After watching their older brothers play football with the Oxford Junior Wildcats, 10-year-olds Kylie Reis and Madison Westmoreland decided they wanted to be the first girls to ever strap on their shoulder pads, put on a helmet and join the team.
‘It feels really special,? Kylie said with a slight giggle, which is then echoed by Westmoreland. ‘We just knew we wanted to play.?
If it weren’t for their ponytails hanging outside the back of their helmet, you might never know it wasn’t a tough little boy running the field.
Reis and Westmoreland, who play as linebackers and fullbacks, finished their third season on the team this past fall, and what a way they’ve come.
The two Clear Lake fifth-graders both admit they didn’t know a thing about football before joining the team.
‘The first year, it was really confusing,? Westmoreland remembers. ‘I don’t think we were first string at all.?
Now, they know exactly what to do, when to do it and how to ‘tough-it-up? when they’re on the field.
Most of the boys on their team in the JV 8-10 division were cool with the fact two ‘chicks? would be on the team, and if they weren’t, they got a low, fast tackle from Reis, proving you don’t need a Y chromosome to play football.
Although Westmoreland remembers hearing some players from the opposing team say stuff like ‘there’s girls on the team! We’re gonna beat ’em!? it only made them more aggressive on the field.
‘One little boy told his mom he’s afraid to really tackle the girls,? said Dawn Reis, mother of Kylie. ‘But they fully expect to get tackled. They truly are tough.?
And don’t think they’re given any leeway when it comes to practicing.
‘It is a tough sport even at that level,? said Jim Reis, Kylie’s dad who helped coach the team. ‘They still do tackling, conditioning, running and push-ups.?
So far, the girls have no plans to play football in high school, but they may still try out for the team when they enter the sixth grade this fall.
For now, though, they hope their perseverance will help other young girls to think about joining the team. ‘It was definitely a positive experience for them,? Jim said.