It’s a cool March evening, yet the intensity of the games playing out on the field heats things up. In the stands, supporters are cheering as loud as they can, followed by music blasting from the speakers. Looking out onto the football field, one feels a sudden wave of excitement to watch their favored team score a touchdown. This isn’t just an ordinary high school football game, however. For the third year, Pinnacle High School (PHS) hosted the annual Powderpuff games.
This spring tradition features junior and senior girls playing in flag football matches. For two weeks leading up to the Powderpuff games, players from both classes practiced in their given teams. On game day, the tournament started off with juniors vs. juniors, then ventured off to seniors vs. seniors. Following these two matches, an “all-star” game was played, highlighting junior and senior girls from any team who showed the most competitiveness. To make things even more exciting, members of the PHS varsity football team coached the teams in practice before game day as well as during their games. Kristi Sage, PHS Student Government (StuGo) advisor organized the event with StuGo.
“There was a lot to do to prepare for Powderpuff,” Sage said. “We had to meet with those coaching and find a way to get all the girls playing time.”
According to Sage, there were more participants this year than in previous years, creating a more fun, competitive environment for the girls. Junior Gabriela “Gabby” McCray shared her enthusiasm before the games.
“I’m really looking forward to winning against the seniors and getting to know all the girls,” McCray said.
All three games ended as successes. Spectators, coaches, the cheer squad, made up of varsity boy’s football players, and the players all enjoyed the tournament. However, for the seniors, one particular game proved more exhilarating than the others: the all-star game. The seniors took the win with a score of 35-21. Senior Kinzie Novak, who played in Powderpuff in both her junior and senior years, enjoyed winning the tournament two years in a row.
“It was an amazing feeling to win both junior and senior year,” Novak claimed. “It was even better when we won this year, because we are the only class to have won both years.”
As one of the most anticipated traditions, students look forward to coaching, playing in, and cheering on the Powderpuff games every spring. Both fun and a great way for girls to unlock their competitiveness, they also stand as a way to highlight the outstanding female athletes at PHS.
