WMC Powderpuff Game

Morris Central High School on Saturday, Oct. 28, for a good cause. Senior Hayden Scotti, right, runs for daylight as junior Julianna Rolli gives chase during the West Morris Powderpuff foo Photo by Mark Kitchin 1 of 4. The event raised $1,559 for Long Valley charity Sarah’s Fight for Hope. About 150 people watched the Seniors defeat the Juniors 35-0 in the hour long flag football event. Jill Nestor and Hayden Scotti each scored twice and Sophie Holl had two passing touchdowns for the seniors. It’s the second consecutive year that the Powderpuff Game raised money for Sarah’s Fight for Hope. The traditional game was not played during the Covid years but returned last year. “Last year, the seniors did it and we were all very close to them,’’ organizer Julia Rojas said. “We wanted to carry on what they did and try to make it even better. “It was a tradition but then with Covid and everything we couldn’t do it. The seniors last year brought it back and we decided to do it again. “I think everyone enjoys it. There were a lot of volunteers for players. There were a lot of people willing to help out today.’’ Organizers Rojas, Sammie Mancuso, Mackenzie Flammer and Jen Ryan also held a fundraiser at The Coffee Potter coffee shop in Long Valley to provide some of the proceeds. Sarah Crowley was 14-years-old when she was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2016. She died in 2017, just a year shy of the diagnosis. According to the Sarah’s Fight for Hope Foundation’s website, childhood cancers are often different from those that develop in adults. They are often the result of DNA (gene) changes in cells that occur early in life, sometimes even before birth. Those cancers are not strongly linked to lifestyle or environmental risk factors. Cancer is the leading disease-related cause of death in both children and adolescents. Many early symptoms of childhood and adolescent cancer are nonspecific and shared by common childhood conditions, which make them difficult to diagnose early. Sarah’s Fight For Hope recently provided $42,000 to 10 families that have children battling cancer. The charity supports families of children receiving treatment at the Valerie Center at Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown and Cancer Institute of New Jersey in New Brunswick Sarah Crowley’s birthday was on Thursday, Oct 26. She would have turned 22 years old. Her mother Ingrid attended the game and spoke to the students and crowd afterwards. “This week has been a bit of a hard week,’’ Crowley said. “Coming here seeing the kids still supporting the foundation, it lifts my spirits. Thank you to everybody who organized it, everybody who volunteered, and everybody who came out to support the girls. We appreciate it.’’