LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Sierra Vista High School senior kicker Macy Beck is kicking field goals and kicking down barriers at the same time.
She is the first girl to play for the football team.
"The main reason I'm doing it is to inspire other people. I want this boundary that girls can't play football, girls can't be on the football field, football is a man's sport -- I want that to be taken down," Beck said.
COVID-19 spoiled her senior season, but she has already left her mark at the school. Last week, she got the chance of a lifetime.
She got to kick inside of Allegiant Stadium becoming the first female athlete to play in the NFL stadium.
“It was the coolest thing in my life,” she said. “The feeling of being in there was insane and I couldn’t imagine it filled with fans.”
She said that was the highlight of her sports life.
The passion to play football and to make a difference started during her freshman year in high school. She started playing flag football because she wanted to do something during the winter season.
“I think the idea behind the intensity of the game and how much thought goes into it really strengthened my love for actual football,” Beck said.
Admittedly, doubt crept in when her coach told her to try out for the tackle football team this past year.
She made the Sierra Vista High School team but was still uncertain about it.
That all changed with one moment.
“This dad brought his two little girls to watch me kick for a little bit, and that’s what kind of made me feel that this is a good thing that I’m doing,” Beck said.
She stuck with the sport.
Her family has been supportive of this journey, but she also made a new family that has helped her every step of the way.
Though she plays kicker, which can be a very isolating position, she always feels a part of the team and not excluded.
“It's lonely when I'm actually doing it,” she said. “I feel kind of by myself, but the guys take me in as soon as I step off. After every single kick, all of them are surrounding me. They've all been super nice."
The impact she has had on Sierra Vista is not lost on the team.
Coach Roy Goodell said Beck is a special student-athlete.
"She's been awesome," coach Goodell said.
He said what she’s doing will help young girls in the community and sends a message that girls can do anything.
"I think just getting it out there that females can kick a football or play football or whatever they set their minds to they can do," he said.
She’s kicked down barriers at Sierra Vista High but hopes she can inspire more girls to put on the pads.
She also has a message for girls thinking of playing football.
"Go do it! It's very nerve-racking, and it may not seem like it's not doable, but it is,” she said. “If you are able to compete with the guys, then go do it."
Though this is her final season playing, Beck is looking to stay in the sports world.
She is attending Dixie State University in Utah this fall, where she will be studying sports management. She says she hopes to work for the NFL one day.
