By Randy Kindred
Coach Bryant Wilkins has players from two parks in Chicago. It takes roughly 15 minutes to get from one to the other … a relatively short distance, but a challenge just the same.
“For practices and stuff, it’s kind of difficult,” Wlkins said. “But we make it happen.”
The Douglass/Piotrowski Renegades found unity and formed a bond in time to win their division in their regional competition. That earned them a spot in the 2024 State Flag Football Tournament this past weekend in Peoria.
“We do a thing in Chicago called intramurals where every Thursday we basically have scrimmage games,” Wlkins said. “We use that as practice and try to get a gauge on who can do what.”
Competing in the TD2 division, the Renegades were impressive in their opening game at Peoria’s Louisville Sports Complex. They built a 43-12 lead against the NEDSRA Huskies Green with a few minutes to play.
Rather than rack up more points, Wilkins instructed his team to play more conservatively. The Huskies Green scored two late touchdowns, resulting in a 43-26 final score.
It was a lesson in sportsmanship for the Renegades, courtesy of their coach.
“We always want sportsmanship, having fun and being safe,” Wilkins said. “Those are our priorities. We want you to try your best, but also be able to show sportsmanship, have fun and be safe out there.”
Wilkins said his players were eager for the trip to Peoria, which included two nights in a hotel.
“Some of them don’t get to experience leaving the city, so they are very excited when they can,” Wilkins said.
The 38-year-old Wilkins’ football background is limited. He played the sport as a youth, but not for long.
“I was playing junior Bears football (in the Chicago Park District) and I got blindsided one time. That was it for me,” Wilkins said, smiling. “Basketball has been my sport ever since.”
That said, he has found a place for football in his life. It has been rewarding for him and the Renegades.
Follow the Signs
The Byron Gladiators have developed a unique form of communication during games.
Jenifer Druien has GM, short for General Manager, in capital letters on the back of her Gladiators’ t-shirt.
“I’m the paperwork girl and the sign girl,” she said.
Sign girl?
Among Druien’s duties is making sure five large, framed signs are on the sideline for every game. The signs are Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars; Mario from the Super Mario Bros.; Luigi, also from Super Mario Bros.; the Tasmanian Devil; and Donkey Kong.
“That tells the players what play is going to happen,” Druien said. “Instead of numbers, we use pictures. Some kids obviously catch on a little more quickly than others, but it seemed to work for us. Last year was our first year playing and our kids got it pretty quick.”
The only hitch? The framed pictures/signs are a bit cumbersome because of their size.
“We’re going to try to graduate to smaller signs,” Druien said with a smile. “Maybe a flip card system, I don’t know. We haven’t explored that yet.”
Officials Crunch
This year’s state tournament coincided with the first round of the Illinois High School Association football playoffs. That meant officials were at a premium on Saturday.
“It (being the first round) makes it more difficult because more crews get games,” said tournament director Nate Henry. “They all do want to be here, but they get Saturday (playoff) games.”
It led Henry to fill in as an official at the state tournament from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM Saturday. A full complement of officials was expected on Sunday.
There was no shortage of volunteers to run the down markers throughout the weekend. More than half were players from the Illinois Central College baseball team.
“It’s huge,” Henry said. “We couldn’t do it without them.”
Learn more and view results from the 2024 State Flag Football Tournament.