn Henderson and junior receiver and linebacker Erica Miller are key players for the Lions.
Ryan and Lyons square off at 5 p.m. Sunday at LaBar Fields in hopes to start off their seasons on a good note.
Pasquerilla East vs. Welsh Family
Welsh Family and Pasquerilla East will both look to get their seasons off on a strong note against one another this Sunday.
Welsh Family senior receiver and captain Charlotte Seasly has one goal for her team this season: win a championship in Notre Dame Stadium.
"We played for the championship in the Stadium my freshman year," Seasly said. "The experience was so surreal. We want to make it back there this year and win."
The Whirlwind are returning all offensive starters from last year but one and expect this group to be very consistent.
"Offensively, we will need to get back into a flow quickly," Seasly said. "We've got a lot of starters coming back and will hopefully be able to carry over the chemistry we've built up the last couple of years onto the field on Sunday."
On the other side of the ball, Pasquerilla East will counter with a fairly young and inexperienced but dynamic team.
"We are very excited to take the field on Sunday," senior captain and receiver Kristin Mannion said. "We are a young team, so the game Sunday will be a great opportunity to get everyone experience. We have a lot of young players who are anxious to show off their skills."
While the Pyros are exuberant in their youth, Mannion hopes her team will still play smart, fundamental football.
"Last year we had a great team, but our offense struggled at times," Mannion said. "This year we are very focused on having a good, fundamental, consistent offense. We want to be able to have long offensive drives, as opposed to having to rely on ‘Hail Mary' plays for scoring."
Welsh Family and Pasquerilla East kick off their title quests at 6 p.m. Sunday at LaBar Fields.
Howard vs. Farley
For Howard, the last two interhall football seasons have been ones of great success, as the Ducks have gone undefeated and captured the coveted championship both years. However, the Ducks will face a strong challenge when they take the field Sunday against Farley, a team that advanced to the quarterfinals of last year's playoffs.
With the success that Howard has experienced over the last two years, it would only seem natural for senior receiver and captain Jenny Gassner to state the goal for this year's team is to make it back to Notre Dame Stadium.
"Luckily, many players from last year's team are returning," Gassner said. "We have a lot of girls who have played the entire game over the last two years."
The Ducks should benefit from experience, as the team lost only two seniors and return veterans such as senior safety Caroline Walsh.
Looking to stop Howard is a strong Farley team that earned a playoff berth last year. With a squad that includes 10 seniors, the Finest are hoping strong veteran leadership can lead them to success.
Farley senior outside linebacker and captain Analise Althoff states that the team will rely on a system of strong defense, as it has done in the past.
"I expect our defense to be as solid as it has been in the past," Althoff said. "We hope to put pressure on the opposing quarterback and force more interceptions."
With many aspects of the team falling into place, Althoff has high expectations for the Finest.
"We have performed really well in practice so far," she said. "We hope to make it to the Stadium this year."
The game between these high-powered and successful teams kicks off at 6 p.m. Sunday at LaBar Fields.
Badin vs. Cavanaugh
Badin and Cavanaugh will open their seasons Sunday in a matchup between two teams looking to improve upon last season's results.
Badin hopes to show their growth from last year's tough season. The Bullfrogs will look to capitalize on the experience gained by the young freshmen from last year.
"Last year was a challenging year because we're a small dorm, but we're hopeful with a lot of last year's freshmen gaining experience over the season," Badin senior captain Sylvia Banda said.
Playing against a strong contender like Cavanaugh gives the Bullfrogs an early season test.
"We're really excited," Banda said. "They have a lot of tradition as a good team."
The Bullfrog offense will rely on the success of their two quarterback system – featuring Banda and senior Carli Fernandez – as well as their ability to get the ball to senior receiver Ryan Cooney.
Cavanaugh wants to open its season with a win to continue its regular season winning streak. Last year's season ended in a loss in the playoffs.
"We were undefeated in the regular season last year but we lost a few seniors, so we'll need to fill in those spots," Cavanaugh senior captain Maggie Fahrenbach said.
The Chaos hopes to get off to a good start with a win against Badin and pull off another strong season.
"We're really excited to start the season," Fahrenbach said. "We've got a lot of potential."
Like the Bullfrogs, Cavanaugh looks to capitalize on a trio of senior offensive playmakers with quarterback Rebecca Cink distributing to receivers Brittni Alexander and Megan Robertson.
Badin and Cavanaugh will take their high hopes into their opening game Sunday at 7 p.m. at LaBar Fields.
Pangborn vs. Breen-Phillips
Pangborn and Breen-Philips are set to clash Sunday in a season opener, with both determined to improve over last year's performances.
Pangborn lost in the semifinals of last year's tournament and hopes to better its fate this year. But there are a few questions that must be answered first.
"We graduated a large amount of our team," Pangborn captain senior Liz Pawlak said.
This loss of talented and experienced players has made it necessary for younger players to come pick up where the seniors left off. Pawlak said she is confident this will happen.
"We have a lot of new talent," she said.
The Phoxes are counting on this young talent and they expect good things from new starting quarterback sophomore Sam Nordlund.
Breen-Phillips also has a new quarterback in the likes of sophomore Jaclyn Winkel. She will help the Babes in their efforts to start with a victory after posting a losing record last season.
Senior captain Maria Lynch says that Breen-Philips is hoping to reverse the trend of the last few years.
"We have been trying to put the pieces together for a few years," Lynch said. "[We want to] work off our underdog status."
The Babes are confident their patience will be rewarded.
Neither team knows exactly what to expect from the opponent. With new quarterbacks and a new season just starting, there are a lot of unknowns.
"We are unsure what to expect from them," said Pawlak. "We are trying to prepare our offense and defense for whatever they throw at us on Sunday."
