Watch out, St. Edward! The girls are taking over the field, making history with the first ever girls’ flag football team at St. Edward.  The popularity of girls’ flag football is rising, due to a growing movement toward gender equality in sports, including opportunities for young female athletes to compete and excel. The St. Edward girls’ flag football team has extremely improved; they went from summer camp not knowing the basic rules about football to dominating on the field. The team’s record currently is 12-3, having played some of the top teams in the state, and ranking 38th in the state of Illinois. This is a huge accomplishment, given that it is the team’s first year playing a new sport.  

Coaching the girls’ flag football team is Mathew Lynch. From coaching boys’ football for 31 years to coaching girls’ flag, you think it would be a challenge, but not for Coach Lynch. He said, “Coaching girls’ flag football isn’t harder or easier than coaching boys; it’s different. After 30 years of coaching boys, I’ve noticed the biggest difference is how the girls approach the game. They ask more questions, want to fully understand the “why” behind what we’re doing, and they really focus on details. With the boys, things often moved faster because they grew up around football and already know a lot of the basics. With the girls, I’ve had to slow down at times and teach the game from the ground up, including the vocabulary that comes with football. The effort, competitiveness, and drive are the same, but the path to getting there looks a little different.”

Coach Lynch took the girls to a 12- 3 record, still having 3 more games left until Regionals. Coach Lynch has big goals for the team, stating, “My goal for the team was to win. I wanted us to compete at a high level and give ourselves the best chance to come out on top in every game. By building that standard, winning wasn’t just the goal; it’s the expectation.’’ 

Jordin Sauls, ’26, a senior at St. Edward who plays on the team, joined flag football because she wanted to try something new, experience fun activities during her last year in high school, and make as many memories as possible. Jordin said her favorite memory in flag football was when, “I got my first touchdown along with the first ever touchdown in history at St. Edward.” It was the very first game, tensions were high, getting nervous before the game, and that memory she will never forget. 

At first, Jordin was scared of being a part of the first ever flag football team, being the first of everything and being held accountable for every single play, pass, and route. Looking back, Jordin says, “I’m so glad that I finally got over all the nerves and worked up the courage to follow through with my decision.” It’s been so exciting getting to play with her best friends and enjoy some of her last experiences of high school. 

Girls’ flag football is a thrilling sport that empowers young women to achieve their full potential on and off the field. Being the first flag football team to ever step on the field, St. Edward Central Catholic High School marks a milestone for the Lady Wave, creating a team that will hopefully be successful for many years. If you are a student looking to try something new next year, you never know if you may like the sport or the team.