EDWARDSVILLE - Sophie Antonini, a junior running back on Edwardsville High's girls flag football team, has helped the Tigers get their new program off to a tremendous start, as the Tigers are 4-1 overall.
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Edwardsville encountered its first loss in the program's history to East St. Louis 25-7 on Sept. 17, 2025, at Tiger Stadium, but will return to action at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, against Belleville West, and at Belleville East at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. Antonini has high expectations of success for the next two games.
For the season, Antonini has run for 38 yards and has 11 pass receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns as the Tigers have gotten off to a tremendous start. In the loss to the Flyers, the Tigers hung in there and played hard throughout. In her postgame interview, Antonini stayed upbeat despite the defeat.
Antonini has been explosive in the backfield with her quick starting speed and has been difficult for opponents to stop. Once she is at top speed, it is almost impossible to grab her flag to stop her.
She is a Spencer Homes Female Athlete of the Month for the Tigers.
"I feel pretty hopeful," Antonini said of the future. "I'm not going to beat myself down, and I don't think our team should, either. I think if anything, it's something we can work off of, and it shows that we have room to improve, and we can always get better."
The season is about to start its second half, with the IHSA playoffs starting in October, and Antonini agreed that the 4-1 record is still very good, and that the Tigers have played well for the most part this first season.
For the second half of the campaign, Antonini has some simple goals and aspirations she hopes to achieve for herself and the team.
"I think, for me personally, just always kind of staying up, not dreading the past mistakes." Antonini said. "As a team, I think we can know that we can work through, even if we're down, we can always come back and win the game in the end."
