ILS1
10-11-2005, 08:22 PM
TORRANCE, Calif. -- When the Bishop Montgomery High School quarterback went down with a fractured leg, his replacement stepped in and completed four of five passes for three touchdowns.
There's nothing too unusual about that, except that the replacement quarterback was a girl.
Miranda McOsker, 15, is one of 253 girls out of 100,000 high school students in California who are playing football this year, according to the California Interscholastic Foundation. She joined the private Catholic school's football program last spring.
"I didn't try out for quarterback, I was just looking to play anything," said the 5-foot-9, 140-pound sophomore. "One day I was throwing with the quarterback after practice and the coaches watched me. They told me to play quarterback the next day and ever since I've been playing quarterback."
McOkser is the starting quarterback for the junior varsity team and the third-stringer on the varsity squad. She got into the varsity game Friday after her team led early and Coach Arnold Ale put in the second-string quarterback, who was injured.
Ale said he doesn't know if Miranda will become the starting varsity quarterback for the school in suburban Los Angeles but expects her to compete for the position during the next two seasons.
Her parents support her choice of sport and her teammates accept her as just another player.
"We've been good friends for a while," sophomore center Rob Huizar said. "When she started playing football, I told her that I'm the center, so I'll get the offensive line to protect her as long as she gets the throw to the receivers."
Miranda's uncle, John McOsker, also played quarterback for Bishop Montgomery. The family is trying to figure out if he ever threw three touchdowns in a game.
"I think the answer is no, because he hasn't gotten back to me yet," said Miranda's father, Tim McOsker, an attorney who served as chief of staff to former Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn.
Girl Throws 3 TD's In A Game (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2187201&CMP=OTC-DT9705204233)
There's nothing too unusual about that, except that the replacement quarterback was a girl.
Miranda McOsker, 15, is one of 253 girls out of 100,000 high school students in California who are playing football this year, according to the California Interscholastic Foundation. She joined the private Catholic school's football program last spring.
"I didn't try out for quarterback, I was just looking to play anything," said the 5-foot-9, 140-pound sophomore. "One day I was throwing with the quarterback after practice and the coaches watched me. They told me to play quarterback the next day and ever since I've been playing quarterback."
McOkser is the starting quarterback for the junior varsity team and the third-stringer on the varsity squad. She got into the varsity game Friday after her team led early and Coach Arnold Ale put in the second-string quarterback, who was injured.
Ale said he doesn't know if Miranda will become the starting varsity quarterback for the school in suburban Los Angeles but expects her to compete for the position during the next two seasons.
Her parents support her choice of sport and her teammates accept her as just another player.
"We've been good friends for a while," sophomore center Rob Huizar said. "When she started playing football, I told her that I'm the center, so I'll get the offensive line to protect her as long as she gets the throw to the receivers."
Miranda's uncle, John McOsker, also played quarterback for Bishop Montgomery. The family is trying to figure out if he ever threw three touchdowns in a game.
"I think the answer is no, because he hasn't gotten back to me yet," said Miranda's father, Tim McOsker, an attorney who served as chief of staff to former Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn.
Girl Throws 3 TD's In A Game (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2187201&CMP=OTC-DT9705204233)