Back to Back: Class of 2024’s Powderpuff Reign

The Class of 2024 girls continued their reign as Powderpuff champions by securing back-to-back victories, establishing themselves as the ultimate contenders on the field.

By: Sophia Rexhepi

Powderpuff is a cherished tradition that offers girls the opportunity to showcase their athleticism and display a friendly competition between the senior and junior teams. Each team of girls were coached by multiple football players based on grade level.

This year the 2024 seniors won the annual Powderpuff game with a score of 20-14, making them back-to-back champs as they had won their previous year.

Coaching is key to winning Powderpuff. Senior Coach BJ Wainwright, ’24, has been coaching Powderpuff for the past two years. This game was very memorable to Wainwright. Wainwright says, “Winning two years in a row is a honor. It’s so much fun just going out there and getting to coach the game I love.”

Wainwrights says his favorite part about coaching Powderpuff is, “getting to write crazy plays and just getting to deal with all the fun people here at Redwood. It’s an honor. It’s a privilege.”

The senior class had a very exciting energy this year. Wainwright says, “They brought some good energy. Coming in, we had that talk at Senior Court and once we got down to the bowl we were locked in and ready. We started getting our stretches in. We talked to them and they listened. They adjusted well and we came back with heat.”

Leah See, ’24, has played in Powderpuff the past two years. Winning both years was very exciting for her. See says, “The most memorable part of this experience was when I was playing center on defense and I got a pick. Overall I think our team played well together.”‘

Powderpuff is meant to be a friendly competition. See says, “Don’t take the game too seriously. Just have fun. When it gets too serious no one wants to play.”

Chloe Seals, ’25, had a fun time playing this year and will be joining the senior team next year. Seals says, “It went pretty good. Obviously we didn’t come out on top in the end. There was some tricks our team wasn’t ready for, but we are going to be good next year.”

Experience is a key part in how players perform. Seals says, “The difference between the juniors and seniors is experience. Seniors knew what to expect. First half we were trying to get used to it but the second half it finally clicked.”

Seals says, “Our coaches Christian [Carlos] and Enrique [Segura] were the best at explaining where you need to cover and how to play your position. They did a really good job at helping us visualize and apply those principles in the game.”

While the seniors have had their moment in the spotlight as Powderpuff champions for the past two years, make sure to look out for the class of ’25 next year.

Coach Wainwright gives one last piece of advice to future coaches of Powderpuff. Wainwright says, “Plan. Plan. Plan. Talk to the actual coaches at Redwood. They can give you lots of resources such as headsets to help you communicate. All you have to do is ask. We didn’t get the lights on for our first practice but I talked to Dr. Gridiron and they were on the next practice. You just have to ask and go out there and fight for things to get them for yourself.”

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