On February 13th, Cailini girls showed up to campus ready to kick off Cailini 2025 with the preliminary games. Lined up for an exciting game of powderpuff, the air buzzed with energy and laughter as they sprinted across the field, dodging and weaving to avoid losing their flag. Their classmates gathered on the bleachers cheering loudly, their voices blending into a wave of support. This day marked the 50th year anniversary of Cailini.
The first matches were Freshmen vs. Seniors and Sophomores vs. Juniors. Both of the games had the audience invested into impressive catches and interceptions. Mrs. Simmons said, “ I loved hearing the crowd [when] there was an interception or a fumble. It truly shows how much the students are interested in the games.” The Seniors and Juniors secured their win against the opponents, advancing them to the prelim finals. The Sophomores were victorious against the Freshmen, earning them 3rd place. The Seniors and Juniors had a tight game that went into overtime. Eventually the Seniors won with a first place overall finish, followed by the Juniors in second, Sophomores in third, and Freshmen in fourth.
After the powderpuff games, the Cailini girls then gathered on the field to play three-round matches of tug-of-war to determine who would face off at the Cailini Finals at NSU on Thursday, February 20th. First, the Freshmen triumphed over the Juniors in the first round of their match. The Juniors quickly retaliated, establishing a 1-1 tie with one more round to go. In a tense moment, the Freshmen used their strength and spirit to defeat the Juniors, setting them up to compete in the finals the next week. After the Freshmen’s victory, the Sophomores faced the Seniors. In an early lead, the Seniors were victorious in the first round, encouraging the Sophomores to make their comeback. With another 1-1 tie with one more round left to go, the Seniors pulled through to secure their spot in the finals against the Freshman for first and second place. The Sophomores and Juniors were set to compete for third and fourth place on the 20th.
The competitive field day was later followed by a spirited pep rally. The students were very enthusiastic from the field day earlier that morning, carrying their school spirit throughout the pep rally. Mrs. Simmons said “Everyone was very engaging towards the games while teachers made it very interactive with the pom poms.” The first pep rally was a competition between the Freshmen and Sophomores in volleyball and dodgeball, and also included high-impact performances by all grades. The Sophomores were victorious in their volleyball match versus the Freshmen with the close score of 25-23. Meanwhile, the Sophomores won all rounds of dodgeball in a quick defeat against the Freshmen. At the next pep rally, the Juniors won both dodgeball and volleyball, sending the Seniors to play against the Freshmen at NSU the following week. The pep rally also introduced the winter sports teams, allowing the electrifying crowd to encourage their hard-working, high-achieving athletes.
Regardless of their scores or placement, everyone showed their enthusiasm and sportsmanship throughout the game and carried that energy with them to NSU!
