Print Edition of the Interhall Insider of The Observer for Friday, November 18, 2016

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Insider

The observer | FRIDAY, November 18, 2016 | ndsmcobserver.com

Stanford aims to cement status as team to beat

By BRENNAN BUHR Sports Writer

From day one of the 2016 interhall football season, Stanford senior captain Kevin Kohler and his team had the confidence that they could go all the way.

“Our mindset coming into the season was making it into the stadium and winning the championship,” Kohler said. “We were pretty unsatisfied with two consecutive semifinal losses. We were pretty dead-set on getting back to this position.”

The No. 3 Griffins (5-1) suffered each of those semifinal losses in 2014 and 2015 to Morrissey, the same squad that accounted for their only loss in 2016, a 24-0 drubbing last month. Kohler believes that those past losses have further motivated his team, and this year’s one blowout loss provided a much-needed wake-up call. “[Our loss to Morrissey] was a nice kick in the pants that we

needed,” Kohler said. “I feel like we came out flat against Morrissey.

They had already been eliminated from the playoffs and had beaten us last year in the playoffs, so that made it feel like a rivalry game. … We didn’t put too much weight into [the loss] — we fixed some things, and it was a good learning tool.”

Despite the Griffins’ uncertain quarterback situation at the beginning of the year, sophomore Chase Jennings has stepped up and performed brilliantly, Kohler said, having infused natural talent with a winning mindset, which has carried the team throughout the season. Kohler praised him as one of the reasons for the team’s consistent success on the field this year.

“Last year, Chase started as a freshman at wide receiver and ended up displacing our starting quarterback on offense,” Kohler said. “He carried the momentum into this year. We joked before

our last game that we came into the year without a quarterback.

Chase took a little offense to that.

He’s very competitive, and I think that shows on the field and in the huddle, and that’s been very important to our success this year.”

However, Kohler said he believes his team’s strengths on offense are based on more than just the quarterback position. He applauded his entire offense’s cohesiveness and success this season.

“Our biggest strengths are … our quarterback Chase, [freshman] running back Brandon Garcia and [junior] wide receiver Peter Ryan,” Kohler said. “I feel like they give us a nice competitive edge on offense. Brandon and Peter are new this year, so that has given us a jolt on offense that has brought it to a new level.”

On defense, Kohler said he has been particularly impressed by the performance of a few key players up front.

“I would say that on the

defensive side of the ball, it starts with [junior] Matt O’Brien and [senior] Pat McMahon, the two guys in the middle,” Kohler said.

“They set the tone on defense, constantly getting guys organized, getting guys lined up, calling blitzes. They are catalysts.”

Despite their success so far, Kohler and the Griffins are taking nothing for granted and remain hungry for another victory to fulfill their championship goal from the beginning of the season. “[After beating No. 2 Keenan], we were pretty pumped to be able to play in the stadium, but at the same time, I felt like we hadn’t accomplished anything just yet,” Kohler said. “Getting to the stadium is a cool accomplishment, a cool experience, but we are here to win a championship. We’re still looking forward to [Sunday].”

The Griffins are preparing for Sunday’s game against No. 5 Duncan (4-1) with the same mindset that they have held

throughout the rest of the season.

However, Kohler said he thinks both teams are in a unique situation having already played each other earlier in the year in a game that ended with a 15-12 Stanford victory.

“It helps that we’ve seen what they do on offense and defense,” Kohler said. “That was the first game of the year — both teams have made a lot of changes through the course of the season. I feel like it gives us some confidence going into the game knowing that we beat them earlier in the season, but at the same time we don’t want to rest on our laurels too much. We still have to go out there and play the game.

What happened in late September … doesn’t really mean much. It’s a new game [between] two good teams. We’re looking forward to it.”

Contact Brennan Buhr at bbuhr@nd.edu

Duncan transforms one-win history

By DARCY DEHAIS Sports Writer

When Duncan entered the interhall season this year, junior captain Thomas Staffieri said the No. 5 Highlanders would simply “show up with our 11 and see how things go from there.”

Approaching Sunday’s championship game in Notre Dame Stadium against No. 3 Stanford, the team has an entirely new attitude.

The Highlanders (4-1) came off a winless season last year, and the team had only one win in its history before this season. Staffieri said Duncan has worked hard to improve, capitalizing on the new additions to the team.

“We really had a rebuilding year in the offseason,” Staffieri said.

“We got a few new recruits into our dorm and some freshmen that have really stepped up this year and a few new players that have joined the team. We’ve really turned it into success this year.”

Duncan’s only loss came at the hands of the Griffins (5-1) in the first week of interhall play, a 15-12 defeat. It recorded wins against Morrissey and Knott in the regular

No. 3

season and defeated Alumni and top-seeded St. Edward’s in the playoffs to advance to the championship game.

