Erin Dimeglio is believed to have become the first female to play quarterback in a high school regular-season football game in Florida.
We introduced you to Dimeglio, a senior at South Plantation High School (Fla.), on Friday after her story began spreading online. Dimeglio played quarterback for an entire drive last week, but that was during a preseason game. On Friday night, she saw action at QB in a regular-season game.
Dimeglio, who also plays girls’ basketball for her high school, got into the game with under two minutes left. Her team was beating Nova 31-14 when her coach responded to chants from the fans to put her in.
Dimeglio handed the ball off twice from the shotgun formation and did not attempt a pass.
“I want to throw a pass, but we don’t want to throw a pass because it could be intercepted,” Dimeglio told The Miami Herald. “It wouldn’t be good to throw a pick and run back.”
Dimeglio, the team’s third-string quarterback, entered the game after both quarterbacks ahead of her saw action. She not only had support from the crowd, but also her coaches.
“God bless her,” South Plantation coach Doug Gatewood told The Associated Press. “She handles it better than anybody else. She goes on the field, she has single-minded focus. It’s crazy. It’s great publicity for the school, it’s a positive thing, but at the end of the day that’s not why we did it. We did it because she’s a legitimate third-string quarterback.”
And how did the 17-year-old respond to her big night? By complimenting her teammates on Twitter and talking about plans to head to the gym the next day:
S/O to
@duty43 and@tunacan71 and@wildbwoyhawaii for being the best O-line ever!— Erin Dimeglio (@ItsErinDimeglio) September 1, 2012
@morgankoehler we still going to the gym tomorrow?— Erin Dimeglio (@ItsErinDimeglio) September 1, 2012
Here’s an up-close look at Dimeglio’s first play (video via Manny Navarro):
