Football Fever: Red Devils enjoy first IHSA  flag football season

HC-COACH

By Jeff Vorva

Destynee McCoy said she will remember the good times.

The Illinois High School Association sanctioned girls flag football, and this fall was the inaugural season for teams across the state.

McCoy, a senior cornerback for Hinsdale Central, and her teammates may have suffered through a 2-9 record, but the Red Devils were happy to have a chance to be out on the field playing a sport usually played by male athletes.

Oh, and they had fun, too.

“We would roll around the turf laughing after we just lost,” McCoy said. “It’s been amazing – I had a lot of friends on the team this year. We have our really, really fun moments.”

McCoy spent her freshman year at Hinsdale Central but moved to Georgia for two years before coming back here for her senior year. She said she played flag football in Georgia and was happy to see Illinois hosting the sport this year.

Senior wide receiver Presley Mulligan played basketball for two years, and she golfs, but not with the school team. For her senior year, she wanted to get back into the swing of school sports and tried out for flag football. “I like being active,” she said. “It was new, and I had nothing else going on this year. Friends were doing it, and I thought it would be really fun. It’s been really fun despite all of the losses. I still enjoy every game on the field.”

The Red Devils opened the season losing the first five games before a 20-18 road triumph over Fenton on Sept. 30. The celebration for that historic win was not over the top. “We kept it modest,” Mulligan said. “But we were obviously excited. It felt good to win one.”

The winning didn’t stop there. There was one more triumph to come, and that happened on Oct. 7

The Red Devils, who were the 18th-seeded team in the 20-team Perspectives/Leadership  Sectional, traveled to Chicago and knocked off 14th-seeded Julian 34-12 at historic Gately Stadium. The season ended two nights later with a 28-0 home loss to third-seeded St. Laurence.

Nick Gebhart is the coach, and he has enjoyed plenty of success coaching the boys at Hinsdale Central, Willowbrook, and the closed Driscoll Catholic, which is a program that won eight state championships.

For now, wins and losses will have to take a back seat to learning and development. “I don’t care about the record,” he said. “If you put in your work and do your job, the record will come. If you coach right and work on the game’s technical aspects and put people in the right positions, you can get the most out of your players.”

Gebhart said the program drew 36 athletes this year and hopes to boost that up in the coming years. Because facility use is at a premium, 5:30 a.m. practices have been the norm. “Some mornings, it’s been hard, but it’s worth it,” McCoy said. “It’s nice that my teammates are the first people I see every day.”

“Once you get into the routine, it’s not bad,” Gebhart said. “They are able to get good parking spots on the street.”

Now that the first season is in the books, Gebhart is looking to keep building the program, citing returning players and some promising grade school players who attended Red Devil camps. “It was a heck of a season,” he said. “We started something, and we’ll go from there. We hope to eventually get 60 to 80 girls to come out. It’s getting to be a big sport. They are going to have flag football in the Olympics in 2028. Anyone could have a shot at that. You never know. But you have to have them buy into that.”

Hinsdale Central’s Destynee McCoy said even in losses, the Red Devils had a good time playing flag football. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Hinsdale Central’s Marija Neskovic punts against Glenbrook South in a home game in October.
Photo by Jeff Vorva

Hinsdale Central flag football players insist that they had a great time in 2024 despite a 2-9 record. Photo by Jeff Vorva

Author

Executive Chef Stephen Langlois

Feeding His Passion: Newly appointed Chef Stephen takes the helm at The Westin Chicago Lombard

The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM

Celebrating A Century of Open Road: Now in its 100th year, this slice of Americana still beckons travelers

Tely Nagle, Drake Hotel Proprietor, in the Romanesque gardens
Photo by Victor Hilitski

Welcome In! The Drake Oak Brook’s elegance and charm are back to stay

ATJMAH_CM_2223

Striking the Right Note: The Chicago Youth Orchestra shapes the lives of aspiring young musicians

The camaraderie of the volunteers often keeps them involved after their student graduates

Always Boosting: Hinsdale Central’s Booster Club helps fill gaps in student activity and athletic budgets

Anne Schultz, MD, FACP Cindy Lagone, MD, FACP

Authentic Internal Medicine: Building relationships with patients and the community

Hair loss problem after covid search Instagram Post Minimalist -

Is hair loss on your mind? Reclaim Your Crowning Glory

Kristina and Matthew Bailey began reading books to their son, Owen when he was six months old— they haven’t stopped.
Owen turned 4 in June and recently received an award from the Clarendon Hills Public Library for having had 1,000 books read to him before starting kindergarten.

The library’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge is one of a few reading challenge programs offered in Clarendon Hills, where the Bailey family has lived for the past 2 1/2 years.
Kristin Bailey said she saw an ad about the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge and decided it was a good fit for Owen.

“He’s always been really into books,” Bailey said. “He had a natural interest in books at nine months old. That’s when COVID started, and he didn’t get out much, so reading books to him worked out very well. He’s a naturally curious kid, and imagination-building is important. The reading allows him to learn and explore new things, and he really wants to learn to read now.”

Krista Devlin, the Clarendon Hills library’s youth services librarian, said there’s a specific reason The Friends of the Library-sponsored 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge was started in 2022.

“Reading aloud to a child is one of the best ways to help develop important early literacy skills, which will prepare them for kindergarten,” Devlin said. “It is also a great way to bond with your child and to encourage a love of reading.”

Devlin said Owen was the second child to reach the challenge of having 1,000 books read to him before starting kindergarten. He was awarded a certificate, a crown, and his picture was taken to recognize his accomplishment.

Bailey, who said she is “a big reader,” said her family usually goes to the library once a week. Reading three books each night to Owen, along with a book before nap time, is the household normal.

“Consistency in our routine has been good and is important,” she said, adding that Owen’s two sisters, ages 2 1/2 and 1

An open book: Clarendon Hills four-year-old earns library recognition

Charlie Tomfohrde and his array of house plants for sale at the Hinsdale Farmers Market

A Budding Entrepreneur: Charlie Tomfohrde’s plant business continues to grow

Terri Doney (left) and co-founder Barb Thayer are “sisters” in the group, My Breast Cancer Sisters

Breast Cancer survivors: Hinsdale area group looking for others to help

Maxx Klein and Jack Klein

Airoom’s New Design Space Maxx and Jack Klein take the helm of their family’s business

IMG_4543

Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club A Tennis Player’s Dream