WOODBURY — Powderpuff was back in action Nov. 21, and it did not disappoint. The classes of 2024 and 2025 took the field both in hopes of becoming champions. As the 60 minutes of playtime ticked down, the scoreboard read 38-8 with the class of 2024 taking home the trophy for the second year in a row.
“Going into the game, I was very excited,” senior Maylan Hardisty said. “I locked in right when I got to the field and I was ready to play.”
The seniors grabbed an early lead within the first five minutes of play. Hardisty, Ireland Starziski and Maggie Keane all scored in the first half, making the score 24-0. Shortly after, it became 32-0 after Skylar Chung scored off an interception-return touchdown.
The juniors came together after a timeout to get on the board with a run by Ellie McDonald to make the score 32-8. To wrap up the game Gianna Lodice, the 2022 Powderpuff MVP, scored the final touchdown of the game on a kickoff return, making the final score 38-8.
Before the game even started, the seniors’ confidence was very high.
“I was pretty confident we were going to win just based on how well we did last year,” said Chung. “I knew that if we could beat the class of 2023 then the juniors wouldn’t be a problem.”
“We were looking very good during our practices and we expected to come out on top,” said Hardisty. “I think that boosted our confidence while we were playing.”
The juniors had some mixed emotions before stepping out on the field.
“We were all nervous but super excited,” said McDonald. “We knew the seniors won last year, but we also knew it was all just for fun.”
“We came into that game not expecting a win,” said Katie Farrell, “but knowing we were going to have fun.”
The seniors had the upper hand in this game thanks to their experience winning last year.
“It definitely helped a lot not having to learn the rules,” said Chung. “We all pretty much knew the basics so we could focus on just playing.”
“I think having experience from last year definitely helped and gave us an upper hand on the juniors,” said Hardisty. “Right off the bat, we had a better understanding of the rules of the game. We were able to get right into plays during practice and didn’t have to focus as much on learning the rules of the game.”
In preparation for this game, both teams held practices the Thursday, Friday, and Monday before the game. During the practices, senior coaches Ben Roden and Quinn Leonard and junior coaches Chase Heidorn and R.J. Barksdale led their teams through various plays and drills.
“We had three practices before the game,” said Chung. “We worked on routes and did drills to prepare. We also scrimmaged the senior boys, which definitely helped us practice game scenarios.”
Knowing they faced a challenge, the juniors even added a weekend practice.
“We decided to all come together and practice on Sunday, too,” said McDonald.
After the game came to an end and the seniors were handed their trophy, the MVP of the game was announced. The honor of the 2023 Powderpuff MVP was awarded to Sklyar Chung.
“It was really exciting to be named MVP,” said Chung. “I couldn’t have done it without my team and coaches. The hard work we put into practice paid off during the game.”
The class of 2025 will take on the class of 2026 next year where the question will be answered: Does the class of 2025 have what it takes to take home the trophy?
