‘Time to make history’: Belleville East and West debut girls flag football
As the sun set and the heat of the day slowly subsided, hundreds of people gathered at Belleville East’s Charles Woodford Field Thursday night for the inaugural varsity girls flag football game between the Lancers and Maroons.
“Time to make history,” an announcer said over the speakers.
There was a palpable energy as the players — donning softshell helmets and belts with Velcro-attached flags — took to the turf for a sport sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association earlier this year. Illlinois is one of only 12 states that have brought girls onto the gridiron, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
“I grew up watching football. I grew up playing football in the backyard, and now it’s actually happening,” Belleville East quarterback Annyca Wilson, a senior, said with excitement.
“The adrenaline rush is insane,” she said of being out on the field for the first game. “You’re nervous all the way up until it, and then once it hits go, it’s game time ... you don’t have any more room to be nervous. All the practice comes into play, and you just get it done.”
Annyca’s excitement was shared by her father, Les Wilson, who said for years he and his daughter have been doing drills in the backyard and watching football together on Sundays. But there wasn’t necessarily a venue where Annyca could compete.
“So seeing this come to fulfillment is amazing,” he said.
After the IHSA Board of Directors approved girls flag football as a sanctioned sport with a state championship last February, Belleville East Head Coach Doug Zerjal, who is also an assistant boys football coach, knew right away that he wanted to be part of bringing the sport to the area.
East held its first workouts in late April and then several informational meetings over the summer, he said. About 40 girls came out for tryouts, with 23 making the roster.
Like Annyca, Zerjal comes from a big football family. His father was the head coach at Mascoutah High School, and his sister loved football and always wanted to play. In addition to his own love of football, it’s in memory of his sister that he was motivated to seize the opportunity to provide girls with access to the sport.
“The girls here at East are so excited about it that it’s hard not to be excited about it too,” Zerjal said.
“Coach Zerjal gets a ton of credit for getting it started in southern Illinois,” East Athletic Director Joe Nesbit said. “It just spread like wildfire. It just grew and grew and the interest was tremendous, and we were so happy when our friends at Belleville West got on board and got a team together.”
Leading the Maroons roster of 31 players is Head Coach Mario Melvin, who also coaches girls track and field.
The team at Belleville West came together over the last three weeks, with less preparation time than the Lancers.
“It was so exciting just to be a part of history and for these young ladies to be a part of history,” Melvin said of the Maroons’ first game.
The team didn’t know what to expect and is still learning the ropes of the game but had a fantastic time, he added.
“I’m really proud,” he said. “We did something special within three weeks.”
Apart from pulling flags instead of tackling opponents, there are some key differences in the rules. Among them:
- There are seven players per side, instead of 11.
- It takes 20 yards to make a first down instead of 10.
- Games are played in 20-minutes halves and the clock stops only for a score or a timeout; in the final minute of the game, the clock also will stop for incomplete passes, dead-ball fouls and when a player carries the ball out of bounds.
- Running plays are not allowed when a team is within five yards of a first down or the endzone.
The Lancers clinched the win 29-8, thanks in part to a 98-yard pick-6 by sophomore Peyton Griffith that led to an eruption of cheers from the stands and sidelines. The Maroons will have their chance for redemption on Oct. 2 when the rivals play again for their last regular season game.
Until then, the teams have some traveling ahead of them.
According to the IHSA, 170 schools have officially entered to participate in the postseason tournament. Of those, 163 are in northern Illinois, especially concentrated around Chicago.
The seven others are Peoria High School and two others nearby, Urbana High School, Danville High School and then — about three hours further south — Belleville East and West.
The teams need to play at least six games to qualify for the playoffs, West Athletic Director Joe Muniz explained.
“It’s been nothing but positivity throughout the school and campus,” he added.
Nesbit echoed that sentiment.
“I’m just so proud of all of these kids on both teams,” he said. “I think they’re showing a lot of bravery, a lot of courage, taking a risk to go out here in this big stadium in front of all these people to play a game that they didn’t necessarily grow up playing. And I just think it’s a tremendous testament to their character, to their confidence.
“And I think it’s just a wonderful thing for our schools, our community, and for all these kids and their families.”
This story was originally published August 30, 2024 at 9:57 AM.
