Powderpuff, a friendly flag football game between junior and senior girls, is a long-standing tradition in many high schools and universities across the United States and in Canada. The name comes from the powderpuff used for applying powder face makeup.

The game was a tradition at Fullerton Union High School up until three years ago. “It was a very competitive game and everybody had fun. I’m glad it’s back,” football and track coach Ed de Avila said.

FUHS’s Powderpuff game originally gave the football captains the roles of coaches. “It got discontinued because the boys that were coaching were letting [the girls] be violent, so they shut it down,” junior Alex Pace said. “We’re trying to get it back up, but this time the boys can’t coach; they can only assist.”

Coaches were not all that the football boys were allowed to be. “My dad came here back in 1985, and he was a cheerleader for the Powderpuff game,” senior Niam Schade said. “Back then, guys were cheerleaders as well as coaches. They’re not allowed to be either one of those anymore.”

This year, football boys are not being incorporated as cheerleaders to avoid any disrespect towards the sport. But the rush for the game continues.

“I was really excited that they had brought it back because I love playing football with my family and thought it would be cool to be involved with football during school,” said junior Deborah Bonales, quarterback for the juniors’ team.

The girls have had to learn some fundamentals of football in preparation for tonight’s game. “Learning the different plays has been fun and somewhat difficult,” Bonales said. “You have so many people doing many different things and you have to keep track of everything that is going on around you.

“Football is actually a really simple sport to play, it just needs a lot of quick thinking and teamwork,” Bonales said. 

“We want to make sure the game is entertaining and the girls are successful and have fun,” said de Avila, coach for the seniors’ team. De Avila and juniors’ team coach Anthony Martinez hope to see a large audience.

The Powderpuff game will take place today at 7 p.m. in the Fullerton District stadium. Tickets can be purchased from participating girls for $5, or bought at the door for the same price. Instead of paying $5, students may also bring five canned goods to contribute to Pathways of Hope food drive.