McWill bullies past Sid to clinch place in postseason

By Ryan Glassman     11/12/09 6:00pm

Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the powderpuff playoff bracket was anything but set. Martel College and Jones College were virtual locks with just one game to play, but the final two spots were still up for grabs among four teams. Both Wiess College and Baker College-Duncan College would have to win out and get some help from a few other teams, while Sid Richardson College and Will Rice College-McMurtry College held their playoff destiny in their own hands. In a pair of games critical to the playoff scheme, Wiess faced off against Jones while BaDunc and Martel squared off. But the Game of the Week was a Sunday showdown pairing Sid Rich against McWill, with the winner guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.

Game of the Week: McWill 25, Sid Rich 12

With the regular season coming to a close, no two teams in the league were hotter than McWill and Sid Rich. Sid was coming off a major upset of Martel, while McWill's last-second touchdown propelled them to a win over a tough BaDunc squad a week earlier. The playoff odds were clear for each team entering their faceoff on Sunday: win and you're in.

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Sid Rich was the first team on the board in the battle of two offensive powers. In the first quarter, senior quarterback Ashley Thompson connected with senior wide receiver Salome Vanwoerden on a touchdown pass, putting Sid on top 6-0. But McWill's offense was quick to respond, as the tandem of junior quarterback Jessi Scully and junior running back Alex Espinoza helped to march the ball down the field. The shifty Espinoza had a number of runs on the drive and found the endzone on a carry out of the backfield, tying the game at 6-6. Neither team scored again in the half, as the contest entered the third quarter in a deadlock.

Sid Rich went back to work with the aerial attack in the second half as Thompson found receiver Mariana Cano for her second passing touchdown of the game. The extra point attempt failed, and Sid gained the advantage with a score of 12-6. However, McWill again was quick to respond on offense, putting the ball back in the hands of Espinoza. Sid, which didn't have an answer on defense for Espinoza all day, could do little as the running back poured in another touchdown. The extra point gave McWill a 13-12 lead, and after halting the Sid offense, McWill marched the ball downfield and scored again in the fourth quarter to take a 19-12 lead.

With time winding down in the fourth, Sid took over on offense and moved the ball deep into McWill's territory. Following a passing play, Sid got the ball down inside the two-yard line with just two seconds left, trailing by seven points with a playoff spot on the line. On the game's final play, Thompson dropped back to pass and threw to a receiver running a slant pattern over the middle. However, the route was jumped and the pass was intercepted by the McWIll defense. The ball was returned the entire length of the field as time expired, giving McWill a 25-12 win and a spot in the playoffs.

Despite the loss, Sid was able to clinch the final postseason slot, thanks to Martel's overtime victory against BaDunc. With these results considered, the final four match-ups have been set. In a rematch of a game played less than two weeks ago, Sid Rich will take on Martel in one semifinal. In the other match-up, Jones will bring its high-octane passing game up against McWill's balanced offensive attack. The winners of each of these games will meet to play for the championship.

Martel 12, BaDunc 6 (2 OT)

With Sid falling to McWill earlier in the day, BaDunc was two wins away from earning a spot in the playoffs. After four quarters of scoreless action, Martel appeared to have a passing attempt intercepted on the opening drive of overtime. However, the play was called back on a roughing-the-passer penalty, and Martel went on to score on a passing touchdown by senior quarterback Aubrey Sansing. After a failed extra point attempt, the lead was 6-0 for Martel.

BaDunc responded on its first offensive play, as senior running back Jessica Chidi took the direct snap 20 yards to the endzone to tie the game 6-6. Just one extra point away from the playoffs, Chidi was taken down in the backfield, and the game moved to a second overtime.

BaDunc's offense started off the second overtime, but following a few running plays, it failed to convert a fourth-and-six and turned the ball over to Martel. A quarterback scramble took Martel down to the one-yard line, where Sansing was forced out of bounds. On the very next play, Sansing threw a pass up the middle to the left tackle for the winning score. With the loss, BaDunc was eliminated from playoff contention, while Martel advanced to face Sid Rich in the semifinals.

Lovett 20, Brown 13

After Brown punted on the opening drive, Lovett came back to score on its first possession and converted the extra point to go up 7-0. Brown gained yards on its next drive but was again forced to punt. Lovett drove down and once more put the ball in the endzone, making the score 14-0 to end the half.

After the Brown defense shut down Lovett to start the second half, Brown put points on the board when freshman Jodie Gomez ran a wide receiver reverse for the touchdown and an extra-point conversion. Lovett reached the Brown four-yard line, but Brown's defense held. Trying to even the score, Brown went on all cylinders, moving the ball through the air to score their final touchdown. The extra point, however, was called back due to an ineligible receiver downfield call, and the repeat try failed, leaving the score at 14-13.

Lovett answered this score with a touchdown of their own on a third-and-short run off the right side, but did not convert their extra point. On their final series of the game, Brown was unable to score, falling in their final game.

Jones 14, Wiess 0

Both defenses held the offenses on lockdown, as neither team posted any points in the first half. However, on Jones' first series of the second half, the Fast Women broke away in a run down the sideline to score the first touchdown, converting on the extra point. Wiess' offense stepped back on the field, but Jones intercepted junior Rachel Jackson's toss and returned it for a touchdown and extra point.

Neither team scored in the remainder of the second half, as Jones notched its seventh win of the season and eliminated Wiess' chance at the playoffs.

BaDunc 33, Wiess 0

Out for blood after its loss to Martel on Sunday, the BaDunc team entered the game with a physical mentality. Although the team's typical bread-and-butter running game was not effective against the Battlesow defense, the team found success in the air. Chidi and Duncan freshman Abby Corrington threw several long passes to help BaDunc rack up the scores. Wiess' offense was unable to put up any points, and the team fell to 2-6 on the season.

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