Powder Puff is something that high schools around the country have done for decades. With the tradition being, the football players dress as cheerleaders and girls play a football game. Pitman High School decided it was time to join the majority of high schools in hosting this event for the first time.
The game was setup to be juniors vs. seniors, and the week prior to the game, both teams would gather on Pitman’s practice field and go over plays and formations. As the week’s end had drawn closer, the junior team seemed to be the favorite. The seniors had playmakers but the juniors had depth. It was obvious that senior Liz Segars as quarterback was going to be a duel threat both running and throwing the ball. Her dad has a rugby background, and it was clear she took some advice as an aggressive runner who isn’t afraid of contact. Junior Regan Wolfley had her dad (Coach Chris Wolfley) and brother (Logan Wolfley) help her with blocking schemes and it would later prove effective.
As hard as the girls practiced before game day, the cheerleaders deserve a lot of credit. Every day after school, senior Morgan Loomis coached a group of determined Pitman athletes. Preparing a group of men to throw each other and balance 15 feet above the ground is not easy. Having to memorize cheers and dance moves along with a halftime performance lasting a good 4 plus minutes was most likely the hardest thing any of the guys have done in there athletic career. Dandre Griffin, Dakota Splillers and Drew Lewis were called upon to be the flyers of the squad. And they weren’t dropped once during the game, regardless of how many bruises they may have suffered in practices.
As any spectator to the event would tell you, it was freezing! With temperatures being in the low 30’s. That would have to be problematic for the girls’ right? Every girl was asked the same question, “Was the weather distracting or difficult to play in?” They claimed the weather didn’t phase them once they got on the field. They all knew it was cold but for some reason they didn’t pay attention to it. These girls were excited to play and nothing was going to diminish them from playing hard.
The game was surprisingly fast paced and hard hitting. With this being a flag football game and most plays being passes in the beginning, it was hard to determine whether or not girls were tackling or tripping over each other. Later on as time progressed, it became more clear that tackling was the goal for some players and this made me believe that there was no tripping or stumbling involved at all, just pure football mentality.
The seniors scored on their first possession and looked very clean in their execution. The juniors on the other hand had struggled in leading their receiver and hitting the correct hole, thus being susceptible to interceptions. Senior Yasmeet Cheema was the star before halftime with a 100 yard interception returned for a touchdown as time expired going into the half. With one of the most exciting ways to end a half of football, the cheerleaders had a lot to live up to in order to keep the crowd attentive. They were simply flawless. It was funny and entertaining to see the biggest and most aggressive athletes at Pitman jump and do flips to a crowd they would usually see while playing football. At the end of the performance, all the guys were pleased and jumped around in triumph of not dropping anyone or falling whatsoever. Both genders proved that they can do anything the other can do; maybe not better, but definitely just as entertaining.
The game ended with the seniors victorious 20-14. It was aggressive and full of exciting plays. Multiple plays went for more than 20 yards. And this was an excellent way to start a tradition. Pitman looks forward to making this a yearly event. Roll Pride.