The Class of 2025 Girls Football team shows its strength and dominates the junior girls for their second winning year in a row. The game was an exciting one and the junior class put up a good fight. However, in the third quarter the seniors began to establish a strong lead, showing their unity and persistent talent.

Senior Sarah Brennan played in the game last year and this year. Being on the offensive line, Brennan saw all the opportunities and supported the other girls as they blew by the juniors’ defense.

Having the experience of playing last year was a big advantage, Brennan said. Last year, the class of 2025 beat the senior class, something many people find to be a controversial topic.

This year, parents and fans watched with anticipation as they enjoyed seeing a competitive game between two strong grades.

Coach of the senior team, Mr. Sanborn agreed by saying “The atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic and it was a highly competitive game from start to finish.”

He thought the game this year was similar to the game last year when it comes to the overall motivation of each team.

Taylor Clancy, a junior for the defensive end, enjoyed the experience of playing on the football team, even though they did not win.

She mentioned that teammates Callie Arthur and Tenley Winn were pivotal members of the defense, and Emma Prisco, Alex Clarke, and Alyson Green were the main contributors for the juniors’ offense.

Parents and fans cheered hard on the junior side. None of the parents were expecting much success from the girls because the seniors had such an achievement last year. However, the junior class this year put up a strong fight on both the offensive and defensive ends.

“On offense… They made amazing runs and completed some scoring opportunities. On defense… They got some big tackles and were aggressive,” Clancy said.

Coaching for both teams was a strength as well.

Clancy explained that as a defender, she was coached by Coach Prescott. He made the experience so enjoyable for her and the other girls she was playing with. Clancy said he motivated them and fueled them so much that it was a big contributor to their success on the field.

“I enjoyed myself so much that I literally want to join a league.”

Similarly, Brennan explained that on the senior team, the coaches overall were extremely helpful.

“The coaches were really great and supportive, they were super easy to work with especially since none of us had ever played football before.”

In addition to the girls admiring their coaches, Sanborn acknowledged that all the coaches enjoyed the opportunity to lead the seniors to victory two years in a row.

“I speak for the entire coaching staff when I share that this group was so much fun to coach these past two years. It’s very rare that a class wins during both their junior and senior years…We are really going to miss coaching the class of 2025 next year and can’t thank them enough for all the great memories!”

Sanborn also noted that the reason for the girls success was their intense work ethic, drive, attention to detail, and willingness to be a team and play as one.

For the seniors, Maddie Recupero, Holly Paharik, and Savannah Rivera were key players on offense. Paharik, the quarterback, showed her strength by passing the junior defense on multiple attacks. Junior Casey Owens explained that defending against Paharik was a tough task and it took a lot of strength to counter Paharik’s runs.

Additionally, Coach Sanborn pointed out that all the girls “were confident that every player was going to execute their assignment to the best of their ability… it was truly a team victory.”

Both Clancy and Brennan described the unity of the girls on and off the field.

“One strength in our team was definitely how everyone united together and supported each other. Every practice and at the game the whole team was cheering for everybody, even if they weren’t friends with them or didn’t know them,” Brennan said.

As well as unity, Clancy explained how much the junior girls cared about the game and each other.

Clancy mentioned, “some strengths were our aggression and just how much we cared. I think because all of us were so excited and cared so much that we played better. Also, the girls are very united and that translated into the field because I think we played well together.”

Sanborn noted that the team culture the senior girls created was unlike any other.

“They truly cared about each other and understood that football is a team game, and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I also think we had a hard working, athletic and coachable group who were eager to learn and improve every day.”

Both teams had moments where they saw glory. For the seniors, when they scored their winning touchdown, they rushed the field- an action both teams utilized often. That moment showed fans and players how united and excited the girls were.

Another pivotal achievement was during the final quarters when the senior defense held off so well that the junior girls could barely get by. They really displayed their experience from the previous year.

Brennan mentioned this, as it was nice to not have to figure out positioning or plays because they already had them from the previous year. Instead, the team could focus on perfecting those plays and even included some throws from quarterback Paharik to her offensive teammates.

During the game, the juniors attempted such techniques, however the seniors were the only ones able to complete passes.

On the juniors side, Clancy mentioned some of her favorite moments from the game.

“The first play of the game when Callie Arthur completely took out someone-which isn’t allowed at all. I think it was so funny and just showed how excited and motivated we were. Another moment was when I watched Emma [Prisco] score a touchdown because I was really happy for her especially since she was nervous.”

Although they didn’t win, the junior girls put up a sturdy fight and fans could see their excitement and motivation on the sideline as well as on the field.

Like the seniors, the class of 2026 girls stormed the field after their first touchdown from Alyson Green. It made the parents happy and excited to see all the girls supporting each other and it persuaded the fans to get excited from the sidelines.

Learning from the senior victory, junior girls all agree on multiple things they can work on for next year’s game. Spiking, throwing, a tighter defensive line, and staying consistent throughout the whole game will improve their odds for next year- a game they are beyond excited for.

The class of 2025 showed their dominance, unity, strength, and adaptability during the 2024 Girls Football game. Although it was their last, they left a legacy of a team to beat going forward and the class of 2027 is willing and hoping they can follow in their footsteps.