Photos contributed by Michael Harbour

CJ Cox had always wanted to try playing football, but she’d never really had an opportunity. 

That changed last spring when Cox was finishing up her sophomore year at Sweetwater. That’s when she surprised head football coach Russell Lucas by asking if she could kick for the Mustangs. 

“I’ve never had a girl on our football team, but I laid out the expectations. Show up all the time and work really hard,” Lucas said. “If you do those things, you’ll have the same chance as everybody. I’m not going to give preferential treatment or discriminate against you because you’re a female.”