The Highland athletic department heard the girls’ voices and now has created a girls’ football team. With this, girls now have the opportunity to play flag football and show off their fierce skills on the field. But this decision took more years than you think for girls to play football. What if I told you that students have been demanding a girls’ football team for 30 years?

The old Highland Sun Newspaper from 1993 showed us that students and especially girls were way ahead of their time. Reporter Jennie Moser from 1994 wrote a story sharing the exciting news of Highland considering making a girls’ football team. Student-athletes from back then gave their opinion on this discussion such as varsity football player, Jarrod Towe, who said “If the girls want to play football, then let them, I’ll come and watch.”

 Gary Duke, a badminton player says “I think it’s a great idea. I agree with girls having separated sports.” Students were overall in agreement and support of girls having a football team and coming up with ideas on how it would work out with the boys’ football season but there was not much of a final decision on whether or not girls should play. In the past years, we can see how eager girls have been to get their own football team but now their prayers have been answered with the recent news. 

Highland has officially made a girls’ flag football team coached by Jason Lyons outside of school. The girls’ football team started off strong and played with passion to where they earned themselves a spot in the playoffs. Brock Farrel, the varsity head football coach sees this as an “opportunity for girls to have an athletic experience” and “some girls that can’t make the basketball team or she doesn’t play basketball can or choose not to play football” Brock added. This decision creates variety for our female athletes here at Highland who want to try something new. 

Football is something that a lot of people enjoy whether playing or watching. Sophomore flag football player Kaitlyn Lemaster shares her experience playing on the field and doing what she loves the most. This football player has always wanted to “play since a little kid and it’s fun to play and it’s a good environment to be around” Lemaster expressed. Many girls like Lemaster wanted to play football in 1993 but were never heard of until now where a bunch of girls are getting to play for the school. 

Just like in the past, most students were in favor of having a girls’ football team at Highland because they recognize that there’s girls out there who want to play football and be given the opportunity to express their passion for sports, especially football. Sophomore football player Carmelo Ward shares his support towards the girls football team by calling them “talented” and if they “want to play football, they should and keep playing.” 

Female athletes here at Highland are in agreement with having an option to play football even if it’s not their thing, it still gives other girls who enjoy football to play on a team. Sophomore athlete and swimmer, Julia Lamborn thinks “It’s a cool team but not my scene” and “It’ll open up more chances for girls to enter male-dominated sports and create a better atmosphere all around.” Football may not be everyone’s favorite but it still gives others the experience of being on a team and playing the sport they want to do. 

Even if football is mostly played by men there are still female athletes who want to play and have their own team. Highland and many other schools that have a girls’ football team are making an impact for all female athletes by showing that girls can also play football no matter what their gender is and that any athlete should be allowed to play the sport that they love.