In the south, it's not much of a story when siblings share the high school football field together. The game is something of a rite of passage in many Louisiana families, with teens having played since they were very young.
But there is something different in the case of one set of siblings at Lafayette's Southside High in that it includes one brother and one sister.
“I was a kicker at first but got tired of it because we didn’t do much, so I was like I got to have more movement and so I moved to wide receiver,” Hannah Mouton told KLFY about why she decided to play what has traditionally been a boys' sport in south Louisiana.
“My brother and I always played football when we were younger in the front the yard. Just playing with my friends and stuff and I always have been around boys and just playing with them,” she said.
Her brother Isaiah, one of the team's starting linebackers, said Hannah's presence on the team has been a positive influence.
“It motivates me to be better, and I think it motivates the rest of the dudes on the team because if she can do it and get in pads and do what she does then they should have no problem doing the same exact thing,” he told KLFY.
She's made a positive impression on the team's coach Josh Fontenot as well.
"She said I want you to treat me like a football player and so we have," he told KLFY. "She has never skipped out of any rep of any workout so she’s done exactly what they’ve done and so there’s no reason for them to treat her any different and there’s no reason for her to feel like she should be treated any different."
So does Hannah recommend other girls try out for something that is traditionally gender-oriented for boys?
“My advice is if you want to do it, go do it. If you want something, go do something and don’t stop yourself and limit yourself at what you want to do,” she said.
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