image credit: WAFB

Kendall Breland, a high school senior from Mississippi, made history last week. Breland, who plays for the varsity team at Laurel High School, scored her first touchdown. She’s believed to be the female first varsity player in Mississippi’s history to achieve such a feat. The Laurel team was up 7-0 when Breland scored in the first quarter of the game, and ultimately beat Wingfield High School 61-14.

Breland’s victory comes at a time when more young girls are breaking the gender barrier in school sports. Fifteen year-old Little League player Mo’ne Davis attracted a flurry of press in 2014 after her powerhouse pitches helped lead her team to victory. In 2015, a traveling basketball team of Virginia middle schoolers faced disqualification over a female teammate.

Though she’s played on the varsity team for 3 years, Breland says that she’s been playing football for 9 years. She was met with some opposition when she first tried to join the team at Laurel High School. Her coach Todd Breland (no relation) event tried to talk her out of it.

“I had never coached a girl in football, but she was so adamant that she wanted to play, so I gave her a shot to see what [happened],” Breland told Revelist. “After the first year, I wouldn’t let her quit if she tried. She’s been around the program, she never asks for attention… She’s just like any other teammate, and she just loves the game of football.”