Women’s National Football Conference Week 8
Utah Falconz 40 Denver Bandits 29

        In the last week of the WNFC regular season, the 5-0 Utah Falconz defeated the 2-3 Denver Bandits 40-29. Although the Falconz won by 11, the Bandits were knocking on the Utah end zone as time ran out in a match that saw great offensive plays from both sides.

Utah opened the scoring in the first quarter when Falconz quarterback Sarah Galica pitched the ball to running back Gina Magana for a 25 yard score. The drive took only four plays. On the first play, Galica pitched to Magana who gained 15 yards on first down. After Hannah Makasini gained 2 yards, Galicia kept the ball and ran for 17 to the 25, and then Magana took it the rest of the way for the touchdown. Placekicker Kayelle Brown added the extra point, and Utah jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead.

It looked like the Falconz would roll to an easy victory early on. Things began poorly for the Bandits when Denver quarterback Casey Cubis threw her first pass of the game into the hands of Falconz defensive back Erin Miller, who returned the ball 38 yards for the touchdown. Brown added the PAT to give the Falconz a 14 point lead.

The Bandits had other ideas though. Starting at their own 34, a Cubis pass to Alyssa Mcguinnis for one yard, and a 4 yard run by Wendy Sun. On 3rd and 5, Sun took a Cubis screen pass, and sprinted all the way down to the Falconz 28 for a gain of 32 yards. Zshalyn Canfield gained 5 on 1st down, and Sun was stopped for no gain. On 3rd and 5, Cubis found tight end Jenessa White who gained 5 yards for the 1st down at the Falconz 17. The Utah defense stopped Sun for a 1 yard loss on 1st down, and Cubis threw incomplete on 2nd down. On 3rd and 11, Tina Tela nearly intercepted the pass. Cubis found Erin McIsaac open on 4th down, but the wide receiver did not gain enough for the first down and Denver turned the ball over on downs.

Although the Bandits were stopped short, they had shown offensive power that would give the 4th rated WNFC defense fits all day.

After Denver forced Utah to punt from their 28, the Bandits’ Amber Craft returned Megan Robertson’s punt 25 yards to the Utah 44. Sun carried for 2, then Carla Romero gained 5, and the first quarter ended. To start the second, Romero gained 3 for a first down at the 34, and then Sun put the Bandits on the board when she ran 34 yards for the touchdown. Laura St. Ruth missed the PAT, but Denver had pulled to within 8 points at Utah 14 and Denver 6.

On the next offensive series, Galica took a massive hit from Craft, and Laura Goetz came in to replace her. Goetz lost a yard on her first play and then threw wide of her receiver on 4th down, and the Bandits took over on the Utah 40.

The Falconz defense held for two downs, but on 3rd and 10, Cubis hit Grace Murphy for 11 to the Utah 29, and on the next play, the Bandits’ quarterback found Alyssa Vigil open on the 12 for a 17 yard gain, and another first down. After a Cubis pass went off of Grace Murphy’s hands, on 3rd and 11, Abby Medler caught a pass on the one and stepped over the goal for six. Denver’s 2 point conversion pass broken up, but a defensive foul gave them another chance. Son took the handoff from the 1 yard line, and tied the game at 14 all.

On the Falconz second play from scrimmage, fullback Makasini fumbled and Shequa Fitzgerald came up with the fumble recovery on the Utah 41. The joy on the Denver side only lasted one play, however. Romero returned the favor and fumbled on the first play after the turnover, and Utah recovered on their own 46.

The Falconz made the Bandits feel even worse when Goetz launched a deep pass that hit Naena Bland in stride at the Denver 26, and the wide receiver sprinted into the end zone. It was not only a beautiful pass, but it was Goetz’ first TD pass of the year and season. Brown’s PAT was blocked, so the score was Utah 20 Denver 14.

Denver started from their own 32, but three plays failed to gain any yardage, and St. Ruth kicked the ball away. Bland returned the ball to the Utah 36. On 1st down, Blackwell took Goetz’ pitch and ran for 19 yards to the Denver 45. Blackwell took the next handoff and ripped off another 23 yards to the 22 yard line. Fullback Keeysha Cox gave Blackwell a breather, gaining 3 yards to the 19. From there, Goetz threw for her second touchdown of the season, when she hit Cox in stride running down the middle. Brown’s PAT went through the uprights, and Utah led 27-14.

Denver had gone from elation to despair in the space of a few minutes, but the rollercoaster ride was not done. On 4th and 1 from the Utah 49, Romero gained 4 yards to set up 1st down at the 45 with time running out in the half. Cubis rolled to her right and found Grace Murphy at the 8 yard line, and the wide receiver ran it in for the score. Romero added the 2 point conversion, and Denver moved back to within 5 points, trailing 22-27 with 18 seconds left. Goetz took a knee, and the half ended.

The Bandits received the kickoff and drove to the Utah 30, but Lanika Manning intercepted Cubis’ third down and 6 pass on the 10 yard line. On second down and 10, Goetz hit Bland again, this time for a 25 yard gain. Magana and Blackwell rushed for 3 and 7 yards to give Utah a 1st down at the 45. Denver’s defense stepped up though, and on 3rd and 8, Amber Craft and Kara Corcoran met at the quarterback and sacked Goetz for 7 yard loss. Robertson punted the ball away, and after the punter was hit, the officials flagged Utah head coach Jasper Horn for arguing there should have been a foul.

