The Allen Layne stadium filled with cheering students and teachers on May 20 at 7:00 pm, as the 2nd annual powder puff game took place between the junior and senior class girls. The flag football game ended on a sour note for the girls, with a tie of 16-16, but it was an enjoyable game for most who participated and attended.
“It was an exciting game this year, unlike last year where the girls didn’t really try,” junior Cristina Martinez said. “The girls were really getting into the game. It even went into overtime.”
The first quarter started off very physical and intense, and to some it appeared more like tackle football than flag. Most of the action came in the second quarter for scoring, with two touchdowns made by Alexandria Oropeza, who scored the only touchdowns for her team, the juniors. Brandi Neilan scored twice, the only touchdowns for her team, the seniors. Then, the juniors scored once more, and the score was at 10-16 most of the time, with seniors lagging behind. Seniors caught up with a field goal at the end of the third. In the end, the seniors ended up with the three extra points, unlike the loss the juniors suffered last year.
“People ask me if I’d do it again next year, and that’s not even a question to me. Of course I’d do it again,” Oropeza said. “I think it would be cool if we had a girl’s flag football team, too. At first, I know people would be hesitant to join, but after maybe the third season people would get into it. I think it would be legit.”
Other than the excitement of the actual game, a lot of hard work and training went into preparing for this event. Defense had to memorize up to three different plays and offense up to seven different plays. The varsity football team coached the girls. For the juniors were Saul Garay, Dallas Lopez, Robert Chism, Bobby Causo, and Jabari Ruffin. Edgar Ramirez, Mario Romero, and Perry Gomez were some of the boys who coached the seniors’ team.
“It was competitive, kind of like ‘My team is going to be your team’,” junior Robert Chism said. “We had fun trying to beat out the guys coaching the seniors. It wasn’t that hard coaching the girls either because it seemed like most of them wanted to be there.”
The game may have taken hard work and practicing, but the fun of the sport and their sportsmanship shone through everything on the field and in the faces of the coaches and crowd.
