There are plenty of athletic opportunities for local school kids to get involved in sports, but girls' tackle football isn't one of them — at least not officially.
No high school in America offers a dedicated girls' tackle football team.
Yet, Colman-Egan students Tayla Kerkhove, a freshman, and Tenley Quick, an 8th grader, don’t care. They just want to play and be taken seriously for what they bring to the field.
Thanks to Title IX, they have the right to try out for the boys' team and earn a spot. Both girls, if you attend a Hawks game this season, are right there on the field with their peers each week.
Kerkhove, who has dreamed of playing tackle football since childhood, is sidelined this season due to a health issue. Her mother, Alaina, said doctors don’t believe the condition is football-related, but they want to ensure it doesn’t get worse.
Still, Tayla is at every practice and every game, suited up in her jersey, cheering on and working with her team from the sidelines.
One of eight children, Kerkhove has a twin brother who also plays and two older brothers who taught her how to be tough. She started playing with Oldham-Ramona last year before her family transferred to Colman-Egan. This is No. 86's first season with the Hawks.

The lineman, running back, and tight end hopes to suit up for the rest of her high school career if she’s able.
“I had some teachers tell me tackle football isn’t for girls, so I didn’t do it sooner. I regretted it,” said Kerkhove.
“Everybody talks about the rush you get on the field. It’s nice to feel that—I’ve always been a bit more rugged.”
Her mother agrees, saying it always just seemed natural that she would play a male dominated sport and along with that, be a lineman.
“Tayla has walked through life taking the world by storm…I have enjoyed watching her gain the confidence to stop someone twice her size, the joy of working with a team, and her willpower to break a stereotype,” said Alaina.
Quick, meanwhile, gets most of her playing time with the junior varsity team as a running back, tailback, or fullback. Sometimes, she also plays safety or lines up on the offensive line.
“I just like the contact—it’s fun,” said Quick, who wears No. 13. “At first, you might think only boys can play this sport, but a lot of girls play tackle football.”
In fact, last week’s homecoming opponent, Estelline/Hendricks, is one of the few other schools in the area that’s ever had a girl on the team, they noted.
Both girls feel they still have something to prove to their male teammates, but they plan to stick with the sport.
“She’s always approached it like she’s just one of the guys, and her coach has been very supportive,” said Quick’s mother, Emily. The family backs her completely and has asked the coach to treat her like any other player.
“It’s fun to watch her out there, seeing things click in her head, and then she goes and gets it done. We braid her hair, and it’s under her helmet — most teams don’t even know she’s a girl. It’s cool to see her playing at their level, doing what’s expected, and having the skills to pull it off,” Emily said.
Emily added that she hopes Tenley takes away one key lesson from her football experience: confidence.
“Just showing her that if you are determined and motivated to do something, you can do it, regardless of the road blocks that might come up. You’ve got the skills to persevere, don’t let anyone tell you no.”