ETHS Girls Flag football has finished the regular season with a 14-3 record, the best in the program’s history, a year removed from making it to the Elite Eight of last season’s State tournament. They started their season off strong against Niles North with a dominant 26-0 victory led by a stellar defensive performance. After blowing out Niles West, they faced their first true test with a home game against the Kenwood Broncos. In a defensive battle, the Wildkits came out victorious, led by two touchdowns from running back and defensive star junior running back Camille Calixte.
Close games were frequent for the Wildkits, with almost half their games ending within two possessions. In most of these games, the Wildkits came out victorious.
“Winning these games shows that we’re battle-tested. It builds character for your team,” said Head Coach Carlton Rosemond.
However, this sensational start came to a screeching halt after playing top team, Maine South, despite a strong defensive performance, which included two sacks from Calixte; a late Maine South touchdown sealed the game.
After this tough loss, the Wildkits rebounded by blowing out Solorio and winning 11 of their final 13 regular-season games with impressive wins over some of Illinois’ best teams, such as reigning state champion Fremd, Whitney Young, St. Laurence, and rivals New Trier. As the season ends, the team looks to the postseason with a true chance to win the State Final at Villa Park HS in Willowbrook.
“We’ve got to take it one game at a time. A state championship is the goal, but first, we have to win the first game,” commented Rosemond.
Players to look out for on the offensive side include senior quarterback and safety Maggie Conforti, who has over 200 passing yards per game. Sixty of which are to junior wide receiver and defensive back Brielle Rosemond, while another 47 are to wide receiver and safety junior KyNia Hunt. However, Hunt stars on the defensive side of the ball as well, with a team-leading 10 interceptions. She and Calixte (19 sacks) have led the defense to be one of the best in the state. In addition, they will have significant returning production with only two graduating seniors on the team.
“It’s good to have players coming back, and it’s great to have the success we had this year with a pretty young team, but you can’t always duplicate what you did,” remarked Rosemond. “Right now, we’re focused on finishing this year.”
The Flag Football Team has had a great regular season, and they have already eased their way to a regional championship, defeating Roosevelt 81-0 and Maine West 40-0. Setting up a sectional semi-final matchup against Loyola, with a likely meeting with Maine South if they win.
