Sister Act Sends Kits To Sectional Finals

Just the thought that his daughters' high school flag football careers are coming to an end was enough to bring their Dad --- Evanston head coach Carlton Rosemond --- near tears Saturday at Lazier Field.

But so far they've been tears of joy watching two of the best playmakers in the state of Illinois.

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Sisters KyNia Hunt and Brielle Rosemond accounted for all three touchdowns, and Hunt added a pair of interceptions, as the Wildkits kept their season alive with a 20-6 victory over Chicago Taft in the semifinals of the Evanston Sectional tournament.

Evanston and No. 1 seed Maine South both punched tickets to the championship game, set for Monday at 7 p.m. Maine South, the defending state champion, advanced after eliminating Lane Tech 26-6 in the other semifinal.

The host Wildkits, now 17-2, matched the single season school record for wins by both the 2025 and 2024 teams, leaning heavily on their defense now that the "survive and advance" portion of the postseason is underway.

A scrappy Taft team held down Evanston's offense until the second half, when quarterback Ava Bellis (25-of-39 passing for 223 yards) threw touchdown passes to Rosemond (17 yards) and Hunt (15 yards).

Hunt's 11-yard interception return for a TD at the 8:42 mark of the second quarter provided a defensive score before the offense could get untracked.

It's a sister act that will be tough to follow once the two seniors graduate in the spring, and no one knows that better than their coach, who had to take a moment to collect himself at midfield as the emotion of Saturday's win began to sink in.

"When I think about KyNia and Brie, my anxiety is through the roof. It's an emotional roller coaster," Rosemond admitted. "I just want to make sure their last game is the last game of the season. I don't want the story to end.

"I'm so proud of them because they've both done everything they can to be the best player, the best teammate and the best sister they can be. I think playing flag together has definitely contributed to their relationship, and helped them bond in ways they didn't know they could."

Saturday's triumph wasn't achieved without some family drama. Brie Rosemond was stung in the arm by a bee a couple of hours before the game started, but didn't let the mishap keep her from grabbing 8 passes for 86 yards and a TD. Her sensational juggling catch on a fourth down try finally gave ETHS the breathing room it needed with a two score lead late in the third quarter.

Hunt matched her sibling with a 15-yard catch for a score at the end of an 11-play, 86-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter in which Bellis completed nine straight passes.

"When Brie got stung, that was scary, although she didn't let it affect her play," Coach Rosemond noted. "I was worried because I'm allergic, but thankfully she's not. I do know it scared her to death.

"When she scored that TD it was really a big play. And on our last touchdown, KyNia yelled out Dad, they're in man (man-to-man defense), and I thought, if they think they can play man against the two of them, good luck."

Evanston's defense held down another elusive quarterback, Taft junior Hailey Coy, with a "bend but don't break" approach. Coy completed just 12-of-26 attempts through the air for 95 yards and was picked off twice by Hunt. She did contribute 103 yards rushing on 14 carries, including a scoring run of 5 yards.

The Eagles (15-4) turned the ball over on downs three times and punted once. A last-man flag pull by Evanston senior Tariah McLendon just before halftime at the home team's 25-yard line saved an almost certain TD run by Coy, who instead had to settle for a 31-yard gain.

McLendon also contributed a fourth down pull that stopped Taft's Olivia Escobar one yard short of a first down five plays later at the ETHS 14.

"As you continue to move forward in the (state) playoffs, your game plan won't always work and you need to make adjustments. You need to just find a way to win, and that's what we did today," Rosemond said.

"I thought we executed pretty well in the first half, we just didn't finish our drives. You have to be OK with just doing what you need to do. We didn't have to be perfect to win today.

"Our defense held up tremendously in first half and that gave our offense a chance to get some separation (on the scoreboard). Our defense gets an A (grade) today. We scouted what we knew Taft likes to do --- they have a good team --- but they had to learn on the fly and make adjustments after that. They got quite a few stops, and two turnovers, and they did a great job."