Sep 22, 2015 5 min read

Extra points rarely receive much attention at football games. It’s the one play where fans can rush to the restroom or the concession stand before the next offensive play.

But that’s not the case at Wash High Stadium this season.

When Lilly Christy trots onto the turf with her long blonde hair flowing down the back of her jersey, there’s often an ovation that rivals the one received after the touchdown. Christy, a freshman at Washington, has become a fan favorite.

That was the last thing on her mind over the summer. Since the Prexies lost their kicker from last season, a few friends mentioned to Christy, who is the starting defensive center-midfielder on Wash High’s boys soccer team, that she should give kicking a try.

Despite her confident nature, Christy was skeptical at first. She doesn’t even like football, but quickly decided to go for it.

“I thought, ‘Hey, why not?,'” Christy recalled. “Whenever I asked the coaches, they seemed really into it so I just went out and did it.”

Christy’s older brother, Alex, recently ended his football career at Wash High, so naturally, Joe and Danielle Christy thought their time watching their child play high school football was over. They expected to just follow Lilly’s soccer career, which included winning a state championship with her club team over the summer, but that quickly changed.

“We told her that if that’s what she wanted to do, we’d support her 100 percent,” Joe Christy said. “She took it upon herself. I said, ‘I wish I could coach or teach you how to do this, but I have no idea.’ The kids and coaches have been great to her and we’re just really proud. She has been in pressure situations before with playing competitive soccer, but again, she is only 14 so you don’t really know how she’ll handle it.”

Lilly grabbed footballs and went to Cameron Stadium with Joe to give it a try. To her surprise, there was a little more to it than kicking a soccer ball. But with each kick, she got better.

Next came Christy’s first practice with the Prexies’ football team. With Joe watching from the stands, Lilly drew a few looks from her new teammates. Their eyes grew wider when they saw the 5-7, 125-pounder kick field goal after field goal with her longest from 47 yards.

She joined Cassie Closser and Danielle Vanderlee as the only females to play football for Wash High.

“At first, I really wasn’t ready whatsoever,” Christy said. “It was a little bit different than what I thought it would be, but I just kicked it. I didn’t think about it. I was a little nervous at the first practice, but I also knew I could do it.

“People were giving me looks, but if somebody new came to my team, I’d give them looks, too. It was a little weird at first.”

Playing on a team with boys wasn’t anything new. Christy had been practicing with the boys soccer team and is one of two females who play for the Prexies. Wash High does not have a girls soccer program.

Christy gets changed in the trainer’s room before football games and quickly earned the respect of her teammates.

Along with senior Max Dragich, another soccer player who kicks for the football team, Christy has added a new element to the Prexies’ potent offense. In three games, she has made all 10 of her extra-point attempts, giving her more points than two teams in the WPIAL.

Wash High head coach Mike Bosnic did not hesitate to encourage Christy to join the team and said he would feel “very confident” sending Christy or Dragich out to kick a field goal, something the Prexies (3-0, 3-0) have yet to do.

“It’s been a great experience,” Bosnic said. “It’s been nice to have her around, see the kind of athlete she is and her dedication is great. I’m really impressed with her composure and she’s so mature.

“(Christy and Dragich) have added another dimension to our football program.”

When Wash High opened the season at Derry Sept. 2, Christy anxiously stood on the sideline waiting for her chance to show what she can do. Dragich kicked the first three extra points. But after Kurt Adkins’ touchdown run in the third quarter, Bosnic called Christy’s name.

When their daughter stepped onto the field, Joe and Danielle were in the stands, fighting nerves and debating whether to watch their daughter. They did not fear injury, only a possible miss. She quickly erased those worries, kicking the ball through the uprights.

“I was very nervous,” Lilly Christy said. “But as soon as I heard Coach Bosnic call my name, I really didn’t have any nerves. I went out there, I did what I do and I made it. I really didn’t have time to be nervous, but afterwards, I was shaken up. I thought, ‘Wow, I really did it.'”

Lilly does have her share of fans who marvel at a female being on the team, but she’s simply enjoying the camaraderie and experience. That doesn’t mean balancing two sports and excelling at both has been easy.

“My legs are really tired,” Christy said with a laugh. “Some days I go from football to soccer and some days I go from soccer to football, but it’s really worth it. Being a part of the team has been eye-opening.”