By Mason Byers
Hypamark Writer
Emily Vaiasicca is a girl playing on a tackle football varsity team, however that is not
what defines her or how she is a huge contributor to Paradise Valley High School.
She is a game changer.
Vaiasicca is a senior kicker for the Trojans and is now in her third year with the program. She's been a consistent leg for the team. Frequently, people want to latch onto
the fact that she is a girl playing on a tackle football team. But she didn’t join for that
reason.
“When I originally joined it wasn’t just to be a girl on the football team and to have all
eyes on me,” Vaiasicca said. “It was to be a part of a team, and just be able to score
points and help my team anyway I could.”
Vaiasicca remembers Friday night lights when she was a freshman. However, she was
just a viewer in the student section with her friends at the time. She knew that next
season as a sophomore she had to be a part of the team.
“I just remember watching football my freshman year,” Vaiasicca said. “I was like I want
to be out there, I know I can do that.”
Even though she has been playing soccer since she was 6, Vaiasicca wanted more.
She wanted to contribute in another sport, and she decided football was the one. Her
teammates and coaches couldn’t have been happier about that choice.
Whether it be going to kicking camps during the offseason, lifting weights on a
consistent basis or just getting in as many reps as possible, Vaiasicca has put in the
work to get better. This has led to improvement mentally and physically when it comes
to going out there and performing well when her name is called.
Vaiasicca has improved every season since she started playing for the Trojans, and head coach Greg Davis has noticed the work she has put in and sees how much she has grown throughout the years.
“She’s grown, she’s gotten stronger, she’s gotten more confident,” Davis said. “She’s
sacrificed a ton and because of that she has gotten better and better.”
Vaiasicca went 36-for-38 in point after attempts in her sophomore year. She followed it up as a junior going 23-for-24. Her improvement throughout her career has been consistent. This season she's already hit a game-winning field goal.
Kicking for a football team is just as much mental as it is skill to get the ball through the
uprights.
When it is your time to win a game for your team, the whole stadium is focused
on you and how you perform. In week one of the Trojans’ 2024 season, Vaiasicca had
this task. She nailed a 37-yard field goal to win the game 9-6 over Central High School.
She has been preparing for this moment, putting in the work. Everyone, including her,
had no doubt about that football going through the goalpost.
She will continue to go out and help her team anyway she can, including performing
under pressure and proving her coaches right. Davis had no worry in his mind that she
wouldn’t be able to win the game for them against the Central Bobcats.
“I have all the confidence in the world when I send her out there,” Davis said. “I am
more surprised when she misses one, because I just think she’s gonna make every kick
she takes.”
Comments