Staffieri said the Highlanders have made additions to their playbook and altered their game strategy in hopes that this matchup against the Griffins will bring a different result.

“Because it was the first game, our offense was really underdeveloped,” Staffieri said. “We put in a few new plays and some new formations, and we really have given our skilled players the opportunity to excel in the open field in the recent weeks by extending our playbook. I’d say that’s our biggest adjustment since week one.”

Duncan junior quarterback and co-captain Matt Kase agreed with Staffieri. He said the Highlanders would focus on utilizing their best players, something they were not successful with in their first game against Stanford.

“That was really early in the season, and our offense was nowhere near where it is now,” Kase said. “We’ve put a lot of new stuff in with some new personnel, and we’re trying to get the ball into

No. 5

Stanford vs. Duncan (5-1)

(4-1)

Notre Dame Stadium

4 p.m. Sunday

our playmakers’ hands, which is something we didn’t do very well against them the first time.”

The Highlanders offense will rely heavily on senior lineman Steve Treacy, Kase and sophomore running back Micah Rensch.

Rensch said it will employ both the pass and the run in efforts to run down the Stanford defense.

“We have a very well-balanced offense,” Wench said. “We have very good wide receivers, a couple good running backs and a really good line, so we’re going to mix it up for sure. We’re going to take it right at them.”

Because of a concussion he suffered in the game against Alumni in the first week of the playoffs, Staffieri will not play in the championship game. Instead, he will act as defensive coordinator on the sidelines, relying on his cocaptain Kase to execute on the field. Kase said he expects strong defense from both sides.

“Defensively, we’re a little more familiar with them now,” Kase said. “We’ve got some pretty key injuries, including Tommy Staffieri. I like our chances, but I think it’s going to be a really good

game. We know a lot about them, and they know a lot about us. If I had to guess, it is probably going to be pretty low-scoring.”

Rensch said the Highlanders set their sights on the stadium from the beginning of the season, holding confidence in their newest players.

“We actually kind of did [imagine we’d be playing in the stadium] because we knew we had a lot of talent,” Rensch said. “Obviously, that is a bold prediction coming from winning one game in the last nine years, but we knew we had the most talented squad in the league. We knew not making it to the stadium would be a disappointment.”

Several of the Duncan players said they have aspired to play in the stadium since they were young. Staffieri said his older brother played in the interhall championship for Keenan in 2006, inspiring him to achieve the same level. Kase also said he dreamt of the moment.

“It’s something that I’ve wanted to do my entire life,” Kase said. “I tell the guys that all the time, and they like to laugh at me about it.

Elizabeth Greason

R.J. Stempak

Interhall Editor

Interhall Editor

When my dream of playing for the actual Notre Dame football team didn’t come true, this was a different way to still fulfill that dream.

I’m really excited about it, and I know the whole team is, too.”

For many members of the Highlanders, the support from the Duncan community has made their success even more meaningful. Kase said this year’s players take pride in their transformation of a team with one win in nine years to a team appearing in the championship in the stadium.

“My favorite memory of the season was the St. Edward’s game,” Kase said. “Our freshman and sophomore years, we didn’t have a lot of success, and we didn’t have a lot of the rest of the dorm coming out to watch us play. At the St. Edward’s game, we probably had 40 Duncan Hall classmates out there with us. It was really cool to see a lot of support from the dorm.

We’ve really changed what everyone thinks of the Duncan football team, and that’s been really fun to do.”

Contact Darcy Dehais at ddehais@nd.edu

Stanford is hungry for a title after losing in the semifinals the last two seasons, and it will win one Sunday. While Duncan’s significant improvements since the Griffins defeated them in Week One cannot be overlooked, the Griffins are simply too strong on both sides of the ball.

The Highlanders have had high-scoring games this year and will have difficulty stopping Stanford’s powerhouse offense, led by sophomore Chase Jennings under center and a strong, varied receiving corps.

Duncan has had a successful season, especially considering it shut out the top seed, St. Edward’s, but before this year, the Highlanders had won one game in its history. The Griffins are a well-oiled machine and will ultimately overpower the Highlanders in a tough battle.

In its first game of the season, Duncan narrowly fell against Stanford, 15-12. It has not lost since, posting two shutouts in the next four games, along with a dominating victory over the top-seeded St. Edward’s in the semifinals.

Stanford barely squeaked a win out last week over Keenan, managing to stay alive in a tight 14-12 contest. It has been consistent throughout the season and has already beaten the Highlanders this season.

But things change in the playoffs. Both teams have hit their strides at the right time, and this is set up to be a close battle. Duncan, in its first-ever playoff appearance, appears to be the team of destiny. Duncan is just a little bit hotter than Stanford right now and should look to carry forward the momentum of shutting out the No. 1 seed into the stadium.

