Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.
It only took those six words from the movie Friday Night Lights to inspire 14-year-old Holly Phillips to join the Bow Valley Wolverines and become one of the only women to play football in the club’s history.
Phillips cracked the lineup and got her first taste of home field play, Saturday (June 14) at Millennium Field during the annual Brewster Bowl tournament. Playing corner and halfback, she’s learning new skills daily and has already impressed her coach.
“I’m lucky to play with some of the guys I do. They’re really welcoming. I’m learning a lot and I’m hopeful I can play more in the future,” said Phillips.
A big fan of Friday Night Lights, she said the idea just clicked one day while she was watching the show. The club has had women play for the team in the past, but Phillips is the first since head coach Chad McClenaghan took the reigns. She hopes she isn’t the last, and the coach would love to have more players like her.
“She’s a great addition to the team. She plays hard, she doesn’t step back for anyone and I think it’s cleaned up the boys’ behaviour a little bit, having her around,” McClenaghan said.
“She’s very tenacious, she’s aggressive and she likes to hit. When she hits, you can hear it. Some of the younger players, when they hit they kind of fall into one another. When she hits, you hear it. It’s pretty exciting.”
Like most rookies on the club, she’ll have to work for her playing time on what is a very deep Wolverines team this year, but she’s shown enough promise early on and doesn’t shy away from throwing and receiving big hits.
McClenaghan calls the current group the “most talented he’s ever coached” and he expects big things for the upcoming season. Mark Grain will be the club’s quarterback for the season, and Zak Janz will also be counted on as a big part of the club’s offence. The team spent more time in the gym this winter, and have added muscle to their impressive lineup.
“It’s the character of these players. They love being out there in the rain, snow and sunshine.”
