Friday, Sept 29, the Viking stadium was filled with students ready to cheer on their peers at the annual Powder Puff game. Twelve teams all gathered on the field to engage in a friendly but fierce game to see which team would win. 

“I’m really looking forward to beating everybody, we practiced a lot to make our plays perfect, so a big win is my number one goal,” senior Liv Gichuhi said. 

Gichuhi was the captain of the Heliconia Pink team, which placed second during the final game.

“I’m on the Tangerine team, we heard that the other teams are pretty scared of us because we are the softball team and everybody knows we are very athletic,” junior Malia Loos said. “My goal is to stay focused and keep my team on track. We put a lot of effort in during practice so I think it’s going to pay off.”

Junior Eli Skidmore coached the Tangerine team. Skidmore is a Varsity football player.

Skidmore and other coaches helped the girls make plays and practice while also creating a good family environment. 

“We had really fun practices which made us closer; we are all really good friends. Most of us have been playing softball together since sixth grade. I think us being so close will help us during this game because we have good communication,” senior Natalie Vines said. 

Powder Puff is not just about competition, though it is about becoming a community and celebrating Howell as a whole. At halftime of the game, the senior boy cheerleaders for the event came out to perform and show viking spirit.

“I honestly thought it was going to be boring at first, but after the first practice I changed my mind. I had a lot of fun performing, I think the school really enjoyed our performance, which made it even better,” senior Chase Garbarini said. 

After halftime, the Powder Puff games continued. 

“I’m on team Azalea. We had a pretty rough game but it was overall really fun. My team was very supportive throughout the game, even after we lost. I’m excited for next year so we can come back and win the whole game,” sophomore Lydia Elder said.

Teamwork was the best strategy for the teams throughout the games. 

“I knew it was going to be a tough game because we are both athletic teams and we both were very determined to win,” Senior Alaya Pope said. 

In the final game, with an ending score of 14-0, Tangerine left with the title of the 2023-2024 school year.

“It was great to meet new people and make new friends, especially people that you may not see everyday at school,” sophomore Anna Bowles said. “It was a cool experience to be a part of.”