South Lafourche Powderpuff Bowl takes centerstage

Fans filled South Lafourche’s Memorial Stadium last Wednesday to watch a battle on the gridiron.

But the defending Bayou District Champs were nowhere to be found – unless you looked across the street at the practice field.

Minutes before kickoff, coaches instructed their players – not on how to tackle, block or kick, but on how to cheer after a touchdown.

Plays weren’t drawn on dry erase boards, but on palms of hands instead.

Players even asked to be removed from the starting lineup before the game started.

It was the 2010 South Lafourche High School Powderpuff Bowl, presenting the best female athleticism the Tarpons have to offer in a Freshman vs. Sophomore and Junior vs. Senior doubleheader.

In the matinee contest, Freshman running back Blake Foret re-wrote Powderpuff Bowl record books by scoring a stunning four touchdowns, leading the team over their fellow underclassmen the Sophomores by the score of 32-7.

A far too modest Foret gave a great deal of credit to her teammates and coaches after the game.

“I knew where I was on the field, and I just ran,” said Foret. “We all just worked well together. We have fast people on our team, and we know our plays.”

But as we all know – offense sells tickets but defense wins titles.

Interceptions by Freshmen Caroline Guidry and Jerakalyn Wunstell sealed the Freshman victory.

“When she turned that corner, I thought that was Reggie Bush with the moves she made,” said South Lafourche Assistant Coach Ryan Fournier following Guidry’s interception. “We could use running backs with jukes like that on our team.”

But Fournier wasn’t the only Tarpon coach to take notice.

After running a tough spring football practice, Tarpon head football coach Terry Farmer snuck away from the film room to sit somewhere he rarely does in Memorial Stadium during a game – the stands.

Farmer said he was impressed with the athleticism on the field, but he offered some coaching advice for the Sophomores’ struggling run defense.

“The speed catches my eye – the speed everywhere. When they get around the edge they’re gone,” said Farmer. “I think the Sophomores need to cover the edge. They were giving up way too many sweeps. They have to keep them contained.”

But the coach speak wasn’t quite so X’s and O’s oriented from the victorious Freshman coaches.

“We did well considering we didn’t have most of the coaches at our practices,” said coach Ronnie Jo Collins. “We thought we were going to get whooped.”

But with the thrill of victory on one side, the agony of defeat comes on the other.

Sophomore coach Hunter Alario said he and his staff will not return to grace the Powerpuff sidelines next year – proving just the kind of pressure these coaches are under.

“Everything went wrong,” said Alario. “We had way more practices than the Freshmen, and we told them everything. They’re just girls.”

Can the freshmen go 4-0 in their Powderpuff careers? Many in attendance think so, but time will tell.

In the nightcap, the Seniors avenged a tough loss last year and will go to the next level with a 3-1 Powerpuff Bowl record after a 20-6 victory over the Juniors.

Although the Seniors took a 14-0 lead into halftime with rushing touchdowns from Rebecca Pitre and Lindsey Ledet, their coaching staff knew the game was far from over.

That’s why coach Josh Badeaux drew a brilliant play for the Seniors to run on their first offensive play of the second half.

As it turned out, the Juniors slowly matriculated the ball down the field on a long, 14-play drive, capped off by a Megan Adams touchdown run.

Unfortunately, the drive took most of the time off of the clock, and on what became the Seniors’ only offensive play of the second half, Pitre responded with an 80-yard touchdown scamper on the Senior coaches’ special play – a misdirection counter around the left end.

“Most of the coaches were football players,” said Badeaux. “Pretty much our bread and butter was that play for the season, so we thought it would work here. We have one of the fastest girls in school, so it worked out.”

Oddsmakers have already placed props on next year’s game, and Tarpon football fans can look forward to 364 days of hot-stove off-season action – except for maybe 10 or more Friday nights this fall.

Freshman running back Blake Foret attemps to elude Sophomore tacklers in the South Lafourche High School Powderpuff Bowl. Foret’s four touchdowns led the Freshmen past the Sophomores 32-7. * Photo by CASEY GISCLAIR