GUILFORD, Conn. — As their lead against Lyman Hall grew Friday night, the Guilford High School head football coach decided it was time to inject some girl power into the lineup, which resulted in history being made.
Brianna Seixas, a senior, who began playing football in 5th grade, was approached by Guilford head coach Ant Salvati in the locker room at halftime. He asked if she was ready to get her first varsity action on offense.
She was, but there was an obstacle.
"Obviously, I wear glasses, and I wasn't wearing my glasses during the (first) play and I kinda realized that I couldn't actually see that far," Seixas said when referring to the play call. So, she ran the wrong route. But, coach Salvati called the same play on the next down, and she got it right.
"I ran a 5-yard stick and kind of Tyler my quarterback just nailed it in my chest, and I kind of just held it and I thought I was well out of the end zone," she said with a smile.
Even without her glasses, Seixas become the first girl in Guilford High School history to score a varsity touchdown.
"I think I saw she might be the third ever in Connecticut," said Salvati. "So, yeah, it's the first one here in Guilford for sure, and hopefully it's the start of something new here."
Athletic success is nothing new to Brianna. She won the CIAC girls wrestling state championship last winter. But she's never satisfied.
"Especially with wrestling, like I won the state championship, but I could've wrestled better you know, and I could've caught that ball better," she said. "I could've caught it with my hands but not my chest."
And, as an aspiring engineer, wanting to be precise is not such a bad thing. But it's tougher without glasses.
"I remember making dead eye contact with Tyler, and now that I think about it I didn't look at the ball at all," said Seixas. "I was just looking at his helmet, and I was like OK he's staring at me, so that means the balls coming at me but I didn't know when."
Coach Salvati said he felt like a proud father last Friday night.
"Whenever I get a chance to reward a four-year player that's dedicated themselves to the sport and our team I'm gonna do my best to do everything I can to make sure that they have a good moment that they can remember for the rest of their lives," Salvati said.
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Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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