Female cornerback breaks new ground

Lucie Nicholson walked onto the field for summer football practice. She noticed immediately that she was the only girl.

This is Nicholson’s first year playing football. She has tried martial arts, horseback riding and some other individual sports but no team sports. Her step-father was a defensive end and his stories about football encouraged her to try out this year. Nicholson is a cornerback and played against Southridge.

“It’s something that’s very possible,” says head football coach Jeremy Johnson, about girls and boys playing football together. “It’s not surprising to me … it doesn’t happen a ton but it’s been happening.”

Nicholson enjoys playing with the boys on the team so far and says the other players are “very nice.”

Johnson says other players on the team have been “responding well” to the idea of a girl playing next to them. “They know that [Nicholson’s] out there working just as hard as they are and just as hard as she can to be a better football player.”

Nicholson believes it would be fun if other girls would join the football team.

Johnson is “all for it” if other girls want to join.

“We need the team to be bigger,” says senior Grant Miller. “Nothing’s really changed [since Lucie joined], we still approach things the same way.” He also believed it’s fine if other girls want to join the team.

“It’s overall a really good experience,” Nicholson says.