The highly-anticipated Powderpuff game took place on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 2:00 p.m. on the Marion Street Elementary field. Powderpuff is an esteemed tradition at LHS where junior and senior girls battle in a friendly flag football game to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a foundation that funds breast cancer research, raises awareness, provides community resources, and advocates for patients; this includes proceeds from the event, donations at the entrances, and a portion of the money collected from jersey purchases. To prepare for the big day, captains organized jersey collection and practices for their teams.
This year’s Powderpuff senior captains included Katy Gottlieb, Peyton Leighley, Brooke Mazzei, Gabby Meszaros, Gaby Ramirez, and Kelsey Roth. The junior captains were Sophie Deifel, Addison DiFiore, Marissa Schiller, Aliye Simsek, Payton Stalter, and Dani Zhanay. The junior coaches were Jake Brenneis, Mason Cofer, Cooper Cordes, Paolo Palleschi, and Miles Storm. The senior coaches were Brian Gilmartin, Emmett O’Grady, Cooper Schorr, Bennett Votano, and Simon Yu. When asked how it felt to be selected as a coach, Cordes shared, “Being a coach and having the ability to lead a team was an excellent experience. My favorite part was running up and down the field and calling out plays.”
The game was played in 12-minute halves with a lead for the seniors at halftime. After the juniors won the coin toss, the seniors started the first half with the ball. For the seniors, Ramirez threw a beautiful ball all the way down the field to Mazzei, allowing her to score, followed by Ramirez scoring one herself. Meanwhile, for the juniors, DiFiore scored one touchdown, and Maggie Mattera scored three extra points. Stalter, Simsek, Ella Carroll, Joeli Deninno, Natalie Kehoe, and Leah Pisano also added tackles to support the team. Seniors Cate Jennings, Jillian Festa, Kelsey Roth, Chloe Roemig, and Katy Gottlieb had a few tackles each, contributing to the seniors’ 21-9 victory.
Student photographers, junior Aidan Pearsall, junior Luke Pignataro, and senior Sean Strohofer, captured photos of the event. Additionally, senior Justin Haberman announced the event and provided commentary. When asked about his experience, Haberman expressed, “Announcing the game was awesome for so many reasons. [First,] I would like to thank the Key Club for giving me this opportunity. I was able to go on the sideline and announce in front of my friends and players. Also, it was my first time announcing women’s sports. For the fourth quarter, it felt good to be back in the press box again.” Similarly, senior Justin Williams recorded side-line tiny mic interviews. “It was so much fun! I’ve done tiny mic interviews before for cross country, but this was really a fun and unique experience. I loved getting to talk to all the coaches and players in the midst of the action so I could really get an idea of the emotions everyone was feeling,” Williams explained.
Guidance counselors Andrew Rosenberg and Matthew Renz refereed the game. Teachers also came out to show their support: Principal Matthew Sarosy, Assistant Principals Sal Brescia and Bryan Garcia, and Spanish teacher Jeny Sanchez, to name a few.
Ramirez said, “It was great seeing everyone work together. All the coaches were very supportive and happy for us! I loved how they always celebrated when we scored. It was super fun working together with the whole grade, and it’s quite bittersweet; this is my last Powderpuff.” DiFiore agreed, commenting, “I had such a great experience with my first year as captain. I enjoyed holding practices and just having fun with my grade. My favorite part was how everyone got into it. From practices to the day of the event, our group was filled with laughter and hard work. Powderpuff is such a good event here at LHS because not only is it for a good cause but also brings the grade together for some fun!”
Whether a person played in the game, coached, watched from the sidelines, photographed the event, was a supervisor or volunteer, it was a fun day for many at Powderpuff 2024.
