The Mycenaean

Heartbreak for the LRHS Class of 2022 as the junior class underdogs pulled off the upset win on Wednesday night in the 2021 Powderpuff championship game. 

The senior class team secured their position in the championship game after beating the freshman class team 14-7. 

Traditionally, the senior class is favored to win the Powderpuff championship game solely based on having more experience. But a 7-0 victory against the sophomore class team secures a position for the juniors as well. With high hopes and confidence on each team, both upper class teams face off in the championship game: Senior Class of 2022 vs. Junior Class of 2023.

Heading into the championship game, nerves were high and many of the senior players were already physically tired from the previous game. “Everyone was pretty tired and I was nervous to play again,” said Lola Jacobs, senior. 

The energetic atmosphere going into the championship game created an amazing environment for the players on the field as well. 

The great turnout from fans, family, and appearances from the LRHS Band and Cheerleading Team ramped up the energy of the players before the game began. 

Julia Spinak, senior running back, said, “I really loved the atmosphere that was in the stadium before the game, it really got us all going before we even got on the field.” Along with the seniors, the junior team started to build up their energy beforehand.

Starting off strong, the senior class coaches utilized the run game to score within the first few drives. Francis Fleming, senior team coach, emphasized that running the ball on each drive was the better option as opposed to throwing the ball downfield, risking interception.

“Essentially, we kind of figured out throughout the game that running the football was our best option, we had great runners who were super aggressive and able to consistently get the ball downfield”, said Fleming.

During the first half, the juniors were unable to move the ball down the field and convert on third downs. The unmatched speed from senior running back, Lola Jacobs, led to a rushing touchdown, putting the seniors up at halftime with a 7-0 lead over the juniors.

At halftime, the junior class coaches reorganized their offensive approach to successfully move the ball down the field on each drive. Raylee Grieco led the juniors downfield to score a rushing touchdown late in the second half, tying the score at 7-7. 

Tied 7-7 at the end of regulation, a field goal shootout competition was initiated as a tiebreaker to determine the winners. After the selected senior kicker missed her field goal attempt, junior kicker, Emma Farabaugh, scored the winning field goal and secured the junior class the win. 

Video taken by junior coach, Jamari Wright, captures the moment Farabaugh scored the winning field goal in the championship game, giving the junior class the win over the seniors:

“It honestly happened so fast that I can’t even tell you what I was feeling,” said Farabaugh after scoring the winning field goal. “I didn’t even know they announced my name over the loudspeaker until I saw videos of the kick. There was so much screaming and pressure, if I thought about it too much I probably would’ve missed it. Afterward all I could feel was relief. I’ve probably kicked a field goal twice in my life before,” 

Despite the tough loss, the senior class walks away with high heads at their performance. “The competitiveness was high, making the experience so much better. And although it was not the outcome we (senior class) wanted, I think we played well and the juniors also played a hard fought game,” said Spinak. 

With a final score of 10-7, the junior class of 2023 are named Leesville Road High School’s 2021 Powderpuff Champions.