Originating in 1945, the Powderpuff game has become an annual tradition among the nation. However, in Ipswich, tradition has never become present.
Powderpuff originally started during WWII. During this time, football was a big sport. But most of the men were enlisted in war, so they weren’t home in time for the annual Thanksgiving football games. Since football was a big tradition during this holiday, there became a need to fulfill those roles. This allowed for women to step up and fill those roles. This tradition has carried on and has become an exciting annual event played around the nation.
We talked to the athletic director, Tom Gallagher, to learn about why the tradition had stopped in Ipswich. He recalled that the “last game we had was in 2015 with Hamilton Wenham.” He also said that the reason the tradition ended was because the games “became unsportsmanlike. There was some aggressive play and we were concerned at that point.”
Luckily, the idea to bring back powderpuff to Ipswich was brought up during a student advisory council, which was then handed off to the senior class officers. The game was set to be only for Ipswich high school students.
The Ipswich High School seniors faced off against the juniors in a very competitive game. The seniors in the end pulled it off in overtime from a touchdown by Izzie Wette, making the score 30-24.
We talked to Izzie about the game and asked her what her experience was like on the field: “It was a really fun environment and it was super fun to be coached by our peers. Also, the stands were packed which was super fun to have the whole school watching you.” She also remarked that “It was awesome to play with people from all different cliques and especially with people that you don’t usually talk to at school.” Izzie’s experience seemed to be similar to other players’ experiences as well.
In addition to the players, we wanted to see what the coaches thought of the game. The coaches were current Ipswich High School football players. They were responsible for managing practices, plays, and substitutions within the game.
When we asked senior coach Behnji Dessources about his experience, he said it was more difficult than he thought. He was responsible for the substitutions, so he wanted “everyone to get at least a snap or two.” But he also said that “due to the nature of the sport and the situation we were in, I feel somewhat responsible and guilty that some players received more playing time than others. Yet, that’s just sports and we came out with a win.”
After we heard from the participants, we wanted to see what the game was like from the stands. Many students showed up to the game supporting their classmates. Some even made their own signs.
We talked to Scott Jewell, the tech-ed teacher at the middle school, about his experience during the event. “It was electric because it was absolutely, totally entertaining,” Jewell stated. In addition, we asked if he thought it would continue on as an annual tradition, and he remarked that “it was the most entertaining sporting event I have been to all year. The level of competition was spectacular, the teams were so even and it was a nail biter to the finish. I will be there, I’m planning on being there. It was that entertaining.”
As successful as the game was, the question is, will we be seeing a return of the powderpuff game next year? We went to talk to the junior class president, Jake Pedradelis to hear his thoughts on carrying on the tradition. “We definitely are going to run Powderpuff next year. We had a group of very passionate players, and I see no reason why they wouldn’t be the same next year,” Jake said. In addition, he mentioned, “In terms of a fundraiser standpoint it was very successful, and all we can do is make it better from here. The only direction is up.”
The powderpuff game turned out as good as anyone could imagine. No matter the outcome, the players loved it, the coaches loved it, and everyone in attendance loved it as well. It is safe to say that the future of the powderpuff game in Ipswich is very bright;
