Five years ago, when Jamie Naylor heard about an all-women’s football league, she thought, “I could do that.”

She was right.

Naylor, a 2000 Salem High School graduate, recently finished her fifth year with the Manchester Freedom, where she has filled nearly every role in a sport she had never played until she tried out for the team.

In her most recent campaign, during which the Freedom finished with a 4-4 regular- season record and earned a playoff spot, Naylor was named to the Independent Women’s Football League all-star team and traveled to Austin, Texas, with other stars from the 51- team league.

Though Naylor is predominantly a wide receiver and safety, she has also returned kicks and served as a place kicker and backup quarterback.

And Naylor isn’t the only Salem resident on the squad; captain Lauri Izzi serves as a quarterback and running back in addition to her special teams work.

It’s Naylor’s versatility that her head coach, Dave Sarvis, said has made her a key member of the Freedom.

“It isn’t a case of what one thing makes her so important to the team,” said Sarvis. “Her ability to adapt to multiple positions on offense and defense and be utilized in complex systems has been impressive.”

Before she joined the Freedom, Naylor played soccer and softball growing up. Naylor said each prepared her for football in different ways.

The training for soccer helped Naylor’s endurance, while softball helped her focus on the importance of fundamentals.

“The sports really taught me the importance of being on a team as well,” said Naylor. “In soccer and softball, you can have one player who really carries the team. In football, everyone on the team has to participate, and you have to rely on everyone else.”

When Naylor first came into the league, the season included 10 regular-season games. Teams currently play eight contests leading up to the playoffs.

Freedom players practice two or three nights a week, and Sarvis said that makes Naylor’s progress even more impressive; it shows how much she works in her spare time.

“The fact that someone can come in without prior experience and learn from the Pop Warner level right up through college in the span of three months, and grow year after year, that’s outstanding,” he said.

Naylor said one of the most rewarding aspects of playing in the IWFL is the example she can set for young females who may not have known football was an option for them.

“The opportunity is there,” said Naylor. “If we can be the forerunners for the girls to have opportunities when they’re younger, it’ll be great for them to get chances to play at the next level.”