This year’s Powder Puff football games were both nip-and-tuck contests that came down to the wire. In both games, the older players were able to hold on down the stretch, with the seniors beating the juniors 12-7 and the sophomores outlasting the freshmen 13-12.

The game is a fund-raiser for the Demopolis City Schools Foundation and featured not only female players but also male cheerleaders dressed and made up like females — kind of.

In the first game, the sophomores took an early lead when Gloria Allen ran a touchdown with 12:22 left in the first 20-minute half. The extra point gave the Class of 2011 a 7-0 lead.

The freshmen responded when Audrey Johnson caught a touchdown pass from Megan Smith with 4:45 left in the first half. The extra-point attempt failed, with the sophomores leading by a scant 7-6 margin at halftime.

The sophomores struck again early in the second half when Melanie McCrory ran for a TD with 17:47 left in the game. The two-point conversion failed, but the sophs held a 13-6 lead.

After the sophomores turned the ball over on downs, the freshmen marched down the field, with quarterback Megan Smith running it in for a score with 2:37 remaining. The two-point conversion failed, with the sophomores holding out for a 13-12 win.

The second game featured a battle between the upperclassmen. The seniors got on the scoreboard first when Amber Griffin found Shay Smith on a touchdown pass with 12:54 left in the first half. The conversion attempt failed, but the Class of 2009 had a 6-0 lead, a score that held up to halftime.

At halftime, the cheerleaders put on a performance at midfield including dance numbers, cheers and a little “Single Ladies Dance.”

The seniors struck again in the second half when Amber Griffin hit Cammie Johnson on another touchdown pass with 13:17. Again, the conversion failed, but the seniors extended their lead to 12-0.

The juniors got back in the game when Kierra Howard ran for a touchdown, then score the one-point conversion to narrow the gap to 12-7 with 8:33 left in the game. The juniors got the ball back and marched down the field, but turned the ball over on downs with 2:30 left in the game, with the seniors winning 12-7.

The game may be the final official Demopolis High School function at Memorial Stadium if the new stadium is completed in time for this year’s graduation later this month.