Powderpuff

Powderpuff: Typically played as touch football, it is a tradition in the United States and Canada between girls of different grades playing each other as rivals. At Kenmore West, Powderpuff is a Homecoming tradition, played the Friday before Homecoming. Due to a change in schedule, Powderpuff was held on Thursday, October 19, 2023. Powderpuff was planned and organized this year by senior Lilliana Wagner, who is using Powderpuff as her CAS project which is required to receive the I.B. diploma. When asking Lilliana about the process of the event, she said that she “...organized the entire event. I picked dates, times, I secured refs, I ordered t-shirts, and  I asked people to participate.” Lilliana does not know what the money raised from Powderpuff is going towards yet, but it will be toward a charity/organization of her choice. 

The games themselves were exciting to watch, and for the girls, to be a part of. The first game was played by seniors v. sophomores. The seniors were energized and ready to play, while the sophomores were determined before and throughout the game. Bella Ackley had this to say before the game, “I think we’re gonna win because the seniors are the best and I don’t care what anybody says because the seniors are number one.” Julia Fabiano scored the first senior touchdown, and Samantha Padilla with a second. Quarterbacks for the seniors were Samantha Horne and Reagan Fredricks. Sophia McGuigan had the final touchdown, securing the win for the seniors.

The second game was the juniors v. combined eighth graders and freshmen. The juniors began crushing it immediately, with Sarah Seyfang doing celebratory backflips in the endzone after making the first two touchdowns. The juniors had multiple interceptions on the 8th/9th graders, as Addy Van Dewater, Sarah Seyfang, Eve McMullen, and Izzy Bourgeault remained powerhouses the entire game. In the end, the juniors won against the combined 8th/9th. Freshman Adrienne Peruski had this to say about the game, “I think we’re good, but the juniors, they’re really good.” 

Since a lot of the seniors participating had to attend their own sports afterward, the winner's game was switched to the second last game played. This game was intense. Senior Coach Aidan Bieron had said that he wanted to “crush the juniors.” Rachel Kelting had the first touchdown of the game for the juniors. Taylor Rubach had the first senior touchdown. Coach Bieron’s strategy was to keep blocking the powerhouse that was Sarah Seyfang, but in the end, and for the third year in a row, the Class of 2025 took home the Powderpuff Cup. Even though all of the seniors had admitted they knew they would lose to the juniors, sportsmanship prevailed in the end. Every senior who had participated laughed about it and gave congratulations to the juniors who said, “Good game,” to the seniors. 

In the last game, sophomores v. 8th/9th, the sophomores took the win. Sophomore Emily Aronica said that the win, “felt pretty good,” after their previous defeat from the seniors. Sophomores Aislyn O’Malley, Brielle Stewart, and Maddy Greene were key players for the sophomores. 

The newest addition to the tradition of Powderpuff was the Powderpuff Trophy which was presented to the junior class at the pep rally. It has a football on top of it and will continue to be updated with the class that wins Powderpuff in the following years. 

Powderpuff was a success and helped set a positive tone for Homecoming activities. Thank you to Lilliana Wagner and Mrs. Grosskopf for making it possible this year!