Queen
BY TERI R. WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY DAPHNE WALKER AND THE DAVIS HOUSE PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIO
of the game
SHE'S RECEIVED A FEW STARES AS THE GIRL KICKER FOR
ROBERT TOOMBS CHRISTIAN ACADEMY'S FOOTBALL TEAM, BUT
HANNAH KEENE IS JUST DOING WHAT SHE DOES BEST: LIVING
LIFE WITHOUT FEAR OF JUDGEMENT. AND THAT MAKES HER A
Hometown Living At Its Best 69
true Queen.
if you see me at a high school football game, I am there for one of only two
reasons: to hear the band play (because my son-in-law, Noah Bullard, is the
brilliant, talented Toombs County High School Band Director), and/or to see my
granddaughter, Ava Bullard, a TCHS cheerleader. But if I were to attend a football
game for any other reason, it would definitely be to see Hannah Keene kick for the
Robert Toombs Crusaders.
When Hannah came home from school her sophomore year and told her parents that
Robert Toombs Christian Academy (RTCA) Head Football Coach Thomas Smith wanted her
to kick for the football team, her dad, Chris Keene, was very vocal about his thoughts on the
matter. “My dad thought it was great!” said Hannah. Of course, Chris Keene was also the one
who encouraged his daughter to try out for the wrestling team because he was certain his girl
could take down at least a few of her competitors. (And he was right.)
Hannah’s mom Sheri on the other hand, was a little nervous. But after a game or two, she
was won over by the respect both the team and the opposing teams showed her daughter as
the kicker both on the field and off. Not only because of her gender but because “roughing
the kicker” is frowned upon. In fact, it’s against the rules of the game even in the big leagues.
In an online article for Business Insider by Tony Manfred, “According to the rulebook,
kickers and punters are technically ‘defenseless’ players at all times. That means they can't
be hit in the head or neck, and can't be blocked with a helmet-first hit, even if they are trying
to make a tackle on a return. They have all the protections that a quarterback who just threw
the ball has, at all times,” (December 19, 2013).
Of course, things don’t always go as planned. Hannah never planned on being the
quarterback, but the two times there was a “bad snap and the ball went over our holder’s
head,” she didn’t hesitate to run back and grab it.
“Did you get tackled?” I asked.
“They didn’t hit me hard,” she smiled. “They just kind of picked me up and set me on the
ground.”