Seniors huddle up around coach Christopher Vick during practice. The senior team, as well as the junior team, has been preparing for the Powderpuff game on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

Photo by Sofia Tong / Sagamore Staff

This Wednesday, Nov. 25, the junior and senior girls flag football teams will come together to compete at Parsons Field at Northeastern University for an annual Brookline High School tradition: Powderpuff. This year, the seniors represent the “red” team and the juniors represent the “blue” team.

Red has won the highly-coveted contest four years in a row. This year’s senior team is confident that they will emerge victorious, while the junior team is less so.

Junior Emma Ewas said it was fun to familiarize herself with football and to compete on an actual team.

“Before I didn’t actually know what all these positions did,” Ewas said. “Now I get to learn the playbook and I think it is really cool to get to be a part of it.”

Senior Maeve Kelly also recounted being on a sports team for the first time, and finding herself enjoying the physicality of football.

“I remember the first time I played I would just hit people and drive them to the ground, Kelly said. “It’s so much fun, letting out this aggression.”

Kelly said the team environment has also allowed for interactions amongst many different people. In addition, the team’s level of experience has allowed for more efficient practices.

“Our first practice, everyone knew their positions, everyone knew what they were doing,” Kelly said. “We just got right to going through the plays, going through the drills.”

Last year’s red win brought the team closer together, according to senior Daniela Vasquez. Vasquez also recognized the strength of this year’s senior team, which has talent on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.

Vasquez’s looks forward to thursday’s contest.

“It’s just the nerves,” she said. “It’s so exciting, hearing the crowd and just seeing everyone’s there. It’s one of the only events that the entire school shows up to.”

Red team coach Christopher Vick is sure that his team has a decisive advantage over the blue team.

“We’ve prepared, we play physical,” Vick said. “I reject the notion that young ladies can’t be physical and be aggressive and be tough. We have the tougher, stronger, more aggressive, more disciplined team.”[/fusion_text][fusion_text]Junior Molly Sacks said she seeks glory for the junior class. She also believes that Powderpuff has brought her grade closer together.

“We’re also very close knit. I think Powderpuff has kinda brought us together as a class,” Sacks said. “And people are making new friends, it’s kinda making us more of a community so we’re very close.”

Sacks also notes that Powderpuff empowers girls and a loyalty to the school.

“Powderpuff is an opportunity for us to show school spirit,” Sacks said. “In some ways for girls to show their athleticism and power, because Powderpuff is a girl power thing.”

Junior Bailey Dwyer said that that the strength of their game plan lies in their quarterback Emily Ribatt. However, she did admit to the weaknesses of the team, which are apparent on the defensive side of the ball.

“We need to get our game together, working together,” Dwyer said. “We need to think more about what we’re gonna do. Planning ahead of time.”

Dwyer said she felt intimidated by the senior class since they were able to win as juniors.

“We’ll try our hardest, we’ll do our best,” Dwyer said. “We’ve got our plays down, so we will see how we do.”

Blue coach Robert Grant said he understands the prowess of the opposing coaches, Vick and Keith Lezama.

“The senior coaches, Mr. Lezama and Dr. Vick, are the most experienced coaches in the history of BHS girls’ flag football,” Grant said.

Grant said that he understands the seniors are confident because of their previous experience.

“Our game plan is to hope for luck or a white out blizzard,” Grant said.

Vick said he believes that the red team will blow out the blue team in this year’s game.

‘We’re gonna win,” Vick said. “Every year I make a bombastic prediction. I’m not gonna do that. I think we’ll win this year by 10,000 points, if we’re not at our best.”