Throughout the 2026 Illinois high school girls flag football season, the Bears will recognize standout student-athletes through the Player of the Week Award, brought to you by Dunkin'. Each week, one player will be recognized for her outstanding performance on the field as well as her sportsmanship and community involvement off the field.
Wheaton North High School quarterback Moriah Herr received Week 4 Player of the Week honors for her standout performances across three conference games. The senior completed 40 of 60 passes for 679 yards and nine touchdowns without an interception and also added a rushing touchdown. Through 12 games this season, Herr has totaled 2,211 yards to help lead the Falcons to a 10-2 record in the program's second season.
Herr spoke with ChicagoBears.com about her Bears fandom, why she enjoys playing quarterback, her future in flag football and more.
What does winning Player of the Week from the Bears mean to you?
It's really exciting and it's a big honor. I grew up watching the Bears every week with my dad and with my family. It's really cool to see what they're doing in flag football.
When did your Bears fandom start?
It started as early as I can remember. Every Sunday or Monday or Thursday when they played, just watching the game with my dad. And then I started really getting into it probably in middle school. I would ask my dad or my grandpa questions about the game, and it just really helped me understand football in general. Now it's one of my favorite hobbies — just watching football, and especially the Bears.
Have you been to a Bears game before?
My grandpa took my sister, my mom and me to one last year. It was my first one, and it was so much fun. It was the Steelers game.
When did you start playing flag football?
I started playing last year, my junior year, so it's only my second year playing.
How has playing flag impacted your life?
It's really exciting. When Coach Kadera first brought up flag football becoming a new sport at Wheaton North my sophomore year, I was really excited to try it, and I immediately knew it would be fun. It's been really fun to play with girls from other sports, just learning together and setting a standard for what the program is like at our school. And it's cool to just see the younger girls, like in middle school and elementary school, who get to start playing the sport at a younger age now.
What has been your favorite moment from the season?
Probably when we beat Glenbard West in our first game. That was our first game last year, too, and we lost to them, so it was really cool to see our improvement from last season to this season. And then our practices are really fun. As a team, we've gotten to know each other really well. It's just like playing with a bunch of friends, and that continues at school.
Who were your sports idols growing up?
I've played softball since second grade, so it's been 10 years now. So I really enjoyed watching Jenny Finch play softball, and recently Karlyn Pickens, Skylar Wallace and all of those girls. It's really cool to see how they're doing well in the AUSL, which is a new thing. So it's cool to be a part of another new sport for girls and women that's growing.
What is your favorite part about playing quarterback?
It's really exciting to see when I make a good pass and one of my receivers catches it, then runs down the field to score or just make a big play. It's really exciting to be able to see my teammates do well after I'm able to get the ball in their hands because we have really good athletes on our team. They're all so exciting to watch.
You threw nine touchdown passes last week. Which one stands out the most?
That's hard. I feel like they're all exciting in different ways. I don't know. I really love throwing to Emily Bruzdzinski. She's a sophomore this year, and I feel like since the beginning of last year, we've had a really good connection. So whenever I throw a ball to her, I just know that she's gonna do well. So probably the ones to her.
Who are your favorite Bears players right now?
Obviously, Caleb Williams, since he's the quarterback. It's fun to watch someone play the position that I play, but at a much higher level. It's also really fun to watch Colston Loveland. I feel like he made such a big impact on the team last year, and he's just a really exciting player to watch because even when he doesn't get the ball, he's still such a big part of every play, like with blocking and things like that. It's exciting to see someone work hard for your teammates even when you're not the one with the ball.
What stands out most about Caleb Williams from a quarterback perspective?
Probably how he just keeps plays alive. If the play's not going well or he has to scramble, just being able to find an open receiver. I really admire that about him because it's really hard to do that sometimes. It's really cool to see him make amazing plays where you're just like, "how in the world did he do that?"
What's your ideal future in flag football?
I'm not sure. For now, I'm trying to focus on our season and finishing strong since it's senior year. But then I definitely want to play intramurals of some sort in college, just because some schools don't really have programs yet. But it would be really cool to get involved at least by playing intramurals at whatever college I go to. And then I think it would be really fun to coach or give back in some way during college to younger organizations and younger girls who are learning how to play.
