In a move to add more options for sports for girls, the school will be having an official girls flag football team next school year, following last year’s sanctioning by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA).
“I love flag football,” Camila Navarro, junior, said. “I have played on a team before, and I would be interested in playing for the school now that it’s a sport.”
The introduction of the program has sparked excitement among students and staff.
“Flag football has an opportunity to create additional support and school spirit from the community and our students,” Patrick Hanley, athletic director, said. “It will give more student athletes the opportunity to get involved with something that connects them to our school and gives them a chance to work with teammates toward the greater good.”
The Southwest Prairie Conference (SPC) has already posted a conference schedule, and the team would play eight to ten conference games against the other conference schools. Hanley said that he and the rest of the athletic department are looking to schedule anywhere between five and ten additional non-conference games with other schools in the area.
“I personally have been interested in flag football since they brought it to my old school,” Marley Morgan, sophomore, said. “I feel like it would be more of a fun experience outside of just powderpuff, but actual competition.”
Several girls are ready for a new type of sport.
“Flag football gives the girls in the school an opportunity to show off their skills that they aren’t able to express otherwise,” Bella Ramos Johnson, sophomore, said.
The athletic department has posted the coaching positions to the school’s staff, and they still have to design and purchase uniforms as well as utilize areas for practice and gameplay.
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