From Powder Puffs to Clouds of Dust
Playing the Game So She Can Be a Part of the Game
by John Hill
February 16, 2023
Big Game Equals Big Dreams
As we all watched our state host the Super Bowl this past weekend, a lot of kids were dreaming. Dreaming of one day playing in the big game; dreaming of scoring the winning TD; dreaming of simply being a part of the big game. But to have the dream of being a part of the game at the highest level you need to be a part of the game at some level.
For Heritage Academy Maricopa’s 8th grade Hailey Mattson, the highest level of the game she aspires to is NFL commentator. Her dream of being a part of the game of football as a commentator means she needs to be a part of the game of football as a player, which is currently the junior high tackle football team at Heritage Academy.
“She’s smart,” said assistant coach Mel Liggett. “She knows that the best football commentators, those that know the game inside and out, are the ones that played the game. You have to play the game to be able to talk about it.” Hailey is not looking to be a sideline reporter like most female broadcasters. She wants to be in the booth. She is playing the game as a middle schooler right now so she can intelligently talk about it as a professional in the future.
Hailey with Coach Mel Liggett
Dreamers, Doubters & Doers
It would be easy for Hailey to simply have a dream of making it as an NFL commentator and to sit idly and keep dreaming. But for Hailey it is less about the dreaming and more about the doing. She was not satisfied in only being a part of the school’s all-girls Powder Puff flag football team. She wanted to be a part of the otherwise all boys tackle team. And despite the naysayers and doubters, she took action on doing what she wanted and tried out for the team. She not only made the squad but became a starter and every down player on offense as a tight end.
According to her mom Deidre Mattson, Hailey being a dreamer turned doer is par for the course. “Hailey is definitely a doer. If she puts her mind to something she will do whatever it takes to accomplish it. There is nothing this girl thinks she cannot do or won’t try” According to student assistant coach Yannick Gatlin, “She’s 100% all in. Great player. Lots of heart. The other players do not even see her as a girl. They treat her as an equal.”
But that was not always the case. Many doubted her along the way or underestimated her to their peril. In practice the team runs a drill in a confined space where it is one player with the ball against two other players on defense. “You can go hit this guy, or you can go hit that guy,” explained coach Liggett. The strategy is to identify the weaker player and take him (or her) on in trying to break through to score. In the beginning, most of the boys chose to run at Hailey - the supposed weaker player as a girl. “But they learned really quickly - the fact she is a girl doesn’t matter.”
When asked if she feels people doubt her, Hailey paused for a few seconds and reflected, “They think I can’t do it because I’m a girl, but I show them I can do it.” And when I asked her how it feels when she makes the tackle on a ball carrier and proves everyone wrong, she absolutely beamed and gave an emphatic answer. One word - “Amazing!”
Impact Player: On and Off The Field
Hailey’s joy in playing the game is palpable. But her impact goes beyond her hits on the ball carrier. In every game she plays, she impacts players on the other team with her pads and girls everywhere with her story. When asked what impact she wants to have on other girls, Hailey flashed her familiar warm smile and said, “To show them it is not just a boy’s sport, and that they can do it too. I tell myself I can do it, and I can accomplish whatever I hold my mind to do, and so can they.” For girls (or boys) who might worry about what others think, Hailey’s advice is simple: “Do what you want to do.”
Actions Speak Louder Than Words Dreams
Dreams can come true, but you have to make them actionable by putting in the work. You have to ignore the naysayers. You have to focus on the steps you need to take to get where you want to go. A super dream does not come true by accident or all at once. You have to have a plan and be more doer than dreamer.
Hailey Mattson has a plan for where she wants to go, and she knows how she is going to get there. The sky's the limit, and it is a cloudless sky (except for the cloud of dust after one of her plays!). Everything is crystal clear and shines brightly like her smile.
I have no doubt that I’ll be watching the Super Bowl one day and I will see Hailey Mattson expertly commentating on the game. And how will that make me feel as one of her former teachers? One word: Amazing!
Hailey Mattson is an 8th grader at Heritage Academy Maricopa. She was in John Hill’s 7th grade English class last year. Her persuasive essay for that class was titled “Football Is For Boys AND Girls.” Mr. Hill plans to submit the essay to The New York Times student competition this spring. Hailey’s final game for the junior high tackle football team is Friday, February 17 @ Heroes Field. Go Heroes. Go Hailey!
