For the first time in the school's history, the Coach's Award for senior boys football was presented to a female player this week.
Annie Duncan was presented with the award on Tuesday evening during the Confederation Secondary awards banquet. You might remember Duncan as Sudbury.com's own Intern Annie, a co-op student in the newsroom on Elgin Street for the past six months or so.
In fact, Duncan wrote a powerful story this past February on how she came to join the senior boys football team, and what it was like to be the only girl on a team of big burly gridiron warriors.
Now, some might think that giving the senior boys football Coach's Award to the only female member of the squad is just a token, a reflection of her gender rather than her ability.
That's nonsense, says Brandon Dougan, head coach of the Confederation Chargers. Absolute hogwash.
"We don't just give this award out, you have to earn it," noted long-time Confederation football coach Brandon Dougan. "As a football player, she earned it. She did really well on the football field. She wasn't just out there because she's a girl, and our players saw that."
There's no question Duncan is strong. She's a tall, muscular 18-year-old, and one of the city's best track and field throwers, regularly representing the city at provincial-level shot put competitions.
But could she hold her own on the line of scrimmage against some truly massive and strong male linebackers? Without a doubt, Dougan said, though he had his doubts initially.
"When you play offensive and defensive line, which she played, you hit, every practice," said Dougan. "I didn't know if she could handle the physicality. But when we played the teams that can play, she more than held her own. She's a fantastic athlete."
Duncan herself says she was under no false illusions as she stepped out on the field, last fall, strapping on the pads for her first practice with the Confed Chargers senior boys team.
"Going into this, I was super scared about what everybody was going to think," she said. "Throughout the season, I came to realize that they were all so supportive of me. It went beyond my wildest dreams."
Now, more than seven months after the final game of the 2018 season, Duncan was able bask in the glow of more of that support when she was called onto the stage to accept the coveted Coach's Award at the Charger Athletic banquet on June 18.
The initial misgivings, on the part of all parties, had given way to a deep respect, an acknowledgement of her ability to perform.
"There were so many doubts in my mind," she said. "Am I going to be able to keep up with these guys? It pushed me to do my best and try my hardest."
It's a message that Duncan hopes is not lost on other aspiring females, in sports and professions where males might well have dominated for decades on end. "I tried to push forward and see if I could help make a change in what is a male dominated sport," said Duncan.
"I really wanted to prove that women can do anything that we can, and I'm pretty sure I succeeded. Winning this award really shows that it can be done. It's an amazing thing."
Randy Pascal is the founder of SudburySports.com and a contributing sports writer for Sudbury.com.
