Printy and Lawlor extend Gridiron streaks

By Emily Tuttle

Fans packed Cedarville High School’s stadium Friday evening to watch one of the university’s favorite fall traditions — the Gridiron Classic. Gridiron features two games of women’s and men’s dorms in an aggressive flag football match.

Printy claimed their fifth straight win over Maddox in a 17-0 finish. In the same fashion, Lawlor edged The Hill 14-10 and extended their win streak to eight years.

In the women’s game, Printy dominated on the offensive side of the ball. They established the run game early and gained significant yards through their running backs.

Although star players emerged throughout the game, senior quarterback Elli Schleinitz said teamwork gave them the victory.

“We just have been grinding the past couple of weeks and it all came together,” Schleinitz said.

Off the field, the lively environment helped to propel Printy toward victory. Students brought crates and drumsticks and banged together anything that would make noise. The Printy cheer team led fans in the wave in an enthusiastic effort to cheer on their players. 

Although Maddox’s fans matched and even exceeded the energy of Printy, the team could not get much to go their way on the field.

Dropped passes and short runs characterized Maddox’s night. In a vain attempt to get points on the board, the Maddox coaches even switched quarterbacks in the second and third quarters.

The teams battled in a scoreless second half, and Printy’s strong defense brought them the shutout victory. Printy intercepted Maddox twice, as the defensive coordinator awarded a “turnover chain” to his stars.

Tight end Abby West played a large role offensively, but she credits her defensive teammates.

“They kept them to zero points, so I feel like they played a very vital role in the game,” West said.

Printy residents and fans alike sang the dorm’s theme song, “Barfanya, barfanya, barfanya,” as they reigned victorious over Maddox. For the fifth consecutive year, Printy hoisted their trophy into the air.

Following Printy’s win, Lawlor and The Hill took the field with pride. 

The Hill fans bellowed through horns and PVC pipes to cheer on their team. Their enthusiastic spirit gave resiliency to the underdogs on the field and hope to the fans.

The Hill started off strong with a consistent passing game. They marched down the field on their first two drives, scoring a field goal and then a touchdown. The elated fans even taunted Lawlor to “start the busses” and head home.

The reigning champions, however, would not give up so quickly. Going into the second half down 10-0, Lawlor had to make some adjustments. Noah Fennell, Lawlor’s quarterback says he settled into the game following halftime.

“I was definitely very flustered in the first half, Fennell said. “The defense played really really really well, so that definitely gave me some confidence going back out.”

This confidence propelled Lawlor to score two unanswered touchdowns, take the lead and steal the momentum from The Hill.

Although they may have lost their momentum on the field, The Hill fans backed their team until the final whistle. Down four with only minutes remaining, The Hill revived its spirit and fans chanted, “I believe that we will win.”

The Lawlor fans fired back by banging on the press box and shouting across the field as the game went back and forth in the final quarter. Penalties plagued both teams in vital moments forcing them to give up the ball.

Ultimately, Lawlor’s defense led them to victory. The Hill was yards away from the endzone with seconds remaining, but the defense stopped four scoring attempts and sacked the quarterback to secure the win.

Maybe we all wanted to see the underdogs win after seven years of misery, taunting and defeat, or maybe some of us enjoy riveting dominance year after year. However, dominance won. 

Emily Tuttle is a freshman Broadcasting, Digital Media, and Journalism major. She has a passion for Philly sports, weight lifting and all things silly. 

Photos by Ian Chan