FINAL SCORE: Stanford 18, Duncan 9

FINAL SCORE: Duncan 15, Stanford 12

Insider

ndsmcobserver.com | FRIDAY, November 18, 2016 | The Observer

23

Whirlwinds look to send seniors out with title

By MIA BERRY Sports Writer

Welsh Family has amassed a total of three championships in three years.

It earned two back-to-back ‘B’league championships in 2013 and 2014. Not to be outdone by the ‘B’ team, the ‘A’ team recorded a runner-up finish in 2014 before winning it all in last year. A victory Sunday would mean four championships in four years for seniors Mari Tumminello and Colleen Finley, who played on both teams throughout their careers.

Senior Catherine Levy admitted that the team felt some pressure to build on last year’s championship momentum earlier this year.

“Early on in the season, we did feel some pressure,” Levy said. “We lost some key players from last year’s team, added two new coaches and changed the playbook. We felt some pressure as everything was settling into the new system, but it was only

short-lived. We are as confident as ever heading into the championship game.”

While dealing with early-season pressure, Levy praised junior quarterback Caroline Puntillo’s efforts and performances.

“Our quarterback, junior Caroline Puntillo, has stepped up,” Levy said. “She has a lot of pressure on her at all hours of the day because she’s our only quarterback, and if a play goes wrong, it all lands on her, but that hasn’t been the case. She’s stepped up her game and been performing really well, and we’re proud of her.”

Attempting to defend their title, the Whirlwinds (7-1) finished strong with a 5-1 regular season record, their only loss coming to Breen-Phillips, which they later avenged by beating the Babes in the semifinals. In response to their one loss of the season, Finley said their loss to Breen-Phillips was a surprise but needed.

“We had a pretty strong

regular season,” Finley said.

“Our only loss was to the Babes, but it served as a good wake-up call for us. We came out of that game with a new perspective on our plays and what it would take to get back to the stadium.”

All of the seniors agreed that playing in the stadium never gets old, but Allie Smith in particular had her own unique take on the experience.

“The best part about playing in the stadium is running out of the tunnel and seeing the entire stadium open up as you step onto the field,” Smith said.

“There aren’t really any words that can describe that feeling.

You have to experience it.”

Welsh Family and Ryan are no strangers to one another, as both teams faced each other earlier in the season. Welsh Family ultimately came out with a 19-7 victory, and Levy said she felt that win was the Whirlwinds’ best of the season.

“I think we played really well against Ryan our last game,” Levy said. “Obviously, they’re

one of our toughest opponents since we’re playing them again in the championship, but we still played solid, and I think we had fewer penalties that game.

That’s one of the biggest challenges for us, and we were really focused and determined.”

Despite an early victory against the Wildcats (7-1), Welsh Family isn’t taking their matchup with Ryan lightly. Senior Francesca Mancuso praised Ryan’s defensive efforts from the last time the two teams met.

“Last time, [Ryan] put up a very tough defense against us,” Mancuso said. “I think [we just need to] break down their defense by getting our passes and runs in.”

Senior Sharon Chiang agreed and said she fully believes her team will be successful in defending its title.

“I think it’s definitely going to be a tough battle, but I think we’re going to come out with a ‘W’ in the end,” Chiang said.

Heading into their final interhall game, the seniors also

began to feel sentimental in looking back at their four years on the team.

“Our success over the past four years just goes to show that this group of seniors — and the rest of the women — have been extremely dedicated to learning the sport and improving every year,” senior Ariel Navotas said.

“As you can see, we take flag football really seriously, and we’re happy that the hard work and dedication has paid off.

This has been a family for us the past four years, and I’m so grateful for what each woman has been able to bring to the team.”

During Sunday’s championship game, Chiang said she expects the Whirlwinds will have lots of support from the stands.

“We’re hoping for a huge crowd and a lot of support,” Chiang said. “Our friends know how much flag football means to us, and it’s our last time being able to play together.”

Contact Mia Berry at mberry1@nd.edu

Wildcats aim for revenge in West Quad rematch

By MEAGAN BENS Sports Writer

Stepping onto the stadium’s turf on Sunday to battle for a championship title against Welsh Family, Ryan has one word in mind: revenge.

Wildcats senior captain Shawn Hall wants to avenge her team’s lone loss this season, which came to the Whirlwinds (7-1).

“Usually we are two of the more talented teams in the league,” Hall said. “We are 7-1 this season, and our only loss has been to Welsh Family, so that’s where some of the rivalry is stemming from. It will be the Battle of West Quad on Sunday.

We would like to, ideally, get revenge for our one loss this season and come back with a win.”

With the talent the Wildcats (7-1) have, senior Clare Conaty said Ryan expected to see the stadium this year.

