Joseph B. Good stadium was the site for the annual Powder Puff games. The much anticipated fall classic pits the junior girls against the senior girls and the freshmen against the sophomores for bragging rights on the gridiron.

The senior class of 2017 came out on top, defeating the juniors 12-0 thanks to an abundance of speed and skill. In the undercard game, the freshmen class upset the sophomore class with a resounding 24-6 win.

All proceeds for the event went to the family of David Robbins. This year, the event attracted a large number of fans, and was able to raise a respectable amount of money for David and his family.

Senior Gabby Kessel led her class in their shutout victory over the juniors by out-hustling the junior defense. This is the team’s third straight win for their class.

Senior coaches Alvin Aleman and Julian Mobley believe the win was due in large part to their skilled and quick players.

“Our strengths are that we’ve got a lot of speed out there,” Mobley said.

However, despite her class’ loss, junior running back Lauren Giron was a star on the field, rushing for multiple 20 yard runs. In the end, the junior squad could not overcome the skill of the reigning seniors and were ultimately defeated.

Junior team coach Ian Mendoza pointed to several team weaknesses as the reason for the defeat.
“Our passing game was terrible and our right side defense was not very good. Next year we will work on our defense and we will look to improve at the quarterback position,” Mendoza said.

The exciting performance by the underdog freshman team has immediately elevated their status as an intimidating Powderpuff force for the remainder of their high school years.

The freshmen were able to pull off a stunning upset over the sophomore class. With leadership from standout Kate Holland, and surprising performances by Jadiah Piatt, the two freshmen were able to lead their class to victory with a huge upset. Holland was very happy with the result of the game and believed their hard work and perseverance paid off.

“It was really fun. We had really good plays and everybody tried really hard,” Holland said.

Sophomore coach Jack Welch had some ideas about how the team can improve their game for next year.

“I think we need to work a little more on blocking and our overall offense. Our strengths were passing and communication,” Welch said.

The overall performance of the sophomore class is not solely the fault of the players. The coaches take the blame as well. Team discipline will be stressed in the upcoming years as the team received multiple penalties for having too many players on the field.

The annual Powder Puff game is a RHS tradition that goes back many years. The class rivalries and the exciting games played this year will continue to add to the drama and anticipation of the competition for years to come.