BRADENTON, FL - Football is not just for boys anymore.
"When someone told me there was a girl on this team, I thought they were playing," said Falcons' freshman quarterback Fred Billy.
"Two years ago, I had two or three girls walk up to me and say they were interested in playing football," said St. Stephen's Head Coach Tod Creneti.
"I said absolutely. We're not going to say no if you can compete."
If you've been to a falcons' game this season, then you've probably seen Kelsey Leskinen. In pads, she looks like a boy, and plays like a boy, but her distinct bouncing, blonde ponytail makes her quickly identifiable.
"I realized I wanted to play football when I was in 8th grade," Leskinen said. "I told my parents I was going to get my pads for practice and they said, 'pads?'"
In 2008, just a handful of girls played high school football, but that number has seen a constant and dramatic rise and now sits near 40.
The increase in number and popularity is evident at St. Stephens were not just one, but two girls play.
"There's a few other girls who want to play but their parents say, 'no,'" said sophomore defensive back Jessica Williams. "There's more strict parents than there are girls willing to play."
At three wins, and one loss, the falcons are off to a great start, thanks in part to Leskinen, who notched an extra point in their second win of the season.
"As soon as she took 2 or 3 steps on the field, the crowd went crazy," said Coach Creneti.
"It was amazing," Leskinen added. "I was so nervous. I took a deep breath and made it."