Since 2021, the Bears — with the support of Nike, Gatorade and Visa — have played an integral role in bringing girls flag football to high schools in Illinois and helping expand the sport to the IHSA level. This year, ChicagoBears.com took a deep dive into how the sport changes the lives of the student-athletes who play it. We followed the Whitney Young Dolphins, a Chicago Public League team that just completed its fourth season under head coach Valerie Spann and has now placed at the State Championships in back-to-back years.

This is the first of a three-part series where Bears writer Gabby Hajduk and photographer Molly Kaiser take readers behind the scenes inside the Dolphins' regular-season success, their postseason run as well as the future of the seniors and trajectory of the program.

What allowed the girls to find that common ground was the opportunity to speak freely with one another without fear of their comments affecting playing time or their coach's game plans.

"I think that that was the most helpful thing to our team — she gave us the space in the room to do it ourselves," Arden shared. "And she knew that it would be better for her not to be there, and sometimes as a coach, you feel responsible. She feels responsible to be present, but the fact that she knew that it was better that she wasn't there is really good for a coach.

"Sometimes not being there is more powerful than their presence."

Spann — a Chicago native who started Whitney Young's flag football program in 2022 and has played the game herself for over a decade — knew her team. She expected that the short break would cause the girls to "miss being around each other" and rediscover their love for the game.

The players-only meeting only reinforced the notion that Whitney Young wouldn't be the same without Spann. The girls know it, principal Rickey Harris knows it and athletic director Chris Cassidy knows it. Spann treats her players like her daughters and is not afraid to put her own ego aside for the greater good of the team. It is no surprise that the girls took a page from their coach's book and utilized that same type of selflessness to pull back together.

The group chat resumed its normal cadence, Spann went back to the drawing board at practice and the girls felt rejuvenated by the short break. They had regionals to prepare for, and if they intended to make the run at State they were aiming for, they would have a rigorous schedule ahead. There was no more time to look back at City. Bigger things were on the horizon.

"I've been wanting them to do that the entire season, just to take the ownership of this team," Spann said. "Do what you think is the best for the team.

"I'm proud of them."

The girls had not met me yet, which allowed me to fly under the radar for a bit, although I noticed some puzzled looks and whispers to each other about why I was intently watching them and taking notes.

After warmups, Spann gave the girls a light scolding for a couple of missing footballs. She reminded the girls to respect the value of "our equipment," reiterating that each item came directly from the program's small budget, some of which was spent on new, sleeker headgear. Having spent over 20 years coaching girls basketball at Whitney Young, Spann understood how difficult it was for the school to fund a brand new sport.

Spann felt fortunate that when the program launched in 2023, the Bears set them up for success. The club not only provided essentials such as uniforms, Nike cleats, flags, headgear and footballs, but director of football development Gustavo Silva would also hold coaching clinics to help educate the program's leaders on drills, rules and best practices.

Still, the school needed to keep up with evolving rule changes, technology advancements and suburban or private schools that typically had more resources. A missing football meant wasted money.

At the beginning of practice, the team split up into two groups, with Spann running the offense and assistant coach Edward Hamilton leading the defense. In between drills, Spann grew frustrated with her team's energy, yelling out, "If I have to yell, 'let's go,' one more time, we'll run the rest of practice."

7-on-7 drills were when the real team dynamics emerged. The defense already operated as a well-oiled machine, led by junior rusher Ja'Mya Hamilton and senior safeties Nina Lloyd and Glover.

Hamilton was clearly the engine of the defense and the dictionary definition of passion. She exuded passion, even in practice. She possessed that switch that great defensive players have — where one moment she was belly-laughing on the sideline with her friends, but one play later, she was staring through the soul of the opposing quarterback before ripping around a blocker and yanking off the flag with the same force that Gervon Dexter Sr. uses to bring down an NFL QB.

As a sophomore in 2024, Hamilton earned Second-Team All-State, CPL Rookie of the Year and First-Team All-Conference honors. Her success in 2025 would likely be indicative of the team's success — that's how much power she possessed.

"In practice, it's been so hard. Ja'Mya, our rusher, is one of the best in the state right now," quarterback Georgia Lang said following the Dolphins' first game of the season. "She's good to go up against in practice. It's hard. But she makes you better more than anyone.

"Today, I was like, 'Oh, there's not even someone rushing you.' And I didn't even realize until the second quarter that there was someone rushing because it just wasn't her."

