Under last year’s bright August sun, Char Ebeid ‘26 narrowed her eyes and aimed the ball towards Anna Bigenwald ‘26. It was LT’s first-ever flag football game in school history. The crowd was loud, and the varsity boys football team was cheering from the end zone. Ebeid let the ball loose, and Bigenwald caught it, scoring the first-ever touchdown in LT flag football history. The crowd erupted. 

“Every other sport at any level, people have played club, they’ve played before, they’re super experienced,” Ebeid said. “You’re competing with people who are getting recruited and have played the sport their whole lives. With football, it felt different because we were learning together, so our mistakes didn’t feel as big because we were all making them. Being part of that inaugural program definitely was a little bit scary, but also so fun.” 

When Ebeid saw that LT would be offering flag football in the fall of her junior year, she jumped at the chance, she said. Inspired by her dad’s love for football and Megan Hutchens and Melissa Mitideiro, her basketball coaches who would be serving as flag football coaches, she began playing at LT’s summer camp in July of 2024. In her first season, she won Offensive MVP and helped LT to a 13-3 record, a regional championship, and a run to the sectional semifinals. 

“What I was most proud of was that not a single person on our team had played flag football before last year,” Ebeid said. “So [we were] beating schools who had teams prior to last year, and we were really good competition against teams who were so much more experienced than us.” 

Ebeid plays quarterback, a position vital to the team, Carly Granger ‘26 said. She allows the team to move up the field and score points. Granger, as a wide receiver, has to work closely with Ebeid for the team to be successful.

“I would say that it was just pretty impressive how fast [Ebeid] fit into the role of a quarterback,” Granger said. “Since everyone was new to the sport last year, I feel like she really took on that role in a strong way.”

Ebeid’s thoughtful decision-making skills help her succeed in the role of quarterback, Hutchens said. She has to be tactical and strategic in order to win on the field. 

“Being a quarterback comes with a lot of responsibility and maturity,” Hutchens said. “Char leads our team with her decision-making and communication. [She] has done a great job of improving her ability to do these things for our program.”

This year, Ebeid serves as a co-captain alongside Bigenwald. She helps plan and host team events like pasta parties and makes sure each member of the team feels included. 

“Your team is really only as good as your weakest player,” Ebeid said. “So if someone’s been left out, like they’re not part of the team, your team is only as good as that.”

As LT grows their new program, feeder teams from the area develop programs for young girls in the community, Hutchens said. The Lyons Football Club (LFC) girls flag football program has over 200 girls playing flag football this fall. 

“Char and our entire program represent a new opportunity for girls to make an impact on football,” Hutchens said.