A family bet proved to be a life changing move for Nation Ford High School’s (South Carolina) Lexi Dressing.

Acting as most teenagers often do, Dressing looked to prove her mom wrong when told she wouldn’t try out for Nation Ford’s vacant kicker position.

“I won that bet,” Dressing said.

“She surprised all of us and turned out to be a really good kicker,” said teammate Jordan Helms. “She treats us the same as we treat her, with respect and we’re really dependent on her."

Her heroics sealed a victory over the school’s crosstown rival in the fall. She said all of the game’s attention and hype made it such a special moment.

Dressing is about one of 1,500 girls participating nationally in high school football, while 1,083,600 boys play the sport.

“It’s just like a big family,” Dressing said about being the team’s lone girl. “It’s like having, you know, 34 brothers …”

Stories like that of Dressing’s are part of the PBS Series “Outside the Box,” which encourages PBS Student Reporting Labs nationwide to profile young people who are tackling stereotypical gender issues in their respective communities.

Learn more about how Dressing’ learned to live “Outside the Box” from PBS.