Meeting Lexi Pino on the street, you’d peg her for a typical teenage girl. She’s bubbly with a good sense of humor and a smile that goes ear to ear.
But getting a peek at her Sobrato letterman jacket, you’ll know she’s an athlete — again, nothing out of the ordinary for a teenage girl in Morgan Hill.
It’s the sport she’s wearing the jacket for that will give you pause and if you dare ask what position, you will see just how unique Pino really is.
Pino is a football player. The sophomore completed her first year on the junior varsity team this year for the Bulldogs playing both quarterback and offensive line.
“I’ve always been physical and I’ve always been wanting to go against people. I’m aggressive,” Pino said. “In soccer, some other girls and I would hit each other. But football, I started watching it and I said I want to play that.
To start the year, Pino was listed as a quarterback and linebacker. She split time in those positions in practice until she asked to focus on quarterback to get a better feel for the plays and how to handle the position.
Later on in the season, the team started trying her at line and she found that she excelled at it.
“It was a weird change,” Pino said of going from QB to the line. “It was because I hurt my shoulder. I sprained something in it and I was out a couple of weeks. (My coaches said) ‘we don’t want you throwing, only running plays. So when I came back, they said ‘we want you at right tackle.’”
The funny thing was, Pino hurt her shoulder playing around at home not on the field. But it was a chance for her to shine in a position known for the size of the player and not immediately thought of as a role a girl would take.
A girl playing football is unusual, but not unheard of. Across the country, high school girls are breaking into the ranks traditionally held by the macho male jocks. Some are kickers, others play defensive back and there is a quarterback here and there.
When Pino started playing, she reached out through social media to discover how many other girls are playing. She found people across the country, including semi-pro women football players in Kansas City, Mo.
Pino started playing the line at Santa Teresa and after stifling her counterpart, the Saints threw in a much larger lineman. Pino said she initially was nervous having to square off against someone who out sized her by about a foot and at least 60 pounds, but she said she used her speed to keep him wrapped up.
When she started, Pino said she had to deal with those who didn’t think a girl should be playing tackle football. She said there were comments from some boys and even some fathers, but she said as she took the hits — and gave them — those snide comments were drowned out.
“Some of the guys warmed up to it and said ‘it’s so cool you’re playing football,’” Pino said.
She said it was worst in spring football, but as the season rolled around, Pino said she had earned the respect from the team.
“We just got closer as time progressed,” Pino said.
In the stands, Lexi’s mom Robert said it wasn’t much better.
“(It) was her first week and (a dad) was like, ‘she shouldn’t even be here. She’s not going to the NFL,” Roberta said.
Pino is familiar with football, just didn’t play tackle football growing up. Her father was a high school football player and she played flag football for a few years.
“She was the only girl in that league,” Roberta said. “And when we came out here, we had three coaches fighting for her to be on their team. She’s really driven and focused.”
Roberta said she was always worried Lexi would get hurt, even if the football player didn’t let it cross her mind too much.
“If I can do it, I can do it against anyone. It’s just how you look at it. If you’re too scared, you can’t really do it and you’ll get hurt,” Lexi said. “If you think you can do it, than you can do it. You can be the best at it if you strive yourself toward it.”
Her freshman year, Lexi didn’t think the California Interscholastic Federation would allow girls to play football. There are rules against girls playing with boys in certain sports in some circumstances. But when she learned CIF allowed girls to play, she said she was excited to try.
“(She’s not doing it) because she wants to prove she’s better, it’s that she loves to sport,” Roberta said.
Lexi is busy at Sobrato, between ASB class and advanced placement classes, she is working on a full load of activities.
To boot, she’s about to turn 16 and is itching to get her license.
Lexi said she was sad to have football end, but is eager to get out there again for spring ball to hopefully make varsity next year.
She said she is going to be starting Cross Fit training to help build her strength to take on the larger players she could potentially face if she makes the varsity squad.
“I know now how it is and what I have to do now to be big,” Lexi said.
