IHSA girls flag football state finals set for this weekend

VILLA PARK, Ill. - The inaugural IHSA girls flag football state finals are happening this weekend, with all the action taking place at Willowbrook High School in Villa Park.

Quarterfinals started Friday afternoon, with the championship game set for Saturday at 4 p.m.

These finals mark a significant milestone in Illinois, as the sport has been growing since 2021, when the Chicago Bears partnered with Chicago Public Schools to launch girls flag football. Earlier this year, the Illinois High School Association officially recognized it as a state-sanctioned sport.

The first game on Friday featured Fremd High School against Evanston High School.

"I feel like this is going to be remembered, for sure," said Fremd High School player Gabi Weber.

Despite only organizing a few months ago, the Fremd High School girls flag football team is now advancing to Saturday's semifinals. Fremd running back Gwen Zimmerman usually focuses on soccer—she’s even flying to play for the Wales U-19 national team this weekend—but first, she celebrates a newfound love.

"It’s awesome, it’s so different, memorization of plays is such a different aspect of sports and team as a whole, it’s really fun," Zimmerman said.

"It’s a dream come true because this is my little girl right here. I see my boys playing, but now to see my daughter out there killing it, it’s an amazing feeling," said Aaron Delmar, whose daughter is on the Fremd team.

Their game came down to the wire, but underdog Fremd High came out on top over Evanston, 20-13.

Across Illinois, there are about 170 girls flag football teams, with many more expected to organize in the coming years. It’s not just high school girls joining the excitement—the Chicago Bears also hosted a clinic Friday afternoon for middle school girls, giving them a chance to learn more about the sport and practice their skills.

Gustavo Silva, the manager of the Chicago Bears youth and high school football programs, spearheaded the effort to bring girls flag football to the state four years ago.

"We believed in it, and we told everybody that it was a matter of time. I met with probably hundreds of athletic directors, and I always told them the same thing: if they had girls in their school, it would just be a matter of time before they had a girls flag football team," Silva said.

Tickets for the games are priced at $11 each at the gate.