Freshman vs Sophomores
Wednesday, Sept. 28th closed with a big night for the Bishop Kelly community and stirred up some in school rivalry as teams of young women from all four grades marched their way onto the Nick Ysursa field to compete in the annual PowderPuff games.
The underclassmen took on the first game of the night. The freshmen team, dressed in handmade black jerseys, were led with enthusiasm by coaches Ben Avella, Aiden Boyd, Max Graber, Kyan Hankle, and Jackson Kite-Powell. The team bagged the first points of the game early in the first half with an impressive touchdown run by Erin Divittorio. Approaching the close of the first half, the sophomores had yet to reach the endzone. One minute stood on the clock before the half when sophomore Brooke Hutchinson threw a TD to Mary Behrend. The team, wearing purple, quickly rang in a two-point conversion and ended the half with a score of 8-6!
Roughly halfway through the third quarter, freshman Annabelle Fleetwood put an impressive stop to the offensive line and prevented a touchdown. Annabelle remarked with enthusiasm that this was a big deal for the freshman team as they felt that the “sophomores [weren’t] completely dominating” them.
As the game progressed the two teams held their defensive lines. Sophomore coaches Parker Allumbaugh, Jackson Handley, Owen Kane, Luca Quilici, and Cole Traverso shared their satisfaction with the “couple of sacks [they] hit in the backfield”. Aiden Boyd remarked at the end of fourth that he was particularly proud of the way the freshman girls were able to switch “the blitzing throughout the game”.
With nine and a half minutes left in the fourth, sophomore Taylor Deitzel ran 40 yards in for a touchdown ending the game with a score of 14-6; a well earned win for the Sophomores.
Overall, both teams enjoyed the competition, and several girls shared their excitement to come back next year. For anyone who is considering joining a team next year, freshman Riley Chave highly recommends the experience as she believes that “being on powderpuff is team spirit and having fun and connecting with people and making new friends!”
Juniors vs Seniors
Class rivalry persisted as the juniors and seniors entered Ysursa field to kick off the second game of the night. Since their sophomore season the class of 2023 has held down the powderpuff championship title with pride. As parents and classmates gathered in the stands, so too did hope for one final win. Before the first whistle even blew, senior Joshua Horn shared his faith in the girls; “I’m pretty confident that we’re going to win this,” he remarked . Less than four minutes left in the first quarter, Josh’s faith showed validation as Lexi Chatterton delivered the first points of the game.
The second quarter showed strong resistance from the junior class whose defensive plays warded off their opponents, and it seemed that going into the half no changes to the scoreboard would be made. That was until senior Logan McCarthy laid hands on the ball…With forty seconds left on the clock, Logan racked in an exceptional receiving touchdown; entering the half with a score of 12-0.
Her successes persisted two minutes into the third quarter rushing the ball in from the 24 yard line to the outside of the endzone. As fans reeled in excitement, the team accomplished an additional two point conversion, leaving the junior class behind 20-0.
Yet the juniors refused to give up the fight going through the third and fourth quarter, gaining massive yardage. Finally with a minute-thirty left in the fourth, Sophie Schmautz shot across the field into the endzone and was followed up by a two point conversion successfully completed by Kenna DeMasters as the clock wound down to zero, ending the game with a score of 20-8.
As the sound of Queen’s “We Are the Champions” boomed through the speakers, juniors and seniors, players and nonplayers rushed the field to celebrate the accomplishments of the night. Junior coaches Cooper Camman, Cam Davis, Rakeem Johnson, Sam Knell, and Peter Minneart expressed their pride in how the girls played as well as the execution of their touchdown celebration, which Rakeem reported was taught to the girls “on the fly”.
In traditional BK football style, the senior team ended their night on the field with a prayer and heartfelt speeches made by each of the coaches, Max Ciovacco, Drew Martin, Jack Marshall, Patrick Monahan, and Hadley Smith. The joy and spirit shared that night by the class of 2023 could be summed up in Patrick’s final words to the girls; “we are the greatest powderpuff team to ever grace this field”.
The Bishop Kelly Newspaper 