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Once again, the girls took the field in a Thanksgiving week tradition: The Lady Bulldogs vs. the Lady Rams. The teams were both pumped and prepped under the unfaltering guidance of both coaches Dick Newton of Lynn English, assisted by Peter Pappagianopoulos, and Jay Alicuido of Lynn Classical, assisted by Rob Smith, Lewis Reynolds, Gary Sisson, and Tashanna Brown. As Newton said, “This is a game that draws in more fans than most regular season games.” And it did.

The halls were decked at both Classical and English on Friday with a fierce school pride. And while both teams enlisted their best student athletes—from track stars, softball elite, basketball captains and champions, as well as medal winning swimmers—they were also backed by innumerable students fueled by plain and pure school pride.

Lynn English held the victory for 11 years straight until last year’s upset when the Lady Rams swept the field 18-0. This year, they came out to reclaim their title. By the end of the first quarter, Lynn English already had numbers on the board with a touchdown scored by Valarie Fiaccaprile, and the extra point kicked in by Megan Forti. The Lady Rams continued to fight, however, with Carissa Brown making a powerful interception in the end zone. Second quarter remained scoreless, despite Classical’s best efforts. A pass by Quarterback Angelica Reed was intercepted by English’s Tiffany Drown, bringing the game back to English. At halftime, the score remained 7-0.

In the spirit of fun, Classical boys Billy Albright, Carlos Lopez, and John Grocki dressed as cheerleaders—pom poms and all—and performed a halftime routine to rally the spirit of the Classical crowd. Both coaches acknowledged the fact that this game is about having fun—as evidenced by the boys’ cheering display, the crowd would have to agree.

Third quarter brought another touchdown to the Lady Bulldogs, a 70-yard rushing by Jenicia Duggans; the extra point once again kicked in by Megan Forti. While the Lady Rams remained scoreless, their offense played hard. QB Angelica Reed made many successful passes to Fallon Gaudet. Offensive players Diamond Doe and Nora Gomez should also be mentioned for their efforts.

Classical’s defense worked hard as well. Carissa Brown, Dora Molea, Joleen Satterwaite, and Jacklyn Crowley, as well as many others, held the field trying to keep the Bulldogs back.

Coach Newton was impressed with Classical’s defense, but as Coach Pappagianopoulos said “Our defense was outstanding.” Samantha Hoy, Tiffany Drown, Nicolette McMasters, Cherra Spann, Gabby Stinson, and Lacey Rivera—as well as many others—played hard and successfully to stop the Lady Rams. The Bulldog offense was impressive as well. Quarterback Cara Crowley played a great game, aided by Jenicia Duggans, Molly Brown, Cadianne Muir, and Valarie Fiaccaprile.

The final score of the game was 14-0 English. But that was not the end. Coaches Alicuido and Newton got together to throw a unified pizza party at the Knights of Pythias for both teams. “You play the game, you leave it on the field, and then you break bread,” says Alicuido. This the first time such an event has taken place—and it was enormously successful. Newton says “It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about having fun. This game is only played once a year, so it’s not about numbers.” The scene at the Knights of Pythias reflected this: Lady Rams and Lady Bulldogs intermingling not as opponents, but as friends.

Ultimately, this year’s Powderpuff Game proves once again the spirit of the students of this city. They are strong. They are diligent. They are proud, and they are determined. U.S. News and World Report has acclaimed both schools as being the best among the country’s urban schools. Academics aside, this display of athleticism, school pride, and city unity affirms that yes, we do have the best students in the country.

Part 1- Game Day Prepping

For game photos, click here.

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Powder Puff Teams take Center Stage By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item of Lynn

Ever go to a concert and come away thinking the warm-up band was actually better than the main act?
Although the Classical-English Thanksgiving Day football games has the potential to be thrillers this year, the Powder Puff football game that lead into the final week of the season has been known to steal the show on occasion.
Classical and English will hit the turf at Manning Field Sunday at 1 p.m. Last year the Rams and the Magicians took home bragging rights from their respective contests.

Classical will be looking to repeat last year's success when the Rams managed to shut out the Bulldogs, 18-0. Coach Jay Alicudo has been running his troops through the paces the last month or so and he's encouraged by their progress. The Rams' running game will feature a couple of talented athletes in Fallon Gaudet, who plays second base on the softball team, and Diamond Doe, one of the captains of the basketball team. Angelica Reed will be at quarterback and softball pitcher Jenny Garrity will be at tight end. Look for Azya High, Shelby Innis and Liz Riviera to anchor the offensive line while Katelyn Kidney, last year's Lynn Female Swimmer of the Year, steps in at offensive tackle. The Classical lineup will also include Jolene Satterwhite on defense, outside linebacker Jaclyn Crowley, Kayla Walleston, who will be in the secondary, and Katie Thongchanh at safety.

Alicudo's assistant coaches are Rob Smith, Lewis Reynolds and Gary Sisson. Tashanna Brown, a junior, is also helping out.

There will be one big difference in this year's game over those in previous years. This year the girls will be playing flag football rather than two-hand touch, which tended to get a little rough at times.

"It takes away the pushing and shoving," Newton said.

The one thing both teams can count on is the game drawing a pretty good crowd.

"It's amazing. This game draws more people than most football games during the year," Newton said.

Alicudo said he had 118 girls sign up to play with 45-50 consistently showing up at practice. English's numbers were up over 90.

"Our strength is in our blocking," Alicudo said. "I think we have a good offensive line and our skill positions are good. They can run. They catch the ball ... "

The Bulldogs look to be tough with some familiar faces dotting the lineup.
Cara Crowley, a soccer, track and softball player, will run the show at quarterback with Jenicia Duggins and Valerie Fiaccaprile giving the Bulldogs a daunting presence in the backfield. Duggins is accustomed to working her magic on the basketball court and Fiaccaprile is best known for her prowess patrolling the outfield for the English softball team.
If Crowley opts for an aerial attack, she has a couple of targets who shouldn't have much of a problem tracking down her passes. Kayla Murkison, another star on the English basketball team that went undefeated in the Northeastern Conference last year, is a receiver, as is track star Bianca Fowler. Molly Brown and Maura Coyle will also figure into the mix, along with running back Cadianne Muir. Softball pitcher Tiffany Drown will be seeing time at center and at safety.
"Skill position-wise we're pretty good," first-year coach Dick Newton said. "The girls are pretty athletic. Our strength will be our offense."
Some other faces to watch for in the English lineup include Megan Forti, who will be at wide receiver if she has recovered from an injury; Desiree Flanagan at safety; Nicolette McMaster at middle linebacker and Cherra Spanna at outside linebacker.