Contenders play to scoreless tie

Ryan 0, Pasquerilla West 0 — Elizabeth Greason

Ryan and Pasquerilla West faced off on Tuesday in a game with playoff implications for both teams, which ultimately ended in a scoreless tie. The game was highlighted by key defensive plays, failure to convert on solid drives and difficult weather conditions.

While both the Purple Weasels (4-1-1) and the Wildcats (4-0-2) had already secured places in the playoffs, the game was an important one with respect to seeding. With a win, Ryan would have secured the top spot in its division, but with the tie Ryan fell to second seed and Welsh Family took over the top spot.

Wildcat senior captain and receiver Erin Clark was pleased with her team’s performance after a long break. She said she was excited about the major defensive stands the team made, particularly multiple blocked passes by junior Shawn Hall.

“It’s hard coming off a solid two and a half weeks off,” Clark said. “But we played fantastic defense. That was really big for us.”

The Weasels offense seemed poised to break through with a touchdown multiple times throughout the game, thanks to multiple diving catches by junior receiver Tess Wemhoener and long runs by junior running back Monica Busse. However, Ryan came up with a stop on each occasion.

Weasels senior captain and defensive back Bernie Jordan was pleased with Pasquerilla West’s performance on both sides of the ball, but also said that the team needs to work on following through and scoring after a good drive.

“I thought our defense looked pretty good,” Jordan said. “We did well getting down the field; we just couldn’t convert for touchdowns. We got to the goal line three times and didn’t score.”

Both teams begin their playoff runs on Sunday. The Purple Weasels play Farley at 4 p.m., while the Wildcats will play Lewis at 5 p.m. at LaBar Practice Complex.

 

Welsh Family 27, Breen-Phillips 0 — Victoria Llorens

Under the lights and in the misty cold, Welsh Family bested Breen-Phillips 27-0 in its last regular season game, solidifying its first-place seed in the playoffs.  

The Whirlwinds (5-1) came out strong from the start, dominating the field on both offense and defense to clinch a win early on.

With twenty points in the first half, the Welsh Family offense controlled the game, which junior captain and quarterback Rachel Wimsatt said is an improvement from the start of the season.

“On offense we kind of had a rough start to the season, but we definitely got back on board and figured things out,” Wimsatt said.

The Babes (1-5) brought a stronger effort in the second half, smacking passes down and forcing the first Whirlwind interception of the season. With aid from a pass interference penalty and a double-pass play, the Babes got a first down in the last play of the third quarter.

The fourth quarter began with a Welsh Family interception on the first play. After a 30-yard run for a first down and quick thinking by Wimsatt to avoid a sack, the Whirlwinds got their first touchdown of the half and followed with an extra point. The Babes were unable to capitalize in the last few minutes of play, and the game ended via the mercy rule.

Wimsatt said she was happy with her team’s accomplishments.

“I think it was a strong finish to our season, and we’re excited for the postseason,” Wimsatt said.

Tuesday’s game concluded the season for Breen-Phillips, but first-seeded Welsh Family will play Pangborn this Sunday at 4 p.m. at LaBar Practice Complex.

 

Farley 12, Lewis 7 — Joseph Everett

Farley bested Lewis on Monday night under the lights of Riehle Fields, 12-7.  The Finest (5-1), led by team depth and a strong presence at the quarterback position, held off the Chicks (3-2-1) in a battle of two playoff-bound teams.

Lewis started the game strong, intercepting and returning a pass attempt deep into Farley territory on the first drive of the game. The Chicks converted the opportunity with a seven-yard touchdown run to the outside, and then converted the one-point conversion on a short pass play to stake themselves to an early 7-0 lead.

However, Farley soon found its groove thanks to a couple of key mistakes by Lewis. The first mistake was an interception that set up a touchdown pass for Farley, and the second was a bad punt that Farley again converted into a touchdown pass, thanks to another short field.

The game was a defensive struggle from then on, with Farley benefiting from a questionable no-call on a 4th down that halted a promising Lewis drive. The Farley defense came up big in the end, however, intercepting a pass on the final play of the game to seal the victory.

Lewis coach Merrick Topping was disappointed by the outcome but saw some silver linings for his team.

“Given that we already clinched the playoffs last week, had some rust coming off of break, and were missing some key players, I liked how we competed tonight,” Topping said. “I think this loss could actually be a help to our team as far as a motivational factor for the upcoming playoffs, so we need to come out and have a good week of practice”.

Farley captain and senior Ali Buersmeyer was happy with her team’s performance and looked ahead to what’s next for the Finest.

“[We’ve] had a great regular season and I'm really looking forward to playoffs,” Buersmeyer said. “We definitely have some tough games coming up, but we're going to come out with a lot of energy and confidence to hopefully make for a successful postseason”.

Both teams look to go far in the playoffs as Lewis will play Ryan at 5 p.m. this Sunday and Farley will take on Pasquerilla West at 4 p.m. at LaBar Practice Complex.

 

Howard 21, Badin 13 – Maureen Schweninger

Howard capped off its regular season with a 21-13 win over Badin late Monday night.

Although disappointed by the loss, the Frogs (2-4) are proud of their season.

Badin captain and safety Tina Techar said it was the best season she’s seen as a player, in enthusiasm and wins.

“We’ve just had fun with it,” Techar said. “We did everything that we’ve been practicing the entire year.”

Badin got off to a quick start with two back-to-back touchdowns. Howard (5-1) responded with a 70-yard touchdown drive in the last minute of the half. Howard quarterback and safety Stephanie Peterson was most proud of the Ducks’ resilience.

“We really adjusted well on defense, and we stopped them from scoring after that,” Peterson said. “Manning up was key. On offense, we just found open players and did what we know how to do.”

Howard rolled out with a more consistent running game in the second half, and Peterson threw for an additional two touchdowns to seal the deal. Techar and the Frogs were unable to turn the tide.

“There was a lot more running, really good running,” Techar said. “We’ve been used to heavier passing games, so that kind of threw us off a bit.”

That diverse offense is now heading to the playoffs, and this is the Ducks’ first year as the league’s No. 1 seed. Howard will play Cavanaugh this Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Labar Practice Complex.