Written by Sophia Giovaniello and photos by Maeve O’Connor
Walpole High School Student Council hosted the annual Powder Puff Game on November 25 at Porker Field. Assistant Principal Bryan Hand coached the Seniors to a 22-16 victory over the Juniors, coached by English teacher Michael Alan.
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The Seniors started the game with the ball and marched all the way down the field. Kyra Arsenault scored a quick touchdown by running the ball to the left on a fourth down goal line rush. Unable to score the 2-point-conversion, the seniors led the game 6-0.
“We were so pumped up to get the first touchdown. Being the first ones to score got us so fired up because we wanted to beat the juniors really badly,” said senior quarterback Kaitlin Brown.
A failed drive by the Juniors resulted in the Seniors getting the ball back on the 30-yard-line. As the Seniors moved closer to the end zone, junior Melissa Mutrie intercepted the ball on the left side.
“I was so surprised when I got it. It was such a rush — I just started running to the other end. It was a really intense moment because I really wanted to win,” said Mutrie.
Following Mutrie’s interception, junior quarterback Melanie Weber found a gap, broke free and ran nearly 50 yards to the end zone making the score 6-6. A failed 2-point-conversion made the score 6-6 as the girls went into halftime.
The Seniors started the second half with the ball but were quickly stopped by the junior defense. The Juniors made a few first downs but were eventually stopped by the seniors around the 10 minute mark.
The Seniors seemed to march down the field with urgency when the game was coming to an end. With nearly seven minutes left, Brown ran the ball to the end zone putting the Seniors up 12-6. A successful 2-point-conversion put them up 14-6.
With six minutes left in the game, the juniors desperately attempted to get the ball down the field. Tough defense by the seniors led to an interception by Brown who ran the ball down the field eventually to be stopped by Weber after a long gain.
The Senior sideline erupted.
“I think I jumped in the air and did a first pump,” said Hand.
With about three minutes left, senior Hiromi Kondo ran into the end zone giving the Seniors another touchdown and then a successful 2-point-conversion making the score 22-6.
The Juniors got the ball back with two minutes left in the game. In a race with the clock, the Juniors quickly moved the ball down the field eventually leading to another Weber touchdown. Unable to complete the 2-point-conversion, the Juniors made the score 22-12 as time expired. The Seniors walked away with a 10 point victory.
“I think the players made the game more exciting this year and I thanked them for setting a good foundation for future Powder Puff games,” said Hand.
