By Michael Wojtychiw

When DuSable and Fenger face off in their conference opener tomorrow, the game will mark as something more important than just a regular game.

Why’s that?

Because it’ll feature the first game in IHSA and CPL history in which both varsity football head coaches are females. They are also the first two black females to hold these positions in CPL and IHSA history, adding even more ground-breaking history to the matchup. 

DuSable’s Konesha Rhea is in her second year as the head coach of the Panthers program, while Jouscelyn Mayfield is in her first year at the helm of the Titans program.

For Mayfield, being the head coach at Fenger is an even bigger deal than some may imagine. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Fenger hasn’t fielded a team for the past three years, so when the team decided it was going to come back and play this year, it was an easy decision for the longtime south side club coach to and Fenger security guard make and take over the program.

“I was already working at Fenger when I was offered the position at the end of the school year in 2020,” Mayfield said. “It was bittersweet getting the job because I was already coaching two levels of the Southside Wolfpack and I was excited but also worried I could get overwhelmed.”

“But it was something I wanted to do because the young men in the building that were playing football wanted me to coach, so I knew I would be coaching anyway. To see young men wanting to be coached by a woman was heartwarming.”

Even though the two will be facing off against each other at Gately Stadium, they’re very friendly outside of competition. In fact, when Mayfield found out she’d be taking over the Fenger program, one of the first people she called to tell was Rhea.

“We coached Coach K in 2015 when her team got into the same league as my Canaryville Lions were in,” Mayfield said. “She’s an amazing young lady, a great coach, girl power to her.”

“When I opened up the email about the game, I was like ‘what?!’ and I ran to my principal and was just trying to soak it in that this was happening. We speak more since I’ve become the head coach. She’s been really good with giving me advice and showing me how to do things, I can’t thank her enough. If I had to pick any other coach to coach against, it’d be Coach K.”

“Last year, being a first-year head coach, there’s a lot of things you don’t know,” Rhea said. “I told her to use every resource possible, to make sure all the little things are taken care of.”

While Rhea and Mayfield are the first two black female head coaches in CPS history, they are actually the second and third female head coaches in Chicago Public League history, following in the late Barbara Martin’s footsteps. Martin was the head coach at Clemente from 2003-2006, finishing with a winning record in all three of her seasons as head coach. Her seven wins in the 2005 season are tied for the most the Wildcats have won in the past 17 years.

Both Rhea and Mayfield know how big of a deal their game Thursday will be and admit that it might be something that gets them a bit emotional, especially knowing it’s one of their friends that will be across the field.

“I was hoping it wouldn’t take this long for it to happen, but I’m ecstatic,” Rhea said. “And I’m really proud because I’ve known Coach Mayfield for years.”

“It’s definitely going to be surreal. I already told her I’m probably going to get emotional and told the guys that if coach sheds a tear, don’t tell anybody. It’s a journey and I’m deeply honored to be in this situation right now.”

While Mayfield and Rhea are currently the only female head football coaches in the state of Illinois, they know that this groundbreaking event will only be one step in the right direction.

That’s witnessed by the fact that there are multiple female assistant coaches on numerous CPL teams this fall, as well as a number of girls playing on their varsity squads. In fact, DuSable has three females on their varsity roster, as do schools like Gage Park, Payton and North Grand’s junior varsity program. 

Getting more females to be head coaches is somewhat of a goal of the two coaches, but not something they’ll actively be looking to accomplish. At least not until the season is done.

“Us women, we just have to keep on going out there on that gridiron, when that whistle blows, go out there and coach,” Mayfield said. “It’s about going out there, putting your feet to the pavement and doing what you know.”

“Coach Dewalt, the coach at Lane, years ago, reached out to me to be an assistant, but I couldn’t do it at the time,” Rhea said. “It’s about things like that, reaching out to people and saying ‘I know you like football, how would you like to be a coach? Let me mentor you so you can rise up the ranks.”

“That’s what needs to happen, just like people do with men. There are a lot of female assistant coaches, so we’re around. Now the second and third coaches get to go against each other. Hopefully it won’t be the last.”

Fenger will be looking for its first win of the season, while DuSable will be looking for its second win. The Panthers picked up a forfeit win in Week 1 over Juarez.

For Mayfield and her Titans squad, it’s been a bit of a learning experience, as they’re playing with a number of freshmen and sophomores, none of whom have played high school varsity football.

“Coaching high school allows me to see the game at a different level,” she said. “It’s a tough job, a bigger commitment.

“The group of young men I coach, I care about them dearly. They’re an amazing group of young men, facing a lot of adversity. They got this. I think they know they got this. They just have to keep their heads in the game and do their job.”

Rhea’s Panthers have a bit more experience than their opponents, but are also still on the younger side, with 24 of the 29 players on their MaxPreps roster listed as freshmen and sophomores. 

“This year has been tough, if it wasn’t for my four seniors, we’d definitely be a JV team,” she said. “It’s been difficult getting them up to speed, but I’m used to it. Last year I only had maybe four players who had played football before. 

“But every year, you just start from scratch. It’s been great to see the players coming to practice, learning the concepts, not giving up. That means a lot.”