Since becoming the first female to score a touchdown in Illinois High School Association football, Rebecca Deluca-Lane has been fielding questions from other girls about joining the gridiron
She tells them being a girl in a traditionally male-dominated sport means having to work extra hard on the field to show she belongs.
“It’s very competitive. You have to be able to do what the guys do. You have to work harder out there and try to be ‘one of the guys,'” Deluca-Lane said. “My mom reminds me to be aggressive when I’m out there. I have to do this for me and I have to do this for the team.”
Her record-setting touchdown came Sept. 11 when the senior wide receiver for the Glenbard East Rams recovered a fumble in the end zone against East Aurora High Schoo. Deluca-Lane saw her teammate fumble the ball and watched it bounce into the end zone. She outran the defense and dove on top of the live ball for six points.
“It was very exciting. I couldn’t believe I scored a touchdown,” Deluca-Lane said. Her team went on to win 56 to 12.
The significance of what she’d done didn’t become clear until the next practice session when Coach John Walters gathered the team and announced she had become a football trailblazer.
Deluca-Lanehas played football, baseball and other sports with her brother Jeremy and other neighborhood children since she was small. After her brother was injured playing football for Glenbard East and decided to not return to the team due to a desire for a military career, Rebecca, a junior at the time, stepped in
Before asking permission, Colleen Lane said her son and daughter discussed it, then Lane, who initially balked at the idea, struck a deal with Rebecca, telling her if she could handle the summer training program, then she could play.
“I didn’t think she could do it, but she did,” Lane said.
Deluca-Lane said she knew she could handle the game the first time she was hit by an opposing player. It was during her first season and a defenseman hit Deluca-Lane, driving her out of bounds and into the ground.
“It wasn’t that bad. I got up and got right back into the game,” she said.
Walters said he’s proud of all Deluca-Lane has accomplished in her two years playing for him and of her dedication to the team.
“She’s a part of the team. I have the same expectations for her that I do for the other members of the team. She’s not been treated any differently. Football is a rough sport and she’s handled it well,” Walters said. “You blaze your own trail and that’s what she’s done.”
He will not be surprised to see more girls follow her path, he said..
Following high school, Deluca-Lane said she hopes to pursue a career as a veterinary technician.
Keown is a freelance reporter.
