Whirlwinds cruise past Ducks 26-6
By SUSIE CARPENTER
Sports Writer
Energy filled the Stadium as top-ranked Welsh Family Hall Whirlwinds defeated the Howard Ducks 26-6 to repeat as women's interhall champions.
"The final score was not indicative of the actual game," Welsh head coach Ben Perossa said. "Howard came at us with everything."
From the first whistle, it was apparent that this was a battle between the two quarterbacks: Katie Rak of Welsh and Jill Veselik of Howard.
Leading the Whirlwinds, Rak was the first to strike. On the fourth play of the first drive, Rak completed a pass to Alex Callan who ran it 40 yards for the touchdown. After an unsuccessful attempt for the extra point, the score was 6-0.
The Ducks quickly answered on their next possession. Fighting back from a sack by Elizabeth Myers, Veselik found receiver Vanessa Nero in the end zone to tie the score at 6-6.
That touchdown was only the third allowed by Welsh's defense all season.
The Whirlwinds' offense retook the field ready to avenge this attack. Amidst the pressure of several Ducks linemen, Rak remained poised in the pocket thanks to great pass protection from her offensive line.
Vanessa Lichonput the Whirlwinds up for good with a touchdown off a Rak pass. Rak converted with Jen Grubb for two points to set the score at 14-6 at the end of the first half.
At halftime, Welsh and Howard looked evenly matched.
With both offenses centered around the passing abilities of their respective quarterbacks, the second half looked to be a continuation of the quarterback duel. Ready to tie the score, Veselik and the Duck offense were focused on a touchdown at the start of the second half.
"She has so much dedication and drive," Howard head coach Brad Untiedt said. "I'm lucky to be on the same sideline as she is."
On the first play of the drive, Veselik was sacked by Karli Pederson, injuring herself on the play.
Unfortunately for the Ducks, this setback was a big turning point in the game. Playing with a sprained ankle, Veselik threw an interception to Vanessa Lichon on the next play.
Lichon ran the ball back for the Whirlwind touchdown. The injury coupled with the interception shifted the momentum to Welsh for the rest of the game.
After Howard was forced to punt, Welsh only needed four plays to score the final touchdown of the game. Rak completed a pass to Grubb for her third touchdown pass of the game and a 26-6 lead.
"[Rak]'s arguably the best quarterback in the league," Parossa said. "She played like the champion that she is."
Veselik tried to mount an attack to get the Ducks back in the game, but the Welsh defense proved too much for Howard. Veselik was forced to scramble out of the pocket on more than one occasion and suffered a loss in yardage from a sack by Colleen O'Connor.
On fourth down goal from the two, Howard had one last opportunity to stay in the game and maybe shift the momentum back to its side. Again, Welsh's defense held and the Whirlwinds took over on downs.
The game ended by the mercy rule, making it the Welsh's sixth game of its undefeated season to end in such a manner.
After a slow start in the first half, Welsh coach Casey Bouton said, "It was nice to see our offense click and nice to see defense bounce back. [The championship] was a great way to end the season."
Howard coach, Paul Guzzetta, gave credit to Welsh for its win.
"When you play a team with so many offensive weapons, it's hard to defend," he said. "They played their best and that's all we could ask for."
Howard coach Untiedt was also pleased with his team's performance, happy to have made it to the finals.
"This team has been an amazing team to work with," he said. "They have played great throughout the season."
All Sports Stories for Monday, November 13, 2000
