Vocational faced a third-and-goal with the time ticking off the clock and the sun shining down at Lane Stadium. Vocational needed a touchdown and two-point conversion to send their game against Butler to overtime.
Vocational frantically ran to the line of scrimmage as the time ticked off the clock.
But Butler emphatically swatted away the last-ditch pass to secure a win in its 20-12 win over Vocational in the Hardwork Bowl. Remarkably, Butler won Friday’s game considering the 2024 season was the first time the Lynx had a girls flag football program.
“I wanted to be a QB for so long,” junior quarterback Naveah Beasley said. “I’m so happy that Butler came out with a flag football team and that my coach trusted me to be a QB.”
Beasley was nervous before the game because she had never seen Butler play before. This was her team’s moment. But she played anything but nervous as she launched a deep pass down the left sideline in the first half to freshman receiver Fallan White for an early touchdown.
White was a standout in Friday’s win, also picking off a pass in the second half. After her touchdown, her teammates rejoiced on the sideline, screaming, “She’s a freshman!” In high school sports, that’s the ultimate sign of respect for the freshman and an easy way to deflate an opponent.
White’s the only freshman on the team who plays regularly, and she didn’t want her inexperience to hinder Butler.
“[They] expect a lot from me,” White said. “It feels good to be starting and have my team with me as I’m going through all these games because I couldn’t do it without them.”
And to think the jubilation and celebration wouldn’t have happened if coach Angel Brooks and athletic director Courtney Tarver hadn’t formed a program at Butler.
Brooks and Tarver play in an adult flag football league, so the two were practitioners of the sport. Once the Illinois High School Association made the sport an IHSA-sanctioned sport, they started putting together a team.
“Once it became a popular sport in Chicago, we were hopeful that we would be able to start a team at the school,” Brooks said.
For Brooks, seeing the team has been the most gratifying part of the journey. Capping the season off with a championship was the final touch.
“Just seeing them get better every week” Brooks said. “When we first started, it was … rough. They didn’t know the rules and certain aspects of the game, but just seeing them learn, and seeing them get better each week and start to pick up on things that we mentioned at practice or in other games has been great to see.”
Brooks is happy that the program exists because she wishes the program had existed when she was in high school. To supplement her desire to play football, she played with the boys.
“I’m glad these girls get to experience that,” Brooks said. “And now, with it becoming an Olympic sport, it’s something that they can look forward to and push forward to.
“[Tarver] was able to get a lot of girls together, and it’s been successful so far, and I’m hoping to continue that and hopefully start a very good program for the next few years.”
With an inaugural first season in the books, Butler was able to fulfill their football desires and grow with teammates who had a similar passion for the sport.
“I never had a team that would be down for me like Butler,” White said. “ I really love my team.”