Cutter Morning Star cheerleaders and volleyball players stepped onto the gridiron Monday for a Powderpuff flag football game to raise money for the Savannah Walters Childhood Cancer Awareness Foundation.

The crowd erupted at every exciting play as the volleyball team won 32-6.

Cutter Morning Star family and consumer sciences teacher Madison Staton, along with Alicia McGlone, helped organize the event.

“Savannah was a student at our school, and in 2019, she passed away tragically from childhood cancer. Her mom, Kim Walters, is still active in our school. She does a big job of raising money for childhood cancer research, but she also offers a scholarship to our students who are interested in the medical field,” Staton said.

Eagles’ senior quarterback Peyton Mills coached the volleyball team.

“It (was) to raise money for childhood cancer and just to do something fun with the cheerleaders and the volleyball players, for our football guys to kind of switch things up,” he said.

Mills said the teams each had one practice to prepare for the game. Mills’ teammates, junior Brody Speers and senior Jackson Duncan, were co-head coaches of the cheerleaders’ football squad.

“I am a better coach than coach (Nick) Finley now,” Speers said jokingly. “We are going to win.”

Duncan said the game was played in a 7-on-7 format.

Cutter Morning Star senior Maggie McGlone, who made the switch to wide receiver for the Powderpuff game, said practicing for the game was fun.

“We got it together,” she said. “We do not really have plays; we run hail-mary (plays) every single time, but we have fun with it and we have a really good quarterback.”

During pregame, the cheerleaders and volleyball players had fun at each other’s expense with some light trash-talking.

Senior Libby Hood, the Lady Eagles’ middle blocker on the volleyball court, turned into an all-purpose back for the Powderpuff game and proved hard to stop.

“We (came) in ready,” Hood said. “We (were) locked in. I have been talking to my team and we (were) ready. … We have always been involved in (the cause) every year. This is a good new way to get more involved in it,” she said.

Mills said the game plan was to get the ball to Hood.

“I told our quarterback if she is not doubled or triple-teamed, then throw her the football,” he said.

Maggie McGlone said it is great that the money goes toward childhood cancer.

“It feels good,” she said. “We get to have fun and we (invited) all of our family, friends, and people at school.”

Some of the Cutter Morning Star football players became cheerleaders Monday night on the sideline, complete with pom poms and tutus.

Staton said there was much excitement around the game in the halls of Cutter Morning Star High School.

“I know a lot of our teachers have been kind of talking it up,” she said. “We have not had something like this at least as long as I have been here, so I know the community is really excited about it, and the girls (were) excited to do something, and I think the boys are probably more excited.”

Staton said the game was a great way to get the community involved and have fun.