After waiting 3 long years, the junior girls finally defeated the senior girls, 18-13, at the annual Powder Puff game on Friday, May 10 at 6:00 p.m. Although it was a devastating night for some, it was said to be an enjoyable and memorable game for those who attended.
To prepare for this game, the girls practiced for 5 weeks: seniors on Mondays and Wednesdays and juniors on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 p.m. untill 5:00 p.m.
“The first day we just did stretches and drills, then the second day they [coaches] taught us and we played the different positions and chose which one we wanted to play,” junior Bianca Reveles said. “Then first part of practice we played offense and the second, defensive. The third week we began learning plays and playing against each other. It turned out to be pretty fun.”
The girls weren’t the only ones who worked hard for this game. Since they decided to get a taste of what football is like, it was the boys’ turn to cheer on the sidelines.
“Being a cheerleader is awesome and it’s hard work,” senior Hernan Calderon said. “If I knew cheerleading was this much fun, I would have done it a long time ago.”
As the boys cheered the girls on, junior Maritza Acuna, number 37, scored the first touchdown of the game putting the juniors 6-0 at the end of the first quarter with 3 minutes left on the clock. This made the seniors determined to get back on track. Senior Anissa Urtez ran 40-yards down the left sideline allowing the seniors to take over for a comeback, which was made by senior Sarah Black with a 50-yard touchdown ending the first quarter 6-6.
The score remained 6-6 until half time, making it an intense second quarter as the 2 teams fought to prevent the other from scoring.
“The game has been pretty intense,” cheerleader Xochitl Chaul, 12, said. “There’s only a couple minutes left and Kesha [senior Lakisha Wheat, number 155,] got hurt. It looked pretty bad. I haven’t gotten hurt yet and hopefully I don’t have to but I’m having fun.”
Moving towards the middle of the third quarter, senior Stephanie Delator, number 43, ran 22-yards for the first down, making it the first score of the second half. Soon after this play, a personal foul was called against the seniors, which was a penalty that put the juniors at the 24-yard line. Giving the juniors a lead in the game, 12-6, Maritza Acuna scored a 24-yard touchdown. Trying for an 8-point lead, she attempted to kick the ball in, but was blocked by senior Bonnie Shilling, number 7, ending the third quarter.
As the end of the game approached, senior Tiffany Pastor, number 00, made a touchdown, tying the score 12-12. Finally putting the seniors on top, the ball was thrown in for an additional point making it 13-12. With the juniors having the possession of the ball at 1:52 left on the clock, it was passed to junior Lucy Martinez, number 90, who ran a touchdown gaining another 6 points for her team. At this point, the senior coaches only had 10 players on the field, as they encouraged the offense to get ready.
Seniors regained possession of the ball with the first down, and 10-yards to go on the 32-yard line. Due to a penalty taking 12 seconds off the clock for the seniors, juniors took the ball back with a minute left on the clock, 18-13 juniors.
With 50 seconds left in the game, a time out was called, giving the seniors a chance for a comeback with a 4th down and 14-yards to go. With everyone dying of suspense, the seniors fumbled the ball at 16 seconds left, giving possession back to the juniors, concluding their win.
As all the junior girls and coaches screamed with excitement, their friends and family members came down from the stands to congratulate them.
“I feel really good because we finally won the seniors,” junior Stephanie Cardon-Morales said. “I was kind of nervous of losing at first, but at the same time I already knew we were going to take it.”
Although the seniors lost, their attitudes remained positive.
“I’m feeling sad but grateful I was able to meet and compete with all these different girls and I had a blast doing everything,” Black said. “I really wish we would have won, but sometimes you can’t win them all.”
Being current football players, the coaches had a clear insight on what was going through the minds of their players, giving them the knowledge on what to say to motivate the girls.
“Well, it was a great game on both sides,” junior Conor Hill said. “To start, both sides kind of had to get a taste of what football is like, and then once the game got going it was who wanted it more. It came down to who had the most heart in it. Our girls worked their butts off and I just told them, ‘You can’t stop believing’, and we just had a great play at the end.
This game set up a competitive one for the next, due to this year’s juniors’ determination to end their senior year with another win and the new junior class striving for a streak, making them undefeated.
