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First female kicker on her HS 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.
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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Throughout the week, Good Day's Lauren Przybyl has been sharing stories on her Facebook page about the fearless females who love football. When she first asked people to send in submissions, she did not expect the amount of messeges she received. There are so many girls in North Texas who are succeeding in the game. These are just a few.
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.
Female kicker to make school history during Mansfield ISD's Timberview HS playoff game
Emma Young is set to be the first female kicker, on the typically all-boys varsity football team, to play in the playoffs.
"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.