After Chapel Hill High defeated rival Carrboro 55-6 on September 10, Tigers starting safety Brooklyn Harker was told she needed to speak with her mom. Brooklyn, ever the cautious high schooler, initially feared the worst.
“She was like, ‘I have to talk to you about something.’ And I thought I was in trouble for a second,” Harker said. “But then she was like, ‘I tweeted this, and there are people asking to interview you.’ And she was like, ‘It has 8,000 likes already.’ And I was like, ‘That’s crazy!’ I didn’t even really know what to think about it.”
The tweet from Brooklyn’s mom, featuring a picture of the junior in football pads and her uniform, has since neared 60,000 likes on Twitter. Dr. Jennifer Harker was hyping up her daughter as Brooklyn prepared to start the game against Carrboro. She’s the first girl to ever suit up in football for Chapel Hill High.
Our daughter is starting free safety on D for tonight’s first home varsity game at her high school.
Taking all well wishes for a safe game and, of course, a big win! #GoGridironTigers🏈 pic.twitter.com/xDC1XBOaMv
— Jennifer Harker, Ph.D. (@jennifer_harker) September 10, 2021
As for what got her interested in football in the first place? Harker said she can’t remember exactly, except for simple childhood curiosity.
“I think I just wanted to try it,” Harker said. “And then I was like, ‘This is actually really fun.’ So then it just kind of stuck with me. My brother played a little bit. And my family’s always been a huge fan of watching the NFL and stuff. So, that probably was a motivation.”
And when Harker expressed interest in playing for the Tigers, the high school team welcomed her with open arms.
“It was just kind of showing up and saying, ‘Hey, I want to play,'” she said. “The team was great from day one. They accepted me from day one, so I thought that was really cool.”
Harker also plays for Chapel Hill’s soccer team. She said many of the techniques she learns are applicable across both sports.
“In soccer, whenever they have a breakaway or something, and you have to chase them, like breaking down in front of the ball, we practice that in football,” said Harker. “It’s the little fundamental things. I kick a little bit, too. Actually, kicking is a lot different. But yeah, it’s interesting to see that there are some similarities in technique.”
MaxPreps.com, which follows high school athletics around the country, lists Harker as both a wide receiver and defensive back. And as you just read, she can play kicker as well. She’s able to take the field on offense, defense and special teams, but which is her favorite?
“Honestly, my favorite position is just wherever they put me,” Harker said with a laugh. “I really like playing receiver. And free safety’s a lot of fun.”
Harker said her dream is to make the NFL, but hasn’t ruled out playing soccer or fencing on the collegiate level. With new rules in place which allow NCAA student-athletes to capitalize on their name, image and likeness, someone like Harker, whose name and image have already gone viral, could potentially cash in. But she hasn’t given it much thought yet.
“Actually, someone DM’d me on Instagram and asked [whether I have] gotten any NIL offers yet,” Harker said. “And I was like, ‘I don’t really know what that is.’ And my mom told me what it was. So that’s really all that I’ve thought about that.”
For now, Harker will continue to contribute for the Tigers. Her play is part of the reason Chapel Hill High is undefeated so far this season, as they hold a 4-0 record. Harker said her head coach, Isaac Marsh, isn’t just playing her for attention.
“Coach Marsh is more of a situational kind of guy more than he is a publicity kind of guy,” said Harker. “If he puts a player out there, it’s because it’s the best option for the team. So I believe that he put me out there because I was the best option.”
For more on Brooklyn and her story, check out Chapelboro’s Woman Crush Wednesday.
Featured image via The News & Observer
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