After two lunch practices and one after school cram session, the high school girls faced off in the Powder Puff football game: a longstanding homecoming tradition where girls play football and guys cheer.
The freshman and junior teams started out the tournament Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. Though the freshmen had more than 40 sign-ups compared to the 10 juniors, their team size was no match for the juniors, who ended half-time 2-0. The freshmen tried to make a comeback, running a touchdown in the second half. The game ended with juniors leading 2-1, advancing to the final match.
In the second game of sophomores versus seniors, seniors started out strong, with a 1-0 lead. This lead only grew by the end of the match, with a final score of 2-0, leaving the seniors to play the juniors in the final game.
As for the final matchup of the first bracket winners, seniors versus juniors, senior Kelly Torres scored the first touchdown on the seniors’ first play, transitioning from a handoff from the quarterback to a sprint to the end zone from the sidelines.
“I’ve done powder puff every year and I love football,” Torres said mid-game. “Senior year hasn’t won in a while, so I’m out here to win and I hope we do.”
After several unsuccessful plays by the juniors in the championship game, the score remained the same when halftime sounded. At the last minute, the score hadn’t changed from 1-0, leading senior coaches (seniors Logan Kapit and Jackson Arnberg) to put the strongest players in to maintain the slim lead up until the end.
The tournament ended in the seniors’ 1-0 victory against juniors, reclaiming the Powder Puff title they’d lost years ago. “We got a good team this year, which is nice, but the most important thing is that everyone has fun,” co-senior class advisor Mrs. Krisynda Cicos said. “I had a feeling the seniors were gonna take the crown this year.”
(Photos/Joanne Haner)