Offense is where question marks remained. Spann had a top receiver in junior DeeDee Dudley. Dudley, who has played since she was a freshman, is a small speedster with the ability to haul in contested catches, beat double teams and evade defenders like she's Houdini, a.k.a. Caleb Williams.

Still, Spann knew she needed more than one star receiver to build an efficient offense.

Lang, a senior softball star, was heading into just her second flag football season after mainly playing receiver on junior varsity while dabbling at the quarterback position in 2024. Late this summer, Spann asked her to be the starting quarterback on the varsity team.

While Lang was enjoying being a receiver at the varsity level in summer camp, she was not going to tell Spann 'no.' Both parties knew it would be a challenge, but it was one they were willing to face together.

"Coach Val is strict," Lang said. "I mean, she's a tough coach. It's all tough love, and I feel like our personalities are good. We're both pretty outgoing and we both want to win. So, sometimes we'll butt heads and go at each other, but at the end of the day, she knows exactly what to say. I like to throw long, because who doesn't, but she does not. And she'll get me to throw the ball short if we need to."

The difference between Whitney Young's offense and defense was apparent in that Friday practice, but so was the growth potential. The defense was loud, disruptive and oozed energy and swagger. They were tipping passes, forcing incompletions and bringing pressure. Lang and the offense were clearly frustrated and a little frazzled. Even Dudley, a rather bubbly spirit, struggled to keep the vibes high. Spann was in a perpetual state of shaking her head and even jarred back and forth with the defense a bit.

Lang's sentiments about Spann, as well as her behavior in practice, could draw parallels to that of Bears coach Ben Johnson. Before Week 1 of the Bears' season, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds provided insight on what it's like to have a coach who demands that level of intensity.

"It's fun out there just talking a little bit of trash to him because he's very competitive, and you can just feel it in the way that he communicates to you," Edmunds said. "It doesn't matter if it's practice, if it's a walk-through, whatever it is, he has that energy and that charm about himself. That's who he is. That's his personality."

Much like Johnson, Spann is not going to mince words or coddle anyone. Even when Lang lay on the ground with her hands over her face in frustration following practice, Spann continued her normal cadence of sharing some housekeeping items for Monday. Spann cared about Lang, more than the senior probably realized at the time, but she also needed her quarterback to develop calluses to help the team achieve its main goal for the season.

"Do better than we did the previous year."

Spann sets the same goal each year, but it would be tougher to achieve in 2025. Last year, the Dolphins won 18 games and placed third at State — an unlikely run that even Spann herself did not necessarily expect. "Doing better" would mean 19-plus wins and a first- or second-place trophy at State in 2025.

"Last year was last year," Spann said. "I've told the girls, 'everybody's going to be gunning for you. So I think that if you just take every game day by day, enjoy the moments — and that was a great season. But this is a new year, so everybody's even. Everybody's 0-0. You don't have anything to lose. Just play your heart out and have fun.'"

After the girls broke down their final huddle of practice, I finally told them who I was and why I was there and let them know that our photographer, Molly, and I would be following them this season.

I wanted them to know that this series would highlight their efforts as trailblazers. They're known around the Chicagoland area for being a talented, aggressive, well-coached team that, like many other surrounding schools, has fought, campaigned, worked and sacrificed to play flag football. This story would celebrate that on behalf of all Illinois girls flag football players and programs.

I opened it up to questions, wanting them to be able to feel comfortable with our coverage for the next few months.

Then, I was reminded: These trailblazers are still high school girls.

"Can you get Caleb Williams to come see us?" was the group's first question.

Their next query?

"Can you get us free Bears merch? That would be cool."

One more.

"Are you the reason a Dunkin' truck is coming to our game Monday?"

The defense backed the offense up with a three-and-out on Solorio's first possession, and both sides of the ball went on to dominate for the remainder of the game. Lang threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter. Lloyd, a humble and quiet ballhawk, intercepted the ball twice in the second quarter.

Just before halftime, the boys football players in the crowd got so hyped up they accidentally pulled out the plug of the scoreboard.

Spann scolded them, but laughed at the same time.

By halftime, Lang could see clearly. The chaotic whirlwind that was her mind over the previous few hours quieted, and the perfect 70-degree overcast evening — which featured the city's skyscrapers serving as a picturesque background — became her reality.

"I was just nervous; I didn't want to do bad," Lang admitted. "I feel like I kind of have the team on my back. I just wanted to do good for them.

"I don't want to disappoint them because last year we did good, and I didn't want that to change because of me."

