Wilmer-Hutchins High adds school's first female player to football team
A junior at Dallas ISD’s Wilmer-Hutchins High School is breaking barriers.
She's the school's first female kicker on the varsity football team.
Like a lot of girls who kick for their high school football teams, she has a soccer background.
It’s been Jackie Aguilar’s dream since middle school.
"Since sixth grade, I always wanted to be a kicker," The Eagles kicker said. "The reason I wanted to be a kicker was because every time I played soccer and I’d shoot the ball, everybody would tell me, ‘You have a strong leg.’"
It was Jackie's strong leg that got her a spot on the varsity football team at Wilmer-Hutchins High School.
"I’d see football players, and I heard they had a position for kicker," she said. "So I was like, ‘I want to be a kicker.’"
"It was very exciting. We were trying to find a boy kicker at the beginning of the season," said Manuel Zaragoza, Jackie’s kicking coach. "None of my soccer players wanted to kick. My previous kicker got hurt."
"My freshman year when I came over here, I talked to Coach Z since I was a photographer for the football team," Jackie said. "I was like, ‘I’m going to be a kicker for you one day.’ He was like, ‘No, you’re not.’ And I was like, ‘Yes, I am.’"
The high school junior made the varsity football team after trying out.
"The first game when everybody was in the stadium, they were just all looking at me," Jackie recalled. "I felt nervous at first. But when I first hit that pat and it went in, I just felt confidence in myself."
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That confidence had only grown.
"She came out here the first day, and I worked her out. She was awesome," Zaragoza said. "She barely missed any field goals, and she’s been very consistent."
The Eagles are now 4-0.
"It was just funny hearing people say, ‘She’s a girl! She’s a girl.’ It’s just so funny," Jackie said.
And Jackie takes pride in being the first female kicker at Wilmer-Hutchins High School and the message it sends.
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"It feels nice representing the girls because I want them to see how like people say it’s a man’s sport and only men play football, but girls can also play football, too," she said. "Girls can be a kicker. Girls can be other positions, too."
The eagles play next at home this Friday.