A historic extra point attempt for Elmont Memorial High School

Amira Elrington-Edwards kicked herself in the history books when she booted an extra point Sept. 2 in Elmont Memorial High School’s season-opening game against the H. Frank Carey Seahawks.

Her successful PAT made Elrington-Edwards the first female to play and score a point in a varsity football game for a Sewanhaka School District high school.

Of the five high schools in the Sewanhaka School District — Elmont Memorial, Carey, Sewanhaka, Floral Park and New Hyde Park — no one else had accomplished what Elrington-Edwards had on the gridiron.

“It really came as a shock when everybody opened up the books and started looking through and said, ‘This is the first time,’” varsity football coach Tommy Innes said.

He said that within the school district, it is “the norm” to be inclusive, so the news that this was a first throughout the high schools was a shock to administrators.

Last year, Elrington-Edwards was approached by her AP World History teacher and then-junior varsity coach Innes to kick for the junior varsity football team at the school. At the time, she turned down the offer over concerns of injury.

Her grandmother had worries about the possibility of Elrington-Edwards getting tackled on the field. Innes had recommended that she could kick for extra points and field goals to mitigate the risk of contact.

This year, she was ready for the challenge.

So far this season, the Elmont junior is 7-for-9 on extra points.

As a junior varsity football coach last year and a varsity football coach this year, Innes said that the team’s kicking game had struggled.

“It was actually the team that suggested that I ask Amira to kick because they talked about how good of a soccer player she was,” he said.

Elrington-Edwards played soccer for the last nine years, and the midfielder has led on the soccer field as a captain for the past three seasons “Kicking and soccer kind of go hand-in-hand, because I already have the basic technique of how to kick a soccer ball,” she said. “So that allows me to —it kind of just translated over to kicking a football.”

There are differences between the two, but Elrington-Edwards said she didn’t have to fundamentally change the way she kicks between sports.

Throughout the week, she attends many athletics practices — twice or three times a week for club soccer, five times a week for varsity girls’ soccer and twice a week for varsity football.

Her coaches are understanding that she can’t be in two places at once, and Elrington-Edwards said she is able to balance the sports without scheduling conflicts. Game schedules don’t conflict, so she is able to make the major events for both sports.

Innes said she leads by example as a successful two-sport athlete and scholar.

“Stepping on the field injured, taking the pressure of being a two-sport athlete, a scholar athlete and executing at a high level, that speaks tremendously to her ability to lead by example,” Innes said.

A vocal leader on the field during huddles and water breaks, Elrington-Edwards has garnered respect from her teammates on and off the field, Innes said.

While she juggles practices and games every week, she maintains a weighted grade point average of more than 101 points. She’s also involved with several clubs at school and a part of six national honor societies.

“She has got a loaded schedule this year, she’s taking five advanced placement classes,” said Kru Patel, Elmont athletic director.

Elrington-Edwards credits her ability to keep up with all of her activities and academics to her support system, organization skills and allowing time to decompress between items on her schedule.

She is currently in the college athletics recruitment process for college athletics with hopes to play college soccer as a midfielder. Elrington-Edwards aims to study business and finance.

She hopes this year that the varsity football team can make playoffs.

“I know that we have the talent on our team to make playoffs and go far in playoffs,” Elrington-Edwards said. “Maybe even win.”

As for any girls who love football and wants a chance to suit up and get on the field, the Elmont native had a few words of advice.

“Have the confidence and believe in yourself to approach your athletic directors, the coaches, the teams, and just ask,” she said.