As the season progressed, Lang gained comfort and confidence, but when she made mistakes or plays just did not go her way, she wore her frustration publicly. It was not out of arrogance. She just never wanted to be the reason her team struggled, and she cared about flag football — much more than she ever anticipated.

"This is a different Georgia than I've ever seen, actually," her mother, Bobbie, said. "She has become exactly who I thought she was this year. Especially working with all the girls on this team.

"I've never seen this Georgia out on a field in any sport."

By the time we next saw the girls on the evening of Sept. 5, they walked and talked like a brand new team. Holding a 5-0 record, including two conference wins, they were preparing to play Fremd, the defending State champions, at Evanston in the inaugural city-suburban in-season tournament.

When we arrived at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. game, the girls were bundled up in coats and blankets, all huddled together and working on homework, doing each other's hair or debriefing the happenings of school that day. The cold front that had made its way to Chicagoland made for a traditional Friday Night Lights atmosphere. The football weather, however, didn't pair quite as well with the two-hour delay the tournament was experiencing due to games taking longer than anticipated.

On the bright side, this gave the girls time to fill me in on the past 10 days and divulge some of their learnings from the young season.

In their second game of the season against Lane Tech Aug. 26, they discovered how to "push through and win a game." Down by a touchdown to their conference opponent with 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Lang threw a touchdown pass to Dudley. Everyone chimed in on the importance of that game.

"We've always wanted to beat Lane."

"That's when we became a team."

"Last year, our weakness was we couldn't come back in the second half."

"Georgia is keeping calm under pressure."

The conversation kept flowing, with the girls continuing to chronicle the start of their season as they giggled together, tossed out inside jokes and poked fun at each other. I eventually reeled them back into interview mode to learn more about why they play flag football and what the sport means to them.

Again, answers poured out without hesitation.

"It gives us an outlet."

"We're like a family. Everyone is included."

"There's just a different dynamic in girls flag. Like, we're even close with girls from other schools."

"It's always just been fun for me."

Each response had the same underlying theme. Girls flag football provided a sense of community incomparable to that of other sports or hobbies. The girls felt confident and powerful while they were on the field. They were learning how to trust each other and trust themselves to show up for the girl next to them.

It also does not always have to be that deep. For these girls, football is just fun, and for the first 15, 16, 17 years of their lives, they felt as though they were not allowed in on the fun. There were few organized opportunities for girls to play football — flag or tackle. Instead, they could only watch from afar as their brothers, cousins and neighbors became engulfed by the sport and as their fathers, uncles and grandfathers religiously spent Sundays glued to the television.

But thanks to the meteoric rise of flag football, a sport that will debut in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, these girls are now on the inside. They are catching up on the number of opportunities and exposure the sport is providing — especially in Chicago, where the Bears are committed to youth football development.

The Dolphins were lucky enough to experience one of those unique opportunities because of Caleb Williams himself. For a second straight year, Williams purchased hundreds of tickets through his Caleb Cares foundation to allow various Chicago-area schools to see the Bears play at Soldier Field.

Both Whitney Young's girls flag and boys football teams were invited to the Bears' Week 1 Monday Night Football game on behalf of Caleb Cares.

"Being seen and noticed by Caleb Cares is so awesome because it makes us feel super special," Rubenstein said. "Being included and being this close to the game, it's just such an awesome thing. And we're so grateful to be able to have this experience.

"Being able to play flag is one thing, but being able to watch football and understand what's happening, and then being able to translate it to our actual games is the coolest thing ever. I learned so much from being here."

Senior linebacker Naomi Fernandez added the opportunities "give us a sense of achievement."

"We went to State last year and we didn't have any idea we were going to make it that far," Fernandez said. "We made a name for ourselves, and now we're getting invited to these things. It's really cool to all be together."

Fernandez also made sure to make her father and brother jealous with the experience, like all sisters would. Growing up in a household of Bears fans, she remembers her father and brother going to Bears games together as a father-son activity. It felt rewarding for her to go from watching the Bears on television to sitting two rows from the field during the team's season opener.

"They wish they were me," Fernandez said. "It's super cool. Honestly, I love the little bragging right I get."

The girls were extra rowdy at the game, and rightfully so. It was Sept. 8 and they held a 7-0 record.

They had beaten Fremd that previous Friday. The game finally started at 9 p.m., and whether it was mental fatigue from waiting around all evening or their muscles just needing time to defrost from the first cold front of the season, the Dolphins started slow and trailed 6-0 at halftime.

