Disney battled Nickelodeon at the annual Powder Puff flag football game on Monday evening, January 14. The seniors and juniors once again faced off on the Martinez soccer field in an intense game of touchdowns, flag pulling, and competitive rivalries. The seniors captured the victory title, as always,with a final score of 25 to 8.

Senior Quarterback Christina Gerecke wanted to prove her class talent and make it very clear that the seniors had their eyes on the title by winning fairly. “We practiced twice, ran great plays, and had many strategies. We were not going to make it easy on the juniors.”

 Gerecke stood out amongst the seniors, throwing two touchdowns and running one on her own, thanks to her trick to the referee and other players. She strategized with her teammates, throwing many successful passes and contributing much to Team Disney’s victory. Senior Running Back Ryan McEnany sprinted past many of the lunging junior players and scored even more points for her team. Senior Ashton Hill scored a touchdown, stood out for her aggressive defense, caught an exciting interception, and completed many successful passes. Senior Cailin Dunne also scored the final touchdown with a dramatic slide catch that took her down with the ball.

Senior Ryann McEnany loved her last Powder Puff game. “It was such an adrenaline rush. It was really fun to play against the juniors, and even better that we won in a fair game!”

 After each touchdown, the seniors enthusiastically celebrated with various routines, much to the crowd’s delight and the juniors’ envy. Overall, the seniors performed phenomenally, thanks to natural talent, practices on their own time, and advice from their Jesuit coaches. 

The juniors proved to be stiffer competitive than the seniors expected. They played with tough defense to stop many of the advancing seniors. Junior Alana Adams proved to be her team’s fastest and most aggressive defensive player, pulling many more flags than the seniors would have preferred. Junior Jessica Kandell scored Team Nickelodeon’s only touchdown. Juniors Caroline Koch and Mariah Diaz alternated playing quarterback, running many successful plays that stumped the seniors.

Junior player Elise Heiman is proud of her class and their plays. “I am really happy we were at least able to score a touchdown against the seniors. Our plays and team spirit definitely took them by surprise.”

Even though the seniors captured the victory title, every player knows that the game is solely an enjoyable occasion to rouse a mocking rivalry between Academy sisters.