Last Wednesday, Manhattan High School students from each grade faced off against each other at the Powderpuff kickball tournament. There were hundreds of students gathering in the stands of Bishop stadium that came to compete in the tournament.

“We did Powderpuff kickball last year too. We typically have a Powderpuff event every year,” Tribe sponsor Ashlyn Kuhlman said. “We used to have a flag football tournament, and then we had a dodgeball tournament, and now it has transformed into kickball.”

There are four boy’s teams and four girl’s teams, each grade having a team. In this year’s format, teams competed in a single elimination bracket. The freshmen played the juniors, and the sophomores played the seniors for the boy’s and girl’s side of the tournament.

On the boy’s side, in the first round, all the upper-class teams won, with juniors beating the freshmen, and seniors beating the sophomores. In the finals between the seniors and juniors, the seniors won and became the boy’s Powderpuff kickball champion.

“I like the team and the community even though we lost,” freshman Logan Herzog said. “Next year, we’re coming back, and we’re winning.”

On the girl’s side, the results were correspondent. The seniors and juniors edged out first round victories and then faced off against one another in the finals. In the fiery final match, the Seniors won by the skin of their teeth, becoming the girl’s Powderpuff kickball champions.

“My favorite part is the hype our whole grade is giving each other,” senior Kat Ball said. “I just had so much energy to play.”            

Powderpuff kickball is mainly for the fun and the excitement of competing with your classmates. There was plenty of hype and enthusiasm at the tournament this year.

“It was a great atmosphere,” freshman Thatcher Harrison said.

For Harrison and many other students that competed and lost, they still felt that the tournament was full of energy.

“I think it’s great that we can get everyone here after school to show spirit for the school, but also for their own grade,” Kuhlmann said.