The defense came alive in the second half and propelled the team to victory. Hamilton turned the pressure up a notch and Lloyd secured two interceptions, the latter of which led to Lang throwing a touchdown to Quilty at the two-minute mark. Lloyd, whose knack for interceptions can be likened to that of safety Kevin Byard III, finished the season averaging 0.6 interceptions a game, beating out the 10-year pro's current average of 0.5 picks per game.

"I just feel like we trust each other a lot, especially if all of us aren't doing our job. We have each other's backs," Lloyd said. "It's about the team and how we're all very passionate to be here and how we love to be here."

File the 7-6 late-night win in the same folder as the Lane Tech win. The girls once again strengthened their bond by overcoming adversity and exercising resilience together.

"We don't stop," Lloyd continued. "We don't quit. We want to win really bad. We all want to win really bad, so we all just lock in at the end and we come together. We just want it really bad."

That sentiment was powerful coming from Spann, who truly built and now operates the engine of this team. Her leadership is why Principal Harris felt that adding girls flag football to Whitney Young as a varsity sport was a no-brainer.

Having previously served as Dean of Students at Whitney Young in 2006 before returning in 2020 to become assistant principal and elevate to principal in 2022, Harris has known Spann for 20 years.

"She embodies what we try to impress upon our students — a spirit of excellence, a spirit of fun, and she just demands the best," Harris said. "She gives her all. She doesn't just look at this as just some haphazard thing to do, another hobby or some sort. She's literally creating champions.

"And now these girls, they see it, which was actualized last year, winning third in the state. And so, she's pushed them. They've listened. And she's a great mentor. And so for her, not just as a coach, but as an athlete herself, they see themselves in her, which is what we ultimately want."

Spann's dedication to building the program has led to the Dolphins posting winning records in all four of the team's seasons. In the school's inaugural 2022 season, Spann led the team of 19 girls to an 8-2 record. The number of games played and wins recorded grew with each successive year.

The Dolphins went 12-3 in 2023. In the first IHSA-sanctioned season in 2024, they posted a 19-7 record and finished third in the state after losing to Guilford in the inaugural State Series but beating Bradley-Bourbonnais for bronze. They would go on to post a 22-6 record in 2025, including a perfect 7-0 conference record.

Moments from each of those seasons flashed through Spann's mind as she stood still along the sideline following the Dolphins' senior night victory, watching on as the girls broke into a short-lived water balloon fight. Spann put a quick stop to it by reminding them that they would need to pick up the remains of each throw.

The youthful vibrance combined with a championship mindset that these girls all possessed and displayed to Spann every day, for better or for worse, was the catalyst for Whitney Young's success in 2025.

One minute, the underclassmen were shedding tears while handing the seniors personalized poster boards and goodie baskets filled with gifts such as their favorite snacks, stuffed animals and flowers. The next, they were doing random TikTok dances to the cheerleading team's music or hitting the "6-7" emote to one another.

That contrast existed all season long. In the middle of tense, one-score games, Spann would hear laughter bellowing from the sideline. While it was stressful as a coach and an onlooker, that balance of being able to lock in while also being free to let loose made the Dolphins nearly unstoppable. It became their way of understanding that only they had full control of their destiny, that only they could beat themselves.

Sure, sometimes the girls' unserious behavior stressed Spann out, but over the course of the season, she learned to limit how much she tried to control them and simply enjoy the ride with this group.

"I know this won't last forever," Spann said. "But I enjoy the growth of where we started to where we are now. I'm taking it all in. Four years ago, I would have never thought that we'd be right here at this point."

Aside from the emotional pregame honors on Senior Night, the remainder of the evening felt like a party. The ice cream truck parked on the south end of the athletic complex, a postgame pizza spread and music from a random speaker soundtracking the girls' conversations with friends and family who cheered them on to victory perfectly rounded out a much-deserved celebration.

As Spann left the field late that night, she was likely already looking ahead to the upcoming playoff run her team desperately hoped to make. Her sole goal of the team doing better than the previous season was still attainable. While she set high expectations for herself and her girls, how they finished the 2025 season would never erase how they collectively changed Whitney Young athletics forever.

"There's a new energy around girls sports," Harris said. "And that's what we want. I'm a firm believer in equity, and so creating equitable access for girls in sports, this is a conduit, for sure.

"And I know this: Whitney Young is a better school because of girls flag football."

Stay tuned for Part 2, which will follow the remainder of Whitney Young's season, picking up at regionals, and dive deeper into the surprisingly positive effects of the City loss and that players-only meeting — how it truly saved the Dolphins' season and propelled them to a dramatic, yet rewarding run to State.