Lyons Township earned its first trip to the IHSA girls flag football state tournament with a 26-6 sectional championship win over Romeoville on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The Lions (15-2) will play Bradley-Bourbonnais (14-2) in the state quarterfinals at 7:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, at Willowbrook High School, as first reported by Shaw Local.
Junior receiver Meg Robinson caught three touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Evie Riopell to power the sectional win. Robinson grabbed a short pass and outran the Romeoville defense for a 30-yard score on Lyons' opening drive. She added a 27-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter and sealed the game with a third scoring catch in the fourth.
"It was part of the game plan to get me the ball, and Evie did a great job of getting it to me," Robinson told Shaw Local.
The Lions' defense was just as dominant. Isla Riboul stepped in front of a pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown with 58 seconds left in the first half. Margeaux Dvorak recorded four sacks. Alyssa Episcopo and Ada Flynn each added one.
Lyons is in its third year of flag football. The Lions won back-to-back regional titles in 2024 and 2025 before breaking through to the state level this fall. Coach Meghan Hutchens told Shaw Local that Robinson "is one of the nicest girls on the team off the field, but once she crosses that white line, she is a very tough competitor."
Their opponent has been here before. Bradley-Bourbonnais finished fourth at the inaugural IHSA state finals in 2024 and won its sectional title this year with a 26-22 win over Champaign Central. The Boilermakers' coach told Shaw Local the team's goal was to return to the final eight with more than 200 teams competing statewide this season.
Willowbrook High School, the host site for Friday's quarterfinal, saw its own strong season end in a sectional semifinal loss to Oswego East. The Warriors finished 17-2 and took third in the state last year.
Kickoff is 7:45 p.m. Friday at Willowbrook High School.
