VVHS Sophomore Girl Starts For Varsity Football

By AMY DAVIS

The Progress

Dressed in full uniform, she looks just like one of the guys, But 15-year-old Virgin Valley High School sophomore, Ana Tausinga, is anything but. In fact, Tausinga is an inspiration of “girl power” on display every week under the Friday Night Lights of high school football.

Tausinga has been playing football with this group of boys for almost 4 years now. But with the COVID-19 pandemic canceling last year’s season, this is the first year Tausinga has really been up against a full roster of other high schools.

After Friday night’s close loss against SLAM Academy, VVHS is now 4-1 for the season. Tausinga plays right and left tackle on the offensive line and tackle on defense as well.

Tausinga said that she hopes to be an example to all girls with a dream. “If you set your mind to something, you can do it,” she said.

Head Football coach Matt Woods said that Ana is a great asset to the team. “She never complains, never has any excuses, always gives you everything she’s got,” Woods said. “Ana is a pleasure to have on the team for sure.”

As far as anyone can recollect, Tausinga is the only girl to have played football for VVHS. Rather than her gender causing controversy, she has been supported by teammates and coaches alike every step of the way.

“Ana started for us against Boulder, not as a sophomore, not as a girl, but as a football player,” said Coach Woods. “That is how we look at her, as a football player. We treat her like a football player because she is expected to be one and she acts no different. You wouldn’t know that she is not one of the boys.”

Ana has played in all five varsity games so far this season.
“There may be a game where she gets to go down and play on with the JV but as of right now, she is a varsity player, and she has a varsity mentality,” Woods said. “She has no doubts. She believes that she belongs, and she does.”

Tausinga says her teammates have supported her every step of the way. “When I started thinking of going out for the team all of them said that I should go for it and to just be careful.”

Ana’s parents are proud of her efforts, and appreciative of the support that she has received from both coaches and teammates.

“If I had one thing to say to the parents of the boys here it would be to tell them that accepting Ana, means so much to her dad and me,” said an emotional Kristi Tausinga. “They look out for her but also treat her as an equal and that has been so fun to watch. I Have so much respect for the boys and the parents who raised them.”

Ana also plays basketball and softball. She hopes to be able to play softball in college.
“I love football!” Ana said. “Maybe not the conditioning, but you gotta deal with it. The games make everything worth it.”

Ana may get a lot of support from her team, but what about opposing teams? Do they take advantage of the fact that she is a girl out on an athletic battlefield full of boys? Thanks to the uniform, Ana says “no.”

“Most of the time, the boys on the other team can’t tell I am a girl,” Ana said, “unless I make a sack or something and they say my name over the loudspeaker, and they pick it up from that. But honestly, they have never known.”

Ana has already sustained two concussions in her high school athletics career: one from soccer and one from football. The deal between Ana and her mother is if she gets another concussion, then she will have to hang up her cleats.

“That is something we made an agreement on,” said Kristi.
“I am super proud of her, but there is definitely always that fear of her getting hurt,” Kristi confides. “It is nerve wracking as a parent watching her play.”

Ana is up at 5 o’clock every morning lifting weights at the gym.
“Ana used to be bigger than most of the boys but they have all surpassed her now,” Kristi said. “But I can see that her strong work ethic helps her hold her own.”

“Everywhere we go we have little girls calling Ana’s name,” adds Kristi. “They just love her, and Ana is so good with them. She encourages them and supports them and is able to be a light to them,” concludes Kristi. Ana and her mother would love to do a workshop to empower little girls to chase their dreams.