TOWAMENCIN – Powder-Puff: the annual football game where pads are traded for flags, helmets for face paint, and skilled graceful cheerleaders for burly uncoordinated brutes. At North Penn Powder Puff is a big deal, as the school is filled with a plethora of skilled and athletic girls as well as many all too willing boys ready to step up and hit the quan…or at least try to.

The class of 2016 have dominated Powder Puff in recent years, so would that dominance continue?

Game 1:

In game one, the sophomores took on the juniors, the winner to play the seniors for all the marbles. The class of 2016 earned an seniority based bye (pardon the pun).

The Juniors came out playing like their corn rows were on fire and jumped out to a commanding early lead on a touchdown run by Jessica Brenfleck and a pass connection from Hannah Lambert to Sandari Alexander.

On the following possession the sophomores looked to be waking up and were driving, but KC Carelli had other ideas, picking off a pass and cutting the drive short yards from the end zone. At the half the juniors led 12-0.

The sophomores came out with a strong first possession in the second, capped off by Isabelle Hughes’ 53 yard touchdown run.

With 3:50 left in regulation Jessica Brenfleck put the game on ice for the juniors with another touchdown to put the game out of reach for the class of 2017. However it should be noted that Isabelle Hughes scored again for the sophomores as time expired, showing heart even in the face of certain defeat.

Final: 18-12

Game 2:

In the highly anticipated championship game the Seniors and Juniors would go head to head for gridiron glory.

Senior Sydnee Towns got the scoring started for the seniors with a touchdown run at the nine minute mark of the first half. Towns would also Spearhead a tenacious senior defense that held the juniors to 6 points through regulation.

“Coming into the game we wanted to try a lot of things, (and) run some trick plays” Senior Mel Lauro said of her team’s game plan. The seniors stuck to that throughout the game, running a plethora of fakes and end-arounds to befuddle the young, feeble minded juniors.

With 3:37 left in the first, junior Riley Houlihan tied the game at 6 with a hard earned touchdown run. Houlihan seemed to be in on every play for the juniors, acting as their on field captain and vocal leader, as well as engaging in her fair share of trash-talking.

At the end of regulation the score was knotted at six, so a sudden death 10 yard possession overtime was necessary to settle the score.

The seniors got the ball first in overtime but were stonewalled at the two yard line by the stalwart junior defense.

“We tried a play where we faked the handoff and I ran it,” described Lauro “but it didn’t work.”

“I just wanted to keep their playmakers contained and inside the pocket,” said Junior Coach Dan Drop, who may have been as into the game as any of the girls.

The juniors then got the ball and were poised to spoil the night for the seniors, and they did just that.

Victoria Braunlee played the hero for the Juniors, with the game winning 7 yard run on a decisive 3rd down call.

When asked how they would survive senior year having lost the final game of their Powder Puff season, Seniors Olivia Wagner and Melanie Lauro had this to say:

“We’re (mad) but we’ll get over it, because hey we’re seniors! We have disney coming up, we have a long year ahead of us. We’ll make it.”

The night was a big success for all involved. Class of 2016 advisor Jon Fluck loved the enthusiasm that the girls played with as well as adding that seeing the stands packed “made me excited and I love seeing something like that.”

Senior Co Chair of the Communications Committee for the SGA Katie Swanson said  “The games was really good, not the outcome I was hoping for but things went well.”