Valerie Zakirov, Charlotte Tornee and Samantha Ferrato slide on their helmets, secure the chinstraps and trot back out onto the football field.

Zakirov joins her fellow linemen on the far side of the field where they’re working on speed and tackles.

When it’s her turn, Zakirov drops down on her back and stares into a cloudless sky. One of her teammates is laying opposite her in similar fashion, football in hand. At their coach’s command, both players spring to their feet, face each other, sprint across the three short yards dividing them, and collide.

On the opposite side of the end zone, Tornee and Ferrato are running through a coverage drill. Tornee runs backwards as Ferrato sprints forward, the intended receiver for this imaginary play. Tornee’s job is to keep Ferrato in range and, once she darts left or right, make her move to break up the pass or snag an interception.

Zakirov (junior lineman), Tornee (freshman kicker, wide receiver, defensive back) and Ferrato (junior wide receiver, defensive back) all have a love for the game of football and, this season, they have become the first three girls to ever don the Fountain Hills High School jersey with the word “Falcons” emblazoned across the chest.

First step

Zakirov, Tornee and Ferrato all began considering trying out for the high school football team last school year. While Zakirov and Ferrato knew each other from school, none of the girls had any idea that the others were also considering joining the team.

“I played football at the middle school, so I figured I’d be the only girl trying out,” Tornee said.

“I thought I’d be alone again.”

She wasn’t alone, though, as both Zakirov and Ferrato ran into each other at a meeting held last winter for students who were interested in going out for the team.

“I played powder puff last year and I saw the guys practicing a lot last year and thought it looked fun, so I thought I’d give it a shot,” Zakirov said.

“Plus, football is my favorite sport.”

Tornee and Ferrato used to be cheerleaders. After a while, they both decided that playing the game might be more fun than watching it.

“I did cheer in seventh grade, so I used to watch all of the games,” Tornee said.

“I got really jealous of the guys because they were playing the game so, my eighth grade year, I decided to go out for the team. It’s great. Every year you get, like, 22 new brothers.”

Ferrato had a similar experience. She was a cheerleader in middle school and, as a sophomore, she started helping out the varsity team by videotaping their games from atop the press box.

“I used to ride the bus with them and they would just get so pumped up before the game,” she said. “I would get so jealous, because I’ve always loved football and wanted to play.”

Ferrato said it was actually some of her fellow Falcons who made it known to her that her desire to play football didn’t have to remain a fantasy.

“I’d be talking with some of the guys and they’d tell me, ‘You know, girls can play, too,’” Ferrato said.

“Once that was made known to me, I decided I might as well go for it.”

Helmets on

“It felt good the first time I was fully dressed in the uniform,” Zakirov said, describing her first time hitting the field in full gear.

“It was like, I actually made it. I didn’t quit.”

The girls began practicing with the team early last spring, going through the pre-season workouts, the scorching summer camp and, once the school year finally got rolling, donning the pads and running headlong into the season.

“It’s an adrenaline rush,” Tornee added.

“When you first put on all of the pads, it starts going through your mind that, hey, we’re going to tackle today and I finally get to show what I can do and earn the respect of my teammates. Even for the guys out there, you have to earn that respect from everyone.”

Ferrato agreed.

“It was definitely different,” she said.

“We were actually doing some training as early as February last school year and the first bit of it was more of a learning process. Then, once you got those pads on, you knew that that was the real start of the season. We were so pumped and ready to show that we didn’t quit, that we plan on staying and that we’re going to play football.”

Little resistance

The girls said they all understand that, no, what they wanted to do wasn’t necessarily considered “normal.” It’s not unheard of for a girl to play football, but it’s traditionally a male-dominated sport.

“But none of the ladies had any intentions of letting something like that stand in their way.

“At first the guys were a little weird about it, but after a while they just became like our brothers,” Zakirov said.

“They care for us and look after us. Sure, they go hard but, at the end of the day, they know we can take it.”

Tornee said that she was worried the first time she went out for the team but, after a while, the guys started to treat her like one of their own.

“And that’s really what you want,” she said.

“When you go out on that field, you want to be treated like one of the guys, not some girl who chooses to play football. You’re one of them. No different.”

Ferrato agreed.

“I used to be so nervous, just going out there,” she said.

“They didn’t know me. But now we’ve all proven ourselves and they’ve definitely come to acknowledge that we’re no different than they are.”

The girls said their families also came around to the idea of their playing football pretty quickly.

“My dad was actually okay with it,” Zakirov said.

“After a while, my grandma and my mom were like, you love the sport, you can do it. They worry sometimes, but I’m fine out there.”

Tornee said her mom was actually the one who encouraged her to hit the field. She used to say that it looked fun to play football, and her mom told her that she should give it a shot.

“My dad was a little hesitant, though, because I’m his little girl,” she said.

“I think he was worried that I would get hurt, but he’s really supportive now.”

Ferrato’s family was with her from the start, but they told her that if it was something she wanted to do, that she would have to be fully committed to it.

“So that was something I understood from the get-go,” she added.

“They worry, obviously, but my whole family is like, ‘You go girl. You’re out there proving yourself.’”

Brotherhood

More than anything, though, the girls said that being a part of the team has been the best part of going out for football. From the practices and team dinners to getting to know each other on and off the field, they said that the camaraderie is second to none.

“I’m a junior on the JV team, so I didn’t know a lot of the guys before the season,” she said.

“I’m really close friends with all of them now, and we all work together and help each other out.”

Ferrato said that the team pulls together in unexpected ways, too. If a player is ineligible due to grades, for instance, they make plans to meet before practice and work on their homework together.

“We say ‘Let’s sit down and work something out,’” she added.

“In so many ways, we all look out for each other.”

Friday night lights

Zakirov described her first time on the football field, under the lights and surrounded by cheering fans, as a “crazy” experience.

“It’s amazing being out there,” she said.

“You never know what to expect but, when it’s all said and done, you’re like, ‘I did it. Everything is okay.’ It’s just a lot of fun.”

“It’s really fulfilling,” Tornee added.

“You’ve shown yourself that you can do what you set out to do. You’ve achieved something.”

Ferrato, on the other hand, pulled a few quotes from the coaching staff.

“We had a game yesterday and it’s like our coaches said, you have to go out there, look the other person in the eye and say, ‘I want this more than you,’” she said.

“It doesn’t always come down to who is technically better. It comes down to who wants it more, and who can prove that they want it more. So I go out there and I give it my best.

“When I look back on this, I’m going to know that I never gave up and, if I had, I would have missed out on this whole wonderful experience.”