A fun football rivalry on a Friday night has won a Dawson County High School student a national press award.

Senior Miranda Abe won a third place in feature photos in the National Scholastic Press Association contest.

The photo, taken with a Nikon D-5000, depicts junior Jackson Morgan being hit in the face with a ball of baby powder.

It was a football game against North Hall on a Friday night last year, Abe said. The students brought baby powder to the game. Weve done it before in a black-out or white-out versus the (opposing) students.

Abe said the students wanted to throw the baby powder at the rival student section, but were unable to get to the opposing side. So they just started throwing it at ours (student section), Abe said. This guy in the picture (Jackson Morgan)I think he threw a huge ball of baby powder on somebody and they were like oh, lets get you back.

There ended up being so much baby powder in the air it was difficult for people behind the student section to see the game. It was all fun and games, just trying to get some rivalry out there, Abe said.

Abe, yearbook editor-in-chief at Dawson County High, said she was at the game to get some crowd shots for the yearbook that night. It was pure luck being in the right place at the right time, she said about getting the shots.

Abe has been on the yearbook staff for three years. Honestly, she has been excellent from the start, said DCHS Business Education and Yearbook Advisor Beth Hamby. She always does top-notch work.

Hamby said Abe won another national award her first year on the yearbook staff. Abe placed second in the Columbia Scholastic Press Association for Academic Writing. Both of these awards really help prove she is a multi-talented journalist, Hamby said, and I am glad that she has been recognized in both areas.

Although Abe is now an award-winning photographer, she said its not something she plans to pursue as a career. I think its going to be more of a hobby, but I dont see myself giving it up, she said.

She said she got the photography bug from her mother. Shes always loved photography, Abe said.

Abe said that after high school, she plans to attend The University of Georgia and major in economics and international business with a minor in political science. She hopes shell get an opportunity to work at the student newspaper, The Red & Black.

But whatever she ends up doing, Abe most likely will have a camera in tow. I love taking my camera around everywhere and just taking random shots, she said.