Trenna and the Trojans

Photo Credit Ms. Roop

By: Jes Cates

It was just another game when suddenly, bam! Trenna Walls, the first female member of the Jenks Boys’ Football Team to play, gets tackled. 

“My dad wouldn’t say he was worried,” said Walls,  “but you can definitely tell because when I’d go out to the field I’d look at him every time, and you know how you know your parents’ faces, you could tell he was worried.”

The biggest worry of most parents and friends of football players is that they will get injured. Even though kickers get injured less often than the other players, this is true for Walls’ parents too. A severe injury could impact her soccer career.

Trenna Walls kicking a field goal.

Walls has been playing soccer since she was three years old, and today she plays both soccer and football. She mainly joined the football team for her dad, the kicker was injured, and he wanted her to try out for the position. 

This sacrifice, putting herself in a position that could be life-changing, even with the positives that come with being a part of a great team and getting to know some wonderful people, shows her loyalty to her family and overall what a good person she is.

“Her work ethic is really good, she is always determined to get all her work done,” said Brooklynn Carrasco, one of Walls' closest friends since the seventh grade. “ I think she is a really good athlete, she is a good team player… and just a good person to be around”

Even with soccer and schoolwork, Trenna still makes time for her team. She’s outgoing, and, partially due to her family’s attitude about sports, she’s bonded with her teammates. 

“I can go to the field after soccer and just hang out and talk to everyone, or if we have a game, what I look forward to is our games,” says Walls, “We can just hang out and eat and everything, and it’s just really fun.” 

That’s the great thing about some sports, like the ones that Walls is in, by participating in them you also gain a team, a community, and people to rely on and support you. This is true, especially for Walls. Even before she joined the team, she knew some of the players and the coaches since her dad, Ebon Walls, is a coach.  

“There was definitely a lot of talk about me being a pick-me girl…” said Walls, “but it doesn't bother me, football’s something I enjoy and I’m not going to let anything bring me down.”

As the first girl to play on the team, she’s treated differently, not by the coaches or the players really, but by the people around her. Teenagers, like all people, talk and tease. But Walls doesn't let their words get to her. She is strong and motivated and she loves what she does and won’t stop for anyone.