[quote]By Drew Danko
Online Editor
Photos courtesy of MV Yearbook and Allison Ruden[/quote]

Throw on your pink, tie up your flags, and fight for the bedazzled football trophy, it’s almost powderpuff time. Last season, the junior team “Beauty and the Blitz” defeated the senior team “Kiss my Pass” to win the sacred bejeweled football at the first-ever junior vs. senior powderpuff football tournament. Now, we’re here to predict all that could happen at the second annual Fab-U-Wish tournament this Wednesday.

The TD’s

The former name, the Truckers, said it all. These girls played hard. Don’t you recall the infamous “truck” made by Lauren Hickey? “‘Flag’ football isn’t really flag football until you get flagged yourself,” Hickey said.

The team only suffered two head injuries on the night. Other than Hickey’s tackle, the team did not have many shining moments throughout the tournament. “Well, as a whole, I think the Truckers’ performance was kinda all over the place. But we did have some good tackles and awesome face paint,” senior Hannah Gabaldon said.

When asked about the team’s performance last year, former coach Nick Stack had no comment. The team finished in fourth place last year, and could struggle with free agent and last year’s star running back Kristy Yaeger joining Beauty and the Blitz. However, with a new name, new faces, and a brand new coaching staff, team TD’s is looking to put the past in the past and redeem itself. “The girls have put in a lot of work and I feel like the junior teams and senior team don’t know what’s coming at them,” senior coach Brad Fekety said. For their sake, I hope it’s not Hickey.

Beauty and the Blitz

The defending champions will return to Mustang Stadium looking to reclaim the title in their senior year. With pick-ups like Kristy Yaeger, teams will struggle to stop the Beauty and the Blitz run-game, but coaches are still waiting to prove themselves Wednesday evening. “We have added a ton of free agents, but have also lost key players of the team. We will see Sept. 30,” coach Jordan Cagigal said.

To name a few, some of the key losses include Francesa Senese, Megan Arcivar, and Abby Smedley. However, one key player who remains that  made an impact defensively is middle linebacker, Becca Claussen. Claussen had eight sacks and six tackles for a loss of yardage for opposing teams, making her a key asset for this year’s defensive line.

Rack Valley

Don’t count out any junior teams, especially not this one. With standouts like Bri Hall, former four-sport athlete Nicki Cast, and Aaliyah Johnson, this team means business. “I think my team will be hard to beat. With athletes from all sports, we bring a lot of different abilities to the table,” Hall said.

Courtney Morgan will lead her team as quarterback. Recall, Morgan did win state for the shot put as a freshman. With that arm, they will need to have receivers with hot-hands to catch those bombs. Needless to say, Rack Valley will absolutely be “racking” up points on the field. 

Money Honeys

This team has one goal: make money. Despite possibly being an underdog team, coaches and players alike believe they have potential for greatness. “Obviously we head into the season with a goal to compete and win at every aspect of the game, but we do recognize the other talent on the field and the skill level of the other teams. I have faith in the girls and I believe we’ll do big things,” coach John Schuler said.

Schuler will look to co-captain and running back Shelby Adamchik to lead the honeys on the field. Aside from the run game, quarterback Colleen Hartdegen will try to connect with star receiver Kelly Crowe. “[Crowe] has fantastic hands; she can catch almost anything thrown her way. She has a great work ethic in practice, and plays with a lot of passion,” Schuler added.

Despite losing numerous starters due to other athletic obligations, Adamchik is confident that her co-captain Hartdegen will have great play-making ability through the adversity. “Her enthusiasm is contagious throughout the team,” Adamchik said.

All kidding aside, and no matter how competitive it may be, the tournament is for charity. Players recognize the importance of raising money for the Fab-U-Wish foundation, and are excited to play on the field for such a great cause. “[Powderpuff] is special to me because not only do we get to compete on the field for a trophy, we also have the opportunity to raise awareness for an amazing charity that helps so many strong and amazing women. Starting powderpuff with Megan was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I’m so honored to leave this tradition behind for years to come,” Beauty and the Blitz player and powderpuff creator Miranda Williams said.