By Sydney Hauser
Drive, sweat, aggression, and even a little frustration are words that come to mind for the annual MVHS powderpuff game. The Beauties, made up of seniors and sophomores battled the junior and freshmen Beasts to help celebrate homecoming week on Thursday, Sept. 29.
The 2016 powderpuff game brought a couple differences than those of previous years. Instead of playing the normal 11 vs 11 lineup, the rules moved it to seven vs seven in hopes of reducing injury. Players also had to start five yards away from the line of scrimmage when on defense to avoid rough play.
“The new rules didn’t change the game too much. It was just a different experience,” said junior quarterback Kyli Orr. “In the end we won the game so it didn’t affect our play.”
The game started off a bit slow with both teams dropping a few hand-offs. Neither team scored for the first quarter, but things picked up in the second when freshman Ella Wischmeyer scored first for the Beasts. Wischmeyer also scored the two point conversion to put them up 8-0.
“I was so happy for myself and the team,” said Wischmeyer. “ Everyone worked together to score that first touchdown.”
The quick and feisty running backs for the Beauties, senior Maggie Davis and sophomore Sammy Moss, were the main part of their offense and both had some big carries for the team, but they were not powerful enough against the Beasts’ defense. They stopped the Beauties once more and scored another touchdown on a complete pass from Orr to junior Sydney Hauser. The half ended with the Beasts winning 14-0.
The strong defense from the Beasts proved difficult for the scoreless Beauties and they were forced to change their offense. Sammy Moss moved to quarterback and they ran five receivers out hoping they could complete a few passes and get themselves back in the game.
“Offensively our run game wasn’t working,” said Beauties coach Gabe Golberg. “Our pass game was more effective when the receivers caught the ball.” They were not successful for the majority of the half, which left both teams scoreless in the third quarter.
Wishmeyer was on fire that night, scoring her second and final touchdown for the Beasts on a 50+ yard run during the fourth. They scored a point after the touchdown which put them up 20-0. With the ball back and limited time left on the clock, the Beauties gave the long ball another shot. “I asked Gabe to put me in as quarterback and let Maggie and Haley run so I could throw it to them,” said sophomore Sammy Moss. And Senior Haley Baker did just that. She ran towards the end zone and Moss was able to connect a pass and end the game with a score 20-7. “ It was amazing getting that final pass and scoring a touchdown,” stated Moss.
“Offensively and defensively we had a lot of girls step up when we needed them,” said Beast coach Preston Shultz. “Teamwork is what worked well, 7 girls doing their jobs.” And although both teams had to adjust to the new rules, the game was an exciting one to watch and participate in.
