On Wednesday, November 14, the sister classes teamed up to compete in the annual Powderpuff game. Each team was allocated a coach with a vast knowledge of football. Math Teacher Travis Lucian coached the Dragons and Sharks, while Cross Country, Lacrosse and Soccer Coach Will Evans led the Monarchs and Vipers.
The Powderpuff game is highly anticipated by students each year. The long standing tradition was revived in 2022 after a four-year hiatus that occurred as a result of the pandemic. In last year’s game, the Dragons and Sharks won. So, this year, the Monarchs were certainly eager to get revenge with their new teammates, the freshman Vipers.
The preparation for the game involved coming up with positions, plays, cheers and even a team song. The coaches helped the teams understand the rules to follow during the match. Senior Annette Henderson felt that the meetings and practices with their coach were beneficial for preparation.
“[Lucian] has a lot of wisdom about football, which is good, and so, he helped designate who is on offense and defense,” said Henderson. “We made up plays during practice, and everyone got assigned their own role, and we just practice[d] running those plays and being on either offense or defense.”
Like the year prior, the game was set to be on the NDNU soccer field. The planning, however, was threatened with a forecast of rain. Emails were sent out to the student body regarding the possible outcomes. If it were to rain, the speakers and other equipment would face the risk of damage, so it would have to be moved to the gym. Not too long after, students then received an update that Powderpuff would take place indoors.
ASB also decided that Powderpuff should incorporate NDB’s brother school, Serra HS. Much like other schools, powderpuff games have the boys take the role of cheerleaders. A message was sent to their junior varsity football team for signups and to join in on the fun.
Another aspect was added to Powderpuff this year: the turkey trot. ASB Spirit Director Mallory Moore sported a turkey onesie and ran down the hallways, encouraging a stampede of students over to the match and acting as though they were truly running in a turkey trot. As Moore ran past each classroom, students would follow her until everyone had joined in for the run.
The two teams made their entrances into the Moore Pavilion once students joined their respective classes in the stands. First, the red and purple team ran to their side, and the blue and green team followed to theirs. The coaches ran alongside their teams, sporting their own jerseys and holding the plays they had prepared to run.
The game started with high energy with Tiger cheers mixed with those of the Padre cheerleaders. It was not long before the blue and green team scored their first touchdown. The Dragons and Sharks celebrated together, while the Padres performed a cheer along the center of the gym.
The game grew intense with the classes incorporating new cheers, building off each other in competition. The blue and green offense only proved to come out on top. Their relentless combinations were quick and unpredictable and brought them the win, with a final score of 19-7.
The Powderpuff game is an event that is looked forward to by many. In the rivalry the sister classes face, the friendly competition also unites.
