TOWAMENCIN – Masculine cheers and trilling whistles echoed through the unusually cold November night at Crawford Stadium where the North Penn SGA held its annual Powderpuff Game. In switched roles where the boys were cheerleaders and girls were players, Monday night was filled with trick plays, long runs, and enthusiastic cheerleading routines that created an electric atmosphere that was created an exciting environment impossible not to enjoy.
Powder Puff is a competition between the three grades here at North Penn High School, where a cheerleading squad and football team represent each class, which are organized by each respective class cabinet. The girls play flag football as opposed to regular tackle and are coached by the members of the Knights football team. They must attend two mandatory Saturday practices to be eligible to play on the night of the festivities. The cheerleaders are responsible for attending two cheer practices as well, and are guided by the expertise of the members of the North Penn cheerleading squad and dance team who help them choreograph a unique routine that were performed during the half times on Monday night.
Two games were played at Crawford, the first was between the sophomore and junior class and then the second would be between the winner of the first match and the senior class. Festivities kicked off at 6:30 where parents and students stood in the stands with hot chocolate in hand ready to cheer on their teams. In the first game the tenth and eleventh graders kept it close where each team seemed to heavily favor the rushing style offensive attack. Going into the half the juniors held the lead with a score of 13-6.
Halftime entertainment was provided by the cheerleading squads from the tenth and eleventh grade classes who each performed routines to a select compilation of songs. Some of the music included was “We Found Love” by Rihanna, “Low” by Flo Rida, and “I want You Back” by Cher Lloyd, where each performance was followed by laughter and applause by both the crowd and members of every team.
As play resumed both teams kept it close holding each other scoreless- highlighted by great plays from sophomores Hannah Simon and Ally King and juniors Hannah Suzuki and Nikki Hessler. The sophomores made one final attempt for the win in the waning seconds of the game with a touchdown. They then tried a two point conversion to take the match and move onto the championship game, but the attempted pass was incomplete thanks to great coverage by the junior defense- moving the eleventh graders onto the championship game against the seniors.
During the break time in between games, SGA President Katie Marino gave the occupancy in Crawford a break from Mr. Manero’s witty play by play to announce the Powder Puff King and Queen. Ali Corr and Brad Rosenberger took home the title and were given the traditional crown and roses.
The cheerleaders continued to pump up the frigid crowd along the track as the kickoff for the second game took place, and the senior class came out ready to dominate. The first half was filled with competitive play highlighted by multiple touchdowns from senior Danielle Prestifilippo to give the twelfth graders the lead going into the half.
The break in the game gave the senior cheerleading squad the opportunity to sparkle. But literally, the boys came out in purple tutus and headbands ready to impress the crowd with their synchronized moves and enthusiastic attitude. Going above and beyond to impress the judges the boys used mannequins, sparklers, and rockets in their routine leaving everyone in Crawford in tears of laughter.
In the final half of play, the Juniors made a valiant effort to comeback and win the title, but the seniors matched their level of intensity on every single play. As time continued to dwindle, pass plays were abandoned in favor of the efficient and destructive run style of offense. Coaches were screaming at their players from the sideline, and the last minutes of the game proved to be the longest ones thanks to multiple timeouts called by frustrated coaches and penalties given by the referees. However the twelfth grades were able to hold onto the win though, with a last minute receiving touchdown to Kailah Holmes to give them the Powder Puff crown by a final score of 35-20.
As the senior cheerleaders, fans, coaches, and players celebrated on the field; it was announced that the twelfth grade cheerleading squad had won for best cheering routine and the sophomores had received the best sportsmanship award.
Although not everyone was a winner, all teams seemed happy with their performance Monday night. The electric atmosphere and the laughs shared helped contribute to a successful event pulled off by the SGA and continued to create a strong reputation for the Powder Puff tradition.