On Oct. 3, the first Powderpuff game on the new field was held, with the juniors defeating the sophomores with a final score of 7-0. Strong bursts of offense as well as solid defense allowed the juniors to win, while the sophomores improved their defense near the end of the second half but had no remaining opportunities left to score. With the win, the juniors advance to the final Powderpuff game, which will be held on Oct. 10.
The sophomores won the coin flip, deciding to start on offense with a kickoff by the juniors. Sophomores Christina Jennings and Janaye Sakkas each ran the ball several yards, but poor passing by the sophomores led to incomplete passes that prevented them from running the ball far enough to score.
With the ball turned over to the juniors, the class of 2014 managed to cover significant ground. Junior Jackie Yee ran the ball 20 yards, but the juniors were unable to score either because of the sophomores’ defense, keeping the score at 0-0 by halftime.
Both teams regrouped during halftime, meeting with their coaches and preparing for the next half, while the sophomore and then junior boys performed their cheerleading routines to the excitement of the crowd.
POWDERPUFF: 2014 cheerleading routine from El Estoque on Vimeo.
POWDERPUFF: 2015 cheerleading routine from El Estoque on Vimeo.
At the start of the second half, the juniors had possession, leading off with two 30-yard runs. Junior Richelle Ju finally managed to run the ball into the endzone, scoring the first touchdown of the game and giving the juniors a 7-0 lead as the junior crowd cheered. Because interceptions and incompletes made passing difficult and ineffective, both teams mainly focused on running the ball whenever they had possession.
The sophomores were then put back on the offensive and were able to run the ball several yards. However, poor throws and missed catches led to incomplete passes by the sophomores, eventually giving them their fourth down and turning the ball back over to the juniors.
“We could have been better,” Powderpuff player sophomore Christina Jennings said. “It was so quick that we didn’t really have time to focus on what we were doing at the moment. We were trying to do everything, but we couldn’t.”
Junior Sarah Im then ran the ball an impressive 50 yards, putting the juniors at the 30-yard line with a minute left on the clock. Though the sophomores displayed significantly improved defense at this time, it was ultimately too late for them and they would not have another offensive opportunity, ending the game with a 7-0 victory for the juniors.
“Today, we really just outran [the sophomores], I think,” Powderpuff football coach junior Ryan Manley said. “We were able to stop them on defense, and being able to run the outside quicker really gave us the advantage throughout the game.”
The juniors will now prepare for the upcoming final Powderpuff game on Oct. 10, where they will play the winners of the 2013 vs. 2016 game.
“I think we did really really well … we won because we really practiced our offense and our defense,” Yee said. “Coming up to the next game, expect 2014 to win.”
