The outside linebacker charged to tackle her opponent. Moments later, freshman Sofie Lespagnol hit the ground. Her head began to throb as the clock hit 40 seconds.
Lespagnol is the outside linebacker as well as the only girl who plays for the Legacy High School Freshman football B team.
“Once I put on pads and a helmet, it doesn’t matter that I’m a girl,” Lespagnol said.
Lespagnol started off playing football at the age of 7. Since then, she has suffered from two concussions as well as being judged for her passion, but that hasn’t stopped her.
Sofie Lespagnol, 9, prepares to catch a ball at practice.
“It takes all of us being honest and dedicated to the game, because when we win, all of the hard work has payed off,” Lespagnol said.
The football team practices every day after school, so Lespagnol and the boys quickly learned to balance sports with academics. To be eligible to play in the games, each member has to be passing all of their classes. Once they accomplish that, winning a game is that much more special.
“I have always enjoyed the contact of the sport and the strategy it takes to play,” she said.
As a linebacker, Lespagnol protects her teammates on the field by suppressing the outside areas of the opponent’s formation. Her favorite moment from this season was taking down a player much greater in size. Events similar to these continue to reinforce the idea that Lespagnol is capable of doing anything a boy can.
“I think that if someone wants to play a sport, they shouldn’t be discriminated against,” she said. “From the beginning, people were always shocked when I told them I play football.”
Lespagnol continuously deals with comments or hate from others by staying inspired with her personal success and achievements. Things like young girls coming up to her after games to say that they aspire to play football like her one day are what keeps her going.
“The team treats me like I’m no different than any of the other guys. They’re my family,” Lespagnol said.
