Online only: Sid Rich sees undefeated streak end; Baker and McMurtry claim narrow victories
With only two weekends remaining in the powderpuff season before rescheduled games take place, each of the four playoff spots are still up for grabs. In a season where a number of great teams have emerged, but no single juggernaut has taken the league by storm, teams have a chance to define their seasons in these last two weeks. The Game of the Week featured two of these great teams: arguably two of the very best units in the entire league. Lovett College, with just a single loss in the season occurring in the final seconds of their game against Sid Richardson College, boasts a powerful offense that utilizes the quarterback option to burn its opponents on the ground as well as through the air. Their opponent, an undefeated Sid Richardson College team, featured a defense that had yet to allow a point over the course of the season. A lot of anticipation came with the Game of the Week, and the match-up of these two playoff hopefuls lived up to its high expectations.Game of the Week: Lovett 7, Sid Rich 6 (OT)
The busiest players on the field for the first quarter were the two punters, as neither offense was able to move the ball very well and the teams exchanged possessions. The first points of the game appeared to come in the second quarter, after a long run by sophomore Libby Ulman brought Sid inside the 5-yard line. Sid scored on a passing play soon after, but the touchdown was brought back because of an offensive penalty. Sid would turn the ball over in the red zone on downs, and the game went to the half as a scoreless draw.
In the third quarter, Lovett senior quarterback Claire Pawlik and junior receiver Kelsey Wolak connected through the air a number of times on long gains, keeping the offense on the field for a number of sustained drives. But the Lovett offense was stifled by penalties and the play of Sid sophomore Stephanie Agu, who put pressure on Pawlik all day and accumulated a number of sacks on the afternoon. The results were similar for the Sid offense, who had trouble beating Lovett's strong pass defense and was forced to punt on numerous occasions.
Lovett rallied around the arm and legs of Pawlik in the fourth quarter, with the senior quarterback faking the handoff to the receiver in motion and running left or looking downfield. The offensive set that had carried the team the entire season was kicking in late, with the score still tied 0-0. Pawlik's favorite target was Wolak, as the Sid defense had no answer for the receiver, who corralled a number of long receptions. With two minutes left and the ball in Sid's territory, it appeared that the Lovett offense was poised to break open the defensive stalemate on what had unfolded as a promising drive. However, the Sid defensive line again prevailed, stopping Lovett for losses on two of the next three plays and forcing a punt with under a minute left.
Sid elected to go to the air with the ball in its own territory, but senior quarterback Bianca Santos' pass attempt was deflected a number of times and intercepted by Lovett. Lovett took over with just under 30 seconds left and the ball near the 25-yard line. The first play, a swing pass, went for close to a first down, but the Lovett center, senior Lynn Paul, remained down on the field after the play. Play would resume after the injury timeout, but Lovett could not cash in on the scoring opportunity. The team ran two more plays but were unable to find the end zone, and the game was headed for overtime.
Sid started on offense to begin the overtime period, as Ulman took the option pitch from Santos on second down and got inside the 10-yard line for a first down. Three plays later, facing a third down from inside the five-yard line, senior Esohe Igbinedion took a hand-off on an end around and pushed her way into the end zone, giving Sid the lead and the game's first points. The extra point attempt failed, as Santos' pass was tipped at the line and fell incomplete. But for Lovett, it would take only one play to counter the score, as Pawlik floated a pass on first down to the left side to Wolak, who came down with the ball and ran it in for the score. Just seconds after its sideline erupted as it looked like it had seized control of the game, Sid fell victim to the potent offensive duo of Pawlik and Wolak through the air. But the two were not done just yet. This time on the right side, Wolak ran a slant on the extra point conversion and caught the pass in between two defenders in the end zone, giving Lovett the dramatic 7-6 win as its sideline stormed the field. In just a matter of seconds, the game spectacularly shifted from the balance of one team to the other, as Sid's undefeated season came to an end.
Lovett continues its regular season campaign tomorrow against Hanszen College, while Sid will play against Wiess College on Sunday.
Hanszen 18, Baker 12
Sophomore quarterback Kristine Karvonen threw two touchdown passes for Baker College, one to senior Beth England and one to freshman Kathleen Abadie, who also had two interceptions. After going down 18-0 in the first quarter, the Baker defense stiffened up and didn't give up any points for the rest of the game. Baker came back to make it 18-12 midway through the third quarter, but couldn't equalize.
McMurtry 7, GSA 6
In the first quarter, the Graduate Student Association scored a passing touchdown after forcing a turnover. However sophomore Ashley Membere had a key blocked pass to stop GSA from converting the extra point, leaving the score at 6-0. Defensive domination continued on both sides of the ball and the score remained at 6-0 going into half time. The defensive struggle continued into the fourth quarter until McMurtry College got the ball with six minutes remaining. The Murts marched down the field and freshman quarterback Jordan Ashcraft threw a pinpoint pass to senior Alli Scully for a touchdown. Freshman Robin Vest then snagged an Ashcraft pass for the point after to give McMurtry a 7-6 lead. GSA promptly retaliated, getting the ball within the redzone with 3 minutes to play. With 2 minutes left, GSA converted for a 1st down on the 1 yard line. The McMurtry defense held strong with a 4 play goal line stand and forced a turnover on downs. McMurtry drained the clock during the ensuing offense series and stopped GSA on two more plays on defense to seal the 7-6 yard line. Other notable stats for the Murts included Scully with two interceptions and sophomore Carolina White with three blocked passes.
More from The Rice Thresher
Rice Students for Justice in Palestine declares ‘liberated zone’ on campus
As student protests erupt across the country, Rice Students for Justice in Palestine launched a “liberated zone” on Rice campus, announced a two-day series of events and started construction on an “apartheid wall.”
Jeremy Zucker is no longer a ‘sad-boy troubadour’
Jeremy Zucker’s arms, like most of his body, host a scrapbook of tattoos — a faded clementine peel, his childhood pets (Rusty and Susie), a Pinterest doodle of Sonic the Hedgehog with a bouquet of flowers. His middle finger is etched with a single tooth, hanging off a thin branch wrapping around the rest of his hand.
Jeremy Zucker headlines second-ever Moody X-Fest
Jeremy Zucker headlined Rice’s second annual Moody X-Fest in Founder’s Court on April 19. In advance of Zucker’s set, student groups like Basmati Beats, Rice Philharmonic and BASYK performed. The festival also offered complimentary merchandise and food from Dripped Birra, Cane’s and Oh my Gogi.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.