During a timeout in the second half of last Saturday’s Section VI Class A1 football game at Gene Masters Field at Grand Island High School, the referee approached the Jamestown sideline with what appeared to be an index card in his hand.

He then handed his field operations card to John O’Brien, the Red Raiders’ longtime statistician.

The request was simple yet unusual, because the man in the black-and-white-striped shirt and white cap wanted a signature.

But not from O’Brien.

Ella Propheter's performance on the field has even drawn the interest of a game official who requested an autograph from the freshman at last Saturday’s game in Grand Island. Below, team statistician John O’Brien shows Ella where to sign on the official’s field operations card. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Rather, it was from Jamestown’s 14-year-old freshman kicker, who is listed on the roster at 5-foot-5, 115 pounds.

Two games into the 2021 spring season, Ella Propheter is standing tall, and more than willing to blaze a trail.

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Tonight, the Red Raiders will entertain Kenmore West at Strider Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. If their first two games are any indication, Ella, who wears No. 24, will see plenty of action. In wins over Hamburg and Grand Island by a combined 100-12, she has connected on 8 of 11 extra-point tries.

“She’s done a great job,” Jamestown coach Tom Langworthy said. “She’s done everything we’ve asked and she works hard. … She knows what she has to do, she’s learned the value of hard work and preparation, and those are the things we look for in all of our players, so we’re happy to have her.”

There’s no hyperbole in that comment.

The fact is, Langworthy didn’t have a kicker waiting in the wings for the 2021 campaign and, once he saw potential candidates give it a try during preseason practices in the Jefferson Middle School gym, he grew even more concerned.

“We tried to line up some guys to kick and, although we are loaded with athletes, we didn’t have a lot of guys who could kick the ball,” he said.

Enter Ella, who had planned to be the place kicker for Jamestown’s junior varsity team, which is coached by her father, Steve. The original thought was that she could kick for both teams, but a new rule prevented that from becoming a reality.

“There was a rule that you can play up to 10 varsity snaps and play the jayvee game,” Langworthy said. “That’s what we were planning on. Then we saw a new rule that came out that you needed 48 hours of rest between those events.”

That meant that Ella had to choose.

“I really wanted to get a chance to play with my dad since he’s a coach for the jayvees,” she said, “but he understands that playing at the higher level is more important.”

So far, Ella has been more than up to the challenge.

“I think there could have been some doubters … but the second she started kicking they were straight and they went through and all the doubting went away,” Langworthy said. “I was not a doubting Thomas. I thought the entire time she could do it. She did a great job and she continues to impress.”

Having the ability to kick the ball is almost second nature for Ella, who also plays on the girls soccer team at Jamestown as well as for the Frewsburg Soccer Club travel squad.

“I’ve played soccer since I was 4, and I came around to love football by watching my dad coach, and watching the NFL. It’s really something I wanted to do.”

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When Ella lined up for her first extra-point try against Hamburg two weeks ago, her mother, Jenny, was filming the attempt from the bleachers. That was anticipated. The reaction from Ella’s teammates and coaching staff to the successful try?

That was a different story.

“I made it and you see my coaches and my teammates all just cheering and hopping up and down,” Ella said. “When I looked back at the video, I was just happy, because they supported me.”

Langworthy believes there is a couple “different levels” to Ella kicking at the varsity level.

“First off, here’s a girl who is doing what boys do, and that’s a big deal,” he said. “I also think it’s a good lesson that the best players play. She’s the best kicker we have right now, so she’s playing. And, it’s a good message to be sent and a good life lesson, too; make yourself valuable in the workplace and you’re going to be valued.”

Even in unexpected ways.

Like at Grand Island last Saturday night.

With the game long since decided, Ella stood on the sideline as the clock wound down in the fourth quarter. That’s when the referee approached O’Brien, the stat man, with the request for Ella’s autograph.

“I was kind of shocked at first,” she admitted. ” … Then (O’Brien) told me that the referee coaches girls hockey (in suburban Buffalo) and every time he sees a girl (playing sports), he wants their signature. I was really happy and excited. That was pretty cool.”

Five months earlier, Ella watched Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller become the first woman to play — and score — in a Power Five college football game when she booted an extra point for the Commodores.

” … Seeing other women in a male-dominated sport is really inspiring,” Ella said. “It’s like a role model for you to keep pushing forward and do what you’re doing.”

One kick at a time.