This year’s powderpuff flag football game between the Marblehead and Swampscott High senior girls at Marblehead’s Piper Field on Nov. 18 once again lived up to its billing for excitement, effort and competitiveness. Marblehead ended up prevailing, 21-14 after dropping its last two games. The victory also came with a touch of history, because it was senior advisor Jacqui Bouchard’s last game in charge of the team after an 18-year run.
Close games are usually decided by defense, and one of the leaders of the Marblehead defensive effort was cornerback Eva Walton, who’s known for her talents on the softball field the last four years as a Magician. Her play did not go unnoticed by defensive coordinator Cam Comstock.
“(Walton) held down her side of the field, to say the least,” he said.
Walton’s take on playing in this annual game that has been around for decades with her senior
classmates had a sense of appreciation.
“Playing powderpuff football with the girls in my grade was one of my favorite high school experiences,” she said. “From the first night of practice, everyone brought such a positive attitude, and was rooting for each other right off the bat.
“Over the past six weeks, we transformed from a group of classmates who knew little to nothing about football into a tight-knit family of best friends who brought home the win,” Walton added. “The toughest part of practice was deciding where everyone would succeed the most on the field, considering we had never played before. I started off on offense until I was moved to cornerback, and I’m so happy that I did.”
Walton is also certainly not downplaying the fact that she was on the last team that was headed up by Bouchard, the aforementioned team advisor.
“There are not enough good things to say about Jacqui Bouchard,” Walton said. “She created the most welcoming, enthusiastic and understanding atmosphere for our team.
“Jacqui taught us the fundamentals of powderpuff football, but just as important she taught us the values of integrity and pride in representing our town,” the star cornerback added. “She emphasized the importance of treating everyone with respect, while fostering a sense of unity through team bonding activities.”
As always, Bouchard assembled a group of senior boys to assist her as coaches, and their knowledge of the game helped Walton and her teammates pick up the game rather quickly.
“Before this experience, I had very little knowledge about the rules and positions on the football field,” Walton said. “The coaches really taught me everything about the roles and responsibilities of each player. My defensive coaches – Cam (Comstock), Hogan (Sedky) and Charlie (Sachs) – prepared us to react to Swampscott’s offensive plays, and they also eagerly answered any questions we may have had in practice.”
After all was said and done, Walton took what she had learned from the practices to be one of the game’s stars.
“During the game, I tried my best to block out all of the distractions to really just focus on the player with the ball,” she said. “If the player moved toward my side of the field, I would either chase them to the wing in order to corner them or go straight for their flag.
“I had never played football before powderpuff, but now I really enjoy watching and playing it,” Walton added. “Cornerback is my favorite position, because chasing down the flag and lining up next to your closest friends is so much fun. I love the team camaraderie of being a defender, while celebrating like crazy with them when someone successfully grabs a flag.”
Growing up, Walton played soccer, basketball, field hockey and softball to go along with being a
cheerleader. Her dad was always her biggest fan when it comes to sports. He coached her little league teams, but when he wasn’t on the sidelines, he was always in the front row at every cheerleading competition.
“My favorites are softball and cheerleading, because both sports push me to become a stronger athlete, both mentally and physically,” said Eva, who has participated in both the last three years at the high school. She’s the cheer and dance team captain this year, who recently led her teammates to the regional competition. Softball will be in the spring. She plans to go to college somewhere down south next year to continue as a football cheerleader, while majoring in communications, so she can become a broadcast journalist someday.
