Badin bests McGlinn 7-6, earning spot in playoffs
By CHRIS FEDERICO, LAUREN CONTI AND JOHN BACSIK
Sports Writers
They don't play for multi-million dollar contracts, national championships, or even athletic scholarships, but the women of Badin and McGlinn who took the field Sunday afternoon played as if all of these things hung on that game.
On a miserably cold and rainy day, the teams trudged onto the field and played with as much heart as any team to line it up on the gridiron. They battled for an hour in the biting winds and cold rain, and when it was all said and done, Badin came out on top 7-6 and earned themselves the right to move on to the playoffs.
With the cold and wet conditions, it proved very difficult for either team to get started offensively in the first half. Just before the half ended, Badin moved the ball deep into McGlinn territory, but they were halted on fourth down at the one-yard line.
On McGlinn's opening drive of the second half, the Shamrocks moved all the way into Badin's red zone. On first down from the nineteen, an errant pass from McGlinn landed right in the hands of a Badin defender, but she could not hold on for the interception. On the next play, McGlinn would connect on a 19-yard touchdown pass.
With time running out and down six points, the Bullfrogs knew they had to make something happen. Badin quarterback Priscilla Clements stepped up and shone. On a McGlinn bull rush, Clements flung the ball — just before being knocked down— to a wide-open Betsy Cavo, who ran forty yards for the score.
"I read McGlinn coming on a blitz, and I knew Betsy would be wide open," Clements said. "I got the ball away just before I was hit, and she was able to get it and go in for the touchdown."
Badin would go ahead on the conversion, and McGlinn would have one chance to score, but the Bullfrog defense forced a 4th and 20. When the McGlinn run came up short, Badin's sideline erupted. The players knew that they had just made the playoffs and they gathered in the middle of the field to celebrate.
For McGlinn, all was not lost in the defeat.
"We played very well all season, and we just lost some close games. We're a young team, and I know we should be excited about next year," said captain Jamie Glasser.
Walsh 13, Breen-Phillips 0
The Wild Women of Walsh Hall finished off their regular season play with an undefeated record on Sunday, defeating the Breen-Phillips Banshees 13-0.
"We just stuck to our game plan and were well-prepared with what to look for," said Melissa Beiting, Walsh captain.
The win cemented Walsh's place as one of the top four teams in the Gold League. They will move on to the playoffs after fall break. Breen-Phillips is still uncertain about their playoff status as this point. "Right now I don't think it looks good," said Tricia Keppel, Banshee co-captain. "But maybe we have some chance."
Walsh started the game in possession, but neither the Wild Women nor the Banshees did much offensively in the first half.
"We had the ball and didn't do anything with it, they had the ball and didn't do anything with it—the first half was kind of a wash," said Lauren Walsh, quarterback for the Wild Women.
The Banshees hung on to ball for much of the half, but couldn't score. With two minutes remaining, an off-sides penalty against Walsh nearly turned the tide in BP's favor, but quarterback Katie McFarland was sacked on the following play.
With one minute remaining in the half, Breen-Phillips rallied again as Kelly Deckelman
batted down a Walsh pass. The Wild Women managed to close the half on a positive note, however, as Walsh recovered well from a bad snap on fourth down and ran the ball to make up for lost yards.
The Wild Women took clear control of the second half, beginning on the Banshees' first possession, as freshman Marlana Klinger made her first of three interceptions. "It was exciting," said Klinger. "I thought we came out second half and played great."
The Wild Women took advantage and moved the ball deep into Breen-Phillips territory. Their offensive drive was thwarted, however, as Banshee Atasha Potter batted down a pass at the BP 5-yard line.
Klinger intercepted the Banshees' subsequent first down pass, however, and ran it in for the game's first touchdown. Only minutes later, she made her third and final interception off a BP second down, once again taking the ball to the Banshees' 5-yard line. A handoff to Gretchen McIntyre produced another touchdown for the Wild Women, who then made good on the 1-pt. conversion with only two minutes left on the clock.
"The whole defense really came out there to play, and did well," said Klinger.
The Banshees were unable to recover from the Klinger-inspired offensive drive by Walsh.
"It was frustrating," said Jenny Wahoske, Banshee captain. "We had heard that they'd been scouting us, and it seemed like they anticipated what we were going to do. They were just waiting for us to throw it. They did a good job though, credit to them for it."
Breen-Phillips isn't too disappointed with the loss, however.
"Obviously we still have a lot of work to do," said Keppel. "We were a young team and definitely improved a lot, we learned how to work well with each other, and we only have two seniors leaving next year. So maybe next year is what we should look to."
The Wild Women, on the other hand, are left anticipating the playoffs.
"We can't wait," said sophomore cornerback Jody Kahn. "It's really been a great season for us."
Off-Campus 6, Pasquerilla West 0
The Off-Campus Crime was victorious yet again Sunday on Stepan Field. As spectators watched from under umbrellas and in cars, the Crime defeated the Purple Weasels of PW to cap off an undefeated regular season.
The cold, wet field conditions kept the game scoring low. Both teams struggled to mount long attacks in the rain.
"The rain certainly impacted the game," said Off-Campus assistant coach Chris McSpiritt. "Both teams had to keep the passes shorter."
The only score of the game came on the Crime's second drive of the first half. Quarterback Jamie Stouffer and running back Francesca Delayo alternated runs throughout the drive. Stouffer punched the ball in on a quarterback sneak from the two-yard line.
Off-Campus had a shortage of players, but it did not faze them. Francesca Delayo played running back and cornerback for the Crime, coming up with an interception in the second half. The Crime also had many ironwomen in their offensive/defensive lines.
"We proved that we weren't messing around here," said Crime captain Marita Keane. "The game was tough in these conditions, and flags were tough to grab, but our defense was solid."
The second half was full of slippery plays for both teams. Simple things like snaps, usually taken for granted, proved to be difficult in the wet conditions.
Despite having secured a playoff berth, the Purple Weasels have struggled in their past three games. PW has been unable to put any points on the board.
"We just didn't move the ball as well as we would have liked here," said PW co-captain Kelly Dries.
Off-Campus heads into the playoffs with the number one seed in the Gold League.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 10, 2000
