How often did Kankakee girls flag football coach Marques Lowe mention to his team over the offseason that its lone two losses last year came to All-City rival Bradley-Bourbonnais?
“He brought it up all the time,” Kays junior quarterback London Stroud said.
The Kays made sure that message was well-received when they hosted the Boilermakers on Wednesday, as Stroud ran for three touchdowns and threw another to Jasyia Wesby, and the defense held one of the state’s most potent offenses in check for a 28-12 win.
Not only did the Kays (3-3) avenge their All-City loss at Bradley-Bourbonnais (9-2) from last fall, but also defeated the returning IHSA fourth-place team, the same Boilermakers squad that took them out in last year’s sectional semifinals.
Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Avery Moutrey, right, pulls a flag from Kankakee’s Damariana Tooles during the All-City game at Kankakee Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)
While senior athlete Damariana Tooles said the rivalry in girls flag football might not be as fierce as it is in other sports, the Kays made a statement with a win against one of the state’s top teams.
“Winning All-City flag football, it doesn’t mean much to me anymore, because I don’t see Bradley-Bourbonnais as a rival,” Tooles said. “But it does feel good to go against somebody that’s close to us, and knowing what they did last season, for us to come out like this.”
Stroud scored from 31 yards out and connected with the freshman Wesby on a 9-yard strike to give the Kays a 13-0 lead, while the defense held the Boilers – who entered the game averaging 33.5 points per game – scoreless at the half.
On the Kays’ first drive of the second half, Stroud again cashed in from inside the 10-yard line just over halfway through the third. The Boilers finally got on the board when Elise Munsterman found Amber Melchor for a 24-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 20-6 with 1:10 left in the third.
They got a late touchdown when Munsterman found Georgia Kohl for a 33-yard strike with two minutes remaining, but by then Stroud had made the play of the game to leave little doubt.
With 6:58 to play, Stroud dropped back to pass, and after ducking blitzing pressure, tucked the ball, miraculously split through a trio of Boilers defenders with all of her flags still attached and dashed 65 yards to the house for the Kays’ final score.
While Lowe called Stroud’s run Marshawn Lynch-esque, Stroud’s explanation was much simpler.
“Just moved my hips,” she said with a laugh. “Just got to move my hips.”
At 3-3 on the season, the Kays know if they want to achieve their goal of reaching state, they’ll have to continue improving and likely defeat the Boilers in postseason play. That’s what made Wednesday’s win more important than just winning a local rivalry game.
“It’s exciting, because we’ve had some ups and downs this season in just trying to find our footing. …” Lowe said. “They beat us (last year) to get [to state]. It’s not too much of a get-back, because we have such a long season to go, but it’s a statement win for the program, a big win for the program.”