Bellis Throws For Three Scores In Varsity Debut

Ava Bellis has some big shoes to fill at quarterback for the Evanston girls flag football team this fall.

The graduation of 3-year starter Maggie Conforti, who threw more than 50 touchdown passes last season, left a void at a spot that is even more critical to a team's success than in the tackle football version of the sport.

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Bellis made it look easy at first in her debut Monday night at Lazier Field. The rising sophomore showed her potential with three touchdown passes on Evanston's first three possessions, but tossed three interceptions after that in an uneven performance.

She completed 17-of-39 passing attempts for 227 yards overall as the Wildkits scored a 27-0 triumph over Oak Park-River Forest.

Evanston is aiming high again this season following back-to-back seasons in which they lost to the eventual state champions (Palatine Fremd in the Elite 8 in 2024, Maine South in the sectional title game last year). The Wildkits return most of their skill position standouts from last year's 17-4 squad and all they need is a quarterback to pull the trigger.

Bellis connected on TD passes to senior KyNia Hunt (18 and 65 yards) and Katie Lindsay-Ryan (2) and also converted a pair of extra point passes.

ETHS head coach Carlton Rosemond knows that Bellis is just beginning to scratch the surface of her ability, after quarterbacking the junior varsity team last fall. She missed the last three games with a broken pinkie finger, but was determined to become the varsity starter.

"She came to me after the season and asked what she had to do to play for the varsity," Rosemond recalled. "She worked hard in the off-season to get the job.

"I was prepared to go with (junior) Ella Martin, but I didn't know then just how much Ava would improve. I put a lot of thought into it because I didn't know how Ava would be received by the older girls. But they're ecstatic to have a quarterback who can throw deep like she can, and they don't feel like there's going to be any dropoff for us at quarterback. They welcomed her with open arms.

"I'd give her a (grade) B for tonight even with those three picks. Two of them are on me as her coach because I had her throw into some (deep) spaces for an opportunity for some big plays. She has a big arm --- she can really air it out --- and the receivers have to understand that this year they have to go get that ball.

"She was very poised, very calm, and you couldn't tell it was her first varsity game by looking at her. I think she can be a top 5 quarterback in the state by the end of the season."

While Bellis does pose a deep passing threat, she also has a couple of the top returning playmakers in the state of Illinois returning as targets. The coach's daughters, Hunt and Brielle Rosemond, combined for more than 2,000 yards receiving and 26 touchdown receptions, as the keys to Evanston's short passing game with Conforti at the helm.

Hunt's first TD catch of 2026 came at the end of a 46-yard scoring drive. On the next possession, Lindsay-Ryan and an OPRF defender staged a wrestling match competing for a catch at the goal line and the officials eventually ruled a catch and score for the ETHS center.

Hunt grabbed a short flip from Bellis and raced 65 yards to paydirt to make it 21-0 with 7:41 remaining on the scoreboard clock.

The loss of senior Camille Calixte, who suffered a torn ligament in her thumb in preseason practice, was a blow for both the offensive and defensive units. Calixte paced Evanston's running attack last year --- in a sport where hardly any team runs effectively --- and she served as the squad's designated pass rusher.

Evanston's defense is still a work in progress without Calixte. But quick junior Astou Cissokho recorded a pair of sacks, Martin intercepted a pair of passes, and Harper Wesenberg sealed the victory with an 85-yard interception return for a score on the final play of the contest.

"I don't want to sound cocky. But we spend time trying to develop every one in the program, and when a player as significant as Camille goes down, there's another girl standing there waiting for an opportunity," Rosemond said.

"We are a state championship calibre team and I have no trouble saying that. We just have to put it all together when it matters."