Howard, Cavanaugh to face off after mix-up
By KEN CHAMPA and BRIAN LONG
Sports Writers
For the second time this week, Howard is preparing to play Cavanaugh, and this time the two teams will finally get a chance to play.
A scheduling mix-up last Sunday resulted in Howard playing against McGlinn, when they thought they were going to play Cavanaugh.
The Ducks lost to the McGlinn Shamrocks, dropping the Ducks to 2-2, but Howard is motivated to make the best of the foul-up.
"We're mad about the schedule, but we feel like we are ready, and determined to play on Tuesday," said Ducks senior captain Katie Cawley.
This season has been full of close finishes and frustrating losses for Howard.
"It's been really frustrating, we know we're good, we just need to finish off our drives and score," said Cawley.
Howard will use the talented offensive trio of quarterback Jill Veselik, receiver Elizabeth Klimek and running back Cawley.
Although Howard's offense has been solid, it is its defense that will be needed to stop the high-flying attack of senior quarterback and captain Mandy Reimer and the Chaos of Cavanaugh (2-1-1).
This season, Howard's defense has benefited from scouting done by its coaches Chris McBride and Paul Gazetta.
"The coaches have really helped us by scouting other teams for us, it helps a lot with what we should be doing on every play," said junior safety Kate Dinardo.
In Cavanaugh's offense, tailbacks Megan Land and Megan Myers, along with receiver Katie Burdick, compliment Reimer's game.
The Chaos is hoping to earn the win to sure up a playoff spot.
"We're hoping to win and get a good spot in the playoffs," said Reimer. "The season has been a lot of fun, and we have a lot of competitors on the team who are hoping to do well."
The cold weather doesn't seem to be dampening the spirits of the Chaos as it goes into battle again.
"The weather has hurt our practices, but this season has been great, we are ready to go," said Reimer.
The two teams are set to square off this tonight at 9 p.m at West Riehle Field.
McGlinn vs. Lewis
After four seasons of winless play, the McGlinn Shamrocks are suddenly playing mistake-free flag football and riding a three-game winning streak.
Heading into the regular season finale against league rival Lewis Hall, McGlinn looks ready to make its first trip to the postseason.
However, a victory will not come easy for the Shamrocks, as the Chicks of Lewis also know a little something about winning. Standing at 4-0-1, Lewis is atop the Blue League going into the last week of division play.
With the playoffs in sight, the Chicks could be thinking Notre Dame Stadium already. However, during pregame interviews, Lewis players made it clear that they were not taking the McGlinn Shamrocks lightly.
"We are looking at this game as our first play-off game — we just want to play our game and finish up the regular season with a victory," said Kara Helmig.
The Chicks "play their game" with a stifling defense and an explosive offense.
Look for sophomore quarterback Erin Nasrallah to play a large part of the Chicks' success on the offensive side of the ball.
In order for the Shamrocks to compete with Lewis, the perfect execution that has highlighted McGlinn's winning streak must be present.
In their wins over Off-Campus, Farley and Howard, the Shamrocks rolled with creative play-calling and beautiful execution on both sides of the ball.
While individuals such as Sarah Vatterott and On-Kay Wong have come up with big plays for McGlinn, the Shamrocks are looking for a total team effort in order to shut down Lewis.
"We have really stepped up in our last three games with a complete team effort," said Sarah Vatterott.
The Shamrocks will definitely need to be on the same page in order to pull out a victory over Lewis Hall, but if the last three games are any indication, McGlinn looks ready to roll over the Chicks and into the playoffs.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 9, 2001
