Gonzaga Prep senior becomes first girl to catch pass in GSL football game

Mackenzie Lewis has played football since the eighth grade. She just wants to be “one of the guys” with her teammates – her “brotherhood,” she called it.

But the 5-foot-6, 130-pound senior wide receiver can’t help but stand out from the rest of the Gonzaga Prep football team.

In what is widely believed to be a first in Greater Spokane League varsity play, Lewis caught a pass in G-Prep’s 56-13 win over Shadle Park on Friday.

In the fourth quarter, on second-and-6 from Gonzaga’s 40, backup quarterback Matthew Carney found Lewis for a 27-yard gain and the Bullpups went on to score their last touchdown of the game on the drive.

So, was she excited about being the first girl to catch a pass in a game that counted?

“Yeah, I guess so,” she replied after practice on Tuesday, without sounding all that excited.

“Coach told me to be ready to play and I was like, ‘OK, I just gotta be ready whenever.’ ”

Lewis can be forgiven for not jumping up and down – she’s been held out of practice this week because of illness and is questionable to play on Friday in the showdown game against Central Valley.

Coach Dave McKenna said he didn’t design the play for her, but it came as part of the natural rhythm of the game.

“We talked and said, ‘We’re gonna try to throw the ball,’ and we’re going to play what we do and she’s part of the game. The defense they were running, it was open and so we’re gonna throw it to her.”

Lewis said one of the best things about playing football is the camaraderie and bond with her teammates.

“The whole team is like a brotherhood,” she said. “I hang with them and they treat me like I’m just one of the guys.

“Football has always been a passion of mine growing up. The moment we talked to Coach Mac coming into my freshman year, he was totally open about the idea. The coaching staff here at Gonzaga Prep has never seen it any other way. They’ve treated me just like one of the guys. It’s family here and it’s the best program I’ve been a part of.”

Lewis said that through the years she’s received some slack from students or opponents, and though she has no aspirations of playing at the next level, she plays for the love of the game.

“Football teaches many great life skills – how to respond to adversity, be ready for whatever’s coming next,” Lewis said. “It’s opened my eyes to so much and I could never have gotten that from anything else.”

McKenna was happy that Lewis was able to be part of something special.

“She’s been awesome,” he said. “In football, you talk about a brotherhood. You talk about that unity part of it and she’s taken it like we would expect her to.

“She’s been outstanding and I was very proud of her, very proud of her team when she caught that ball, and the emotion that she had, and how excited everyone was for her. It was a neat moment.”