A tight battle, but the Seniors win the annual Powder Puff football game 32-30

For many Americans, November means Thanksgiving and getting ready for the holidays. For the juniors and seniors at Cherry Hill East, November brings Powder Puff football. The intense game between the junior and senior girls was close for all four quarters, but the seniors ultimately prevailed, winning 32-30.

The juniors started the game with a huge run by Bay Wilson (‘19). Wilson would later score on the possession, giving the juniors a 6-0 lead after they failed to make the extra point. Later that quarter, Nicole Hammerquist (’18) threw a beautiful pass to Kayla DeGuzman (’18). The extra point conversion gave the seniors the lead, 8-6.

Later in the first quarter, Ali Kueny (‘19) caught a great pass from Barbara Christy (‘19), and ran it into the endzone for a touchdown. The extra point made the score 14-8, as the juniors took back the lead. On the very next senior possession, however, Hammerquist threw another touchdown to DeGuzman. The extra point gave the seniors the lead back, 16-14.

In the second quarter, the juniors stepped up their intensity. Christy threw an amazing pass to Emily Saidel (‘19), who ran for another touchdown, helping the juniors recapture the lead. After the extra point, the score was 22-16. The juniors stopped the seniors on their next possession, giving them another opportunity to score. On their next possession, Wilson had a huge run, which gave her her second touchdown of the day. The juniors held the lead after the first half, 30-16.

During halftime, junior coach Jacob Manders (‘19) said, “We’re feeling good. We’re confident about the lead, but we have to do a good job at closing this game out.

Senior coach JD Carusi (‘18) said, “We played a bit sloppy, but we’ve put in the time at practice so I’m confident we’re going to come out in the second half firing.”

The seniors and juniors both started the second half with no scoring. On the second senior possession however, DeGuzman caught a great pass from Hammerquist, and took it inside the ten-yard line. That next play, Sari Cohen (‘18) ran the ball in for another senior touchdown. The extra point cut into the junior lead, making the score 30-24.

The rest of the second half was filled with great stops by both classes. In the final five minutes of the game, Abby Miller (‘18) had a huge run, tying the game. The extra point gave the seniors the lead, 32-30. The seniors were able to stop the juniors on their next possession, sealing the win.

The juniors hope to use this experience to help them defeat the Class of 2020 at next year’s Powder Puff game.

Junior coach Anthony Fiore said, “We had a lot of big plays. We were running [the girls] in practice and we executed. I am very proud of them.”

The seniors will now celebrate their first Powder Puff victory. They hope that this momentum will carry on into Spirit Week, which begins soon.

Senior coach Andrew Austin (‘18) said, “It’s a great feeling to see the whole team come together. We really fought hard, and we really deserved it. The win means a lot, and I’m glad I did it with this group of people.”