This girl really kicks

To look onto the field of players during a Houston Hawks football game, you might not notice anything that seems a little different.

But with further scrutiny, one might notice there is a girl kicking footballs through the uprights in every Hawks game.

Her name is Kerrie Aldeman, a 16-year-old senior at Houston Jr./Sr. High School.

Aldeman has been the regular placekicker in all of the Hawks' games this season, converting one of three field goals and five of seven extra point attempts. Two field goal attempts came in the Aug. 25 game against the Sitka Wolves.

Aldeman converted a 31-yard field goal with seconds remaining in the half but later missed on a 33-yard attempt. By high school standards, a 31-yard field goal is impressive.

In that game, Aldeman scored seven of the Hawks' 37 points.

Although this is her first year kicking for the Hawks, she has been involved with the football team for the previous two seasons as the Hawks' team manager.

Aldeman's mother and father, Kathy and Chuck Aldeman, expressed some concern when she first mentioned last year that she would like to play football. Their concern was over the possibility that she could get injured. Aldeman has long been involved in many sports, such as basketball, soccer, cross country, and track, but football added a far greater chance of getting hurt.

When Aldeman readdressed the desire to play this year, Mom and Dad agreed to let her pursue it.

Houston head coach Mat Bredberg was very open to Aldeman playing football for the Hawks.

"As the team manager, she saw our struggles last year with the kicking game," Bredberg said. "She said she could do better for us, and she has."

She earned the job in preseason and the Houston coaches worked to develop her ability and prepare her for game situations.

Aldeman attests that the key to her success in kicking a football came from many years of playing soccer.

"The adjustment to football wasn't bad," said Aldeman. "It was like kicking a penalty shot in soccer."

Aldeman has played organized soccer for seven years, starting with summer soccer programs and later playing four years with Houston.

She does, however, admit to being quite nervous the first time she stepped onto the football field in Houston's first game of the season against Kenai.

"I forgot to put my mouthpiece in," said Aldeman. "One of my teammates told me about it right before the ball was snapped."

Aldeman has deservedly earned the respect of her teammates and fans. Encouragement and cheers ring out for her whenever she steps out onto the field.

Although opposing players may hold a different view, the points against them still add up every time she puts the ball through the uprights.

Somehow she manages time for football along with her other activities. Aldeman played a football game in Homer last Friday night and then returned to run in the Palmer Invitational cross-country meet on Saturday.

Aldeman is not quite sure what she wants to do after high school, but would like to pursue a career in the medical field. When asked if she has aspirations of playing football in college, she chuckled and then responded with a definitive "no."

For now, Aldeman is enjoying membership in a sport predominantly played by boys and men, and loving every minute of it.

"It's a blast," Aldeman exclaimed, "a whole new feeling."