Running towards the touchdown line is star player and captain Tory Smith ‘25 on the Jones flag football team. A two-time recipient of the Player of the Game Award, Smith currently ranks fourth in the nation for receiving yards and first in Illinois.
“The program is only three years old, I have been playing for two years. Not every school has it, but most of the CPS schools do,” said Smith. “They have been doing JV and varsity all three years, and they have people who play both teams.”
Smith’s decision to join the team was not a shock due to her athletic background, being no stranger to playing collaborative sports.
“I play basketball already, and I thought it would be fitting because I am pretty athletic, so the skills translate well,” said Smith.
In flag football, players alternate from defensive to offensive positions. Smith consistently plays three different positions.
“I play running back and wide receiver on offense. On defense I play outside linebacker,” said Smith.
Alongside Smith, wide receiver Lucy Paskiewscz ‘27 ranks impressively nationwide.
“A bunch of our girls are ranked very highly, we have one, Lucy, she is ranked number one in the nation for sacks,” said Smith. “We have girls that, like our quarterback, is number one in the state for passing guards, just some crazy stats,” said Smith.
The team as a whole serves as an outlet for talented athletes, marking Jones 16th place within the Illinois high school girls flag football rankings. The girls credit their success to their coach, Blake Hammond, for the team’s sudden achievement as a direct result of his expertise and productivity during practices.
“Our coach for the last two years, he used to coach for Lane Tech. He played in the NFL for a little bit, and he played college football,” said Smith. “He has been a great coach, we would not be anywhere without him. He was so helpful and he made the team what it is today.”
Regarding the season, the eagles continued a mostly successful season,beating their biggest opponent, Lane Tech.
“We beat Lane Tech who were the reigning state champs. So the season went really well,” said Smith. “We were six and 0 to start, then it went a little awry. We were regional champs in state, and then last night [October 16th] we lost and the season is over.”
