One Cheerleader Proves She Can ‘Kick It’ On the Sidelines As Well As On the Field

After starting the season off as a cheerleader, 17 year-old Meaghan Murphy proved she can “kick it’, both on and off the field. Lewiston-Porter High School needed a new kicker for their football team. With no real prospects to fill the position, the high school’s Special Teams Coach, Jon Hoover saw the answer to his problems cheering for his team on the sidelines. As a former soccer player, Murphy had already learned to kick it on the field, but after years of playing decided she’d try something new. With that, Murphy decided to sign-up for cheerleading her senior year. After making the team, Murphy began living the typical life of a high school cheerleader, spending her summers practicing with teammates and tightening up routines in anticipation of the upcoming season, until one day her cheerleading coach received a call from her brother, Coach Hoover. Aware of the 17 year-old cheerleader’s skills as a soccer player, Coach Hoover asked her to join the Lewiston football team. Although a little hesitant to join the squad at first, Murphy now stands out as a special teams star. “I was in shock. I didn’t think he [Coach Hoover] would want a girl to play for the team,” remarked Murphy. Now, instead of just preparing for games by packing her pom poms and cheerleading uniform, Murphy makes sure to remember her shoulder pads and cleats, as well. During games, Murphy’s time is split her time between spreading spirit on the sidelines and scoring extra points for the Lewiston-Porter team. Since then, the cheerleading Murphy has become a staple of the Lewiston-Porter football squad and according to a recent article in The Buffalo News, Murphy says she “feels the same as everyone else [on the team]”. Although juggling two sports at the same time would seem like a stressful task for any athlete, Murphy handles the challenge like an all-star, beginning her practices with the football team and ending them with cheerleading squad. After starting off the season as a former soccer star, turned cheerleader, turned football player, Murphy seems to prove she can “kick it’ on the field just as well as she can on the sidelines.