Of the 12 former youth football players currently playing the sport at the junior varsity level at North Harford High School in Pylesville, one is a little different than the others.

Peyton Dawson is the only girl among the group to advance through the ranks of the North Harford Rec. football program together, although the last thing the 14-year-old freshman wants is to be singled out for her gender.

”She wants to be treated just like every other player,” North Harford JV coach Barry Debelius said, noting that Peyton is not concerned if he addresses the team as “guys” instead of saying “guys and girls.”

Peyton says that she has wanted to play football ever since she first competed in the sport as a six-year-old.

Although her parents signed her up for soccer, the gridiron game was always her fall favorite.

Her dad, North Harford JV assistant coach Charlie Dawson, said that he balked at registering Peyton for football when she was five, yet relented the following year with his wife’s (Debbie) blessing.

”In the beginning, I didn’t want her to play,” Charlie Dawson said. “But Debbie talked me into it.”

”She wanted to play football,” Debbie Dawson said. “She said, ‘I don’t see why girls can’t do what boys do.’”

That’s about as much of a nod toward equal rights for women as you’ll get from Peyton’s parents, who don’t appear to be carrying a torch for feminism as much as they simply want their daughter to follow in the footsteps of her older siblings, Luke and Evan, both of whom are on the Hawks’ varsity.

Charlie said that the fear of his 5-foot-9, 160-pound daughter being unable to handle contact against high school boys is not an issue, especially since the advent of concussion protocols and the teaching of proper tackling techniques at the youth and high school levels.

”I knew what was being taught at North Harford,” Charlie said. “And Peyton knows how to take a hit and she knows how to deliver one, too. She’s not a small girl, and knows how to keep her head out (while tackling shoulder-first). She knows a lot more about the game than some of the guys.”

Peyton’s football future will be assessed “year by year,” her father said. “I assume she’ll play JV again next year, but we’ll probably let her play varsity her junior year if that’s what she wants to do — and that’s always been her goal.”

One thing is for sure, Peyton and her parents won’t expect any special treatment regarding her potential future on the Hawks’ varsity in a couple of years.

”She’ll be evaluated like any other player,” Debbie said.

Still, there are other considerations to keep in mind regarding her overall athletic career in her other sports, basketball and lacrosse.

As a goalie for the highly-regarded Skywalkers club lacrosse squad, her ability to stop shots may eventually supersede her football career.

As for now, though, Peyton is happy in her role as a backup linebacker and a reserve offensive guard — who can pull with the best of them, according to Debelius.

He said that she has enough lateral quickness to help to block on a running play.

”She can fire out and get under a big guy and stand him up,” Debelius said. “She can destroy a D-end on a sweep when he doesn’t see her coming and then get to the second level (to continue blocking). She has the best blocking technique on the team. She just doesn’t have the strength right now to hold her blocks.”

Peyton’s linebacking skills are also pretty good, a fact that a C. Milton Wright running back discovered in a game early last month when she blitzed, tracked him down and deposited him on the turf for a 5-yard loss.

She finished that game with three solo tackles and one assisted tackle.

”People in the stands erupted when she made that play,” Debelius said.

Peyton said that she followed instructions on the play and was rewarded for her effort.”

Coach told me to blitz through the C gap — and the guy was right there,” she said.

Football, she added, has other benefits that could pay off in her separate athletic endeavors.

”It’s physically and mentally tougher than other sports,” she said. “Because you need more speed and strength.”

Peyton said that the bond shared by her football teammates has a different feel than her other sports.

”I really like the atmosphere,” she said. “It’s more like a family to me.”

And she said that her girlfriends at school are “definitely encouraging — and they come to my games. I think some of them would want to play football, too.”

Her mother said that she is not surprised by Peyton’s perseverance to play football.”

She’a a goal-setter,” Debbie Dawson said. “And football is a part of her life. She’s a very competitive kid and has a passion for sports. It’s just been a joy to watch her. And we couldn’t ask for better support than what we’ve gotten from the North Harford community. I hope that if other kids are ever in her position (of participating in a non-traditional support), that they can get the kind of support we’ve gotten here.”

Debbie added that her brothers “couldn’t be any more supportive of Peyton.”

Former North Harford Rec. coach Brian Shutt said that it was “a little weird at first” when he coached Peyton in her first year playing football.

That was also true for mandatory pre-game “cup checks” when players tap on their own athletic cup to prove to opposing coaches they have protection from groin injuries.

That’s often how coaches and players from other teams discovered that Peyton would probably be the first girl they ever competed against on a football field.

Much to their chagrin, they also found that the girl could really play.

”She just excelled last year,” Shutt said about her final youth league season. “She has excellent technique and her football IQ is so high — you forget that she’s a girl. She’s just one of the 20 kids on the team, and she was a starter.”

Even so, Shutt said that he never encountered any hard feelings from rivals.

”There was never an incident — not once,” he said. “We had other coaches say that ‘she’s just a football player.’”

Of course, Peyton has been accepted by her North Harford teammates, especially the buddies she grew up with in the Pylesville area.

”We’ve played with her so long, she’s just a part of the team,” said Nate Shutt, a JV freshman running back/cornerback, and Brian and Kristin Shutt’s son. “We always thought that she was the same as us. She hits really hard, tackles well and is really smart. I wouldn’t be surprised if she’ll (eventually) be with us on varsity.”