The season opener between Breen-Philips and Pangborn takes place Sunday at 7:00 p.m. at Labar Fields.
Ryan vs. Walsh
A wild Monday night game will take place between Ryan and Walsh, as each team looks to start the season off with offensive prowess and defensive domination.
Walsh hopes to improve on a disappointing season a year ago.
"Last year was a tough year for Walsh," junior quarterback and co-captain Kat Leach said. "Being one of the smaller dorms and having the roster limit cost us a lot of potential talent, but we learned a lot, reorganized and are coming back stronger than ever."
Both Leach and junior cornerback and co-captain Lindy Navarre said, although they are a young team, the new players will be making an impact throughout this upcoming season.
"Our strength this year comes from our newness as a team," Navarre said. "We have a lot of fresh talent that is really going to make a difference for us."
On the other side of the wildness, the Wildcats look to improve their record and strive for a perfect season.
"This year is going to be the best year yet," junior running back and captain Brianna Curtis said.
"We did not have a perfect record last year but we are improving and will be great this year."
Curtis hopes to establish the Wildcats as a competitor in these interhall games with an offensive force to be reckoned with.
"Our returning quarterback, junior Maya Pillai, is who people should look to for having big games," Curtis said.
There were a few setbacks on defense with key players not returning but Curtis is adamant that the replacements will perform even better.
The Wildcats are expecting an advantage over the Wild Women because they play beforehand on Sunday.
The showdown of the wild dorms, Walsh and Ryan, takes place Monday at 9 p.m. at LaBar fields.
McGlinn vs. Welsh Family
West Quad bragging rights will be on the line when McGlinn and Welsh Family square off Monday night.
The two teams have a history together, having played in the 2008 championship.
"The rivalry from that particular moment might have died down a little bit but not for the seniors," McGlinn senior captain Lauren Miller said.
Both teams are coming off successful 2010 campaigns. McGlinn made it to the semifinals of the playoffs before losing to span data-scayt_word="Pasquerilla" data-scaytid="75">Pasquerilla West. The Shamrocks view last season as a success, having made a run at a championship while developing some players and integrating a new coaching staff.
"We fell a little short [last year]," Miller said. "After an entire season with a core of veterans and the same coaching staff, we have a lot to build off."
The Shamrocks are looking for big contributions from senior defensive lineman Jill Stinchcomb, sophomore defensive lineman Catherine Kromkowski and senior receiver Kate Tucker.
The Whirlwinds are coming off a strong season in which they barely missed out on the playoffs. They have many starters returning, including senior wide receiver Natalie Baldasare, senior defensive lineman Micahlyn Allen and senior defensive back Erin Byrne. With many players back for 2011, Welsh Family is looking to find more continuity on offense, while maintaining the intensity from 2010.
Welsh Family senior captain Charlotte Seasly is hopeful this combination will lead to a deep playoff run.
"Our primary goal is to make it to the Stadium for the championship game," Seasly said. "That's always our goal."
McGlinn and Welsh Family kick off at 9 p.m. Monday at the Flag Football Fields.
Cavanaugh vs. Pasquerilla West
No strangers to success, both Cavanaugh and Pasquerilla West are looking to carry last season's momentum into Tuesday's matchup.
Last season, Cavanaugh went undefeated during the regular season only to lose in the second round of the playoffs. Pasquerilla West made it to the championship game for the second consecutive year, but fell short of the win.
Pasquerilla West senior captain Alison Lindeen says her team's goal is simple.
"Every year, our goal is to win the championship," Lindeen said. "We want to be back in the stadium for the third time in a row."
Lindeen believes the team's strength will be its defense.
"We have the best defense in the league," she said. "We're always going to make stops."
The offense will have to break in a new quarterback in freshman Lauren Vidal.
Despite their formidable opponent, Cavanaugh is confident they will be ready to play Tuesday.
"I think we're pretty prepared," senior cornerback and captain Maggie Fahrenbach said. "We lost a lot of seniors, but there are a lot of younger girls stepping up. We're hoping they'll have a good season."
The Chaos hope their team unity will translate to success on the field.
"We have a really bonded team with older and younger girls coming together," Fahrenbach said. "Everyone's really dedicated and has been coming out to practice a lot."
Fahrenbach hopes the offense, led by senior quarterback Rebecca Cink, will be a strength for the team this season.
The Chaos and Purple Weasels will clash Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Flag Football Fields.
Howard vs. Breen-Phillips
Howard and Breen-Phillips clash Tuesday in what could be a pivotal game of the season.
Howard ended the 2010 season undefeated and is determined to maintain that status.
"Having been undefeated for the past two years, our main goal for this season is to continue dominating games all the way to the playoffs," Howard senior captain Jenny Gassner said. "Even though we lost key players last year the team is looking stronger than ever."
Gassner's confidence in the Ducks is a reflection of not only their experience but also their growing numbers.
"We had a great turnout of girls this year – enough to make two teams," Gassner said. "The new members on the team have learned the plays quickly and have been playing well."
Breen-Phillips finished last season winless, but is looking to surprise opponents this year.
"Last year was definitely a rebuilding year for us," senior captain Maria Lynch said. "This year though, people better be ready to be surprised."
Though their numbers are small, the Babes feel it is not a detriment to their game.
"It is a dedicated group," Lynch said. "We have a lot of returning players who have great game experience and spirited coaches giving the team a sense of unity and power."
Breen-Phillips is focused on developing its offense and embracing the new year.
"Last season is history now," Lynch said. "We are ready to surprise people and be the underdogs. We are ready to prove everyone wrong."
Howard and Breen-Phillips square off at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Flag Football Fields.
