The annual Powderpuff football game is a long-standing Pine Crest Homecoming tradition.  Powderpuff is the annual, highly competitive flag football game held between the Junior and Senior girls.

The Junior Perspective- Jilian Castoro

The head coaches for this year’s Powderpuff Junior team are Patrick Haley, Zach Smith and Justin Stolzenberg.  They held tryouts on Saturday, September 21^st,where the athletes learned plays, practiced throwing, and ran 110 meter sprints.  Tryouts were intense, and only the best players made the cut. This year’s Juniors will be led by quarterback Allie Gershman and running back Nicole Schwartz.  Assistant Coach Matt Cibene was satisfied with this year’s talent, saying, “The tryouts were great.  Allie Gershman, Nicole Schwartz, Remi Shea and Katrina Hayes Macaluso all stood out.  The team is really coming together.”

The coveted Spirit Stick is awarded each year to the class with the most “spirit,” which is judged throughout many fun-filled activities and events during Homecoming week in early October.  Last year as Sophomores, the Class of 2015 won the Spirit Stick over the highly regarded Senior class, a remarkable feat by the underclassmen.  The Juniors will be looking to come out victorious in the Powderpuff game, which will increase its chances to repeat and retain the Spirit Stick.  Junior football player, Christopher Matthews, has no doubt about this year’s Powderpuff game, claiming, “This year the Junior girls are destined to win against the Seniors…no question.”

The Senior Perspective- Catherine Gulley

As the Seniors prepare to defeat the Juniors in the annual Powderpuff game, there have been many preparations taking place. Now that tryouts are done, the real strenuous part begins: practice. Senior coaches Leo Zingg, Josh Mondshine, Alex Welch, and Brenden McCue have been working very hard to prepare the Senior girls for the game. Complicated football plays and skills have to be taught in less than three weeks, and the pressure is on for the Senior class to deliver.

Although the team is taking the training very seriously, there is still a “lax” feeling in the air. The Seniors are confident that the Juniors shouldn’t be too hard to beat, as they don’t contain the depth of talent that the Class of 2014 possesses.

This year’s Senior Powderpuff team is lead by three-sport athlete Ali Corominas, lacrosse star Sabrina Udwin, and softball star Casey Cruzpino. Along with our star players, the amazing “water-girls”, Leticia Vazquez, Hana Ono, Molly Synder, and Lizzie Frankenthal, will be doing the most important job: energizing the players. Leticia Vazquez says, “It is an honor to be serving the athletic Seniors, because without them the Senior class could not beat the Juniors. It is our job to bring the water and to encourage the Seniors to play as hard as they can no matter what.”

Senior class president Kimmy Ginsburg is extremely confident in her side, adding,”We have the game in the bag since we have quarterback Casey Cruzpino”. This year, there is no doubt about who will win this year’s Powderpuff match: the Seniors.

As always, the Powderpuff game will be exciting, but we will have to wait to see who will walk away with the Powderpuff victory.