Jessica Manley, Grace Woolwine help launch Shepard flag football

The fastest-growing prep sport in Illinois has gained a foothold at Shepard.

Junior Grace Woolwine and senior Jessica Manley have stepped up to make some noise for the Astros flag football team in hopes of building interest in the new program. Both players were eager about Shepard starting a team — even if it took some time to get on the field.

“Two years ago, they said they were going to do it but never actually did,” Woolwine said. “I was a bit disappointed.”

“I remember hearing about other schools doing it,” Manley said. “My family is pretty big into football, so I just figured why not try something new?”

Woolwine plays quarterback and linebacker for the Astros, who went 6-4 in the regular season. Her coach, Bridget McDermott, believes Woolwine has gained confidence in the process.

“I’ve watched Grace find her voice as a leader,” McDermott said. “She’s meeting with the girls in the huddle and leading them. She was not here for one game, and it was a completely different game.”

Manley is Shepard’s top receiver, scoring 24 of Shepard’s 28 touchdowns through last week. She also plays all over on defense.

“She’s unbelievably fast,” McDermott said. “Her effort is all out. Watching her athleticism shine through a sport she’s never played before is really impressive.”

Both Woolwine and Manley saw it as an opportunity to keep their falls busy with another sport and grow the program. Woolwine plays softball in the spring while Manley runs track, and they both play basketball during the winter.

“I was excited because I always wanted to be a three-sport athlete,” Woolwine said. “It’s another cool thing so I am not just going home (after school).”

“I am a senior and I wanted to make sure that I leave a legacy behind,” Manley said. “I want to tell the girls I had a good time and try to get more out there.”

McDermott’s favorite sport is softball, but she is no stranger to flag football. When she was a student at Shepard, after many attempts she helped set up a powder-puff game that first got the Astro girls an opportunity to play flag football.

Much like her players, McDermott has worked hard growing the program.

“I’ve tried my hardest to promote it throughout the building, McDermott said. “I put it on the announcements, I post to social media and offer camps in the summer. I think it is very important to ensure that it is like every other sport, and that it is not a club but a legit varsity sport.”

Woolwine and Manley have enjoyed being coached by McDermott and the collaborative environment she created.

“She’s amazing, and she’s helpful,” Manley said. “She takes in our advice. If we see something on the field, she takes that into account.”

“She knows when to be tough,” Woolwine said. “We lost pretty badly to Richards. She had us run and work on things from that game. She was hard enough that we were not going to do that again.”

The Astros do like to have fun still. One tradition they hope to continue is the music throughout their practices and games — and even during team nights.

“The music playing makes it a lot more fun,” Manley said. “We warmed up to it, listened to it on the bus rides and we even had a karaoke-just dance gathering with the team that was fun.”