As treasurer of the Petal High School Student Council, Victoria Sandoval knew she could use the council’s annual Powder Puff flag football game to benefit a cause close to her heart.
So for the fifth annual game – which will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 2 at Panther Stadium – proceeds will again benefit Relay For Life, the fundraising arm of the American Cancer Society.
“It means a lot to me,” said Sandoval, a senior at the high school. “I’ve had a lot of family members who have had cancer, so I know how it is to go and experience that.
“I want to be an oncologist’s nurse, so it really got my attention to help that organization.”
The game will feature girls from Petal’s 9th through 12th grades competing on the gridiron, who will be coached by players from the high school football team. The field will be separated at the 50-yard line, with 9th and 11th graders playing on one side, and 10th and 12th graders playing on the other side. The winners of each of those games will then play each other in a “championship” game.
Tickets can be purchased for $5 each at the gate the night of the game.
“We’re more than excited,” Sandoval said. “We’ve been planning for a while, and I think we’re all just excited for Friday to be here, to honor our survivors and for our players to play – it’s what they’ve been practicing for.”
The Powder Puff football game was started in 2014, with proceeds going to a different organization almost every year. With this being the second year in a row for the game to benefit Relay For Life, Sandoval hopes for an even bigger outcome than last year, when approximately 400 attendees came to show their support. “Last year, it was very good,” she said. “We’re hoping to double that this year, to get an even bigger crowd."
