‘We’re making history’: Danville school kicks off first ever girls flag football season

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) — Danville High School kicked off fall athletics Thursday evening with the newest IHSA sport — girls flag football.

The new team opened their first season of play Thursday afternoon when 35 girls took the field in a clash against Peoria Richwoods.

“It’s very exciting. We’re very pumped to be the first flag football team at our school. And, you know, we’re making history,” said Jazmine Williams, a junior player.

Junior wide receiver Gabrielle Rule said she sees big things moving forward for the program.

“I just hope this program lasts for a long time, you know, it becomes a staple like football, volleyball, and all those other sports,” Rule said. “And I just hope that we can play this sport right.”

The game also marked the first sport played on the newly renovated field, which underwent a $5 million renovation this past year.

Bryan Simmons is one of the team’s coaches.

“It’s nerve-racking. You know, we’ve got a lot of eyes on us this season, especially today, with us having this new, beautiful field,” Simmons said. “But it’s gonna be great for the girls, great for the community, and great for flag football in Illinois.”

The game also paid homage to some of the people who helped make week one possible, including Gustavo Silva of the Chicago Bears. They’ve helped hundreds of schools throughout the state by paying for uniforms, flags, and hosting clinics.

“Football is the greatest team sport there is, and everybody that wants access to the game should have access to play the game,” Silva said.

“For the Chicago Bears to reach out and actually try to get it started out here in Central Illinois —in Chicago, there’s a very, very big flag football program. To get it started out here, I think it’s just going to blossom and mature to the point where, you know, almost every high school in Illinois will have a flag football team,” Simmons added.

For the players making it happen, there’s excitement for what comes next.

“It’s very cool. And it’s very awesome to be part of one of the schools to influence the other ones,” said Ava Foster, a sophomore player.

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