“We have a lot of talent in general,” Clare Conaty said. “There is a lot of new talent coming in

as freshman this year and a lot of talent returning. We had a couple key players abroad last fall, so we were excited to get those people back, like [our] quarterback and our receiver and a couple others as well.

With that said, we expected to be right where we are. We are in a great spot going into the game and we are playing a great team, but we are going to just focus on what we can do.

We will try to fulfill our expectations and take the win home.”

On top of the Wildcats’ extensive talent, Clare Conaty said the entire team’s involvement and energy contributes to their success.

“I think our biggest strength is that we feed off of each other,” Clare Conaty said. “If offense makes a big play, defense gets really excited and goes in there and just goes off.

If defense forces a turnover, or a turnover on downs, offense uses that, turns it into fire power for them. Our sideline is huge, too, even players who

don’t play double-digit snaps a game are just as in it as our starters. Our coaches also give everything they’ve got as well.”

Although the championship game in the stadium brings additional pressure to the field, Hall said she thinks Ryan is more than capable of brining home the title if the team keeps its composure.

“I think we are all around a strong team, and we have a great defense and we also have great offense,” Hall said. “We honestly don’t have a weak side of the game. But I think we need to make sure we stay composed during the game. That’s where we can begin to break down, as long we keep our composure and keep a good head on our shoulders, we are able to win.”

Despite Sunday’s higher stakes, senior Kathleen Conaty said the Wildcats will continue to prepare the way they have all season.

“I think mostly we aren’t going to do anything differently,” Kathleen Conaty said. “What

Elizabeth Greason

R.J. Stempak

Interhall Editor

Interhall Editor

we have done has worked. This game is in the stadium, and it is against Welsh Family, who is a phenomenal team, but things have worked out for us thus far, and I think we just have to go in there playing our game and just have fun with it, and the rest will take care of itself.”

Having played the Whirlwinds previously this season, Clare Conaty said she believes the game will be intense and the stadium will be well attended.

“If we know anything about Welsh Family, it’s that they always give us their best punch,” Clare Conaty said. “So we think we will have to fight until the very end of the game. It will be a close game, and we are expecting a big crowd, so people don’t want to miss out on this, and hopefully the Wildcats will come out on top.”

Kathleen Conaty agreed and said the game against the Whirlwinds in the stadium will be more challenging than their game against them during the

It will be a fierce battle between Welsh Family and Ryan. The Wildcats will unseat the defending-champion Whirlwinds.

The Whirlwind seniors have played in the stadium each of their four years and are prepared for the added pressure the venue brings. However, Ryan will feed off the crowd’s energy. Both Ryan and Welsh Family have had strong defenses throughout the season, but the Wildcats’ offensive prowess will be able to top the strong Whirlwind defense.

Offensive nerves will play a factor, as the Whirlwinds rely heavily on junior quarterback Caroline Puntillo, who is in her first season on the team. Ryan’s lone loss came to Welsh Family earlier in the season, but the Wildcats have made significant improvements since then. The game will be a defensive fight, but Ryan will be able to edge the Whirlwinds.

In a West Quad matchup, Welsh Family will look to repeat as champion with only Ryan standing in its way. Both teams have lost once, with Ryan’s loss coming to Welsh Family.

Welsh Family’s only loss came to Breen-Phillips, whom it shut out in the semifinals, 18-0. The Whirlwinds have made it to the stadium the past four seasons, so their seniors will not be fazed by the bright lights.

Ryan’s semifinal win will give it confidence going into the finals, but the Wildcats need to learn from their loss to the Whirlwinds to pick up the win.

I am going to have to favor Welsh Family, the dominant defending champions. I do not see them giving up the title, having already beaten Ryan this year and coming off of a shutout of the only team they lost to this season in their rematch.

FINAL SCORE: Ryan 13, Welsh Family 8

FINAL SCORE: Welsh Family 20, Ryan 6

No. 1

regular season.

“I think when we played them the first time, it was a very defensively-oriented game,” Kathleen Conaty said.

“I am kind of expecting the offenses to have developed a little bit more, to [see] different schemes on defense. I think it is going to be a pretty even match throughout the four quarters.”

As this season was every senior’s last chance to make it to the stadium, Hall said winning the championship title would bring the Wildcat seniors’ experience at Notre Dame full circle.

“A group of us seniors started our football career in the stadium as freshmen, but we unfortunately lost that year,” Hall said. “Starting our football career in the stadium, we will now end our senior year fighting to end it in the stadium, but this time we are going to make it right and leave with a win.”

Contact Meagan Bens at mbens@nd.edu

No. 3

Welsh Family vs. Ryan (7-1)

(7-1)

Notre Dame Stadium

2:45 p.m. Sunday

Photo Illustration by Suzanna Pratt and Steph Wulz