Lemont junior Maddy Jaczak plays the flute in the school band. She always loved the pageantry and splendor of performing from the elevated perch of the orchestra at football games.
But now, with girls flag football on the rise, Jaczak is ready to take center stage on the field.
“Watching everybody play under the Friday Night lights, it felt like such a great environment,” she said. “Then I heard about the petitions going around school to start our new flag football team.
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“I just knew that it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Jaczak played that part recently. She scored a rushing touchdown and showed two-way promise for Lemont against Lockport during a scrimmage between the two first-year programs.
She’s one of nearly 50 players taking part in summer camp for Lemont, which kicks off varsity competition this fall. Coach Kim Pagliarulo will hold formal tryouts starting Monday, Aug. 10.
Juniors Audrey Rediehs and Alexis Pytlewski were early catalysts who pushed the school administration for flag football. Pagliarulo previously coached softball and girls bowling at Peotone.
“I’m just learning about Maddy, but you just see right away she’s the type of kid who gets it,” Pagliarulo said. “She’s incredibly athletic but also very team oriented and coachable with a great mindset and attitude.”
Maddy’s older brother, Dylan, who is about to start his freshman year in college at Tennessee, was a standout defender for Lemont in soccer. He’s not surprised by her enthusiasm for flag football.
“Maddy is incredibly determined and doesn’t let anyone tell her she can’t do something,” he said. “Her biggest strength isn’t her athleticism or natural skills but her constant positivity and willpower.”
Their mother, Jenn, coached them in soccer and basketball when they were growing up. Their father, Rich, was a standout baseball player.
Jenn Jaczak, a three-sport athlete in high school who played softball and basketball in college, was the girls basketball and softball coach at Hinsdale South. She’s now the girls bowling coach at Hinsdale Central.
Maddy Jaczak played outside defender on the lower levels for Lemont in soccer.
“I’ve been playing soccer and basketball forever because of my mom,” she said. “When people started talking about us having a flag team, it sounded like a good combination of the two sports.
“It just felt like something really cool to be a part of.”
Her mother created the dynamic framework for her daughter, but Maddy’s competitive nature was shaped by competing against her brother. And she was eager for that challenge.
“She was never scared to face off against me,” Dylan said. “That’s what makes her such a strong competitor.”
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Sports have been a defining part of her life, but Jaczak has been quick to avoid being typecast.
She started playing the flute in the fourth grade.
“My mom played the clarinet,” Jaczak said. “They brought us all into music class and let us try a bunch of instruments. I thought it would be cool to be like my mom.
“I tried the flute once and it just stuck.”
Illinois is one of 23 states with an officially sanctioned state championship series for girls flag football. Since the pandemic, participation in the sport has grown 63%, according to the National High School Federation.
“You could just see it,” Jaczak said. “Even during gym class, all the girls were throwing the ball around. Everybody was excited about the chance, and it’s a great environment to be a part of.”
Jaczak, a soccer and basketball player and a musician, is now excited about what comes next.
“Everything is still so new, but I think I enjoy offense the best,” she said. “It’s a great feeling when you do something well and all the girls are high-fiving you. It’s a great reward.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.