6th Grade Girl Tackles Barriers On Middle School’s Football Team

ST. LOUIS (CBS Local) — A sixth grade girl in St. Louis is finding success on the football field.

Taylor Ward, 11, plays on the offensive line for the Crunchtime Seminoles, a team organized by the non-profit North County Youth Association.

Ward credits her family with her interest in football.

“It started when my stepbrother tried football,” she told KOMV. “He convinced me to play football so I tried it.”

Ward and her team were invited to play at the World Youth Football Championships last year at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Ward’s coach Tabari Wayne said she is a focused player on the field.

“When she gets in the stands, it’s football time, everything else goes out the window,” Wayne said. “Then when the whistle blows, you might see her dancing back to the huddle or whatever. But she handles her own.”

Ward says she’d like to continue playing football until at least 8th grade and she may play in high school as well.