The Bears helped celebrate the 2024 girls flag football season last Friday by hosting the All-State dinner at Halas Hall to honor the sport's top 56 high school student-athletes in Illinois.

The event came two weeks after the inaugural Illinois High School Association State Championship which showcased the sport's tremendous growth from its inception three years ago.

The Bears hosted the dinner for the second consecutive year, providing another avenue of support from the club after the sport's transition to the IHSA level. The club, led by manager of youth and high school football Gustavo Silva, helped expand the program from 22 Chicago Public League schools in 2021 to an anticipated 200-plus teams in 2025.

"It is truly exciting and rewarding to see the young ladies receive the recognition they deserve for their excellence on the field and in the classroom," Silva said. "Being named to the All-State team means they represent the best of the best and are the top 1% of athletes playing high school girls flag football in Illinois. We are committed to continue our support and recognize the players and coaches responsible for the unprecedented success of girls flag football."

Throughout the evening, the athletes were presented with first-team, second-team, third-team and honorable mention All-State honors. Bears chairman George H. McCaskey and President & CEO Kevin Warren were also in attendance.

Warren kicked off the dinner with opening remarks and expressed his gratitude for the student-athletes, coaches and parents in attendance and shared his excitement to see the players continue at the college and Olympic levels.

"We are just very grateful to be here," Warren said. "This is an incredibly, incredibly special group. From an All-State standpoint, you comprise the top 1% of all the young women who play flag football in the state of Illinois. There have been studies done — I heard one earlier this week — that 94% of all women who are in C-suite executive positions in corporate America participated in sports, which says a lot. And this means a lot. You do better academically, you do better socially, you make the world a better place."

Prominent figures in Illinois girls flag football, such as senior manager of elementary sports for CPS Juliana Zavala, Willowbrook High School coach Rachel Karos, Fremd High School coach Becca O'Dette and IHSA assistant executive director Tracie Henry also shared their thoughts on the sport's rapid expansion.

"This started as a conversation between Gus and I," Zavala told the girls. "He shared his vision: 'Hey, let's start girls flag football.' We got this going, but girls, you are the pioneers. We need your help. We need you to continue growing the sport. The work is not done. This is just the beginning.

"This is not just something that is going to leave. This is here to stay. We're going to own this — this is our sport. We finally have a platform and we're not going to let anyone take it away."

The celebration was also highlighted by a pair of surprises. Silva announced Jones High School senior and receiver Tory Smith as the recipient of the first-ever Player of the Year Award. As part of the honor, Smith will receive a $5,000 college scholarship courtesy of the Bears.

Smith tallied a league-high 2,367 receiving yards on 126 receptions and 25 touchdowns in 20 games this season.

"It was so exciting," Smith said of the surprise. "I wasn't expecting it whatsoever. Apparently, a lot of people in my life knew and I had no idea. When they started to explain it, I was like, 'oh, this is a little familiar.' My heart was beating so fast. It was crazy. But it was genuinely the most exciting thing ever and it's such a great way to end the season because I was devastated when our season was over. It's really such a great thing."

Warren was responsible for delivering the Coach of the Year honor, presenting Guilford High School's Gregory Taylor with the award. Taylor coached Guilford — now ranked No. 13 in the country by Max Preps — to a 21-1 record and second-place state finish in the program's third year. This season, Guilford recorded 14 shutouts, allowed an average of just 3.6 points per game and was ranked the No. 1 girls flag team in Illinois heading into the state series.

Taylor has been a longtime advocate of girls flag football, leading clinics in the Rockford area and coaching the sport for more than 22 years in partnership with the Rockford Park District.

The surprises didn't stop for Taylor. Warren and McCaskey proceeded to give the coach tickets to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. The surprise was a full-circle moment for Taylor, who grew up a few hours north of the city in Monroe, La.

"That was exciting," Taylor said. "I'm not an emotional person, but it really felt good to know that someone recognized all the work we put in over at Guilford High School and for the league to think that I did a good job at that. It just meant a lot to me, and I really appreciate it. I'm kind of at a loss for words."

The Girls Flag Football Program is brought to you by Buffalo Wild Wings, Gatorade, Nike, and Visa.