St. Bede girls are just one of the guys for the Bruins

Looking down the sidelines of the St. Bede Bruins football team, all the players lining up seemingly look the same with helmets and shoulder pads.

Except three of the players have ponytails coming out from beneath the back of their helmets.

There are three girls suiting up for the Bruins this fall – senior Marly Tillman, sophomore Ruby Michels and freshman Chloe Burgess. Tillman and Michels are second-year players.

“Except for the ponytail, that’s about it. They fit right in with us, and we all have a good time with them,” senior defensive end Seth Ferrari said.

“I think it’s awesome. They fit right in, and they’re invited to everything,” junior DE/DB Hunter Savage said.

Tillman is playing a key role as the long-snapper for the highly successful place-kicking crew, while Michels and Chloe Burgess have played on the line for the JV and seen limited time on varsity. Burgess has been sidelined rehabbing a knee injury.

They just want to be treated like, well, one of the guys.

“I just like being part of the team. We’re all one big family and supportive of each other,” Tillman said.

“The guys and the coaches have all been super supportive. They pick us up when we’re down,” Michels said. “They treat me equal. They don’t go easy on me because I’m a girl, which I appreciate. I like a challenge.

“They’re very protective of us, which I appreciate, and know my parents do, too.”

Savage said the boys don’t have to treat the girls special, because they do a good job looking out for themselves.

“They can handle themselves and protect themselves. They’re as much players as we are and put in as much work as we do. They’re one of us,” he said.

Michels, who’s a 4-11 dynamo, can’t get enough football. She’s in her third year of tackle football after playing flag.

“I’ve been loving this sport for so long,” Michels said. “I love it. It’s a lot of fun. It’s a good way to get anger out.”

Savage was pretty impressed when he took a look at Michels’ helmet during a recent JV game.

“I saw her helmet and said, ‘Wow, it’s all scratched up, beat up, mangled and everything,’ ” he said. “I think it’s awesome. I’m glad they came out and are enjoying themselves. They put in the hard work, and it’s paying off for them.”

The girls put in all the running, hard work and sweat during preseason conditioning, just like the boys, and said they want to be looked at as real football players.

“Sometimes being long snappers there’s hate, because [people] say I’m lazy or whatever and not a real football player. It bothers me, because I still have to put in all the hard work. It makes me think all the hard work I put in doesn’t count,” Tillman said.

Bruins coach Jim Eustice said the girls have fit right in with the boys.

“When the girls say they’re coming out, you say yes. You don’t know how it’s going to go,” he said. “But our guys the last two years have been incredible accepting them and making them feel like they’re part of them. You deal with the locker room situations, especially when you travel.

“It’s a great story. It’s a unique thing for people to know, but we’re coming at the end of Year 2, and it’s not unique to us anymore.”

Tillman picked up long snapping naturally when she came out as a junior and puts in a lot of work with kicker Ryan Soliman and holder Ryan Nawa. They have been successful on 25 of 26 extra point attempts and 1 for 2 on field goals, including a game-winning kick to beat Dwight.

“Just dedication, and I could naturally do it pretty well. I just practice every day and got pretty quick at it,” Tillman said.

Soliman said Tillman has been money.

“She’s great. I trust her in every play,” he said.

“My snap and his kick, they all have to go together. It’s all about timing. We’ve been practicing for two years now, so we’re pretty spot on,” Tillman said.

Eustice said Tillman played and practiced her way into her position.

“Marly in a matter of a couple weeks as a junior just started long snapping. That’s what she did every day,” he said. “She was snapping JV games as a junior and she kept working. We got here in July and August and she was good.

“She’s doing things to earn a varsity letter this year. She did all the work. She made it to the point where we had to [play her]. She’s our best one.”

Tillman said she’s had to add a pair of gloves to her repertoire with the cooler weather.

“Now that it’s getting cooler out, you’ve got to have warm hands,” she said.

Tillman is not included in the hitting and contact that happens on the field, because long-snappers are off limits. Eustice does not use her on punts where the long snappers can be hit, although she said she wouldn’t mind that.

The girls like having each other on the team for support.

“Being with the guys is pretty cool, but having the support of another female is really nice,” Tillman said.

“Marly’s there when I need her the most, and it’s nice to know I’m not alone in this,” Michels said.

Michels said the best thing about playing is she wants to inspire other girls to play.

Serenity Stone, a junior at Bureau Valley, played a year ago but is not on the team this year.