On Nov. 3, the Senior Queens ruled the Junior Jokers 6-0 in a friendly game of flag football known as Powderpuff. The stands at Darvin Boothe Stadium were packed full of supporters to see the captivating game, which started at 7 p.m. on Tom Storey Field. Although it was a low scoring game, there was plenty of talent on the field, developed in the weeks of practice beforehand.

“We did lots of shuffling drills and practiced reading the movements of the person with the ball,” junior linebacker Mayson Cooney said. “After that we always ended practice by scrimmaging offense vs. defense.”

For both seniors and juniors, practices involved lots of drills and scrimmages, which provide an opportunity for the teams to see how plays might work on the field. Those activities paid off for both teams during the game.

“It was really rewarding because defense was ready for almost everything the seniors did,” Cooney said.

Playing hard at practice was especially rewarding for senior Maddie Jones, who played both running back and quarterback for certain plays. She was the only person to score in the whole game, but even when reflecting on it, she’s thankful for her teammates’ actions.

“It was nice because we were able to come together as a team and score,” Jones said. “Even though we were all there to have fun, it was cool to beat the juniors in our last powder puff game.”

Although a senior win is traditional and expected, very few, if none, of the players went in with a ready to lose mindset. For Cooney, it was all about the teamwork with people she knows, and those that she does not

“The thing I’m going to take away most is how important every part of the team is,” Cooney said. “The coaches and the players all had a huge impact on how we played and everyone gave it their all so we all walked away proud. It was also so much fun getting to know the people in my grade that I don’t get to see on a regular basis.”