One last huddle

Seniors edge juniors in Powder Puff match

By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com

* Photo gallery – more than 900 images
* Video – manleaders Class of 2015

ROCKINGHAM — The “manleader” squads inside Raider Stadium, one rooting for the Class of 2015 and the other rooting for next year’s graduating class, did their best to keep the minds of players and spectators alike off the seriousness of the moment, of the week.

Of Friday night.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com No. 99, Hella, scores the game's only touchdown in leading the senior class over the juniors in the annual Powder Puff football game.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
No. 99, Helle Svendsen, scores the game’s only touchdown in leading the senior class over the juniors in the annual Powder Puff football game.

Beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, this year’s graduating class — which earned more than $1.94 million in scholarships — will walk a lap around the track inside Raider Stadium and bid farewell to the past 13 years and hello to — well, to whatever happens next.

Because if there’s one thing a 12th grade student knows by now is that no matter how well-planned a plan is, life is always there to — well, if not disrupt, then intervene.

In between somewhat questionable manleading dance moves — these college-bound seniors are going to be YouTube stars by the end of the night, and not for winning the Nobel Peace Prize — there was the annual Powder Puff football game, a contest pitting females between the Class of 2015 against the Class of 2016.

The game began with two eight-minute quarters, but the running clock seemed to fly by. After a lengthy halftime show — the Class of 2016 manleaders won the crowd — the clock was extended to 12 minutes for each of the last two quarters.

The players, it seemed, just weren’t ready for it to end.

Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com

No. 99 Helle Svendsen played quarterback and punter for the seniors. She also returned from injury to score the game’s only touchdown in leading the seniors to a 7-0 victory.

It’d be difficult to prove that her touchdown run is exactly why the foreign exchange student spent the year in Richmond County from Norway.