Girls Show Grit on the Gridiron

Victoria Wilson plays tackle football for Victor's "B" gold team. "When I make a good hit or tackle it feels like I won the Super Bowl," Victoria says.

A handful of young women are playing competitive tackle football.

October 5, 2008 

John Boccacino
Staff writer

VICTOR — As the play unfolds on Victor Central School's football field, No. 29 bursts through the middle, shedding a blocker and brings the ball carrier down for a loss.

Afterwards, the defensive tackle, standing just 4-foot-9 and a sprite 90 pounds, returns to the line of scrimmage for the next play, not taking time to celebrate the fundamentallysound tackle.

Taking a business-as-usual approach has served this defensive tackle well, but the story of Victoria Wilson is anything but business as usual. She is one of a handful of area girls playing youth tackle football, and is thought to be the only girl in the Finger Lakes Youth Football and Cheerleading League.

Despite playing in an all-boys league, Victoria prides herself on being the feisty, spunky girl who loves challenging bigger players. More often than not, despite her physical limitations, Victoria will get the upper-hand over the opposing ball carriers.

Ever since she was little, Victoria has loved sports, especially football.

A member of Canandaigua's flag football teams the past three years, Victoria always wanted to play tackle football, but didn't receive the chance until her family moved to Victor last year.

After several games of tackle football against her older sister, Taylor, 15, and her male friends, Victoria elected to sign up for the Blue Devils team in June.

Now she's relishing her role on Victor's "B" gold team and looking forward to becoming a well-polished defensive player.

"I felt confident playing tackle football because I'd played a lot with my sister (Taylor) and her older friends, and I had success tackling those older, bigger players," said Victoria, 11, a sixth-grader at the Victor Intermediate School.

"The part I like most is tackling people and running after them. I love putting on my pads and hitting someone. When I make a good hit or tackle it feels like I won the Super Bowl."

Eric Smith is Victor's first-year "B" coach, and he admires Victoria's hustle, determination and drive on the field. Despite being one of the smallest players, Victoria shows a no-fear attitude, a trait that has endeared her to her coaches and teammates.

"Victoria works hard, she knows what her responsibilities are and where she needs to be in our different defensive formations and she fires off the ball well," said Smith.

"She's a tough kid who has gotten better since the year started. As a defensive lineman, the key to penetration through the offensive line is being quick off the ball and she's good at getting low, firing off the ball and watching the ball."

In Victor's recent game against Palmyra-Macedon, Victoria put together one of her best games, recording five tackles and impressing Smith with her toughness.

Word of her play has spread to school, where Victoria said she'll often receive encouraging words from her classmates. Others will mention how Victoria, being the lone girl in the league, has inspired them to try the sport next fall.

Usually a shy, quiet student, Victoria is slightly embarrassed by her celebrity status in school, but proud that other girls are interested in pursuing this traditionally-boys sport.

"Now everyone's talking to me, I sort of feel like I've become a celebrity; everyone knows I play the game and am the only girl," Victoria said as a smile crept onto her face.

"Before the season started I was really excited about the league, but I was nervous, too, thinking I wouldn't be able to succeed. Once we started practicing I wasn't that nervous and got more comfortable once we got more into the drills."

The Irondequoit Screamin' Eagles play in the Western New York Pop Warner Football League, and have two girls, Dominique Wojtczak and Krissy Bohrer, playing on the junior pee wee teams.

During a recent game Dominique noticed some players snickering as she assumed her position as a defensive end/tight end. Rather than allowing it to affect her mindset, Dominique used it as motivation to show the boys that girls can succeed at tackle football.

"No, I don't think it's unusual for girls to want to play tackle football, but everyone else does," said Dominique, 11, a sixth-grader at the East Irondequoit Middle School.

"People will say 'Hey, they have a girl on the team' and that motivates me, makes me want to get a tackle to show them girls can play.

"Some think it's weird that girls play football, but it's something I love."

Dominique has always chosen sports over Barbie dolls. Heather, Dominique's mother, knew the day would come when her daughter wanted to play football, but she still gets nervous watching her take a big hit.

"I'm concerned because she's petite, but they pad her up pretty good, and I'm okay with her playing," said Heather of her Dominique, who also plays basketball and soccer.

The older girls get, the more challenging the sport becomes, as boys reach puberty and become bigger and stronger, said Bob Herman, president of the Southside Cyclones Pop Warner program.

That lesson resonates with Irondequoit's Krissy Bohrer, in her second year playing Pop Warner.

"The players are bigger and there's way more hitting this year, but I expected that," said Krissy, 10, a fifth-grader at Rogers Middle School who is a tight end, guard and tackle for the junior pee wee team.

"It's harder for me to get to the ball carrier, they're faster and stronger than last year. It's going to keep getting harder the older I get, but I still like to hit and show everyone what I'm made of."

Source:  Rochester Democrat and Chronicle