Girls from the Class of 2027 and the Class of 2028 tied with a score of 7-7 at Leadership’s fifth annual Powderpuff game on Coach Parks Field during lunch on Friday. The annual game was not just about school spirit and friendly class rivalry, but raised awareness for breast cancer as the final event of Leadership’s Pink Ribbon Week.
Players dressed in pink shirts and pink accessories, including ribbons, to show support for breast cancer patients. “It’s a real thing, and it’s really important to be aware of [breast cancer],” junior Olivia Roberts said.
Each grade’s team was coached by players on M-A’s varsity football team. Juniors Jack Busse, Bishop Manumaleuna, and Aidan Andara coached the junior girls. Meanwhile, seniors George Scott, Griffin Birk, Leif Weintz, and Kaito Yoshida led the Powderpuff seniors.
The seniors started with the ball but were not able to get to first down, resulting in flipping possession to the juniors. Now with the ball, the juniors made a promising push, gaining some yardage, with Roberts running the ball to second down. However, on their next play, junior Eliana Clapp’s throw was intercepted by senior Aryn Roodman, who ran with the ball and scored an impressive touchdown for the seniors. With a successful extra point pass, the score was 7-0.
The seniors were on a roll, getting themselves a first down with senior Isabelle Habibi’s rush, but their streak was killed by an interception by junior Emerson Edwards.
The juniors made a number of plays but ended up with a series of incomplete passes and one nearly missed touchdown.
With only a few minutes left in the game, the seniors had the ball on fourth down. Senior Atessa Gholamy sprinted downfield with the ball, but within one foot of the end zone, junior Gracie Bullard pulled her flag and kept the juniors in the game with the last-minute save.
The juniors then had to score in order to tie the game and hold their ground. In the final minutes of play, Bullard subbed in on offense, caught a throw from Clapp, and crossed the goal line, which put the juniors back in the game with a score of 7-7.
In the last play of the game, it was up to the seniors to either win it all or keep it tied. In a desperate attempt, Roodman threw the ball to Habibi, who caught it in the end zone. However, the pass did not count due to a pass clock violation by Roodman. The game ended in a tie between the juniors and seniors, 7-7.
“It means a lot. I’m a sore loser and a sore winner, so I don’t like to lose, and I also don’t want to disappoint my friends,” senior Mo’Rhai Balinton said.
“It was so fun, getting to be with all my friends and playing and having fun and cheering for the people who are doing good,” Roberts said. “It’s such an amazing experience.”
Emerson Edwards, Eliana Clapp, and Gracie Bullard are journalists for the M-A Chronicle.
