By Raven Ash

During this time of year, the Hawk football players are not the only students on campus getting rough and tough at The Rock.

With homecoming week comes football, but not just any football. Homecoming week also hosts the annual powderpuff football game.

To kickoff the homecoming week festivities, students and faculty gathered at QU stadium on Sept. 25 to enjoy one of the biggest traditions at Quincy University.

During the powderpuff football game, the women on campus got a chance to step into the shoes of a Quincy Hawk football player, but on a slightly less violent scale.

 Powderpuff football is a flag football game versus tackle football game to prevent aggression and injury because the players do not wear protective padding. Instead of tackling the ball carrier, it is the defensive team’s responsibility to pull a flag from the ball carriers’ belt to end a down.

The game is intended to be a no-contact sport, however that does not stop fierce players from taking their shot at a good tackle despite the risk of a penalty.

This year’s teams were comprised of women from all grade levels mixed and separated into the red or purple team.

The teams may not have been competing for any prize other than bragging rights, however they were not going to head onto the field without a strategy to win. The teams took the time to get together on several occasions to work on their game plan.

“We only practiced two times. But the losing team had three practices,” Grace Neema, powderpuff player, said.

A good team is hard to form without a good coach, but the ladies had the luxury of DII athletes acting as their coaches. The powderpuff players were able to learn plays and skills from the Hawk football team themselves.

Despite the planning and practicing that went into building the teams, in the end, all that would matter was how well the ladies’ executed their plan to take the win.

The answer to that question is, very well. Both teams gave it their all and at the end of the game were tied 28-28. But what is the fun in that? The game continued into double overtime until the purple team secured the win with a final score of 42-35.

Win or lose, the powderpuff participants still agree that the game is a staple homecoming event and is enjoyed by many.

“I really like powderpuff because it gives the girls a chance to get on the field to have some fun and actually get to know a little bit more about football and the game,” Corbin Myers said.

Also at game, the many students in attendance were offered free hotdogs gifted by the financial aid office and popcorn from Poppin’ on Maine.

The ‘Manettes’ dance team kept the crowd pumped up and entertained during half-time with their dance to ‘Check On it’ by Beyoncé. The laughter in the crowd during the performance proved that the ‘Manettes’ did not disappoint.