Smack dab in the middle of Spirit Week, the juniors and seniors gathered on East’s football fields to partake in the yearly ritual Powder Puff football on Saturday.  The game turned out to be an intense battle, as expected, with the juniors pulling out the 27-16 upset of the seniors.

Both teams felt secure about their chances heading into the game.

“We’re a well-rounded team.  I have confidence in my offense and my defense,” said junior Head Coach Josh Warren.

Both teams cheered loudly after pre-game warmups to show pride as their coaches concluded drawing up their game plans for the day.

“It should be very different from last year,” said senior Head Coach Austin Weitz, remembering the blowout loss the Class of 2012 suffered at the hands of the Class of 2011 last year.

Both teams came out intense and ready from the outset.  The seniors won the coin toss and started with the ball.  Their drive, featuring a heavy dosage of Running Back Becca Taub (’12) stalled on the junior 30-yard line.  Once the juniors gained possession, they used a bevy of running plays which lead to a 35-yard touchdown on a reverse handoff to the speedy Emily Johnson (’13). Johnson also kicked the extra point to give the juniors the 8-0 lead.

The seniors started with the ball on their own 45-yard line after an excessive celebration penalty on the juniors.  The first 20 minute quarter ended with the seniors driving the ball into junior territory.

Lindsey DuBoff (’12) struck right back for the seniors as she ran the ball in for an 8-yard touchdown.  Alexa DiPiero tied the game at eight by converting the kick for two points.

On the next possession, the juniors stuck with their game plan as Emily Johnson rushed for a 50-yard touchdown on a reverse on one of their first plays from scrimmage on the drive.  She again converted the kick to give the juniors a 16-8 lead, which is how the score would stay until the half.

Warren felt good about his team’s chances heading into the second half.

“Our girls are playing great.  They’re having fun.  We have the lead.  That’s all that matters,” said Warren.

The senior defense came out with a vengeance to start in the second half as they prevented the juniors from scoring on their first possession of the second half, led largely by Tytrese Neal’s sure tackling.  The seniors started with the ball on their own 46 on the following possession and they became creative in their play-calling with a flea flicker that resulted in a big gain as Quarterback Christine Goins (’12) launched a pass to Wide Receiver Lexi Denenberg (’12).  Taub capped off the drive with a 9-yard touchdown run.  Followed by a kick from DiPiero, the seniors tied the game up at 16-16 as the scoring finished in the third quarter.

The juniors struck first in the decisive fourth quarter, as Quarterback Brooke Rose (’13) ran the ball in from four yards out for the touchdown.  A Johnson kick gave the juniors the 24-16 advantage.  The senior offense stalled on the ensuing possession as they failed to convert a 4th-and-32 to give the juniors possession as time dwindled.  The juniors drove to within the senior 10-yard line but were stopped short of a touchdown.  However, a Johnson field goal gave them a two-possession lead, effectively putting the game out of reach.  The senior offense failed to put anything together on the next possession and Rose was able to kneel the ball twice to let the clock run out with the juniors on top.

Coach Warren summed up the feelings of the juniors very succinctly.

“We’re just happy,” said Warren.

Scoring Plays

First Quarter

Johnson 35-yard run (Johnson PAT good) 8-0 Juniors

Second Quarter

DuBoff 8-yard run (DiPiero PAT good) 8-8

Johnson 50-yard run (Johnson PAT good) 16-8 Juniors

Third Quarter

Taub 9-yard run (DiPiero PAT good) 16-16

Fourth Quarter

Rose 4-yard run (Johnson kick good) 24-16 Juniors

Johnson 23-yard kick good 27-16 Juniors