This fall, there’ll be plenty of football action in the community, and not just for boys on the high school and youth levels. Girls’ flag football has become increasingly popular across the country, and the Illinois High School Association knows it. Starting this year, the IHSA is sanctioning the sport and creating a state playoff series.
That’s something Oak Park and River Forest High School coach James Geovanes and Fenwick High School coach Lenae Fergerson are happy about.
“It’s incredible to be part of history as we launch flag football as an IHSA sport,” said Geovanes, who oversaw the program the previous two years as a club sport. “The enthusiasm from the players, coaches, and community has been overwhelming. We’re building something special here, and I can’t wait to see how the program grows in the coming years.”
“We’re all very excited for the sport to be taking off as it has,” said Fergerson, who is also the varsity girls basketball coach. “More importantly, we’re going to be part of history here at Fenwick. This is the inaugural year for girls flag football and we’re very excited, as the girls are as well.”
OPRF
The Huskies will field varsity and junior varsity squads, with 38 girls participating. Geovanes says freshman Nora Partin, along with juniors Cora Brown, Leah Hammerschmidt, Julia Henderson, and Niani Patton have stood out in practices.
Given that there are several colleges and universities starting programs, especially on the NCAA Division III and National Athletic Intercollegiate Association (NAIA) levels, Geovanes thinks flag football will create opportunities for players to develop valuable skills and further their careers beyond high school.
“We want to continue growing the game in our school and in the community,” Geovanes said. “We want this program to become a sustainable, inclusive sport at OPRF for generations.”
He would like to use the Huskies’ established relationship with the National Football League Flag Football program to help create a feeder program for local middle-school girls, as well as get middle-school boys interested in OPRF’s intramural flag program.
While he’s eager for OPRF to compete for this year’s state championship, Geovanes says it’s about more than their record this fall.
“It’s about setting the foundation for future athletes,” he said. “We’re paving the way for the next generation of girls to see that they belong on the football field and that they can compete at a high level with confidence and pride.”
OPRF’s opener against visiting Proviso East, Aug. 26, was postponed due to excessive heat. The Huskies’ next scheduled game is at Joliet Central, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m.
Fenwick
The Friars have 40 girls in the program, fielding both varsity and junior varsity teams.
According to Fenwick’s co-head coach Bryan Boehm, seniors London Almedia, Marie Barnett, Mia Hernandez, Olivia LaChance, and Caroline Skoufis along with juniors Addison Boehm, Heaven Lee, Rosemarie Nowicki, Gianna Pescatore, Margaret Price, and D. Smith have been the practice standouts.
“They’ve been a large part of our leadership so far, and we’re excited to see how they all perform in our first few games,” he said.
In Fenwick’s first season, both Boehm and Fergerson want to establish a standard for future Friar teams to follow.
“We have the goals and objectives of competing to the best of our ability while still learning the game and having fun,” Fergerson said. “Many of our girls are new to the game and are soaking in all the information each day at practice.”
“We take the field with two major goals in mind: have fun and be competitive,” Boehm said. “Fenwick looks to raise the bar each time we compete. … If we do the fundamentals right and execute the plays on both sides of the ball, success will come. The standards we set this season become the foundation for future years. It’s not a task our girls take lightly.”
Fenwick meets host Lyons Township, Aug. 28, at 6 p.m., in Western Springs.
