A new edition to the Lakes athletic family took the field Friday afternoon when the girls flag football team debuted in a scrimmage to prepare for their first game of the season.
Seniors Lily Greenfield, Josie Larson, and Emily Ovaska were able to give their thoughts after the scrimmage wrapped up.
“It’s pretty fun. It is really cool that it’s the first year it’s been sanctioned. It’s really exciting that we get to be on the first team ever at Lakes” said Larson.
Greenfield agreed, but said the experience has been “a little nerve wracking. We are the first people to do it so we’re still trying to figure stuff out.”
The girls hit the field in the summer heat of July. “It was really hot, but it was very productive and it was a lot of fun,” remarked Greenfield. The girls all agreed that summer practice was a good experience.
“It was cool - all of us learning together because we all are just trying to learn the rules,” said Ovaska.
While the game is basically the same as boys’ football, there are some specific differences in the rules. Larson says that “when you snap the ball, you can also receive the ball. There is really no tackle because it’s flags. Everybody runs.”
The IHSA approved girls’ flag football as an official sport in February of this year, and will host state championships on October 18th and 19th. Although the season is a little shorter than boys’ football, the girls will be busy. They have 20 games on the calendar between now and October 1st. Their first game is Monday away at Belvidere North, and the first home game will take place two days later on Wednesday, August 28th against Libertyville. That game will begin at 4:30pm.