Kids & Family

Years in the Making, Girls Flag Football Challenge Takes the Field

The powderpuff game is Saturday at 11 a.m. at Blocksidge Field.


Swampscott senior girls have raced, spun, grabbed, hollered and collided for four weeks now — with commitment, energy and glee.

But the electricity and fun in their month of practice will only rise and converge Saturday when 86 Big Blue teammates race onto Blocksidge Field for their showdown against Marblehead in flag football.

This year's powderpuff clash is on their home field at 11 a.m.

One thing's for sure, says the Swampscott Coach Joe Tenney, 6-3 in his 10 years coaching the girls Powderpuff team.

"Every year you get girls you don't know about who surprise you," he said.

The girls who deliver the surprises may or may not play sports but they will emerge making a key run, block or defensive stop.

Practicing on a week-night last week in the school's fieldhouse the teammates flew and stutter-stepped across the floor, drilling with their units.

Offense was on one side of the house, defense the other, before the two sides scrimmaged, rock and hip-hop music pounding over the soundsystem.

Some players were more serious than others but all looked intent on drawing every last bit of fun from this hurrah together as a class.

Many of them have been going to school together for 12 years. And for a number of years they have looked forward to their chance to take the field and play as a unit.

Field hockey and soccer players, cross-country runners, dancers, gymnasts, swimmers, friends, softball and volleyball players, basketball players, track athletes, musicians, and students of the sciences, math and arts.

The chance comes Saturday when the girls, Coach Joe Tenney, Coach Joseph Bennett and the senior boys assistant coaches go face-to-face against their rivals.

Editor's note: Patch will have video from the practice first thing Saturday morning and will cover the game.


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