Powder Puff is a game of flag football between junior and senior girls that is supposed to be a fun and lighthearted activity. However, that is not how the game played out this year.

Flag football is a variant of American football where instead of tackling the players, you remove a flag or belt from the ball carrier, but in spite of that, it seems that those rules were not followed. 

“This year’s game was very violent,” senior Jaden Nelson said. “We were told there would be no tackling and minimal physical contact, but after the first play I was already bleeding down the side of my face.” 

To sum up the game in a few short words, “the game was more violent [than last year]; blood was shed,” according to senior Bridget Andrew. 

Nelson went into further detail about her injuries.

“I ended up getting my head slammed into the ground and blacking out later, which gave me a concussion for homecoming weekend. Powder Puff is supposed to be something fun to get people excited for homecoming but this year [the juniors] took it way too far.”

It appears that the Powder Puff game resulted in a plethora of  sore players rather than sore losers. 

“There was this one junior who was going beast mode and literally grabbed me by the throat after ripping out Jaden Nelson’s cartilage piercing,” senior Izzy Neuburger said. “I cussed her out and told Jason Scoma to take her off the field. The juniors were taking the game way too seriously. It’s literally just a game.”

While most seniors thought that the juniors took the game out of proportion, other juniors disagreed.

“I think that the junior class is really competitive and we all love winning,” junior Sam Smith said. “I know everyone was eager to win, and we put everything we had out on the field.” 

The one thing that seniors and juniors could come together and agree on is the winner.

“The seniors rightfully won, unlike last year,” said Andrew.

Regardless of the score, seniors are usually deemed the winner due to the fact that it is their last game, as was seen last year. Though this year, the seniors duly won, with a score of 18-6.

“I do believe they won fairly. It’s just a game and they played well,” Smith said. 

The money that students paid toward their Powder Puff ticket to watch the game is used by Eagle Flight Crew, as their budget faced severe cuts, just like many other communities within the district. 

“We don’t have a budget. Whatever we make from those events comes to us,” senior Taylor Sales said. “We didn’t start with a budget this year, but Powder Puff is a small amount.”

Eagle Flight Crew makes posters that hang around the school to promote various events, such as sporting events and student section themes. Without a budget, uplifting school spirit is difficult due to minimal supplies. 

  “We bought the paint and paper for all the signs and posters with our own money. I don’t really know what we do with the [Powder Puff money],” senior Bridget Andrew said. 

Powder Puff is a yearly tradition that ended more violently this year than most. The seniors ultimately won the game, but at the cost of bloodshed.