CFNN Reporters: Kaydin Brown, Kayla Brown, and Rachel Leonard

Cape Fear High School’s Homecoming Week is a tradition unlike any other. In addition to the themed dress up days, the biggest attraction apart from Friday night’s football game is the annual Powderpuff game, which pits the Seniors against the Juniors. In this game, the roles are reversed, and the girls play football while the boys are the cheerleaders.

Historically, this game has been an intense one. The rivalry between the two classes has been hotly contested for years, often resulting in trash talk and some pushing and shoving on the field.

While last night’s game was intense and competitive, both teams kept things clean and provided an action packed night for a packed stadium full of Colt fans. Our Junior and Senior girls stepped up and played an awesome game of flag football. 

To start the game, captains Brianna Keen and Andi Brinker for the senior team went up against Rachel Leonard and Naara Peralta for the junior team, seeing who would win the coin toss. The Juniors won the toss, allowing them to take the ball and start on offense. 

The Senior girls ran up to the line ready to dominate on defense. The Juniors had trouble moving the ball early and were held to a fourth down. The Juniors attempted a pass, and Andi Brinker intercepted the ball, turning it over to the seniors. 

On the Seniors’ second play from scrimmage, running back Kalilah DeLaCruz took off on a 40 yard run, dodging everyone in her path and scoring the first touchdown of the game, giving the seniors the lead 7-0. 

On the Juniors second possession, they were once again held in check by the seniors and were forced to punt, handing possession over to the seniors. Plays were made but not much progress on their part. 

The Juniors took over and retaliated. A 35 yard run by Lizzy Kirkland scored their first touchdown of the game and made it an even 7-7. The seniors didn’t let this tie last for long as yet again, running back Kalilah DeLaCruz ran in another touchdown from 40 yards out. The score was now 14-7 and the Seniors had all the momentum. 

After back to back stalled drives from each team, the Juniors were able to break through and score, tying the game at 14 apiece right before halftime on a 23 yard run from running back Sanae XXXXXXXX.

“I think our team chemistry worked really well together. We all truly played for each other. We were all very competitive but also went out there to just have fun. When I got a touchdown I thought it was pretty hype and felt like I was really able to pick my team up!” stated DeLaCruz.

“I feel like the game went good and that we worked really well together as a team. We are definitely going to come back and win next year. I feel like both offense and defense were able to connect together and we are going to come back bigger and better next year.” exclaimed Kirckland.

During halftime, our amazing cheerleaders, coached by Mrs. Holden, performed an NSYNC inspired dance. Their hard work from many morning practices was shown through their passion and fun exemplified on the field. Throughout the game, they cheered and even stunted with flyers Brannon Quinton and Billy Cheser on the sidelines. Not only did they act the part of cheerleaders, they looked it as well, with cheer uniforms, wigs, and even some wearing makeup. The cheerleaders are a fun addition to this homecoming tradition, shining light on a part of FNL that can often be overlooked.

The Seniors had the ball first after the break but were unable to capitalize. They punted the ball as far down the field as they could, handing the ball over to the Juniors. 

After stalled drives once again from both teams, the Seniors got the ball back on a punt. The fireworks were about to begin.

Breaking the deadlock, running back Kayla Brown scored a 22 yard touchdown, putting the seniors in the lead, bringing the score to 21-14. The Seniors would not look back from this point on.

The Juniors lost momentum to the Seniors as the defense dominated. After a turnover on downs by the Juniors, Quarterback Briana Keen ran for a 68 yard touchdown, bringing the score to 28-14. 

“There was a little bit of stress and responsibility involved in playing quarterback, but I learned from last year that if you do your job, the rest of the team will do theirs. It was an absolute blast to play with this team. No matter who they are or what sport they play or where they came from, we played like a team. I love how close-knit this team has become,” said Keen after the game.

Once the juniors had possession of the ball again they were unable to gain yardage and ultimately unable to score. With 20 seconds left on the clock the Seniors ended the game in their victory formation to run out the clock.

“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we walked off with the flame to come back stronger and better next year. Great job ladies!” stated junior coach Mr. Churchill

“I thought last night went really well for both teams. The seniors executed our game plan to the tea. We had a couple hiccups and the juniors really came at us from the air, but we were able to adjust and overcome them. I was really proud of the effort from both teams and of course I am very excited about the outcome of the game. Hats off to Coach Churchill and the junior team they really tested us. I hope everyone had an overall good time and I am very excited for the seniors and their win!” exclaimed senior Coach Mr. Meinenger.

As the clock ticked down to zero, the seniors celebrated their 28-14 victory for a long time, huddling up and singing Queen’s “We Are The Champions” as the cheerleaders ran around them! The competition was there, the fun was there, and overall everyone had a great time. The seniors had a great night, and the juniors are ready to make a comeback next year.