On an abnormally windy day, the annual Powderpuff game was held on Friday, March 13. The matchup this year featured the class of 2026 and the class of 2027. While the game typically takes place during the fall, this year it was rescheduled in the spring due to scheduling conflicts for both teams.
The seniors were led by Ryan Dunn (12), while the juniors were led by Gabe Williams (11). The game was announced by Lyla Shaffer (11) and Meredith Hicks (11), and refereed by science teacher and boys basketball coach Kevin Listerman and health teacher Kyle Finfrock. The seniors won the coin toss and chose to receive the ball.
The seniors had two touchdowns, one by Avery Barber (12) and the other by Kaylee Mills (12), and Hayden Gessner (12) scored one 2-point conversion. Barber’s touchdown resulted from a successful interception.
The juniors had three touchdowns by Gabby Simon (11), Ella Jones (11), and Maddy Lickert (11), each scoring one, and Addy Shaw (12) had one interception.
The game was unusual as the juniors came out victorious. This is the first time the juniors have won since 2017. The team had several impressive plays that worked for a variety of different reasons.
“Our six-seven play because it got everyone moving across from each other to confuse the defense,” Lickert (11) said.
The team continued to rely on their practiced plays, which happened to be named after popular memes and brain rot.
“Scuba, it was the most successful. Maddy caught the ball every time we played it, it never failed,” Alli Meyers (11), quarterback, said.
Meyers (11) and Lickert (11) were a major component in the win for the juniors as they came out with a strong bond.
“It started at our practices. We realized we had good chemistry,” Lickert (11) said.
But unlike the juniors, the seniors did not put in the same practice time.
“So we actually didn’t have any practices, but we showed up an hour before the actual game just to get touches with the ball,” Barber (12) said.
The lack of practice was what ultimately led to the seniors losing. The juniors came prepared to win, and their readiness is what assisted them throughout the game.
“I think just lack of preparation, and you know, I think we were just not ready for the juniors to come out like that,” Katie Bucher (12) said.
The juniors winning for the first time in years also validates the quality and importance of the game.
And I think it was a lot different too because usually seniors automatically get the win, and Listerman kind of sold us on that one,” Barber (12) said.
Knowing the game was going to be an unlikely win, the juniors used this fact as their main motivation.
“The seniors always win. So we wanted to finally beat them,” Lickert (11) said.
It is a common thing for the seniors to rise victorious that many believed the referees were going to favor them.
“I thought it was rigged before the game,” Meyers (11) said.
The juniors winning was not the only thing interesting. The game was commented by Hicks (11) and Shaffer (11), two juniors with no experience working with the scoreboard. The win could be predicted as time ran out despite the difficulties with getting the time on the board.
“Probably about 10 seconds left when we were up by around seven,” Hicks (11) said.
Overall, the game was entertaining to watch and will be remembered as the next annual powderpuff game approaches.
