On Sept. 13, 2024, LHS was shocked in the powderpuff football tournament by team Back That Pass Up’s devastating victory over team Balls Deep for the title of powderpuff champions. Headed by coaches Griffin Keller and Gabe Brunz, team Back That Pass Up has proven once again that soccer is the dominant force in powderpuff.
The factors that lead to success in powderpuff football can be complex and filled with nuance. Oftentimes it comes down to a mix of the skill of both the coaches and the players.
“The girls showed up and worked really hard and just listened to what us coaches had to say,” said Keller.
Coachability, as mentioned by Keller, was definitely one of this year’s most important factors. Both team Back That Pass Up and team Balls Deep had extremely involved coaches. Notably coach Brady Schaefer was seen on the field tailoring a play for each down his team played.
The component of team Back That Pass Up that gave them the edge, however, was their athleticism. Of all the sports at LHS, soccer incorporates the greatest amount of top speed and agility, which translates beautifully onto the football field.
“Our natural athleticism from being soccer players [led to our success]” said running back Cail Doohen.
Team Back That Pass Up did face obstacles along the way, namely the reffing.
“There were a couple questionable calls but that happens with younger officials that don’t know what they’re doing,” said Keller.
The inexperience of the officials was shown throughout the tournament when they frequently were unaware of the clock and score.
“[The reffing] was questionable,” said player Regan Van Meeteren.
While most stopped at questionable, the more fiery personalities of Team Back That Pass Up do not shy away from stating their opinions on the officials.
“[They were] terrible,” said player Taryn Whiting.
Furthermore, specific officials are being criticized for lackluster performances.
“Tayden Fesler was not great,” said player Ava Hurt.
Despite these failures at powderpuff, this year has proven itself to be one of the most memorable in LHS’ recent history, bringing both extraordinary victories and losses to students of all walks of life. Now we look to the future, where we might see both greater competition and more skilled officials.
