Erin DiMeglio has had one heck of a year.
First, the South Plantation (Fla.) High senior made national headlines by becoming the first female to line up at quarterback in a varsity football game in the state of Florida. Fittingly, she followed that up by becoming the first female quarterback in Florida to complete a varsity pass. Now, DiMeglio has earned an area spotlight for a polar opposite focus: She's South Plantation's homecoming queen.
DiMeglio was officially crowned as the queen of her school's homecoming court during halftime of her team's game against Hollywood Hills (Fla.) High. The honor came in the midst of South Plantation's 18-0 victory, though the contest was tight enough that DiMeglio spent the entire game on the bench as a backup.
Despite the lack of game action, the night unquestionably belonged to DiMeglio, a star on the school's basketball and flag football teams who took a spot on the boys football squad after her coach encouraged her to use the team's 7-on-7 scrimmages as a platform for training for flag football. Fittingly, DiMeglio even shared a passing connection with the school's homecoming king, quite literally: Senior homecoming king Hordley Seide doubles as one of DiMeglio's receivers.
"I was surprised, because a lot of girls at this school, they know a lot of people," DiMeglio told CBS Miami of the honor she received as part of the homecoming court.
Regardless of the fact that the homecoming court is quite openly a blatant popularity contest, DiMeglio and her mother were both pleased with her in-game coronation, which they felt proved that she is more than just an athlete.
And for Seide and DiMeglio, the team's dual coronation was a further testament to the brotherhood that has been shared amongst teammates throughout their senior season.
"Erin's known around the nation now, and for me to be up here with her it's an honor," Seide told CBS Miami. "Erin, she's not just my teammate, she's like my friend."
Added DiMeglio: "We're all a big family, so it's really cool."
Want more on the best stories in high school sports? Visit RivalsHigh or connect with Prep Rally on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.