JAMESTOWN, NY (WKBW) — Every person on a team is important.
But on the high school football field in Jamestown, a lot of respect goes to the kicker.
"Anytime you see somebody flourish on your team, you're excited," head coach Tom Lanworthy said.
Especially, when it's freshman Ella Propheter who's making history as the first female player to kick in a Jamestown uniform.
"I'm just so ecstatic that I get the opportunity to play for them," she said.
A soccer player for most of her life, Propheter wanted to try something new.
She played a year of pee-wee football in elementary school and with her dad coaching the JV team, she thought she'd give it another shot. The plan was to play for her dad on JV until varsity coach Tom Langworthy saw what she could do.
"We had a couple guys give it a try," he said about the kicking position. "It was pretty clear she was the best person we had for the job."
Propheter beat out the others by using the power of her leg. It's been an adjustment going from kicking a soccer ball to a football, but she's gotten the hang of things.
In her first ever varsity game, Propheter made five-of-six extra point attempts and every time that ball goes through the uprights, history is being made.
"Football's a sport where everybody can be included," Langworthy said. "It's something where if you work hard and have a good attitude, it's for you."
And it's why more and more young women are giving this sport a shot. Propheter's making her mark and hopes her journey and courage will inspire others to do the same.
"It's really hard sometimes to get yourself out there and get your name out there because you're a woman," she said. "It's so amazing to see the girls and women get on this field and show what they can do."
"Women in sports is powerful," added Langworthy. "I think she's going to be an inspiration to our community."
