NOT Powder-puff Football

When I was a junior at Rose D. Warwick High School in Tekonsha, MI., some of the girls wanted to have a powder puff football game between the junior and senior girls. We had never before had one and it was a relatively new idea.
A couple of girls from the 12th grade and a couple of girls from the 11th grade spoke with the principal to see if it was o.k. He said 'no'.
When asked why he wouldn't let us do it, I think he tried to frighten the girls by saying that if they wanted to play football, they had to do it like the boys did - tackle. We would have to use the schools equipment and suit up for real, manly-men football. We were all thrilled to do it. He was stuck, so he agreed to allow the game.
No one really knew me, I was the only new kid in school that year. Two of the senior girls cornered me in the lunchroom and threatened me. They said that if I played, they'd beat me up. I looked them in the eye and told them I was playing. They left with the threat and I just about fell on the floor with weak knees! I'd never been threatened before! Not even in Detroit!
We practiced with the junior members of the boys team. Well, the boys practiced with the cheerleaders and the rest of us were pretty much ignored.
I was a left end and my best friend, Mary Ellen Hazen was a tackle. She looked like a pro player in her uniform. She was 5'9 and built like a pear, small shoulders and wide hips. With the shoulder pads on, she was huge.
My parents came to the game to see girls play tackle football. I have to say my folks were entertained. The kickoff was a whopping success with the ball flying about 6" into the air then flopping at least 8 yards. It was down hill from there.
I did recover a fumble and the juniors won. We got a touchdown and the seniors didn't. I think it was more like 'herd' ball that an organized game. But we were so excited. Mary should have been MVP. She had 2 brothers who loved to harass her and her friends, so tackling a sissy girl was easy for Mary.
The girls who threatened me never beat me up. There was not another game between the juniors and seniors until after I graduated.