The theme for the OPRF flag football team this fall is the next chapter. And so after graduating 22 seniors, seven of whom are now playing in college, it’s time for coach Jim Geovanes to turn the page. The next chapter should be compelling, what with 102 girls out program-wide, 36 of them freshmen.
“They set the standard for us and we’re going to take it and run,” he said of those graduates. “Our 2028s are lights out.”
That group of juniors is led by Alessandra Gerut, who participated in the USA Football U16 Select Bowl in June in Los Angeles.
“We reworked out entire offensive playbook to complement her skill set,” Geovanes said. “You want to double-team her? We’ll pick you apart.”
Gerut said she had a good time in La-La Land.
“A lot of (players) were from California and New York, and there was a feeling of, ‘Do I belong here?’” she said. “It was crazy.”
Offensively, Gerut is going to have a lot of help. Consider fellow junior running backs Nora Parton, a soccer player, and KaiLee Robinson, who stands about 5-foot-1 but runs like the wind. Robinson said there’s a reason so many girls have come out for flag football.
“It’s a community,” she said. “We’ve built such good connections through the program. (Geovanes) tries to make sure people are doing well physically, mentally and emotionally.”
Junior Lucy Avrut led OPRF in touchdowns as a sophomore, and Geovanes said, “She’ll end up owning every receiving record by the time she’s done.”
Quarterback is a tough decision. There’s sophomore Anna Dore, and then there is senior Ionna Griffin, who ran the option at Downers Grove South a year ago.
Defensively, consider the skills of senior linebacker Tegan Smith, a huge Bears fan who plays basketball and also throws the shot put.
“I think the main thing I bring from track and field is an intensity,” she said. “Having the strength for shot put gives me the energy needed for flag football.”
There’s another junior who will be key on defense: Kynnedi Alawode, who is also a track athlete. Geovanes said, “She is the smartest, fastest kid on the field.”
That’s a lot of talent, and the Huskies will need it, especially early in the season, when they play powers like Evanston, top-ranked Kenwood and Willowbrook. And that’s all before the West Suburban Silver, with Lyons, York and Glenbard West, among others.
Baines leads stout Fenwick defense
Across town at Fenwick, the key player to mind if you’re an opposing offense is junior Daija Baines, who led the Friars in sacks last year.
“Daija is very quick, very fast,” coach Lenae Fergerson said. “When she’s on that line, she’s at the quarterback in less than two seconds. She puts a lot of pressure on quarterbacks.”
Fergerson has plenty of other weapons on defense that should make opponents wary. That includes a host of juniors, including Sloane McNally, Amirah Favelah and Alisson Velasquez-Medina. Also providing support will be first-year player Maeve Bonakdar, a senior who will play on both sides of the ball.
“I see the team’s biggest strengths lying in our defense this season,” Baines said, “specifically in Amirah Favela and Alisson Velasquez-Medina as linemen, as they have great angles when opening up and stay with whoever it is that they are defending.”
On offense, Fergerson has the same issue at quarterback as Geovanes – two viable candidates. On one hand is senior De’ondrea Allman, who has played all three years Fenwick has had a program. She toggled between starting and backup roles last year, but what Fergerson likes is that she is a vocal leader. On the other hand is junior Laura Mullen, who is a pinpoint passer.
Junior Gweneth McNally and sophomore Talia Hill will likely be the first options at running back, but freshman Siobhan O’Rourke plays soccer and is very athletic. Fergerson said she’s “got quick feet and is shifty with the ball.”
Like OPRF, Fenwick will contend with a challenging schedule, including nonconference power Maine South. It doesn’t get any easier in the GCAC North, with DePaul Prep, St. Ignatius, Trinity, Resurrection, Saint Viator and Loyola.
Good news, bad news for Trinity
The good news for Trinity is coach Jim Moy has 23 players out this season, nine more than last year. His sole all-conference player, junior receiver Hayden Smith, returns, and there are also 11 solid freshmen, including Gianna McDougall and Danielle Porter.
The bad news? His sophomore starting quarterback from a year ago, Payten Haynes, is out for the season with a stress fracture in her foot. And his top running back transferred to Hope. That means McDougall will get her share of snaps and may will likely be targeting Smith and Porter.
On defense, strong safety Amira Straw returns, who Moy said is the fastest on his team.
“Nobody ever gets behind her,” Moy said. “She can go across the field from one side to the other. If a running back catches a pass past our first layer, she can get to the opposite side and get that flag.”