A soccer forward since second grade, freshman Dana Dalton played varsity this season at CC.  Her club Surf soccer team is currently ranked first in the nation for her division. Dalton stretches nonchalantly on the trainer’s table as though she was just getting ready for another soccer practice. But, today is different. Dalton is not on her way to a routine soccer practice. Dalton is preparing for a boy’s junior varsity football practice, and yet she casually stretches with teammates as though she had been playing this testosterone-dominated sport her whole life.

“I always thought of joining because of soccer, and I just want to expand my high school experience as much as possible,” said Dalton.

“And she’s fantastic at kicking!” chimed junior Xavier Ulutu, varsity football player. “It doesn’t matter that she’s a girl at all – I think it’s cool.”

This feeling of support for Dalton is widespread. “The coaches are the ones who encouraged me to try out in the first place,” Dalton said. There are no actual tryouts for football, but Dalton said the coaches just wanted to see her kick. And because of soccer, it came naturally to her.

“A football kick is called a soccer style kick anyway; they’re really similar,” said Dalton. “I kicked a 45- yard field goal the other day.”

But even with this impressive kick, Dalton explained that her goal for the season is to simply play in one game and make one field goal.

Dalton has two older brothers, but ironically neither played football. “Still, my dad was really supportive when I told him I joined the team. The next day he bought a football and tees and everything,” said Dalton. “Tim Semenza and Christian Fanning [varsity kickers] have been helping me a lot, too.”

Over the summer, Dalton will attend football practice in the morning followed by a soccer workout and soccer practice. All this hard work may soon pay off, as Dalton is already talking to a number of colleges for soccer.

Xavier Ulutu said, “My cousin Gina graduated from Mira Mesa high school a few years ago, and she actually got a football scholarship to Berkeley but decided to play softball instead.”

But Dalton was unfazed by this story. “For now, football is just a good high school experience,” she said.