Wednesday night, during OH’s annual Powder Puff game, it was not only the players who were working hard. Behind the scenes, various individually-selected OH football players served as head coaches for this one unique game a year.
“I was selected for this position by my coach, as he picks people from the team that he sees leadership qualities in,” said OH senior and senior team coach Danny Claycombe. ” [My football coach] also [wanted Power Puff coaches who would] demonstrate good character to represent an entire team.”
The eight senior and eight junior football players were selected before the game to represent their class team as head coaches. These coaches ran various practices and learned numerous skills during their transition from player to coach.
“You need to be a natural leader,” senior coach Graham Schwab said of his role. “You need to have good body language. You need to have a strong voice, and you need to understand your players.”
Junior coach Tino Velasco had similar advice for those players stepping into the leadership role of Powder Puff coach. “Just be patient and also be nice. [Don’t] put too much pressure on [players] or force them to do anything that they don’t want to do,” Velasco said.
These skills, however, are challenging for most new Powder Puff coaches to attain, as they have experience playing football but not coaching it.
“In years past, it’s been a big wake up call for them. Coaching isn’t as easy as they think,” Kinetic Wellness teacher and varsity football Coach Christopher Villafuerte said. “Some [coaching skills] will have to be acquired over time, but hopefully after a couple practices they’ll all have it.”
Most new coaches take what their varsity coaches have taught them and use these lessons to better their coaching methods.
“I’ve gotten coached for a couple years now on how to play quarterback,” Velasco said. “So [I’ve been] taking some of what I’ve learned, giving it to the [Powder Puff] girls so they can learn.”
The transition, however, is not always a smooth one.
“It’s a little difficult to get used to watching rather than doing,” Claycombe said. “The position of power is a little bit changing.”
For the junior coaches, this environment is totally new, while the senior coaches have experience from their 2026 Powder Puff win.
“We already are used to the game environment and the practice environment, and we know what to expect with the refs, the crowd, the players, the fans, everything,” Schwab said.
So how did that all turn out for the coaches?
Prior to the game, the junior coaches were unphased by the current seniors’ 2026 win, focusing on looking toward the future rather than the past.
“I feel pretty confident even though it is like, my first time ever coaching anything, but I’m excited,” OH junior coach Declan McClure said.
After the game, these 16 boys transitioned back to players, but this time, they carry with them the knowledge and empathy they gained as coaches.
And for lucky coach McClure, he took back the confidence that came with a win, too, as the junior Power Puff team beat the senior team 24-14.
Hello! My name is Cecelia Mottet and I am a senior at Oswego High School. This is my first year on the 42Fifty staff, and I am happy in my role as a Staff Reporter. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication.
Hello, my name is Celeste Jones and I'm a Senior here at Oswego High School. This is my first year of the 42Fifty staff , and I am proud to serve the role as the staff reporter for 42Fifty this year. I do a sport here at Oswego High school additionally out of the 42Fifty staff team. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my
name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
