Chicago Titans, a High School Football America (HSFA) 14 and Under flag football team made up of mostly South students, claimed victory at the National Football League (NFL) FLAG Chicago Bears Regional Tournament in Rockford, IL, on Oct. 25, qualifying them for the National NFL FLAG Championships on July 17-19, according to nflflag.com.
After winning the tournament, the team became the regional champions representing The Bears, and will go on to play in the nationals for the championship title, freshman Quinn Pretty said.
“We all connected and knew how we needed to work together to win,” Pretty said.
The team was created by Thomas Godbout, Varsity Girls Flag Football Head Coach, and is in its second season, Godbout said. He picked girls who were both available to play the tournament and were the right age, Godbout said. Having lost at regionals in Green Bay, WI, last year, the team needed a win, Pretty said.
“Winning felt really great, especially after we lost regionals last year,” Pretty said. “We’re really excited, since most of us watched it last year, and now we’re going to be participating in it.”
In addition to winning regionals, the girls also won the Music City Flag Fest, in Nashville, TN, this November, Jeff Hoobler, Chicago Titans Head Coach, said. They have won 10 out of 10 games played so far this season, according to their website. They will compete in Tampa, FL, at the 2026 Tampa Flag Football World Championships on Jan. 16-18, and the Super Hero Sports tournament on Feb. 19-22, 2026, hosted in Orlando, FL, according to their website.
Currently, the team is ranked 10th in the country in the Girls 14 and Under division, according to the HSFA Flag website. The HSFA NFL program is a set of tournaments run through different NFL teams, who donate practice and competition spaces, freshman Sofia Duri said.
“We’ve been playing flag for a long time, which is why we love playing in this league,” Duri said.
In July they will be competing against other regional winners to claim the national champions title, Godbout said. The Chicago Titans play five-player games on half-width fields, freshman Jilly Kramme said.
“I made a lot of strong connections,” Kramme said. “It’s somewhere I’ve grown in my sport, and gotten a lot better.”