SPORTS

GilbertSunNews.com @GilbertSunNews /GilbertSunNews Check us out and like Gilbert Sun News on Facebook and follow @GilbertSunNews on Twitter

ALA – Gilbert to honor first responders, heroes Friday

BY ZACH ALVIRA GSN Sports Editor

American Leadership Academy – Gilbert North is hosting its fifth annual First Responders Appreciation Football Game Friday when it hosts its sister school, American Leadership Academy – Queen Creek. The event, which will begin at 5 p.m. and lead up to kickoff of the game between the two schools at 7:15 p.m., will honor a slew of first responders, including local police, fire departments, the U.S. Marshals, county police departments and both active and veteran military personnel. Randy Ricedorff, the athletic director and head football coach at ALA – Gilbert, said the event is to simply show appreciation for those who protect the freedoms of the American people on a daily basis. “We do pregame dedications before every home game,” Ricedorff said. “We honor moms, dads, teachers, and we always have done one for first responders. Now, it’s at a whole new level. It’s a good event for the recognition the first responders deserve.” Ricedorff began this type of event in 2016 when he was at Show Low. Before one of his team’s games, a local police officer was killed in the line of duty at a nearby apartment complex. His team honored both him and his family at their next game. It’s taken off since then. The ceremony Friday will begin transcribing thank you letters to first responders at 5 p.m. Friday, which will then be followed by a BBQ for all first responders attending the game at 6 p.m. There will also be a meet and greet at that time for fans attending the game to personally thank them themselves. A pregame ceremony will take place at 6:40 p.m., where first responders will

American Leadership Academy – Gilbert North will host its fifth annual First Responders Appreciation Football Game on Friday, Oct. 1 when it hosts sister school American Leader-

ship Academy – Queen Creek. (Andy Silvas/GSN Contributor) see HEROES page 27

‘I just want to kick’: star Mesquite soccer player joins the football team

BY MIA JONES

GSN Contributor Writer

Football is historically a men’s sport, however in recent years young women have been joining the boys on the field. One of those young women is Tegan Keil.

Ever since she was little, Keil has been an avid soccer player, swimmer and track athlete, but she wanted to add another sport onto her roster. She had seen dozens of videos of different female football players around the country. When she saw the video of Vanderbilt soccer player Sarah Fuller stepping in as kicker the idea sprouted in Keil’s head to follow suit and become a kicker. According to Keil, it all started as a joke, then she received her first ball Keil, while successful this season, saw it come to an end after she suffered a knee injury against Combs. No matter the results, she aims to continue working toward making it back to the field and support her “50 brothers.” (Mia Jones/Contributor) and tee for Christmas in 2020. She then went out to a park near her house and started practicing kicking. After that day, Keil knew that becoming a kicker was no longer a joke but something serious that she wanted to pursue. Keil officially joined the Mesquite varsity team as a sophomore in July. She worked hard at practice and was determined to make her kicks go farther and farther. “She is a dedicated player who works hard on her craft each day,” Mesquite head coach Scott Hare said. However, being a kicker, practices were usually away from the rest of the team. “In the beginning it was really hard

be led onto the field by bagpipes. Just before kickoff, both teams from Gilbert and Queen Creek will run onto the field holding American Flags. Ricedorff said every player will hold a flag from both teams. “We aren’t trying to say, ‘Oh, look at me,’” Ricedorff said. “That’s not what it is about. It’s about being respectful to those who served and doing our best to honor them. This is only a small token of appreciation.” Honoring first responders isn’t new for either ALA school. At Gilbert, nearly 70 American Flags are placed by one of the school’s athletic programs all along its campus near Higley Road and the San Tan 202 Freeway before every Friday home football game. A separate athletic team then takes them down at the end of the night. In year’s past, first responders were honored in a similar fashion, including having a spotlight from a Mesa Police Department helicopter illuminate the field ahead of kickoff. The weekend of Sept. 11, ALA – Gilbert joined other local programs in carrying 13 American Flags out onto the field to honor the fallen soldiers in Afghanistan in late August. Campo Verde High School located nearby did the same tribute and set up 13 empty seats on its track near the field in honor of the soldiers.

Tegan Keil is breaking barriers at Mesquite High School, where she joined the football program as the varsity kicker this season. (Mia Jones/Contributor) Valley Christian in Chandler also held a first responders’ night. Perry, also located near ALA’s Gilbert North campus, wore special American Flag inspired jerseys in its game against rival Basha. “Our school is very patriotic and really tries to drive home the fact that we have freedoms, and we need to be grateful for those freedoms and the country we live in,” Ricedorff said. “I think it’s just good for our kids and everybody involved to be reminded of what we have as members of this country and to not take for granted any of our freedoms.” Ricedorff expects a large crowd for the special night. In year’s past, there was standing room only. Members of the Gilbert community flocked to the school to honor those who protect their freedoms. Children enjoy the spectacle the spotlight from the helicopter, the bagpipes and the pregame firework ceremony provide alongside a football game. Overall, it’s a night that not only Ricedorff enjoys hosting every year, but something his players are also proud of, win or lose. “We have to remember there are people fighting and dying daily to protect those freedoms. They deserve our utmost respect,” Ricedorff said. “I think we are all guilty at times in our lives of taking those things for granted.”

KEIL from page 26

for me, I chewed up half of my nails from the stress,” Keil said. “Then I started talking to the guys, and now at the last game they were the most supportive people I’ve ever seen. I know they have my back, and it feels like I have 50 big brothers.” Those 50 big brothers mentioned have welcomed Keil with open arms. “She’s a hard worker and doesn’t draw any attention to herself and just wants to be a part of the team so she gained a lot of respect from me for the way she carries herself,” captain Andrew Morris said. Keil made her first start during Mesquite’s game against Gilbert on Sept. 10 making both of her kicks. Keil talked about the difference between being on the field as something that “could not be described unless you’re standing there padded up ready to go on that moment.” Unfortunately, during Mesquite’s game against Combs on Sept. 17, Keil was tackled after the snap and found her leg stuck underneath a Combs player. An MRI Monday, Sept. 20 confirmed she has a torn ACL and MCL in her right knee. “For right now, since the future for my playing is unknown, I like to keep a positive mindset,” Keil said. “I’m not gonna see this as a setback, only an opportunity to grow in other aspects of my athletic ability.” She is confident that despite her injury, the love and support she feels from her teammates will remain. “I know that even if I’m not in the field with my boys, we will all still support each other and that’s one of the best feelings,” she said. “It’s hard to go down like this for now but my recovery will be one for the books and I will come back and rip out the biggest field goal I got.”