Monday night football at Notre Dame Academy drew a big crowd with the annual Powderpuff contest. The freshmen took over the field and beat all three teams to kick off Fall Fest week.

On Tuesday morning head executive adviser of Student Government Frau Laaksonen said, “Powderpuff was a success, and we hope it will be back for next year.”

Powderpuff almost ended last year because Frau did not like what she saw. “There was too much competition and it wasn’t as fun as it could have been,” said Frau.

Senior Andrew Gruesen wanted Powderpuff back and helped Frau figure out the best way to make it a fun event without excessive competition.

“Whenever you bring something back, you learn something new every year,”  she said. She anticipates using computer-generated squads during the 2018 games.

Student Government faces difficulty with scheduling. Notre Dame Academy hosts many extracurricular activities and sports that use the football fields, so it is hard to find time for a special event like Powderpuff.

The freshmen won the event with the help of one of their coaches Alex Gryboski. He described the game as fun, exciting and strategic.

Gryboski said, “I would definitely coach in the future because I had a lot of fun, and there’s something about leading a team to victory that gives you a great feeling.”

“The refs did fantastic and the coaches were truly coaching their teams and they had a good time.  Overall it was a fun event,” Frau said.  

“I think everyone was in it for themselves, not because the coaches told them to do so, which is great. Overall, I had a lot of fun,” explained Gryboski.

It was a surprising win for the freshmen because the freshmen rarely win.

Students that participated in Powderpuff talked about the fun of playing together with their classmates and how they enjoyed the spirit of the game.

Molly Rader, sophomore quarterback, said, “The highlight of Powderpuff was throwing four touchdowns and zero interceptions. It was also fun to be on the field with all of my friends.”