STUTTGART, Germany -- When Emma Murray, sophomore, first announced she would try out for kicker on the Patch High School football team, she was wearing a dress and had a flower in her hair.
"I thought she was coming in to be my manager," said Brian Hill, head coach.
Little did he know that Murray, 15, would not only make the varsity team, but become the Panthers' best kicker.
Murray helped the varsity team win their first victory in two years 14-8, during a pre-season scrimmage against a German team Sept. 12.
"I've never seen a football game until [that game]," said Murray, who scored two field goals in the scrimmage.
"She was splitting the uprights," Hill recalled, with a smile. "It was textbook ... beautiful."
Murray, a soccer player, began preparing for football tryouts during the summer. "I just wanted to try something new," she said.
She attended a sports-conditioning camp, practiced with another kicker from the team, and participated in Department of Defense Dependents Schools football camp in Ansbach in August.
Murray was the only girl among 400 boys at the camp, but she kept up with the three-a-day practices, and even earned the most valuable player award for kickers.
Starting off, her biggest challenge was wearing the equipment. "Your whole body is just kind of tired at the end because of all the weight with all the pads," she said. "The first time I put on my helmet, I [felt] like a Bobble-head."
However, Murray's first real test came when the Panthers started practicing tackling.
"[At first], some of the guys were like, 'Well, a girl ... we'll just see what happens,'" Hill said. When the hitting drills started, "she earned all their respect."
Despite her mother's worries, Murray not only practiced tackling her teammates, but let them practice on her.
"It's quite the experience having someone mow over you, but you get back up and try again," Murray said. "I didn't let them go easy [on me]."
However, as kicker, Murray is not allowed to tackle - or be tackled - during a game. The only time she might have direct contact with another player is if the opposing team breaks through all 10 of her teammates during the kick-off.
"She's our safety on kick-offs; otherwise, it's 10 on 11," Hill said. "She's playing football. Anything could happen."
Hill told Murray's parents and spring soccer coach to be prepared for Murray to get knocked around with the rest of the team. "Yea, you're a girl, but when you get on the field, they're not going to care," he said.
And although Murray sometimes comes to practice with a pink long-sleeved shirt under her jersey, her teammates and coaches see her as one of them.
"All the guys are really supportive," Murray said.
Besides, she's the only kicker who consistently scores from the 20-yard line.
Hill hopes Murray will eventually kick from the 35-yard line. For now, though, "If we can get to 20, we've got a good shot," he said. "She's really something."
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