Kit Girls, Calixte Sack Defending State Champs

There might not be a more elusive flag football quarterback with the ball in her hands in the entire state of Illinois than Fremd senior Lily Mayer.

Friday night in Palatine, Mayer showed that she can run --- but she couldn’t hide from Camille Calixte.

Pass rusher extraordinaire Calixte kept up a hard target search for the Fremd QB for four quarters and chalked up a school record eight sacks as the Evanston dominated defending state champion Fremd on both sides of the ball in a 31-12 statement win.

ETHS quarterback Maggie Conforti turned in a record performance when it was her turn --- completing 22-of-35 passes for a whopping 355 yards and three touchdowns --- as the Wildkits earned a measure of revenge for last year’s season-ending loss to Fremd in the state tournament quarterfinals.

Mayer broke the Wildkits’ hearts with a last-minute touchdown pass, keeping the final drive alive in that game with a long completion on a play where she barely escaped Calixte’s clutches and a potential sack.

Calixte turned the tables with a breathtaking performance Friday night --- even when the Evanston junior couldn’t seem to catch her own breath.

Out of sorts all week physically, and not sure it was nerves or allergies or some other minor illness, Calixte rose to the occasion as the Wildkits improved to 6-1 on the season with their biggest win of the year. They’re back on the road Saturday against another team that reached the Elite Eight last year in Whitney Young.

KyNia Hunt (two interceptions, including a pick six, plus a 69-yard touchdown reception) and sister Brielle Rosemond (two TD catches) shared the spotlight for the winners.

“Camille Calixte is special,” said Evanston head coach Carlton Rosemond. “I have the privilege of seeing it in her every day and trying to give her as many opportunities as I can to showcase her talent.

“She wasn’t breathing well (at the start of the game) and we didn’t know if she’d be able to go at all. That’s why she didn’t start for us on offense. We kept her out so she’d be able (physically) to get after it in the third and fourth quarters. She loves playing defense and I’d never take that away from her. She just knows how to get after any quarterback.”

With Nikki Dandelles also contributing a couple of sacks, the Wildkits turned up the heat on Mayer any time the Vikings got near the end zone. Mayer, who scrambles around in the backfield like Minnesota Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton back in the 1960s (Google it), carried 26 times for 119 yards Friday but only completed 9-of-21 passing attempts for 80 yards with three interceptions.

“I wasn’t feeling too well, but I just wanted to get out there and play for my team,” said Calixte. “I just had to push through. I really don’t know what was going on because I couldn’t breathe. I watched a lot of film and tried to adapt with my rush because she (Mayer) is very quick. I just tried to do my job, stay on her hip and not overrun her back there.

“This was all about payback for last year. Now we’re even with her.”

Calixte credited her time spent in ETHS basketball coach Mike Ellis’ PE class, lifting weights and conditioning, with improving her quickness in preparation for a change in the pass rushing rules in the sport. Now designated rushers are allowed to line up just one yard off the line of scrimmage, not 7 yards like last year, and quickness and elusiveness are the key factors for chasing down quarterbacks.

“We knew Mayer wasn’t going to beat our defense with her legs, especially after we got up two scores on them,” Rosemond explained. “I was OK with her trying to run as much as she wanted to. She is definitely one of the most elusive quarterbacks out there, but we were able to contain her passing and make her legs do most of the work.

“For me, winning this game was about 35 percent payback. Because we know we left a win (and a potential state championship) on that field against them last year.”

Mayer’s 2-yard scoring run on Fremd’s first possession put the visitors in a hole at the start, but they countered with a 69-yard TD pass from Conforti to Hunt to pull even with 4:27 left in the first quarter.

On the next ETHS drive, Conforti connected with Brielle Rosemond for a 16-yard scoring strike on the left side of the end zone. The senior quarterback stayed hot on the next drive, marching the Wildkits 39 yards after falling behind the (first down) sticks and facing a third and 16 scenario.

She tossed a 21-yard completion to Hunt, and on fourth down found Harper Wesenberg for a six-yard gain for a first down at the 18. Two plays later, Wesenberg snatched a 13-yarder from Conforti and the Kits owned a comfortable 19-6 edge at halftime.

Mayer kept her team in contention in the third period, firing a 19-yard TD pass to Suzanna Grossman, although Calixte then sacked the QB on the PAT attempt. Evanston, however, wasn’t about to be denied as Conforti found Rosemond for a 2-yard score and Hunt sealed the deal with a 41-yard return of an interception for the final score.