Powderpuff begins with shock and excitement

By Ryan Glassman     9/16/10 7:00pm

While many were focused on watching college football or preparing to "get their rox off " at Lovett College last Saturday, the long-awaited kickoff of the 2010 powderpuff season took place at Field 7, with Duncan College opening against Jones College on Friday night. However, the main tussle of the week belonged to Wiess and Baker Colleges. Game of the Week: Baker 13, Wiess 7

On a thrilling opening weekend, not even a loss by the defending champions garnered the honor of Game of the Week status. This title was bestowed to the game featuring Wiess and Baker, two south college rivals looking to start their season off on the right foot. Facing off on Sunday afternoon, the two teams played an epic marathon game in which touchdowns were at a premium. It would take four overtimes, but Baker separated itself from Wiess, winning 13-7 to jump out to 1-0 in the south division.

The two teams exchanged possessions in the first quarter without any score, as Baker committed to running the ball but could not convert against Wiess' defense. The action picked up in the second quarter, when Wiess senior quarterback Rachel Jackson's pass attempt was intercepted, giving Baker great field position with a chance to break the 0-0 tie. The Wiess defensive unit again was up to the task, however, holding the Baker offense with a goal line stand to force a turnover on downs. The teams entered halftime with the score still 0-0, despite opportunities by both sides to open the scoring.

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The second half was more of the same, as both teams committed to the run but could not find the end zone. On the final play of regulation, with Wiess at the Baker 20- yard line, Jackson found some daylight on a quarterback keeper but was brought down inside the five-yard line, just feet short of an opening weekend win in thrilling fashion. The game moved to overtime, where Baker was the first team on the ball.

The Wiess defense, up to the test all day long, forced Baker into a third-and-five on the opening possession in overtime. But for the first time all day, a team found the end zone as Baker sophomore quarterback Kristine Karvonen took the quarterback keeper behind a convoy of blockers to the goal line, breaking the stalemate and drawing first blood in the OT session. Baker would convert the extra point, taking a 7-0 lead and putting pressure on the Wiess offense to try to send the game to a second overtime.

Wiess was up to the challenge, however, as Jackson found fellow senior Molly Bryan in the corner of the end zone for the score. Wiess converted the extra point, sending the game to a second overtime with the score tied at seven each.

Neither team scored in either of the next two overtimes, with Wiess coming close in the third OT but falling short on a fourth-and-goal from the four-yard line. Wiess would start with the ball in the fourth overtime but the Baker defense held the Battlesows to another four-and-out. Needing a score to clinch victory, the Baker offense took the field and reiterated their commitment to the ground game, using a series of running plays to get the ball inside the Wiess 10-yard line. And then, with two receivers and a tight end to her left, Karvonen took the snap and ran to the strong side, following her lead blockers into the end zone and earning a 13-7 season opening victory for Baker. After four quarters of regulation and four overtime periods, our inaugural Game of the Week for the 2010 season failed to disappoint, especially from the Baker sidelines.

Around the League: Duncan 6, Jones 0 (OT)

The opening game of the season was a battle of old versus new as Duncan, fielding its first Duncan-only squad, faced off with Jones, the college responsible for the origins of powderpuff at Rice. However, experience did not trump youth in this match, as Duncan was the first team to find the endzone in the first overtime to take the win, with Duncan senior quarterback Valicia Miller running a keeper for six.

McMurtry W, Martel (forfeit)

McMurtry College defeats Martel College due to forfeit, as two Violent Femme injuries in the first quarter left Martel with only seven players, too few to continue the game.

Lovett 34, Will Rice 14

Will Rice College began their title defense against Lovett on a hot Saturday afternoon. After last season's instant classic championship game against Martel at Rice Stadium, Will Rice enters the season as one of the favorites in an expectedly competitive title pursuit. In a testament to the parity of the league this season, Lovett upended Will Rice in a season opener full of explosive offensive plays.

Lovett dominated the first half of play, as the score stood 20-0 at halftime, thanks to three running touchdowns by Lovett senior quarterback Claire Pawlik. In the remaining quarters of play, Will Rice posted two touchdowns of their own. Pawlik countered those, however, with two touchdown passes in the second half, one a 50-yard pass to junior Kelsey Wolak, the other a 55-yard pass to sophomore Beth Herlin.

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