By Jocelyn Sterling
Rain and hail couldn't stop the girls of Corrado Hall from taking home the powderpuff championship last weekend on the turf field in the Clive Charles soccer complex.
Corrado defeated Kenna Hall 25-14 in the championship game on Sunday afternoon after beating Mehling Hall in the first round of games on Saturday. However, all of this wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the four women who made the flag football tournament happen: junior Sarah Frei and senior Liz Karr of Corrado, senior Molly Weisbeck of Shipstad, and junior Stephanie Lies of Kenna.
For the past several years UP's Residence Hall Association has put on the powderpuff flag football games, where each dorm with female residents competes for the title. The west side, Corrado and Mehling, play the first game and the winner goes onto the championship to play the winner of the east side, Kenna and Shipstad. However, this year RHA decided to cancel the event due to the increase in violence on the field and rudeness of the fans. It was "getting really ugly," so RHA discontinued the event, leaving returning students disappointed.
However, the group of four RAs took it upon themselves to continue the powder puff tradition and planned the event themselves, as a campus collaboration RA event. The RAs had to do an immense amount of planning, from reserving the field and equipment, to finding coaches and refs, to advertising; they had their hands full.
"I didn't realize how much work it was going to be until I was half way through it," Frei said. "I realized why all of RHA usually does it, not just four people."
The one policy that the RAs in charge had to stress was fair play and respect. Frei said that they all constantly told those involved that there was a no-tolerance policy, in which if anyone played rough or mouthed off they would be sent home immediately.
Through all of the planning, Frei said that she had a great time playing and the hard work was worth it.
"Just to see all of the girls get so excited and pumped up was so great," Frei said. "Seeing them come together with Corrado pride made it all worth it for me."
Corrado started off the championship game with its first touchdown by sophomore Amy Flora. Kenna tied the game in the last minute of the first half with a short run by freshman Kapua Chandler. The slow first half was overshadowed by the exciting, fast-paced second half, which was full of surprises and thrilling moments.
Within the first few moments of the second half Corrado's freshman Katie Link intercepted the ball and ran almost all the way to the end zone, but Kenna stopped her short at the three yard line. Freshman Michelle Charbonneau garnered Corrado's second touchdown in the following play. Another Kenna turnover occurred in the same minute when sophomore Megan Foltz intercepted the ball and ran it to the one yard line, allowing Charbonneau to score six more points for Corrado.
Corrado managed to widen the point gap by making another touchdown when freshman Bri Bobiak made a 15-yard run, followed by a one point after touchdown by Frei. The outlook for Kenna looked dismal until sophomore quarterback Amber Giordano, who had the arm of a professional and ran like a track star, made an unbelievable 75-yard run for a touchdown, leaving the crowd stunned and in awe, as she dodged and maneuvered her way around Corrado's defense.
Kenna scored two points after touchdown from the 10-yard line, but that was not enough to take over the game. With Kenna's last attempt in the final minute of the game, the ball was once again intercepted by Corrado's sophomore Jenny Gresham, leaving Kenna 12 points short of the win.
"The game was fantabulous," freshman Molly Enger said of the win. "It was really fun and both teams played well." Enger, who made several blocks and prevented Kenna from receiving the ball on numerous occasions, said that the team had perfect chemistry and good comradery.
Senior Clay Williams, Corrado's head coach, said he was proud of all the ladies who played from every team, and he hopes that the powderpuff tradition continues as a way to build the UP community.
"This tournament was great because it brought everyone from campus together in a friendly and competitive atmosphere," Williams said.
Kenna remained positive after the loss, and were proud of their hard work during the game.
"We played really well and came out with a lot of heart," Giodano said. "Corrado just came out with a little more spunk. They were a really good team to play."
Chandler had the same sentiment, commenting on how she was proud of Kenna for making it to the championship.
"The game was really clean," Chandler said, surprised about how cordial both teams were.
To make it to the championship Corrado defeated Mehling in a blowout game, 25-0. With four touchdowns, two from Bobiak, and one each from Enger and Link, and one point after touchdown by Karr. Kenna defeated Shipstad in a close game of 13-7. Chandler scored the two touchdowns, while Giordano made the point after touchdown for Kenna, while Shipstad's freshman Destinee Hernandez scored the lone touchdown and freshman Leah Biesiadecki made the point after touchdown.
Sunday morning the two losing teams played one another for third place, and Shipstad shutout Mehling with a 22-0 finish.
The women of UP showed a lot of heart and played as if they had been practicing for months. The fans and coaches were proud of their footballers and found the games to be exciting and neat to see their hall mates out on the field.
"The girls played their hearts out and did fantastic," sophomore Corrado coach, Ralph Bansale, said.
The players had a fun time and hope that next year the tradition can continue.
Frei especially hopes that the powderpuff games continue, which may be only possible through the initiative of future RAs.
