Until the helmet comes off, number 88 seems to be just like every other football player on Old Colony’s team. But as the only one without a Y chromosome, Amy Collard isn’t exactly “one of the guys.”

She isn’t complaining though.

“The guys are good to me. I’ve befriended so many of the guys playing football. They’re good kids,” said Collard, a resident of Lakeville.

The sophomore, who is studying health careers, has been playing football since sixth grade when her older brother suggested she might enjoy it.

She thought, “’I’ll try it out for one year.’”

But she liked it so much that she kept up with the sport and made the varsity team this year.

“I wasn’t actually planning to play into high school,” said Collard. “I just wanted to keep playing.”

But the wide receiver and cornerback admits the game isn’t getting easier.

“It’s tough. The kids get bigger. They get stronger,” she said. “I try my best everyday. I’ve been working hard trying to hold my own. I feel like I’m doing OK.”

Head coach Bryce Guilbeault thinks so, too.

“Physically, she’s not as strong as most of the boys and not as fast as most of the boys, but she shows up and works everyday,” he said. “She is constantly improving, and that’s what we ask of all of our players.”

As one of the younger members on the team, Collard hasn’t gotten any field action yet, but she has her fingers crossed.

“I’m hoping that I’ll get some playing time this year, and that I’ll stay pretty successful and help out the team,” she said.

Also a member of the girls basketball and lacrosse teams, Collard isn’t one to let a challenge slow her down, and she encourages other girls to play if that’s what they enjoy.

“If it’s in your heart, then you should play,” she said. “Football is in my heart, and that’s why I believe I can play.”