Football Kicker Crowned Homecoming Queen

Oct. 8, 2006 — -- When people think of a homecoming queen, they usually think of an evening gown and slippers, not shoulder pads and cleats.

But Kaelin Chain of Mt. Pleasant, Pa., isn't the average homecoming queen or the average high school football player.

For four years, Chain has lived under the bright lights of her high school football field as the star kicker for the Mount Pleasant Vikings.

"I love it," she said of her experience as kicker. "It's great."

But Friday's game was different than the dozens she's played before.

During halftime, the focus of the game took an unlikely turn, as the high school senior was crowned homecoming queen.

Although popular with her classmates, no one in the stands expected the school's homecoming queen to be crowned in cleats and pads.

The Vikings won, 18 to 12 -- but Friday night, Chain went home with a tiara and a helmet along with the cheers of her team, classmates, and her mother, Kerrie Chain.

"I'm just really proud of my daughter," her mother said.