Guilford High School Senior Makes School History as First Girl to Score Touchdown

A couple of weeks ago, Guilford High School senior Brianna Seixas made school history: she became the first girl to score a touchdown.

“I just had my arms out and the ball was just placed in my chest,” said Seixas. “I looked down and I was like,” that’s where Seixas pauses, she knows it’s a big deal, she just wishes that it wasn’t.

“Just because I’m a girl doesn't mean I want any more recognition than the others, that's what I told coach,” said Seixas. “I didn't choose to be a girl playing football, I chose to be a kid playing football.”

You only need one hand to count how many girls have scored a touchdown in any high school football game across the state, but that list could be getting longer, soon.

In Connecticut, the CIAC tells NBC Connecticut that 56 girls were on rosters in the 2021-22 school year and in 2011-12, that number was just 18. Across the country, the National Federation of State High School Associations released a survey that shows girls participation in football is up 39% since just three years ago.

“Since I was a freshman, I always wanted to play football, but I never took the chance,” said Hall High School senior Carly Dulitsky. “I was a little scared when I was younger and then this year I was like, it’s my senior year, I might as well.”

Dulitsky chose the sidelines over the student section for her senior year, not worried what anyone else might think.

“People are like 'why are you playing?' it's no different than why any other guy out here is playing,” said Dulitsky. “I just want to play the sport.”

Seixas is used to playing outside the box. She’s already a state wrestling champion and now, she can add history-making touchdown to the list.

“I'm not as fast, I’m not as strong, but you know I do have the knowledge of seven years of football,” said Seixas.

She started playing with the blessing of her mom, Ashleigh. The two have shared the goal of her scoring a touchdown since those early days. This time though, Seixas’ mom wasn’t there to see it. Her mom is deployed in Germany with the Navy, so Seixas settled for a very early morning phone call, excited to tell her mom what she’d done.

“You know, she told her whole unit,” said Seixas. “She's always wanted me to score, she always wanted me to be on the field.”

A goal usually reserved for teenage boys shared instead between a teenage girl and her mom. Because that’s the thing about girls playing football: it’s not just for the girls who come after them, but for the women who came before them and didn’t get the chance.

“I've had a lot of moms, especially that come up to me. If I didn't [play] I’d be in the same boat as they were,” said Seixas. “And I'd be telling the same little girl ‘I wanted to do this. I wanted to do that.’ So it shows me how something that I thought was so little impacts other people so much more than I thought it would.”