Cavanaugh controls Lewis, Lyons stomps on Pangborn
By JOE LICANDRO, BRIAN KRONK AND LIA MILHOAN
Sports Writers
The regular season went out with a bang last Sunday as Cavanaugh edged Lewis 6-0 in a classic defensive battle.
With 30 seconds remaining in the second half, Cavanaugh quarterback Lynn Olszowy found wide receiver Mandy Reimer for the game's only score. While there was no disputing the touchdown, the game was marred by a bit of controversy. On the play prior to Cavanaugh's touchdown, Lewis was penalized for roughing the passer after seemingly stopping Cavanaugh on fourth down.
"Two teams played their hearts out for 40 minutes, and the refs decided to take matters into their own hands," Lewis coach Blake Kirkman said.
Lewis cannot attribute the loss solely to the referees, however. The Chicks' offense was less than threatening, as Cavanaugh's defense pressured quarterback Erin Nasrallah and bottled up wide receiver Katie Schlosser.
Lewis' defense was up to the task as well. Safety Liz Carey was all over the field. Her interception early in the second half halted a long drive by Cavanaugh.
Lewis finished the season 2-4, missing out on the playoffs.
Cavanaugh captain Amy Szestak believes her team is ready to make a serious run for the league title.
"We're proud of our regular season accomplishments, but our goal is to succeed in the playoffs and play in the final game in Notre Dame Stadium," Szestak said.
Lyons 19, Pangborn 0
Sunday at Stepan Fields, the Lyons offense was on fire, completing three touchdown passes en route to a solid victory over Pangborn.
With this win, the Lions roar into the playoffs.
Lyons' offense got off to a slow start, but a 40-yard pass from quarterback Sarah Jenkins to captain Lisa Thomas, led to a touchdown.
"Our receivers did a great job getting open and getting us into the end zone," Jenkins said. "The offensive line was really good too."
After Pangborn was forced to punt a few plays later, Jenkins took over again, this time connecting with receiver Roxy Trevino, putting Lyons up 12-0 late in the first half.
Lyons emerged strong after the half. Jenkins completed a 25-yard pass, then a 30-yard bomb to Trevino for Lyons' third passing touchdown of the game. With the extra point, Lyons was ahead 19-0, and never looked back.
"Some penalties really hurt our defense," said Pangborn captain Erin Piroutek. "And we were missing some players again, which also hurt us."
Lyons' defense, led by Irene Onyeagbako, never allowed the Phoxes to even threaten reaching the end zone.
The game was called by the mercy rule with two minutes left.
Lyons enters the playoffs with a unique distinction: all six games in which they played involved a shutout.
In Lyons' three losses this season, they did not score a single point, but since then, they have won three in a row, each time holding their opponent scoreless.
Pangborn finishes 0-6.
Howard 19, Pasquerilla East 12
On Sunday, the Howard Ducks secured a playoff berth by defeating the Pyros of Pasquerilla East at Stepan Field.
With just under five minutes to go in the half, Howard quarterback Jill Veselik completed four passes, including two to freshman receiver Elizabeth Klimek, then threw a touchdown pass to Klimek to put Howard up 6-0.
Switching to defense, Veselik then intercepted PE quarterback Lindsay Terifay's pass to give the ball back to Howard. She then threw her second touchdown pass of the day to Klimek and completed a 1-pt. conversion for a 13-0 Ducks' lead at halftime.
In the second half, PE began to get into a rhythm offensively. Lindsay Terifay passed to senior Stacy Leicht, who made the catch and ran 20 yards for the first PE touchdown of the day.
Howard came up with a strong offensive series to increase their lead. On the option, Kate Crawley ran over 40 yards to the PE 2 yard line. Jill Veselik finished off the drive with a 2-yard run into the endzone, giving Howard the victory.
Pasquerilla East ended the regular season with a 2-4 record. With the win, Howard improves to 3-3 overall and has secured a spot in the playoffs.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 10, 2000
