SSHS’ Olivia Mancini kicks her way to football history
When the Blue Streaks hit the state championship Saturday, the team will include Olivia Mancini, their trailblazing female kicker.
For the first time in a decade, the Saratoga Springs High School football team is heading to the New York State Football Championships, held December 5–6 at Syracuse University’s JMA Wireless Dome. But this year, the story isn’t just about a team making it back to the state championship — it’s also about the young woman helping lead them there.
Senior kicker Olivia Mancini has been playing tackle football since seventh grade, carving out a spot in a sport where few girls ever get the chance to suit up, let alone excel. What began as a leap of curiosity has grown into a history-making senior season and an inspiring example for girls across the region.
“I never thought I’d be seen as a trailblazer,” she says. “But girls from Saratoga and nearby towns reach out saying how proud they are or how excited their daughters are to see me play.”
The coaches — focused on Saturday’s game — weren’t sure if Mancini was the first female football player to represent the school at the State Championships. (There was one previous female kicker, but did she play in 2015, the last time the Blue Streaks played for the title? Unclear. But a 2015 roster found online did not list any females.)
But she is definitely the first one to have such a starring role — she has bragging rights to the completion of 39 extra points (of 44 attempts) so far this season. (This makes her ranked an impressive No. 13 in the state.)
In addition to holding her own with the boys, she has recently been able to reconnect with female competition, via the school’s flag football program that was established in 2024. “Being part of a team full of women is empowering,” Mancini says. “People are surprised at how physical it can be. You have to be just as tough as in tackle.”
That toughness — paired with the support of coaches who believed in her, including the flag football team’s Founding Head Coach Jon Coons (who also is defensive coordinator for the tackle team) — set the foundation for her growth in the varsity tackle program.
Now, as she prepares to finish her senior season on the state championship stage, Mancini is carrying not just her team, but the hopes of girls watching from the stands, classrooms and living rooms across the Capital Region. Her message to them is simple and direct:
“If you’re thinking about joining — just do it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
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