This Teen Girl Is Her Middle School Football Team’s Starting Quarterback
High school football players going up against Maple Park Middle School are getting quite a surprise at end of games this season. While they may take notice of the opposing team's star quarterback, many don't realize the player is a girl: 13-year-old Neveah Spillman.
"I'll take my helmet off afterwards to shake hands, and it's, 'Oh, that’s a girl. Their quarterback is a girl,'" Neveah told WDAF-TV. "They are shocked, but I think they think it's pretty cool a girl plays football."
Neveah joined Maple Park's formerly all-boys team as the starting quarterback, and told WDAF-TV she was nervous to represent her school because she's previously only played in leagues in her community. But she's far from new to the game of football. In fact, she's been playing since she was 4 years-old. And now Neveah takes great pride in her responsibilities as team leader, because her teammates are counting on her.
"You have to take charge because you run the offense," she told WDAF. "You have to tell people their positions, what they need to work on to get better."
Her teammates are also supportive, and are more impressed with her skills on the field than the fact that she's a girl. "It doesn’t matter whether you are a girl or boy quarterback. It matters what you do on the field. Nevaeh can do a lot on the field," Daivion Allen, one of Neveah's teammates, told WDAF, also noting that "she does have a good arm."
Neveah understands she's breaking barriers and making history, and says she appreciates the attention she's getting. She told WDAF, "Most girls don’t get recognized for playing this kind of sport, so when you hear people talking about you, it makes you feel good."
Related: This 18-Year-Old Girl Just Got a College Football Scholarship
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