16-year-old becomes first female quarterback possibly in all of Florida to throw a touchdown pass
Hollywood Hills High School's football team may have lost the game against their rival, Hallandale, but quarterback Holly Neher won't soon forget it, the New York Post reports. In her first pass of her high school career, Neher, 16, became the first female quarterback in her county — and possibly the entire state of Florida — to throw a touchdown pass last week. "Coaches were screaming from the sidelines," Neher recalled. "Everyone started hitting me on the helmet."
Neher is only the second girl in Hollywood Hills' history to make the varsity football team, and her coach, Brandon Graham, said despite being just 5 feet 2 inches tall, she has the makings of a star. "There is something about her that is so inspiring for her teammates. They want to follow her," Graham said.
Neher encouraged other women who want to play football not to give up. "I hope that they all see how small I am and no matter what mindset or color, race, size, gender, you can do anything you want," she said.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.