By Darren Cooper – NorthJersey.com
WALLINGTON — There are no more stories like the one in the made-for-TV movie “Quarterback Princess.” There are just girls, like Wallington senior Nicole Konefal, who want to play good football.
It’s a story indicative of our time and this generation of young people. Yes, they are much maligned by older generations, but more than anything else, they seem to just want their peers to be happy.
So forget the locker room question, or whether or not Konefal is strong enough to be out there.
The first female football player in Wallington history has put in the hours in the weight room. She has the scars from a broken arm sustained in a scrimmage last season. She has a Hudl highlight delivering a blow to a Weehawken wide receiver two weeks ago. Her dream is an interception, maybe one for a touchdown.
“That would be amazing,” Konefal said.
She’s not a football princess. She’s just a football player, on the small side, who tucks in her ponytail, puts on her No. 32 jersey and waits for her shot.
“If a girl can play, a girl can play,” Wallington football coach Barry Blauvelt said. “I don’t want to say gender doesn’t matter, but if you can play … It’s been a great past four years having her on the team and calling her one of my players.”
Born on St. Patrick’s Day 2002, Konefal was active growing up in Wallington. Her football journey began on the sidelines as a cheerleader. She and some of her friends watched and thought, hey, this doesn’t look so hard. I bet we could do better.
But Konefal was the only one to put away the pompoms for good. She played a year of rec football in town. Blauvelt had been alerted by the coaches that she was coming to the high school and wanted to play.
“I pulled her to the side and said, ‘just so you know, I have coached girls sports in the past, and on the field I am going to treat you like a football player,’” Blauvelt said. “Off the field, you’ll be treated like a young lady. She said she wouldn’t expect anything different.”
