On Wednesday, September 21, Northview junior and senior girls faced off in the annual Powderpuff football game. The highly anticipated matchup kicked off at 7:00 pm in front of a packed stadium filled with parents and students. The seniors were striving to become the first ever undefeated Powderpuff team in school history, after beating the senior class of 2022 last year.
The seniors elected to receive the ball with an attempt to get on the scoreboard first. The class of ‘23 drew up some trickery for the first play of the game with the old wrong ball trick, running to the sideline and pretending they had the wrong football while the play was going on. Most of the junior defense was fooled except for cornerback Joelle Henke who caught on and made the tackle in the backfield.
After a long drive down the field, the junior defense dug deep and came up with a stop on 4th down. A pair of long runs from Abby Barnes led to a promising first drive for the juniors. Ultimately they turned the ball back over to the seniors.
“Everyone thought [playing the seniors] was going to be really intimidating, but when we were actually playing it wasn’t that bad and we all were just having fun,” Barnes said.
After the first quarter the score was 0-0. The juniors had the ball inside their own 10-yard line after failed rushing attempts. The senior defense would strike first with a safety in the endzone to take the lead.
Entering halftime the seniors were up 2-0. After a great halftime performance from the Powderpuff cheer team, the juniors would receive the kickoff.
The halftime pep talk in the junior locker room relit a spark for the ladies as they marched down the field with confidence. They finished off a 65-yard drive with a rushing touchdown by junior Cassidy Sanders. The two point conversion was good and the juniors now led 8-2.
Shocked would be an understatement for the senior sideline. But the momentum shifted late in the 3rd quarter after a touchdown pass thrown by senior Sylvia Peterson. On the receiving end was Mckinley Hanninen with a great catch in double coverage. The two point conversion was failed and the score remained tied 8-8
“[The catch] was a dream come true,” Hanninen said. “I’ve always loved football and the chance to play something similar to it was great.”
In the 4th quarter of the tie game, the ball went back and forth with each team turning it over on downs. Senior linebacker Carly Southard had countless tackles for a loss that would pin the juniors inside their own 10 yard line yet again. On the 4th down, they elected to punt and snapped the ball through the back of the endzone, resulting in a safety. The seniors would take the lead 10-8.
Getting the ball back after the safety led to the seniors being able to run out the clock, and become the first ever undefeated Powderpuff team in school history.
Senior head coach David Snow, a senior himself, had some words to say following the win.
“Overall, I felt that the seniors were very coachable and considerate when being told what plays to run, and how to run them correctly,” Snow said. “The coach’s performance was impeccable not only did we dominate the mental aspect of the game over the juniors, we all worked together as well.”
Hanninen was proud of the team’s chemistry, not just in the game but in practice too.
“Showing up to practice not only prepared us better but helped bring the team and coaches closer together,” Hanninen said. “It was easier to win when you trust your coaches to make the right decisions.”
