Another year, another edition of the powderpuff games. On October 22nd, the Lady Seahawks took the field for a game of football while the guys took the sidelines to cheer the team and hype up the crowd. This year was especially full of spirit, with the stands being more full than usual.
Like every game of powderpuff, the four graduate classes take on one another to determine who has the most skill and spirit while making memories at the same time. This year, the juniors went back to playing against the freshmen while the seniors played against the sophomores.
The juniors and freshmen took the field to begin the night. Throughout the game, there were multiple turnovers which resulted in back and forth play entering halftime. Eventually, the freshmen striked first, bringing the score in favor of the 9th graders, 6-0. However, their lead didn’t last long as the junior class quickly took possession of the ball and ran for a touchdown, racking an extra point, bringing the final score to a close 7-6 victory for the juniors.
The junior cheerleaders provided the student section with an exceptional dance routine after their victory. The four juniors stayed in sync for the entire performance and brought many people to their feet.
Following the performance, the seniors and sophomores began their game. It didn’t take long for the seniors to strike first in the game, solidifying their dominance with an early 7-0 lead heading into the second quarter. Pressured, the sophomores charged to the endzone and racked six points, trailing only by one entering halftime.
During halftime, the senior cheerleaders pumped up the crowd with their spaghetti-like dance moves. Senior cheerleader Kaden Shannon recalled the chaos that went into preparing, stating, “We had 48 minutes before the game to get everything prepared. We had three practices, because all the other practices were canceled because of the hurricanes. It was literally just us watching a video and making up our own moves.”
Returning to play, the seniors scored another touchdown to finish off the game with an impressive score of 14-6. Senior Sophia Fallacara stated in an interview that she was extremely happy with how her and the team performed that Tuesday night.
“We [the team] all stayed together and kept each other hyped up throughout the games to help us win,” Fallacara explained. “Our teamwork was much better than the years before. I am so happy for us to have finally win since we were always close every year.”
On the sidelines, Shannon and friends managed to bring spirit to the field, pulling off silly stunts whenever they could.
“30 minutes before the game, we went to Walmart and when I saw clipboards, I was like, ‘wouldn’t it be so funny if we put headphones on and acted like the coaches,’” Shannon recalled. “So when we were acting like the coaches, snapped the board on their legs when they scored a touchdown on the other team, but then we would go into the huddle when they were actually, talking to their real coach.”
When it came time for the winners’ match with the seniors and juniors, the seniors took the cake, winning in dominant fashion 16-0. Senior Vanessa Morales scored the opening touchdown for the game, running nearly 25 yards on one drive. “I was pretty proud of myself for what I did,” said Morales. “It definitely boosted my confidence, I didn’t expect to break those girls’ ankles.”
If there is one thing that brings people together during Powderpuff, it is the countless memories made with old and new friends alike. “I really really enjoyed [the game] especially since it was my last time playing powder puff after four years,” agreed Morales. “I know I’ll reflect on these memories one day.
Some people are pushed away from the fact powderpuff may be embarrassing to participate in, especially if you are a cheerleader. According to Shannon, he believes everyone should “Just go out there and do it.”
“As a senior doing this next year, I’m not gonna be here anymore. So, everyone who did think it was stupid and made fun of me, they’re not gonna know me later. Freshman year, me and [a friend] made a little kind of joke agreement that we were gonna do Powderpuff when we were seniors, and then that joke turned into a ‘yo, It’s our last year, let’s just have some fun,’ and we did.”
With this year’s powderpuff games in the books, it is time to make the most of what time we have left in high school, seniors especially. Whether it is something as crazy as joining the Powderpuff team, make your time at Cape High worthwhile and you will have many memories to tell.
