LANSDALE- While the Eagles were battling the Bears in this week’s chapter of Monday night football, North Penn’s sophomore, junior, and senior teams were competing for the honorable title of Powderpuff champion.  With encouragement from the enthusiastic male-cheerleading squads every step of the way, the junior class swept the night with two impressive victories.  Competition aside, Powderpuff is a tradition at North Penn and offers many opportunities for students to get involved and to show off school spirit.

When asked about the highlights and behind the scenes planning for the event, Mr. Kyle Berger, a North Penn teacher and advisor for Powderpuff was glowing with positivity.

 “It’s really one of the true events that unites the whole school.  All the classes participate and the student government oversees it.  A lot of planning and preparation goes into it–from the cheerleading routines to the football practices.  We have two practices leading up to the games where the players get all the plays together and the coaches help them out.  The cheerleading seems to get better and better every year.  It’s great to have a Monday night game under the lights here at Crawford stadium. The weather is great.”

Following all the hard work and preparations from students and staff, the night commenced with a nail-biting battle between the sophomores and the juniors. Both teams exhibited strong effort as well great sportsmanship. However, with a score of 22-14, the junior class led by Lizzy Kohler, Hannah Sheehan, and Kailah Holmes came out with the victory. Carley Pellechia and Rachel Grace were the sole scorers for the sophomore squad.

“Even though we lost, I’m looking forward to everyone coming back next year so we can have fun” said Carley Pellechia. 

“Yeah, we’re gonna win” her teammate Katrina Marger adds with confidence

Although the sophomore class lost the game, their cheerleaders decked out in tutus, wigs, and makeup performed a fantastic show during half time.

“The stunts weren’t easy, but we put a lot of practice into it and finally got them” explains Pat Zancolli.

All the effort certainly paid off as they wowed the crowd with their grade-A routine. After their stellar performance, James Bresnahan shed light on what it’s truly like to be a Powderpuff cheerleader.

“For all the fans that follow you everywhere, you gotta look good, you know?  It’s all about the glamour.  You just gotta sparkle out there. That’s what it’s all about.”

After the completion of the sophomore vs. junior game, the junior cheerleaders were next in line to show off their choreography.  Following in the footsteps of a star struck sophomore squad, the juniors rolled out their best moves and Hollywood swag as they too entertained an enthusiastic Crawford Stadium crowd.

The junior squad accredits their overwhelming success to their friendships as well as the benefit of having an extra week of practice due to the unusual October snowstorm that postponed the event’s original date.

“We didn’t really have [our routine] together until Friday, but it looked awesome, didn’t it?” Chris Depman explains.  “We’re all great friends here. We had the chemistry.”

“It really is fun,” added Ethan Tomko.  “My favorite part is having a reason to hang out with my bros for like, three weeks straight.”

As well as being very entertaining, the performance also succeeded in firing up the junior squad enough to overcome the aggressive senior team by a score of 14-8.

The senior cheerleaders performed at half time. Clad in bunny tails and ears, they wholeheartedly demonstrated their best spirit in attempt to motivate and inspire the players.

They certainly had a fun time entertaining their peers.  Dylan Eiger’s favorite part was “dressing like a female,” while Anish Patel liked “doing the bunny hop.”

At the end of the night, Dom Recco of Salsa Club was named Powderpuff King, and Vidya Punati of FBLA was named Powderpuff Queen.  Together the two students raised over $500.

Whether you’re a cheerleader, player, advisor, coach, or even a spectator, Powderpuff is a perfect opportunity to have fun spending time with your friends and exhibiting your North Penn pride.