On Wednesday, Sept. 18 the North girls flag football varsity and junior varsity teams competed against the Fremd Vikings as their first formal game of the season, making history as North’s official debut of girls flag football.
The games were dynamic, allowing the girls a chance to bring the new skills they have been working on in their practices to an official game setting. Vital flag pulls and interceptions from the North teams exhibited their improving technique and kept the games engaging.
The highlight of the Stars’ night was sophomore Zandria Richardson’s touchdown during the varsity game, followed by senior Ava Miedema’s successful two-point conversion.
“[The touchdown felt] good, it felt like a step towards improvement as a team,” said Richardson postgame.
As the first game of the season, the girls are still progressing in their skills as individuals and as a team.
“We have only had like four practices, so to at least to get some points up on the board [was] good,” said junior and varsity player Teliyah Clemons.
Several team members noted that the energy level on and off the field made for a fun experience.
“As everyone got more comfortable the energy definitely grew. We started to run more plays and get a touchdown,” said senior and Team Manager Paige Murray. “We’re definitely building up more and more energy.”
The girls were cheered on by many members of the North community, including the boys varsity football players, who have also been assisting at practices to help the girls develop their skills further.
“[The boys football team] helped with throwing, they taught stances and they did drills,” said junior varsity player Nat Evanoff. “It was awesome.”
IHSA approved girls flag football as an official sport on Feb. 5, allowing schools to compete in conference matches and at the first official state championship this October. As of now, the North team is officially considered a pilot club, not a sport. They will not be competing in conference matches nor for the chance to play in the state finals this school year. Despite this, Head Coach Mike Taormina is working to organize games that simulate those of an official sport.
“What we’re doing right now is we’re finding competition for the girls [and giving them] the same experience [they] would as if [they] were playing a school sport, so we are connecting with schools in and around a Chicagoland area that are willing to play games,” said Taormina. “We’re going to have IHSA officials, we’re going to be playing on the turf, we’re going to have a schedule of Home and Away games just as if it was a sport, but we’re going to be doing it as a club.”
The club is anticipating eventually becoming an official North sport in the future, as long as there is a consistent interest level from players. According to Taormina, the club currently consists of almost 80 participants.
“If the interest level remains strong, there is a 100% chance of this being a [North] sport,” said Taormina.
From this point on, the team looks forward to the rest of their season as a pilot club and their prospective success.
“This is just a starting point, we’re going up for sure,” said Murray. “Everyone’s getting more confident in their abilities.”
They are also looking forward not just to the rest of the current season, but to seasons in the future as well.
“We are laying the foundation for the future of girls flag football at North. The same way that all the other sports in our school have been successful and have had success over the years, we want to be that,” said Taormina. “We want to be able to put a quality product on the field while the kids are getting lots of opportunities and the right opportunities for their skills.”
