VILLA PARK, IL. − Like many other girls in Illinois, Kaelie Tomalak was not keen on the idea of playing flag football as a freshman.
At the time, the sport was not sanctioned by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), meaning it was just a club sport. Plus, Tomalak wanted to focus on her first love: basketball.
Flash forward three years later, Tomalak led St. Charles North (IL) to a state championship with a 32-13 win over Prospect in the IHSA state title game on Saturday, Oct. 17, at Willowbrook High School.
"It's the dream to win the state title," Tomalak said following the win. "Especially in my senior year after having an early loss in the playoffs. It was something I was really driven toward. It's incredible to see it actually happen."
Father convinces Kaelie Tomalak to give flag football a try
While she was a freshman, Tomalak's father, Brian, had to convince his daughter to give flag football a try.
"I had to talk her into it many years ago because she was a basketball player coming into high school," Brian Tomalak said. "I told her, 'Just try to play.' ... She went out and fell in love with it."
Because flag football was only a club sport — in a pilot league sponsored and administered by the Chicago Bears — Kaelie Tomalak relented to her dad's wishes of trying the sport.
"I was really into basketball and I didn't want (flag football) to be something that took away from it," Kaelie said. "But it's literally the best thing I've ever chosen. Flag football is my only sport now and I have no regrets. I'm so glad he pushed me into it."
Kaelie not only stars at quarterback for the North Stars, but she also plays safety. In the state championship game, she completed 15 of 20 passes for 176 yards and a touchdown, while adding four rushes for 63 yards.
The lone touchdown for Tomalak came after she recorded an interception in the first quarter, which allowed the North Stars to push their lead to 14-6 at the time.
According to St. Charles North coach Mike Taormina, the starting quarterback led the team with 14 interceptions on defense.
Tomalak's strong season of throwing for 4,292 yards and 60 touchdowns, while adding 1,460 rushing yards and 14 scores, comes after she split time as the quarterback last season. However, coming into her senior year, she knew she would be the full-time QB.
“This is a girl that spent hours in the offseason working on her skills to be a better quarterback,” Taormina said. “She went to quarterback training. She played in a spring league. She’s put in the work behind the scenes when nobody was looking, and that clearly shows.”
Flag football forms strong father-daughter bond
It makes sense that Brian Tomalak would push a little for football. Kaelie is a triplet — with her brother Brody playing football for St. Charles North.
Brian Tomalak, himself, is a former collegiate quarterback for the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and is an assistant coach on the football team.
When Kaelie joined the flag football team, so did her dad as an assistant. The sport has created a strong bond between the father and daughter, including long film sessions.
"Whether we're talking about football or throwing the football around in the driveway, it's just definitely an amazing thing," Kaelie said. "I am so thankful for it."
Like his daughter, Brian Tomalak was also a left-handed quarterback. But the similarities don't end there, according to teammates.
"She's really learning a lot from him and I think he has taught us a lot as a team," St. Charles North receiver Addi Shook said. "The two of them, you can definitely see the similarities. They are amazing together."
Just as is the case with any other coach-player or father-daughter combo, just because they work well together does not mean it's always peaceful behind the scenes.
Maybe they are too similar?
"I mean, they definitely do butt heads sometimes, but that's just because they are the same person," St. Charles North running back Alexzandria Richardson said.
Flag football creates a house divided
Brian Tomalak attended Green Bay Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay, Wisconsin, for high school. So, being from Green Bay, it makes sense that he's a fan of the Green Bay Packers.
However, due to the Chicago Bears' involvement in launching flag football in Illinois, playing flag football has divided the house when it comes to allegiance for professional football fandom.
"The catch there is, I'm from Green Bay, so I'm a Packers fan," Brian Tomalak said. "And the Bears sponsor all of this. So, she's like, 'Dad, I kind of like the Bears now.' So she hangs that over my head."
Now, with her prep flag football career now over and no basketball on the horizon, Kaelie Tomalak is now hoping to follow in her father's footsteps in the sport again.
"I want to play in college," Tomalak said. "I want to see what my options are. It has to line up with what I want to (major in)."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kaelie Tomalak’s dad pushed her to try flag football. Neither knew where it would lead
