Freshman coach Chase Burkhart said that his team could upset the sophomore team if they play fast and stay on track.

They almost did.

The sophomore team lived up to expectations and took down the freshmen by a final score of 7-6.

The freshmen set an offensive beat early, thriving off big rushing plays.  The sophomores held on, however, stopping key plays on fourth down.  Both defenses held on as the game was scoreless at the half.

The freshmen were at a disadvantage early because part of their offensive line was at a softball tournament and were not there to play in the game.  Nonetheless, Burkhart was still optimistic going into the second half.

“We’re doing the same thing, but I want the defense to be more aggressive,” said Burkhart.

The sophomores had the first possession in the second half and the freshman defense showed its aggressiveness with an interception by defender Alyssa Bralich on the second play of the half.  They quickly turned up the heat on the offense, scoring on a touchdown by running back Hailey Arnieri.

“It felt great,” said Arnieri.  “I found a hole and ran up the middle.”  The freshmen did not convert on the extra point, making the game 6-0.

The sophomores bounced back quickly on the next drive, led by running back Tina Driscoll.  Driscoll picked up a few first downs until running the ball 14 yards, into the end zone to tie the game at 6, with just over 14 minutes to go.  The extra point was converted.

“I felt pretty good,” said Driscoll.  “I just didn’t want to drop the ball.”

The freshmen showed some life with less than 7 minutes to go, as they marched down the field due to some big runs by Arnieri.  The freshmen penetrated to the sophomore 22-yard line, but were pushed back 10 yards on a failed reverse, and were stopped two yards short on a fourth-down handoff to Arnieri.

The sophomores were stopped with over a minute left of play, but their defense shut down the last-chance passes of the freshmen.  Sophomore coach Tyler Vasconez was proud with his team’s play.

“Everybody played together as a team,” said Vasconez.  “We just rolled with the punches and pulled out a good win.”

* Powder puff games are played in two 20-minute halves, with no kicking involved.  Halves start at the 20-yard line, and punts start drives 40 yards away, but cannot be inside the 20-yard line.  Extra points are played out as normal plays from scrimmage.

Post Author: Marek Makowski. Marek is the Sports Editor for The Voice. He is an avid White Sox fan, and also supports the Bears and Bulls. Marek aspires to transform his passion for journalism into a future career. He also reports for The Mash, a product of the Chicago Tribune. You can follow him on Twitter, @MarekMakowski.