New Kent Charles City Chronicle

News for New Kent County and Charles City County, Virginia | March 28, 2024

Young dons title as first female football player at Charles City

By Andre Jones | November 7, 2015 12:14 am

Freshman Tessa Young is the first female athlete to step onto the gridiron for Charles City's football team.

Andre' Jones photo

Running down the field on kickoff, Charles City’s number 66 engages with a Mathews’ defender. With the contact, she frees up a teammate to make a key tackle on the return man.

That’s right. She.

Charles City freshman Tessa Young is the first female athlete to play for the Panthers’ football team. Young, who spent most of her time on junior varsity this year, saw her first varsity action at Mathews County on special teams during the Oct. 30 match-up.

But Young is no stranger to playing with the boys. And the opportunity to perform on the gridiron started five years ago.

“She was playing with the boys at the community center but didn’t really know the rules and that upset her,” said Nora Adkins, Young’s mother. “When I found out that recreation football had a co-ed team, she wanted to play. She’s gifted athletically.”

Young spent most of her youth side-by-side with boys while participating in athletics. Along with recreation football, she has been the lone female on church league basketball teams and baseball teams. But make no mistake, she’s not on the team to be a spectator. Her off-season regiment includes trips to the Charles City fitness center and lifting weights with the rest of the team.

“I wanted to be the first girl on varsity [football],” Young said proudly. “I wanted to help my team anyway I can.”

“Her situation was unique,” chimed in Adkins. “The boys asked her to play because they have been playing with her since they were in recreation football.”

That work ethic and desire to compete prompted Charles City head coach Steward Greene to elevate the freshman to the varsity roster. She remembers her debut moment vividly.

“I was on kickoff and I had my good friend Cameron [Vaden] beside me,” she said, gleaming from ear-to-ear recalling the event. “We planned to hit this one guy and take him out and that’s what we did and it felt good.”

When Greene was approached with the possibility of Young playing football, he never turned her away.

“She’s a pioneer and a warrior,” the head coach commented. “She fit right in with the guys and has contributed to this program.

“I have had girls in the past toy with the idea playing, but you could see with Tessa that she was serious and genuine about it,” Green continued. “We welcomed her with open arms.”

And not only did the coaching staff welcome her, so did her teammates.

“I have never had a problem with them telling me that I couldn’t do it because I was a girl,” Young said. “They encouraged me and they stood up for me.”

For her mother, it is something that she’s gotten accustomed to seeing on a regular basis.

“I’m use to her being the only girl on a lot of teams that she’s played for,” Adkins said. “Her first year, I stayed at every practice to make sure she wanted to do it. I wanted to give her support because she was so gifted athletically.

“The main thing was standing up for her to see if she wanted to play at the high school level,” her mother continued. “I was going to stand up for her to receive the opportunity to play.”

As for the freshman, she has many goals on her slate related to football.

“I want to play until I graduate high school,” Young commented. “I want to be able to run the ball, score a touchdown and sack the quarterback.”

With all that said, Young knows that her historical achievement will now be viewed by other girls, something she hopes will encourage them.

“You put your mind to it and you can do it,” said Young on advice given to other girls who want to play football. “It’s all a mindset of wanting to do it.”