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September 21, 2007 > Sports > Sid Rich throttles Baker 26-0 to start Powderpuff season

Sid Rich throttles Baker 26-0 to start Powderpuff season

By Kushagra Shrinath | For the Thresher

Sid powderpuff does not rebuild - it reloads. Behind a bend-but-don’t-break defense and a big-play offense, Sid Richardson College (1-0) began its campaign for an unprecedented fifth straight Powderpuff Championship with a 26-0 shutout victory over Baker College (0-2) last Saturday. Sid dominated all facets of the game, scoring touchdowns on three of their four possessions and adding another touchdown via an interception return.

Following a quick three-and-out to start the game by Baker, Sid senior quarterback Lindsay Balthrop orchestrated a methodical 12-play, 64-yard scoring drive that took up the bulk of the first half and included 52 rushing yards by starting running back Sabrina Loria. On the drive, Balthrop ran for first downs on two fourth and inches plays, the second of which resulted in a Sid touchdown.

Baker’s second drive was more fruitful than its first, with the team picking up two first downs before finally being forced to punt. Sid quickly found themselves with a third-and-eight situation on their own 17. But Balthrop, after faking a pitch to the right to Loria, quickly tossed the pigskin Dinneen on the left. Dinneen showed off her speed, sprinting 83 yards down the field for the touchdown.

“The counter play, I just threw together,” said Sid coach Brian Hunt. “Part of it was that [the Baker defender] bit so hard, but also our left guard threw a real good block and shielded her off and prevented her from getting outside. It worked pretty much like we hoped it would, but it’s not going to look like that every game.”

Balthrop said the team was not entirely sure the play would run to perfection like it did.

“We had talked about it but it was definitely a gamble, we didn’t know how the defense would react,” the senior said.

Although Sid failed to get the 1-point conversion, they took a commanding 13-0 lead into halftime.

The second half opened with a strong Baker defense forcing a three and out against Sid, highlighted by back-to-back sacks from freshman Alana James. Baker put together another mini-drive, with sophomore quarterback Shelley Cantrick accounting for 35 of 39 yards but was again forced to punt. On Sid’s next possession, Balthrop connected with fellow captain junior Emily Mills for a 50-yard reception to push Sid’s lead to 19-0.

Baker then put together a solid drive, marching down to Sid’s 26 yard-line before Sid senior cornerback Kristen Rogers sacked Cantrick on a crucial fourth and two. Following an interception by junior Megan Hermance off of an ill-advised Sid trick-play, Rogers made her presence felt again — the senior intercepted Cantrick deep in Sid territory and raced down the sideline for a 74-yard score, making the final score 26-0.

Despite being shutout, Cantrick looked impressive, completing 9 of 13 passes for 76 yards and adding 56 yards rushing yards on five carries. Cantrick said she believes the Baker offense played much better than the scoreboard indicated.

“I feel like our offense was completely focused and had one goal in mind, and that was to pick up yards,” she said. “Sid might have done some zone defense, but that’s about it.”

Cantrick’s roommate and favorite target sophomore Kathy Kellert had a game high six receptions for 62 yards.

Starting her first game at quarterback, Balthrop managed the game well, completing 3 of 7 passes for 64 yards with one touchdown and one interception. On the defensive side, freshman Emily Prehn came up big with two sacks.

After a 26-6 loss to Hanszen on Sep. 16, Baker looks to regroup against Weiss (0-1) on Sep. 23. Sid takes on Lovett (0-1) the same day. Coach Hunt feels that his team is playing well and in good form.

“I’m not too worried about it [the Lovett game],” he said. “With this in mind, I really think it’s going to be a valuable experience. It’ll be a tough game for sure, but if we can do what we’re supposed to do and just play our game I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

In other action around the league, Brown College throttled Wiess College 18-6, with Wiess’ lone score coming in the closing minutes of the game. Brown sophomore Jackie Ammons performed spectacularly, catching a touchdown pass and running back an interception for another score.

Rounding out the scores, Jones College edged Will Rice College 20-19 in overtime, Martel College shut out Lovett College 26-0, and Baker finished their double-header with a 26-6 loss at the hands of Hanszen College.

End of article

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