Battlesows start season by downing rival Hanszen

By Ryan Glassman     9/24/09 7:00pm

After a relatively quiet first week, the powderpuff season took flight last weekend with a number of headline match-ups filling the slate. Two teams made their season debuts, as Wiess College took the field for the first time against Hanszen College and the Will Rice College-McMurtry College tandem squad made its season debut in a match-up with Brown College. While the focus of both of these teams was a solid start, it was the finishes that highlighted a highly-entertaining weekend of football. Both Jones College and Lovett College earned memorable victories over the weekend, each in suspenseful and unique fashion. And while the Jones-Sid Richardson College finish was one for the record books, it was not the focus of our Game of the Week. Wiess and Hanszen squared off on Sunday in a rivalry game that needed to play a few extra minutes before a winner was declared.

Game of the Week Wiess 13, Hanszen 7 (OT)

Wearing its traditional black-and-goldenrod uniforms, Wiess entered its Sunday showdown with rival Hanszen, knowing one thing: They were going to live and die by their backfield tandem of juniors Tiffany Gill and Molly Bryan.

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"They're our own version of thunder and lighting," Wiess coach Justin Stafford said. "We wouldn't trade them for anyone in the league."

But through three-and-a-half quarters of hard-nosed football, Hanszen contained the duo with great success. When it came down to crunch time, however, Wiess' pair of backs came up big with a number of stellar plays, leading their team to an overtime 13-7 win in the South Servery Shootout.

The game's first half featured strong defensive efforts on both sides, as neither squad put any points on the board through the first two quarters. The two teams gained a combined 53 yards in a quiet first half that featured six punts and three turnovers on downs. Wiess moved the ball inside Hanszen's 40-yard line, but failed to convert a fourth down as the first half came to a close.

After an entertaining rendition of Beyonce's hit song "Single Ladies" by Hanszen freshman Jarvis Sam, the two teams exchanged punts on their opening drives before Wiess took over on their own 27. After a pair of runs by Gill (28 touches, 105 yards, one TD), Wiess went to the air, only to have junior quarterback Rachel Jackson's (9/18, 123 yards, one TD) pass intercepted by Hanszen senior Jaime Wirth.

Wirth returned the ball all the way to the Wiess two-yard line, setting up a touchdown scramble by senior quarterback Alyssa Cotterman (5/11, 67 yards, one TD) three plays later. After converting the extra point through the air, Hanszen broke the scoreless tie with time running down in the fourth quarter.

Wiess pounded the ball with Gill on the following drive, going to the ground on the first eight plays while moving the ball to Hanszen's 30. But Hanszen's defense once again frustrated the Wiess offensive unit, halting the running game and forcing a crucial fourth-and-five pass incomplete. With less than three minutes left, Hanszen took over in their own territory with the 7-0 lead.

Wiess' defensive unit took the field and quickly stopped Hanszen with a three-and-out. The Battlesow offense efficiently managed their timeouts and got the ball back on their own 27 with just 1:19 left in the game. After an incompletion on first down, Jackson connected downfield with Bryan (seven touches, 79 yards, one TD) for a 57-yard gain, eluding defenders down the left sideline before being brought down at Hanszen's 16-yard line.

Gill gained 11 yards on the ground on the next play, and with 21 seconds left, Jackson found Bryan in the endzone for a touchdown. Trailing 7-6, Wiess went back to their running game on the extra point as Gill took the handoff on the left side into the end zone, leaving a number of defenders in her dust while tying the game up.

Adapting NCAA overtime rules, the game's overtime session began with Wiess on offense at Hanszen's 20-yard line. After an incompletion and a pair of running plays, Wiess faced a pivotal fourth-and-six. Placing the game in the hands of their playmakers, the Battlesows elected for a passing play to Tiffany Gill, who held on to a ball in traffic for a first down and a gain of nine yards.

Three plays later, Wiess faced yet another fourth down, this time from the one-yard line. Once again, they went to Gill, who took a toss to the left side and strolled into the end zone for the score.

After Gill converted the extra point, Hanszen's offense stepped onto the field needing a touchdown and an extra point to send the game into a second overtime. However, Wiess' defense stepped up to the challenge, stopping a run play and knocking down two passes before a sack on fourth down by freshman Erica Harris brought the thrilling game to an end.

After the post-game celebration came to a close and both teams began to depart the field, there was still a buzz amongst the fans about the suspense that had just unfolded.

"That was really a fun time," Stafford said when asked about his thoughts on the team's first game. "Down in the fourth quarter with a 1:20 left, we really looked like a veteran team today."

Sunday was a day for the Wiess upperclassmen, earning them their first-ever win over Hanszen while making innumerable big plays down the stretch on both sides of the ball. And as another chapter is written in the rivalry of the adjacent south colleges, one can only hope for more excitement in the weeks of powderpuff to come.

Jones 13, Lovett 6

Lovett sophomore Claire Pawlik scored the game's first points, accounting for Lovett's first touchdown in over a year of powderpuff action. But Jones responded with a potent passing attack as junior quarterback Valicia Miller connected twice with junior Maria Failla on long touchdown passes, including one within the final 30 seconds to preserve a Jones victory.

Lovett 13, Baker-Duncan 12

Lovett responded from Saturday's loss with a win on Sunday, the college's first victory in over two years. Pawlik and junior Shaina Rasmussen were pivotal in the win, as each hauled in touchdown receptions of over 50 yards. Baker-Duncan, on the final play of the game, had a pass attempt intercepted by Lovett senior Erin Finn. Sophomore Bridgette Bennett played a stellar game on defense for Lovett, knocking down five passes in the second half to help the winning cause.

Will Rice-McMurtry 28, Brown 7

On the first play of the game, Brown senior running back Jackie Ammons broke for a 50-yard touchdown and nabbed the extra point for a 7-0 lead. Will Rice-McMurtry then marched down the field during their first possession and tied the game. The rest of the first half was a defensive deadlock, with neither team scoring again. In the second half, however, Will Rice employed the play-action pass, moving the ball down the field well to score three more touchdowns.

Jones 18, Sid Rich 12

In stunning fashion, Jones defeated Sid on Sunday afternoon with a comeback for the ages. After trailing 12-0 late in the fourth quarter due to a pair of touchdown passes by Sid senior quarterback Ashley Thompson, Jones took over on their own 20-yard line with under three minutes left. Jones sophomore Nnena Okeke took a toss 80 yards for a touchdown, cutting the Sid deficit in half.

After forcing a three-and-out, Jones got the ball back and scored again with just 17 seconds left, this time on a pass from Miller to Failla. Jones did not convert the extra point, and Sid got the ball back on their own 35 with 17 seconds left and the game tied 12-12.

Thompson threw a long pass on first down, but Jones junior Gabi Quart intercepted a pass, returning the ball to the Sid 25-yard line and running out of bounds with two seconds left. On the final play of the game, Miller rolled out to the right and lofted a pass to the back of the end zone, where Failla hauled in the game-winning pass as time expired.

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