Chicago, Il., -- North Park's first women's flag football season has come to a close as the Vikings finish with a 1-9 record. Through the season's ups and downs, the Vikings remained committed to getting better each and every week, with many of its players never playing football before in their life. Head coach, Ramon Palma, and his inaugural group of players set the groundwork for a program that looks to continue to grow for seasons to come.
Offensively, North Park showed many flashes of what this group could do, posting 34 points on senior day against Benedectine University and 26 points against Illinois College. Freshman quarterback Janiya Greenfield orchestrated the offense for most of the season, totaling: 1,468 passing yards and 15 passing touchdowns in 8 games played. Fellow freshman Jayla Robinson was on the receiving end of many of Greenfield's passes, as she amounted 510 yards on 40 catches and found the endzone for a team-high 7 total touchdowns. Ava Balmaseda, yet another freshman, did it all for North Park, netting 313 yards rushing on 59 attempts for an average of 5.3 yards per carry while also adding 269 receiving yards, and 4 total touchdowns. With many more offensive pieces returning next year, North Park aims to improve on the year they had by adding new pieces and remaining consistent.
On the other side of the ball, Amber Bock was everywhere for the Vikings. Bock, a linebacker, led all players in total tackles with 45 and added a tackle for loss to her name as well. Up front it was Zoe Bates who wreaked havoc on opposing quarterbacks, logging 9 tackles for loss and 6 sacks on the season. Holding down the secondary for North Park was Jayla Robinson, Madison Slaton, and Yamille Belmonttes. Robinson led the Vikings with 5 interceptions, while Slaton and Belmontes had the most pass break ups on the team with 8 and 6 respectively. Robinson was also involved in the punt return game as well, finishing with 119 yards on 7 attempts.
The Vikings will look to build off this first season and continue to further their success in the 2027 campaign.
