By GANNON HANEVOLD
Moapa Valley Progress
The Pirates of Moapa Valley High School are known for their tradition. This is especially true considering the fact the school is in the midst of its hundredth year of operation.
In that century, Homecoming week has played a prominent role in the traditions that have been upheld. One of those most dearly held traditions is the annual Powder Puff Football game which was played on Monday night, October 9.
The girls of the school suited up for their respective class teams and take on their fellow students for a fun, yet competitive, game of flag football; in front of the crowds at Jeff Keel Stadium. Meanwhile, it was the boys turn to take a seat from playing. They put on either polos or skirts, as they take on roles of either cheerleaders or team coaches.
The first half was a defensive performance for both sides, and both teams held strong. The team of juniors and sophomores finally struck first. QB Kaitlyn Andersen kept the ball and ran it in to give her team a 6-0 lead going into the halftime break.
At halftime, the action didn’t stop with the whistle. First of all, the Pirates “Man Squad”, a team of male cheerleaders suiting up for the big game, performed a well-rehearsed dance for the fans at halftime.
Afterwards, they held their annual cartwheel competition. In this, the Man Squad members compete to see how far they can cartwheel across the field. Two-time champion Garrett German looked to keep his title.
Josh Lee and German were close, neck and neck until the end. Garrett simply showed more courage and passion, as he jumped over not one, but two fences, and into the neighboring road, breaking powder puff cartwheel competition records, and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Following this thrilling halftime show, the two sides continued to battle. Lainey Cornwall led the team of juniors and sophomores with her running attack. She finally punched it into the endzone for her team and made the score 12-0.
On the next play, the seniors and freshmen dug deep into their list of plays for the “wrong ball” trick. Lexi Schraft would fool the defense completely and run untouched into the endzone for a touchdown.
The score was now 12-7, as things became closer. With the momentum shifting, it was senior-freshmen ball with minutes left, and a defensive stand by the juniors and sophomores gave them the ball back.
Andersen rushed it in on fourth and goal to wrap up the game and the juniors and sophomores would claim an 18-7 victory. For the class of juniors, this was their first Powder Puff victory.
One of their coaches, Derek Reese, said, “Our girls worked their butts off. They just went at it. They wanted it more than the other team.”
While the freshmen and seniors couldn’t claim the Powder Puff victory, they still went out and put on a thrilling show. This year’s Powder Puff game joins the long list of prior Powder Puff games as one to remember.
