The ball is snapped and set into play. The sound of gym shoes swoosh on the turf. The flapping of the flags in the wind can be heard for miles. The Powder Puff players dash across the field, the screams of the fans drowning everything else out. They run, pass the ball, and end up within the end zone. It all goes silent. Suddenly, the lights flicker. Announcing that the juniors just scored a touchdown.
The Powder Puff is a game of flag football played by junior and senior girls on the week of Homecoming. Since 2013, the annual Powder Puff game has become a staple at MCHS.
This year’s game will be played on the Wednesday before Homecoming at McCracken Field. The students are given about six practices after school before the big game.
“We have got a record number of people who have signed up this year,” exclaimed Upper Campus’s Principal Dr. Jeff Prickett.
The teams will be much bigger this year than before because of the amount of students signing up this year. Seniors tend to come back because of how much they love to play the game.
“It is a very cool experience to be on the football field under the lights and have people watching you play from the stands,” said senior player Maddie Hoffman.
But for the juniors, this is a brand new experience.
In the past, East Campus competed against West Campus before the campus changes. During those times, both juniors and seniors played together, so it was school against school.
Since seniors started playing juniors, the seniors have continued to dominate and have won every game.
Junior Jenna Harris says that she’s most excited about doing something with the junior class as a whole, along with bonding with her fellow classmates for a common goal.
“It seems to be a trend that the seniors win every year, but maybe this could be the juniors comeback year,” said Harris.
“For the most part,” said Hoffman, “I think seniors always seem to win because they have already experienced Powder Puff their junior year, so by senior year they know the rules and how to play … I also think there might be a little bias sometimes to the seniors by the refs.”
While the seniors have more experience, most people feel the game is rigged, or favored towards seniors. Seniority is a common argument among the school.
Some feel seniors win because of the experience they have, others believe that it’s fixed for the seniors to win.
“Matter of fact, I know the game is not fixed,” Prickett said. “It honestly is how the cookie crumbles.”
Communication is found to be one of the most important things for the Powder Puff.
“If [the Juniors] are able to have really good communication skills while playing, everything will go more smoothly for them,” expressed Hoffman.
With the high number of players this year, there is sure to be some hidden talent on both teams, making it a game no one wants to miss.
Furthermore, with both teams being more than eager to win, the competition will be relentless.
“It’s gonna be pretty equally matched … The juniors are a scrappy group, eager to win. I think it would be a shock to the system if they were to win,” said Prickett.
Students and teachers alike are eager for the game this year. These teams seem to be pretty well matched. The lights are on, and the players are excited to watch them flicker.
