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By Emily LaLuna – Sports Editor

The Powder Puff trophy has returned home.

After a tough loss last year, the Law Powder Puff team won back the trophy from cross-town rival Foran with a dominant 13-0 win on December 1.

Law has now won six of the past seven Powder Puff games.

“We couldn’t have scripted it any better,” head coach Mr. Kulenych said. “Our defense played lights out and our offense put together a couple of big drives. We played tough, smart football and it was a total team effort.”

Senior running back Tiffany Coleman set the tone for the game with a 62-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage. Senior Emily LaLuna hit the extra point, putting the Lady Lawmen up 7-0 less than a minute into the game.

The Law defense kept the score that way the rest of the half, thanks to the stellar play of senior linebackers Justine Bannon, Cori Kalafus, and Nina Martinez, and junior linebacker Kailee Frank.

“These Powder Puff games usually have nothing to do with talent,” defensive coordinator Mr. Ragaini said. “Normally the tougher kids who want it more that year get the win. Clearly we established our toughness throughout the game.”

The score remained 7-0 until the start of the fourth quarter when junior running back Jessica Centore scored on a 34-yard touchdown run.

Law finished with 200 yards of total offense for the game. Coleman finished with 92 yards rushing on five carries and Centore added 80 yards on six carries. Junior quarterback Gege Romero carried the ball six times for 23 yards and junior Kayla Carollo had 11 yards on two carries.

“Everyone contributed on offense,” Kulenych said. “Our running backs ran hard, our receivers blocked great, our line was outstanding, and Gege ran the show perfectly. It was tough out there with the rain, but we fought through it and made plays when it mattered.”

The Lady Lawmen defense held Foran to just 53 total yards for the game. Martinez led Law with eight flags and Kalafus and Bannon added seven each. Seniors Kalya Patrick and Annalyse DeLucca and junior Leslie Terres made big plays on the defensive line.

“I feel like we were more prepared this year, and we were in the zone and ready to win,” Bannon said.

Ragaini said he couldn’t have been prouder of the way his defense played.

“Our defensive motto was ‘if they don’t score, they can’t win’,” Ragaini said.

Coleman, who didn’t play Powder Puff last year because of her gymnastics schedule, was glad she participated this year.

“If I didn’t play Powder Puff this year I definitely would have regretted it,” Coleman said. “Knowing that my touchdown really helped us believe we could win was a great feeling.”

Coleman was named the game’s Offensive MVP and Martinez was named the game’s Defensive MVP.

“Being MVP was a great feeling because I thought I played well,” said Martinez. “Especially when I got Foran’s quarterback Danielle Kemp’s flag in the backfield as she went to pitch the ball.”

For the second year in a row, the game was moved to the Monday after Thanksgiving because of rain. The weather was rainy for most of the first half Monday night, which caused some fumbles and botched handoffs on both sides.

Instead of traditionally wearing all black, the Lady Lawmen wore purple bandanas and purple eye paint this year in memory of Maren Sanchez. They also had a special jersey with Maren’s name on it on the sideline during the game.

“It was a special night,” Kulenych said. “The only bad thing about Powder Puff is that’s only one game, but when you win, it’s unbelievable. The girls worked so hard and as coaches we were so proud of the way they played.”

Senior safety Samantha Hudak agreed.

“Winning the game after putting in all the hard work we did was the most rewarding thing to happen this year,” Hudak said.

Senior left tackle Amanda Leone called the game a “perfect night.”

“Being part of this year’s Powder Puff team was unbelievable,” said Leone, who was a tri-captain along with Bannon and senior right tackle Kelsey Kopazna.”It was truly a dream come true. It was an incredible experience and I wish I could relive that moment every second of every day.”

To watch the complete Powder Puff game or a 10-minute edited version of the game, go to dailymotion.com/eagleeyenews.