Harrison Teen Turns Heads As Lone Girl On Huskies' JV Football Team

HARRISON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- From the sidelines to the 50-yard line, a high school student has made a difficult sports transition.

"The fact that people told me I couldn't do it made me want to do it more," Ashley Bocek told CBS2's Lou Young.

Bocek, a 5'0" 120-lbs, receiver and safety for the Harrison High School JV Huskies, spent her freshmen year watching the boys play as a cheerleader, and decided that she could do it too.

"I was a base so I got some strength from holding up the girls, lifting the girls, once I started working out with the football players that really helped me," she said.

Neither the school nor the team was entranced with the idea, but federal law required them to give her a shot.

"They didn't want me on the team, they thought I was just kidding about the whole situation, but as the season went on I got acceptance," she said.

They like their football in Harrison where the team has won 5 league championships in 11 years. Their rival Rye is right next door.

Winning in Harrison may be more important than breaking gender barriers, but doing both seems to go down just fine.

"It's a violent sport, but if she can keep up with the guys, all good for it," Jeff McGraw said.

It was a 6-2 season for the JV Huskies. Ashley played in every game and made a key tackle in the season finale. She also managed to overcome her parents' alarm at the start of the process.

"We practiced a lot and I stopped worrying. She's a strong girl," her father John explained.

Ashley said she plans to try out for the varsity team next year.