After a tense 50 minutes full of impressive plays, bruised egos, and boys in sports bras, Powderpuff made its triumphant return after a year off. 

The seniors pulled out a close 26-20 victory, with a rushing touchdown by Kyndal Barber, delivering them the victory in overtime. 

In addition to the winning touchdown, Barber scored the game’s first on a long touchdown run during the seniors first possession. The class of ‘22 scored again on their next drive, and after a successful two point conversion they sat with a 14-0 lead. The juniors stormed back however, eventually equalizing the game at 14-14. 

After a series of last minute touchdowns by both teams, the game went to overtime tied at 20 points. The seniors got the ball first and the tension was palpable, as the next score would automatically end the game. 

During the class of ‘22’s first possession, many viewers in the stadium mistakenly thought that senior Lucy Harllee had scored a touchdown leading to seniors rushing the field believing they had won the game.

To their dismay, Harllee had stepped out of bounds prior to scoring and the seniors failed to score on subsequent plays. This gave the juniors a chance to win the game, and they got within inches of victory. But the senior defense ultimately held their own, stopping the juniors on 4th down and giving the senior offense another opportunity. 

This led to Barber dashing into the endzone to win the game, so the senior class could rush the field and celebrate for real this time.

While the game itself was action-packed, the stands filled with students were equally electric. The stadium railing was lined with junior and senior boys donning sports bras, raucously cheering on their team’s every play. Fans—mostly members of the junior and senior classes—filled up the bleachers behind them. 

For Talia Moraru, who played on the junior team, the crowd was a large part of the experience. “Especially with us doing distance learning for over a year, it was energizing to have the school spirit,” Moraru remarked.

Kyndal Barber, who didn’t plan on playing in the game until the day of, emphasized how “the energy from the crowd motivated [her] to play harder.”

2021’s Powderpuff game was a memorable one for everyone involved, player or fan. “This is a story that I can tell my kids,” Barber said. •