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Football coaches at Hazelwood West High School needed a kicker for the 2014 season and asked their soccer counterparts what guy could do the job. The guy was a young lady, senior soccer standout Roxane Dennis. “I was asked every year by some of the players but I didn’t think they were serious,” Dennis recalled.

Also a member of the National Honor Society, Drama Club and choir, Dennis is one out of a handful of girls nationwide to play boys football at the high school level.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, only 1,715 girls nationwide played football in 2013-2014. None of those girls played in Missouri until this year.

New West High football coach Carl Reed asked her personally. He said he needed a kicker and after seeing her in action, he was convinced Dennis could do the job. “I thought she had a very strong leg. It was obvious from the first day that she would do an excellent job,” the Wildcats coach recalled. He was also impressed with her character.

“Roxanne is an unbelievable human being. In an era where so many kids shy away from hard work, discipline, and structure, she embraces it,” Reed continued. “Her work ethic is why she not only is one of the area’s elite athletes, but an excellent student as well. She would have played linebacker if we asked her. She is one of the toughest players I’ve been around.”

Out of uniform, Dennis, who is soft-spoken and roughly 5 feet 6 inches tall, does not look like your typical football player and most of the team’s opponents had no idea the Wildcats’ kicker was a girl.

“The other team usually didn’t know I was a girl until the end of the game and we’re doing the high-fives, and they would be like, ‘That’s a girl?!’,” she said, then chuckled. “Usually my hair is pulled back into a ponytail, but maybe they think I’m a guy with long hair.”

Known for her soccer skills, Dennis joined the football team as the place kicker, where she made 12 out of 13 points after touchdowns and 3 out of her 4 field goal attempts.

She says her teammates have been “awesome! It’s like having 40 big brothers.” She says the team really warmed up to her after they saw her kick.

Her family has also been supportive of her non-traditional choice of sport. “Dad was so excited!” Dennis said. “He made me watch football games every night. My mom was concerned that I would get hurt. I’ve only gotten tackled twice but it didn’t hurt.”

Dennis describes herself as tough, and wants other females to know that’s okay to be tough. “I’m tough and girls can be just as tough as boys,” she explained. “It’s a good reminder to girls who may think they can’t do something because they’re a girl.” A member of both the West High and Select soccer and softball teams, Dennis was recently featured as the Fox 2 Student-Athlete of the Week on KTVI-TV.

For Dennis, football is just part of the story. She is active with her church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, where she volunteers regularly. She has also been a member of the West High diving and swim teams.

After graduation, she will attend Brigham Young University (BYU) in Hawaii, where her sister is currently a senior, and her mother is a graduate. Dennis has already tried out and made both the BYU soccer and softball teams. She plans to major in special education. (story provided by Hazelwood School District)

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