Bella Rasmussen has loved the game of football ever since she was 3-years-old. She grew up watching her older brother and cousin play and would later join them on the field.
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Her love of the sport has stayed with her through high school as she’s played running back for the last four years for her school’s varsity team.
Her mother Annette Rasmussen said she’s always been a tough girl.
“She was always pushing the envelope,” Annette said. “She was always super-ambitious, she was super-physical, always wanted to be rough and tough. People told me all the time there’s something special about her, she’s gonna do big things in life and I absolutely agreed.”
And she is not wrong! Recently, Bella had a game to remember. Bella had touchdown runs of one and four yards in the second quarter of the 48-0 win! She scored not one but two touchdowns. She is now the first female player in California history to score two touchdowns in a varsity football game.
“I had no idea that was such a big deal,” she said. “I felt that I had just played a game, a great game with some of my favorite people.”
Although Bella was often encouraged not to play football since it is considered a male sport, she never let the doubters affect her, and focus more on the dozens of people who support her.
“She’s a football player, she really is,” her coach John Sanahan told the Los Angeles Times. “Any time we want someone to run against the first defense, she steps in. She takes a beating, never whines, never gets hurt. She’s a really tough kid.”
Before the game, Bella’s teammates were encouraging her to score. They knew she would arrive in the end zone and sure enough she did – twice.
“I’m looking at coach, ‘I’m like, Nah, man, I got it. I can do it,” Bella recalled. “I’m saying this to myself over and over and over again. I’m in the end zone. And I remember I just stood up and I was like, ‘Did anybody see? This actually happened?'”
People definitely noticed. Her epic score even got the attention of the Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams. The team invited her to their game against the Carolina Panthers two days later.
The Laguna Beach high school senior is excited about her future, and we are too! After graduation, she plans to study interior design at the University of Utah.
Always the athlete, before college vibes set in, she is focused on helping her team continue their winning season. Her mantra says it all and will surely lead them to more victories.
“Be the hammer, not the nail,” she said.
Don’t forget to share this story with a friend to celebrate Bella’s historic touchdown.
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