PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Marblehead quarterback Ellie Ronan runs away from Swampscott’s Jaymie Caponigro and Ellie Wright.
By HAROLD RIVERA
The motto should be “it’s more than just a game,” because there are always a few subplots when it’s Powder Puff football time.
That is when high school girls in Lynn, Swampscott and Marblehead, regardless of what sports they play or whether they play any at all, get together for a rivalry that stacks up well against those of their male counterparts.
How green are some of these girls?
“Most of them know nothing about the game,” Lynn English coach and athletic director Dick Newton said. “We have to start from scratch. They catch on quickly because we keep it simple. We teach them how to catch and hand the ball off.
“Sometimes we’ll have a girl that doesn’t play sports come out and play,” Newton said. “Sometimes those girls are the ones that surprise us.”
“We have a few run plays and a few pass plays, nothing too complicated,” said Classical coach Rob Smith. “This is about them getting together to have a good time.”
Smith, who directed the Rams to a 13-0 win over English Sunday, is carrying on a long-standing commitment made by his predecessor, Jay Alicudo. Newton and Alicudo lined up opposite one another in 1976 in one of the most celebrated Thanksgiving games in Lynn history — a 7-0 Classical win that sent the Rams to the Division 2 Super Bowl (and would have sent the Bulldogs had they won). They became friends over the years, and considered their annual Powder Puff joust special.
When Alicudo died three years ago, Smith, who was his assistant, carried on.
Today, these games are just as much of a staple of the Thanksgiving tradition as Thursday’s main course. In the case of Lynn, it’s strictly for bragging rights — and a little pizza after the game, courtesy of the coaches.
“We’re all friendly and we all get along,” said Newton. “The rivalry has changed between us. It’s not (strictly) about East Lynn and West Lynn. English and Classical is always a rivalry. You always want to beat the crosstown rival and it’s always an even game.”
Said Smith, “a lot of them know each other. When we’re on the field there’s no friendliness. After the game, it’s a great time. Dick Newton is a great friend of mine. I have a lot of respect for him.”
As meaningful as this is for the two Lynn schools, the game has a deeper significance for Swampscott and Marblehead.
Every year, the host team chooses a charity to which the proceeds from the game are donated. Also this year, at halftime of Saturday’s game (won by Marblehead, 30-17), both teams came together to recognize Julia Moschella, a senior in the life skills program at Swampscott High, who received a loud cheer from the crowd as she ran a play drawn up for her.
“She (Moschella) loved it,” Swampscott coach Joe Tenney said. “It was a great moment. All of the kids chanted her name and everybody went crazy. It was awesome.”
Swampscott’s girls have donated to charities such as My Brother’s Table, the Northeast Animal Shelter and Spalding Rehab Center.
Marblehead has raised money for organizations that include Girls Inc., Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC), Julie’s Place and Juvenile Diabetes.
Tenney, who has coached for 11 years, said donating to charity has always been a positive experience for the girls.
“In general, I think they love doing this type of thing,” Tenney said. “They really enjoy giving back and it makes them feel good as a whole. A lot of them are fortunate enough to give something back and they enjoy that.”
Tenney and assistant coach Joe Bennett have built a ritual with their team captains in which the girls will visit the organization they chose and present the check to the charity.
“When we’re the home team, the captains go to the charity and hand them the check,” Tenney said. “To see the girls react to that, seeing that expression on the girls and the charity, it makes it all worth it.
“I think it really makes an impact on them,” he said.
Marblehead, this year’s home team, chose to donate the proceeds from Saturday’s game to the North Shore Rape Crisis Center. The game raised more than $10,000.
Jacqui Bouchard, who has coached the Marblehead team for 10 years, said members from the North Shore Rape Crisis Center speak at health classes at Marblehead High.
“They come to the health classes and they speak to the girls about different situations,” Bouchard said. “The girls and I thought it would be a good charity to donate to, so that’s what we chose.”
Before Saturday’s game, Bouchard brought the girls together on the field to send a message about rape and sexual assault.
“One in five girls will be raped every year,” Bouchard said. “I had my girls come together in a circle and count from one to five. Every fifth girl sat down and, at first, they had no idea what it was about. I told them that it was about being safe looking out for each other. It really hit home for them.”
Bouchard added that her girls, much like Tenney’s, have the opportunity to raise money for positive causes over the years.
“I think they really enjoy it,” Bouchard said. “Sometimes it’s forgotten that that’s what it’s all about. I think it’s a teaching moment. The girls, they like to give back to the community and they get excited about it.”
Although the two teams are rivals on the field, they have mutual respect for one another just as Classical and English do.
“I know they have the rivalry thing but when it comes down to it, both sides are top-notch,” Tenney said. “We come together for charities and that’s top-notch.”
Bouchard shared a similar take.
“I tell the girls that it’s a rivalry but all these girls are similar,” Bouchard said. “They walk in similar shoes and live in neighboring towns.”