CLAUDE, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – In the small town of Claude, one fifth-grade girl is making an impact on the football field. Her name is Truett King.

“I’ll tell you what, there is nothing more fun than seeing her run a 50-yard touchdown with a ponytail bouncing out in the air and seeing the look on those boys’ faces,” said Ryan Slack, head coach for Youth Football League.

King plays tackle football for the Youth Football League in Claude and plays the position of running back on offense and linebacker or safety on defense.

Slack said they have been in Claude for seven or eight years now, offering flag football and tackle football.

“So Claude went six-man football here several years ago and we were starting up this youth league and got in touch with several towns in the area that had six-man teams and got with them and we have a six-man football league, just all youth kids…flag football for kindergarten through second grade, third and fourth is tackle and fifth and sixth tackle,” said Slack.

Slack said more girls should give football a consideration.

“These girls play hard and they play as hard, or harder than these boys. I see no reason girls shouldn’t play. She started off in flag football with us several years ago and she has just been top of her game the whole time,” said Slack.

Truett’s parents, Jennifer and Mark King said that she loves to compete and lets nothing stop her.

“Everything she does is a competition, which is good, but we are trying to make sure we foster that into something always positive, but everything she does, basketball, gymnastics, even dance, she wants to go hard and go all the way,” said Jennifer.

Mark said as long as she wants to play, they are behind her.

“We love watching her play….You know Claude fosters this since we are so small, I don’t know if she would have had this opportunity if we were somewhere else. She would be doing volleyball or other things, but they are small here and they encourage everyone to do all the things, and the boys have always treated her as one of their own and the coaches are really, really good to her, and make her feel super welcomed, as long as she wants to do it. That’s good,” said Jennifer.

Jennifer said the program is just golden.

“They just pour so much time into these kids and they are so positive. They push them to do better and play hard and you can see that as they go into junior high and high school,” said Jennifer.

Truett’s advice for other girls wanting to try their hand at the sport…

“Just don’t care, like what anyone says. If you get hit hard. That’s just a big lesson for another juke or another like hit ’em hard more,” said Truett.

Truett added she’s not the only superstar on the team.

“We’re all kind of superstars. We’re just all a great team and we all have each other’s backs and it’s really good. It’s a really good program,” said Truett.