If you happened to be near the football field after school Thursday, you might have seen a loose collection of girls in black and white shirts milling around, talking, dancing, and occasionally tossing a ball back and forth.
If you stayed a little longer, however, you would have seen an intense inter-grade game of flag football between many of Whitman’s upperclass(wo)men.
The annual Powderpuff football game kicked off at 3 p.m. Thursday, putting the senior and junior girls against one another in a game that included just as many dramatic moments as any football game. It featured long touchdowns, interceptions, and even a hit late in the game that ended with a 28-7 senior victory.
During warm-ups, senior co-coaches Zac Morton and Matt Howell expressed their excitement for the game, but also said that a lack of preparation could be a weakness of their team. Morton was hopeful, however, that this could be remedied by the contributions of their star player.
“I think Julia Bromberg is really gonna show out for us,” Morton said. “She’s really something special.”
While Morton’s prediction didn’t prove true, senior defensive backs coach Kevin Baker’s did.
“Give the ball to [Harriet Symington] and she’ll take us to the promised land,” Baker said.
True to his word, Symington exploded for a 66-yard touchdown run late in the game to put the seniors up 21-0, essentially sealing the win.
The seniors came out hot with an 80 yard touchdown run from Maddie Cannon on the first possession of the game. The juniors tried to keep their moral high by chanting “let’s go juniors,” before being silenced several possessions later when senior quarterback Bethany Mansfield connected with Marissa Cannon on a 15 yard touchdown pass.
Despite the overwhelming odds, junior captain Michaela Johnson said she had faith in her team.
“I think we have a lot of team spirit,” Johnson said. “We will be able to play well together as a team, which will help us score a lot of touchdowns.”
The juniors seemed to gain some momentum early in the second half with several impressive passes from Hannah Jacobs and long gains by Jessica McManus, and even caused senior special teams coach Michael Lombardo to throw his hat in frustration when they scored a touchdown.
Unfortunately for the juniors, that was their only touchdown, which came off an interception by Emma Anderson with eight minutes remaining.
In a final attempt to get back in the game, the juniors drove within 10 yards of the seniors’ end zone, before throwing an interception that was returned 90 yards for a touchdown by Maddie Cannon, putting the seniors up 28-7 with just one minute remaining.
When officials Jasen Gohn (chemistry teacher) and Fiona Madigan (substitue teacher for Sheryl Freedman) signaled the end of the game, the seniors emerged victorious. The juniors went back to taking selfies on the sideline, showing few signs of disappointment.
While the day might not have been significant for some members of the losing team, it signaled the triumphant end of a long journey for Howell.
“It was incredible, probably the greatest moment of my life,” Howell said, reflecting on the win. “Everyone was a superstar, every single girl out here.”
Losing coach Evan Smith, who didn’t arrive until 15 minutes after kickoff, was disappointed but optimistic.
“It was a hard-fought game,” Smith said. “We tried really hard, we threw the ball really far, we ran really fast, we jumped really high—we just didn’t quite reach the stars.”
Always courteous in victory, Morton and Howell approached Smith and fellow losing coach Anton Casey after the game. The four exchanged pleasantries, before Morton and Howell walked away making money gestures.
The juniors will look for redemption next year, as they take the field against this year’s sophomore class and look to improve on their 0-1 record.
