PINE GROVE -- It's homecoming weekend for many high schools. One high school senior in Schuylkill County had her hands full, playing in a varsity soccer game, taking part in homecoming court, and even kicking extra points for the football team--all in one day.
It doesn't take long to realize what makes senior Faith Shiffer stand out from the rest of the Pine Grove Area High School varsity football team.
"I never thought I’d actually be out there playing," Shiffer said.
For the past two seasons, this soccer star has split her time between shin pads and shoulder pads, playing for both the girls varsity soccer team and the football team as the kicker.
"I just manage my time like come to football after school. Then after football practice, I go to soccer practice."
A "dual athlete" who's doing it all with the support of her teammates.
"What happens if someone takes a cheap shot at her? And I say, ‘Honestly, I think you'd see 46 players in Cardinal uniforms running over to get that person that hit her,’" said Pine Grove Area Head Football Coach Jeff Sampson.
But the whole "overcoming adversity" storyline isn't just about gender for this standout senior.
"I would've never said she would--being a type 1 diabetic. It's hard. You gotta check your sugars and all that. It's amazing that someone with type 1 can do all this. I know some people would frown on it, but it keeps her going," her dad Heath Shiffer said.
As if she didn’t already have enough on her plate, while the rest of her team was in the locker room during halftime, she was still out on the field, taking part in homecoming court.
"It's just nice that I can just go out there in a football uniform and not in a dress and be different."
And capping off her busy night, Shiffer won Homecoming Queen.
