Last year, the first Powder Puff game at Riverbend was held, with the Junior and Senior girls going head to head in a game of flag football. The new tradition was carried into this school year as well. On Monday the 27th of November, the juniors and seniors faced off once again. Both teams were cheered on by their own personal cheerleading squad, composed of spirited male students from their own class. The cheerleaders were accompanied by the real Riverbend cheer squad who taught them cheers and dances. Junior, Fenix Digiacomo, said, “It was really funny to switch roles with the girls and cheer them on while they were playing football.”
Similar to last year, the seniors won the Powder Puff game. However, the beginning of the game told a different story. The juniors took the lead in the first half, with two touchdowns scored by Baylor Dunlap and Alexi Benson. The score in the first half was 12-0, because of a missed two point conversions by the juniors. The juniors practiced at least twice a week in the weeks leading up to the game, with practices every day except Friday in the week immediately before the game. Coached by Mr. Morello, government teacher, and Mr. Turner, geography teacher, these juniors were determined to beat the seniors in contrast to last year. However, the junior lead was short-lived. Junior, Kyra Dolieslager said, “I think that we connected passes well and that we worked well as a team. We could’ve stayed more concentrated when the game started to even up in the second half.”
In the second half, the seniors came back with speed and determination. Touchdowns by Rio Weber and DeAna Ruiz, plus one two-point conversion, sealed in the win for the seniors. The seniors also practiced in the weeks leading up to the game, with about three practices a week coached by Mr. Morrin and Dr. Wright. Because of their loss to the 2017 seniors last year when they were juniors, the seniors were extremely motivated to come back with avengeance. Senior Victoria Coefield said, “It was a tough rivalry and they had us in the beginning. We persevered and overcame our losses in the first half during the second.” Although a tough loss for the juniors, both teams played well and more than proved their athleticism and school spirit.