Bradley-Bourbonnais boys tackle, girls flag football fine tune over the summer

Just before Friday’s Independence Day holiday has brought the unofficial halfway point of summer, the turf at Doug “Barc” Barclay Memorial Stadium at Bradley-Bourbonnais was also an indicator of that Wednesday evening.

On the north side of the field, the boys football team kickstarted a busy month of various workouts and competitions with a quarterback camp. As the boys got started, the girls flag football team finished its summer camp on the south end of the turf.

Former QB Ethan Kohl returns to coach camp with dad

Growing up the son of Boilermakers football coach Mike Kohl, Ethan Kohl, like many stubborn, rebellious adolescents, wanted to do anything but coach. But as he’s grown up, the 2024 Bradley-Bourbonnais graduate and All-State quarterback has started to realize his dad might have been onto something with his chosen profession.

Before he heads back to Kirksville, Missouri, for his redshirt freshman season at Division II Truman State University, Ethan is spending his July back at his alma mater, helping his dad coach the same summer quarterback camp he spent his youth attending.

“It’s different coaching it, but it’s an aspect of life I want to do when I’m older,” Ethan said. “So it’s fun to do that with my dad here, especially the quarterback position.”

The camp, for quarterbacks as young as 8 and as old as incoming high school seniors, is one the elder Kohl started when he took over as the head football coach in 2011. Wednesday was the first of six sessions over the coming weeks, but Cole Roseborough, a quarterback for the Bradley Lions youth football program and sixth grader at Liberty Intermediate School in Bourbonnais, was already picking up vital information.

“Just to make sure when you hold the ball, make sure you can see the point of it,” Roseborough said. “And when you throw, make sure to turn your hips so you can get a better spiral on the ball.”

Mike said he created the area-wide camp as a way to give back to his native community aside from his head coaching role. But now that he’s watching his oldest son grow into a role alongside him, he has another reason to love the camp.

“It’s really, really fun to see him evolve and give back to kids not just from here, but other different schools,” Mike said. “He’s learned so much since he’s left here, so for him to give that knowledge back to kids in the area is a lot of fun.”

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Bradley-Bourbonnais junior Alayna Sykes, left, attempts to outrun senior Audrey Conradi during the school's flag football camp Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (Mason Schweizer)

Boilermakers’ defending state finalist girls flag football team wraps up camp

With nine seniors gone from last fall’s team that made a run to the inaugural IHSA Girls Flag Football State Finals, Bradley-Bourbonnais head coach Tremaine Turner and his staff know that in order to make a repeat run, they’d have to hit the ground running with their offseason plans.

“What we’ve been preaching to the girls is that last year is last year,” Turner said. “We lost nine seniors, and each of them embodied something we hope to get back. The standard was set, but we also don’t want to put pressure on these girls because of last year.”

The Boilermakers wrapped up their summer camp Wednesday evening. In addition to returners such as quarterback Elise Munsterman (3,388 yards, 38 TDs), running back Nevaeh Brown (1,764 yards, 13 TDs), three receivers who had over 700 yards apiece last year in Bristol Schrieffer, Amber Melchor and Kylie Stanek and Avery Moutrey and her team-high eight interceptions, the Boilers also welcomed several flag football newcomers over the summer.

“We’re extremely excited; we’re extremely thankful,” Turner said. “We have a good amount of girls who are new to the program and really excited. The reason why they came was they heard about it from their peers. ... They’re very excited to join, and our girls are very happy to welcome them.”

A year ago, Turner and the staff were implementing the sport’s basics, such as passing, catching, flag pulling and kicking. This summer, even with several newcomers, they’ve found themselves much further along the path of progress as they wind down activities until practice officially begins next month.

“We know who can throw the ball, we know how a certain person likes the ball, who’s good at pulling flags, who can break down and make a [pull],” Turner said. “These are things we put into development last year, and we’re putting them into drive now.”