Girls flag football reached its latest milestone in Illinois over the Bears’ bye weekend.
The Illinois High School Association held the inaugural State Championship just eight months after sanctioning the sport. While 154 teams competed in the state series this season, just eight teams advanced to championship weekend at Willowbrook High School. William Fremd earned the first-ever IHSA Flag Football State Champion title after defeating Guilford 24-12 Saturday.
While the Bears didn’t play host to the championship game for the first time since the sport’s inception in 2022, the club continued to show its support.
The Bears, led by manager of youth and high school football Gustavo Silva, were catalysts in girls flag football’s rapid growth across Illinois. They helped expand the program from 22 teams in 2022 and anticipate more than 200 teams in 2025. Now, the club is focused on the equity aspect of girls flag football, which includes additional coaching, officiating, attention and college scholarship opportunities…