The advent of the new school year always brings a host of changes—from new faces to new schedules to new desks. But this school year in particular has introduced a new sport, which has only recently risen in popularity over the past five years.
Following the lead of the surrounding schools in the area, Saint Viator has introduced a girls flag football team to its array of sports this fall season. A team that has exploded in both popularity and talent.
While girls flag football is a new IHSA (Illinois High School Association) sponsored sport at Viator, the concept of football is not new to any students. Many students attend the Friday night boys varsity football games during the fall, and many partake in flag football games during their own gym classes. While the basic rules of football are still applicable, there are key differences between these experiences and the IHSA’s rules. Most notably, flag football is a non-contact sport. Helmets are not required, and players cannot physically tackle each other. Instead, they must pull a flag off their opponent’s belt. There are also fewer players on the field, there is a continuous running clock unless there is a touchdown or a timeout and the ball is dead once it hits the ground.
“We had about 60 girls sign up for our inaugural season of flag football, which was a welcomed surprise in one of the fastest growing sports in the state of Illinois,” said Head Coach Nick Sobieszczyk ’05.
The sport of football itself is entirely different compared to most of the sports the girls on the team had previously played, so where did the massive interest in the flag football team come from? Are girls from a specific sport more likely to play?
“We have quite a few athletes from our soccer and lacrosse programs on the flag football team, but we also noticed that some of our players have not played in a sport at Viator before.” said Coach Sobieszczyk.
While girls from these sports may have been more inclined to play flag football this year, it does not mean the team is only made up of girls from the soccer and lacrosse programs.
“It was probably the people and coaches and the idea of a new, fun sport that made me really want to play,” said senior Maggie Drake. “I have played soccer, basketball and lacrosse in high school but the only constant between the sports is the people.”
On top of the sports the girls had previously played, and the friends many already had joining the team before the season started, flag football in gym class had a fairly large effect on the girls who decided to try out the new sport.
“Honestly, I think playing flag football during gym had an effect on me wanting to play this fall because it added a foundation for the game and I really enjoyed getting to play it,” said senior Catherine Adamski.
“Flag football in PE has historically been one of the most popular and competitive units in our curriculum,” said Coach Sobieszczyk. Many girls already enjoyed the competitive nature of the sport, causing them to jump at the opportunity to play against other schools.
The season has started off strong so far for the team, with a 52-0 win against Grayslake Central and a 33-0 win against Jacobs High School, but the season has not been obstacle-free.
“There was some frustration at the Carmel game where we were faced with a 3 year program who knew the style of the game; however, it was through that game that we were able to adapt and change our playing style for future games,” said Adamski. The Lions lost 13-0 against Carmel, but they were not discouraged.
“It will be tough playing against teams like Carmel and Benet, but I think we will be able to beat them by the end of the season,” said Drake. Success looms on the horizon for the team, both in regard to winning titles and in reaching the same level of popularity as the boys varsity football team.
“We hope to share the spotlight during Friday Night Lights with our boys football program,” said Coach Sobieszczyk. “We have already started moving some of our home games to the Forest View Stadium due to increasing popularity.”
With the support of the Viator community, the team is destined to go far and hopes to make this an amazing inaugural season.
