The final Friday night lights of the regular season are upon us. What you may not know is the impact some of these players will have well past the final whistle.

Thursday meant walkthroughs for the Fayetteville-Manlius High School Hornets, a no-contact practice ahead of the last game of the regular season, which was a bit of a let-down for juniors Julia Leary and Mara McBride.

The pair play primarily defensive back and running back or offensive and defensive line, respectively, rare breeds in a time where young women are trailblazing.

Sarah Fuller kicked off and scored a PAT for Vanderbilt in the SEC to become the first female to score in the major conference. More recently, two King’s College Monarchs, Delaney Hilferty and Alyssa Accordino, doubled up successful PATs in record fashion between the posts.

But for these young ladies, it's more about the impact on the gridiron.

"I think I prefer the hitting side of a ball a lot more, because you just, something that I did to initially get on the team," said Leary. "I respect the hell out of those girls for doing that as well."

"It's just the gratification you feel after it. Like just taking someone down, you're like 'I did that.' That's so amazing," added McBride.

It's game-respecting-game when it comes to trailblazing females playing football at all levels.

"It's just really nice to see other women do it, like women are more than capable of doing this, and I think it's a really great way just to show the strength in women in general," McBride said.

Julia and Mara do play some specialty positions for different scenarios, but the impact plays for a Hornets team that has written its own destiny are very much there.

"Julia, she the other day, she kept the kickoff and made the tackle. Like, It was crazy. It was amazing," McBride remarked.

"Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't go and tackle someone. I'll hit someone any day of the week," Leary added. "No matter their gender, [anyone] should be able to come down the football field, show up on some pads and go hit someone."

This duo's shoulders are held high after every pancake block, big hit or sometimes just heading to homeroom.

"The kind of feeling that you get when not only when you like stuff on the field, but new stuff in the school, when people say 'hi' to you in the halls and they know that you're on their team, that you have their backs, and matter what, and when you're on the field, when you're up in the school," noted Leary. "It's a really good feeling."

It's also the feeling of leveling the playing field for so many high school college athletes, and maybe some day, professionals.

"It's a tough sport, I'm not gonna lie," McBride said. "There's times where I struggle, but like, being out there and working hard is just the most important thing. And I hope to see, like, tons of women out there, just giving it their all and just putting themselves out there, showing who they are as a person and what they can be."

Sometimes role models like these get caught up in just doing their thing, not realizing the impact that they have and will make.

"It's something that I always wanted to try, but I never thought I was attainable until I met Mara and I realized there are girls on the team. They can do that, we can do that," added Leary.

"I've made a difference in someone else, and like convincing someone else to play is amazing," McBride responded. "I think being a woman, it just sets another thing up for you to do. And I think both of us have like overcome a lot of obstacles in that sense."