By FRED KRONER
Here are some numbers. They are not random:
8-9,
1-1,
1-5,
0-10.
The four sets of numbers represent the final won-loss records at Mahomet-Seymour for the first year when girls began competing in various sports.
The soccer team ended with 8 wins and 9 losses in their inaugural season in 1997, the softball team was 1-1 in their debut 1975, the volleyball team opened with a 1-5 record in 1975 and the basketball team began with an 0-10 mark in 1978.
The reason is no secret, startup programs tend to struggle at the outset.
Here’s another number:
9-5.
That was the final record this fall in flag football for the Bulldogs.
The girls’ first-year program lost its season-opener (in a game that was 0-0 in the final minute) and lost in the regional semifinals to an opponent that ultimately advanced to state. In between, M-S won 9 of 12 games.
“Some keys to becoming competitive so quickly was working hard at practice and really having relationships within the team,” said Mollie Schifo, one of three M-S seniors. “If we didn’t get along as a team, we would have not had as much success.
“Because we all got along, we were able to lock in at practice and learn a lot each and every day.”
Officially, the team had two coaches, Adam Schonauer and assistant Jansin Garth.
Quarterback Courtney Fonte said that the truth was there were many more helpers.
“Everyone learned from each other as well,” Fonte said. “Whether they already knew it and learned how to improve it or asked questions to learn something new.
“We not only learned from our coaches, but also from each other.”
Schonauer had not officially coached a girls’ team until August.
“I coached a little softball in Paxton when my daughter played,” Schonauer said. “This was my first time for a high school varsity sport.”
He received a piece of advice before the season started.
“My wife said, ‘They’re not girls, they’re athletes. Treat them as athletes,’” he related.
He did, and the response was tremendous.
“They were very attentive and open to it,” he said. “Their focus was good, so was their commitment to getting better.
“They accepted coaching and took it seriously. They wanted to build something.”
Fonte and receiver Keeley Miller were the only Bulldogs with appreciable flag football experience prior to this year.
Early-season workouts featured an emphasis on the basics.
“The first day was how to do snaps, how to hand the ball off,” Schonauer said. “Within three weeks, we were all speaking the same language.
“We have a lot of multi-sport athletes, and our girls are smart, but a lot didn’t watch much football and the football knowledge was low.”
Schifo said developing an understanding of the game was vital in improving.
“I was able to ask more detailed questions in hopes to get better each and every game,” she said. “As a team, it was so fun to watch how we were so lost in the first practice when they started making plays.
“Toward the end, they were making new plays on the field and we were all able to understand.”
Schonauer entered the first game, at Kankakee, with a 10-play playbook. That quickly expanded.
“We ended with close to 30, but a lot of those were built on ones we had,” he said.
In Year 2 of the IHSA sponsoring flag football, the participation grew by almost 50 percent statewide. A year ago, 154 schools in the state offered the sport.
This year, there were 223 schools and projections are that next year could surpass a total of 300.
M-S was the smallest school – enrollment-wise – in all but one game. The M-S enrollment, as listed with the IHSA, is 1,056 students.
The Bulldogs’ only opponent with fewer students was Urbana (1,035). The school that eliminated the Bulldogs from the regional tournament, Edwardsville, had an enrollment of 2,283.
Overall, the average enrollment of the 14 M-S opponents was 1,532.
The regular season encompassed six weeks. In five of those weeks, the Bulldogs played two games. Overall, the team’s 14 games were played within a 35-day span.
“When Edwardsville made it to state, that gave our girls some perspective about how far along they came,” Schonauer said. “We had a lot of success, and a lot of fun.
“We should be even better next year.”
Besides Schifo, the other M-S seniors on the 27-player roster were Reese Harrell and Ella Walk. The roster breakdown was three seniors, 14 juniors, six sophomores and seven freshmen.
Fonte was one of the 2025 headliners. She was among the state leaders in passing yardage (ranking 18th with 3,030 yards).
Fonte, a junior, produced back-to-back 400-yard passing games, including a school-record 468 aerial yards in a 32-27 win at home against Centennial.
“I am very proud of lots of my performances and disappointed in others,” Fonte said. “I give lots of credit to my offensive squad.
“I wouldn’t have the time to throw it without the blocking I received by Erika (Johnson), Ava (Watkins), Mollie (Schifo) and Reese (Harrell).
“Before each play even started, Erika would whisper to me, ‘do you want me to block?’ I just had to give her a look and smile, and she immediately knew my answer.”
The Bulldogs’ talented receiving corps helped make Fonte’s job easier.
“The throws can’t be completed without their catches. Keeley (Miller), Lily (Freiman) and Yaya (Watkins) especially were ready and waiting.” Fonte said. “I couldn’t have completed the yards I did without them.
“I am so incredibly proud of what we did.”
Miller, a sophomore, ranked among the state’s top receivers (24th), scoring a team-high 21 touchdowns and ending with 1,238 receiving yards.
Johnson (a junior who led the team in rushing with 689 yards) had 412 receiving yards. Watkins, a junior, ended with 512 receiving yards.
In all, nine M-S players hauled in TD passes. The versatility helped the team average nearly 22 points per game.
“We had girls who could catch and run,” Schonauer said. “Ten-yard throws could turn into 80-yard pass-and-runs.
“Courtney could throw short, throw deep, throw with touch or put it in spots.”
She also played well under pressure. In a 25-24 win over Centennial, the Bulldogs trailed 24-19 in the final three minutes. Deep in her own territory, Fonte directed a drive that featured a long game-winning scoring jaunt by Miller.
Schifo said she was pleased by the reception the team received as it launched the flag football program.
“What surprised me is the support we saw from the town and how kind most of the other teams were,” Schifo said. “We were all learning, so all the refs and coaches were super patient with us.
“It also surprised me the amount of little things that can happen that can lead to a loss.”
Defensively the leaders included sophomore Lainey Jacobs, who set school records with six total interceptions as well as a single-game mark with three interceptions.
The Bulldogs’ tackling leaders were juniors Violet Franklin (89) and Ava Kersh (78). Franklin also registered eight sacks.
The M-S record for single-game interceptions was six. Besides the three which Jacobs latched onto against Danville, Mya Pettenger, Miller and Watkins all picked off one pass. The 46-14 win over the Vikings represented the team’s top scoring output.
The future of flag football looks bright in Mahomet. Numerous girls are playing in the local park district program.
Though she won’t be involved, Schifo is looking forward to the years to come.
“I will be going to college next year, but I am so excited to follow along with their success,” she said, “and am looking into volunteer coaching a kids flag football team in the future because of the love I have had for this sport in the short season.”
For Schifo, players who started out as teammates wound up as friends.
“I think I will treasure the friendships I made with all of the girls,” Schifo said. “I hung out with a lot of people that otherwise I wouldn’t have met.”
Fonte takes pride in helping to get the program off the ground.
“I am going to treasure the incredible opportunity we were given and the change we are making.” Fonte said. “I am proud to be able to say I took part in the first Mahomet-Seymour High School Girls’ Flag Football team.
“Just the way everyone showed up and played more as a team than individually was a huge key to growing so quickly. We made everything fun while also learning so much.
“It is mind-blowing to see what has been created for lots of schools, and seeing it become something for college.”