The Bandits, still 5 points down, started at their own 46. On 3rd and 7, Cubis had to throw the ball away, and St. Ruth punted the ball to Bland, who was tackled at her own 21. Goetz lost a yard on 1st down, but Blackwell took an inside handoff and carried it 43 yards to the Denver 47. Magana gained 10 yards for another 1st down to the 37, and followed it up with a 4 yard run. Goetz continued to show off her arm, and once again found Bland wide open for a 33 yard score. Craft tackled Goetz short, and so the 2 point conversion failed. With 33 seconds left in the third quarter, the score was Utah 33 Denver 22.

Vigil returned the kickoff 16 yards to the Denver 46. Sun ran for 5 yards, and the quarter ended with the Bandits in Utah territory at the 49. Sun ran the ball down to the 34, but Cubis missed a pass to Murphy, and a completion to Vigil lost yardage. On 3rd and long, Cubis threw the ball deep down the middle and Jane Leroy intercepted at the 19 yard line.

The Bandits defense held the Falconz to 6 yards on three plays, and resisted the urge to jump off sides on 4th and 4, so Utah punted. Tela, in for the injured Robertson, kicked a low line drive that traveled 34 yards to the Denver 32 with 7:53 left in the game. Trailing by 11, the Bandits offense stalled, and when a Cubis pass bounced of Sun’s shoulder pads on 4th and 10, the Falconz took over.

Blackwell took a 1st down handoff and gained 12 yards to the Denver 20. After a Blackwell run lost 1, and Goetz overthrew her receiver in the end zone, Blackwell rushed 14 yards for a 1st down at the Denver 6. Cox gained 2 tough yards up the middle, but on the next play Tela carried the ball into the end zone. Brown added the PAT, and increased Utah’s lead to 40-22.

Kristen London returned Brown’s short kickoff to the Utah 48. After two incomplete passes, offensive holding moved the Bandits back to their own 42. Cubis and Vigil failed to connect, and that brought up 3rd and 20. Cubis overthrew Vigil, and on 4th and 20, White caught Cubis’ pass, but even though she carried several tacklers, they finally stopped her short, so Utah took over.

The Bandits stopped Utah on 4th down, and took over at their own 45 with 2:21 remaining. On 2nd down, Maki Yamagata nearly intercepted Cubis, and on 3rd and 10, Leroy dropped another potential pickoff. On 4th down, Denver jumped offsides to make it 4th and 15, but Cubis found Lamikia Lawson open, and she carried the ball for a 1st down at the Utah 42. The officials flagged Utah for an illegal substitution, and the penalty moved the ball to the 37. On the next play, Mcguinnis caught the pass from Cubis and took it to the 21 for another 1st down. With 57 seconds left, Cubis hit McIsaac on the 4 yard line and the wide receiver carried the ball for a touchdown. Denver went for the 2 point conversion, but Yamagata intercepted Cubis’ pass, and carried it back to the Utah 35 before Cubis tackled her. The score narrowed, however, to Utah 40 Denver 29.

Denver was not done, though, and the Bandits’ Craft recovered St. Ruth’s popup onside kick on the Utah 48 yard line. Down by 11 points, a Utah defensive offsides moved the ball to the 43. From there, a Cubis pass went through her receiver’s hands, and then Yamagata had another interception slip through her fingers. McIsaac hauled in a Cubis pass to the 32 for the 1st down. After an incomplete pass, there were 8 seconds left on 2nd and 19. On the final play of the game, Breana Griggs hauled in a long Cubis pass on the 4 yard line, but the game ended there.

Goetz was named player of the game, and her 3 touchdown passes, the first of her season, and her WNFC career, helped the Falconz finish their season undefeated at 6-0.

The game was not at all what people likely expected. Both teams had relied primarily on the run game all season, so the aerial matchup between Goetz and Cubis was outside the historical norm. It did provide an exciting game, though, and the find of the game was perhaps Goetz arm.

Both teams will get to play again. Denver rose into the 4th seed in the Western Conference, via strength of schedule. They lost their last three games, but those losses came against the Mississippi Panthers by 9, the Elite Spartans by 28, and the Falconz by 11. They will face the Texas Elite Spartans on June 8th at Skyline High School in Salt Lake City on June 8.

The second seeded Falconz will play the third seed San Diego Rebellion, that blanked the Oregon Ravens 56-0 at home in week 8, for the third time this season. This promises to be close match, as the two previous games saw Utah winning by 14-8 at home, and 22-21 on the road. Whether Galica and Robertson can get healthy by then might play a role in the outcome.

Around the WNFC

The Washington Prodigy recovered from their loss to the Atlanta Phoenix in week 7 by shutting out the Tennessee Trojans 48-0. The Eastern Conference third seed Prodigy will once again face the second seeded Phoenix, who rolled over the Florida Avengers in week 8, in Atlanta on June 8.

The Los Angles Legends won a tight one against the Las Vegas Silver Starts 8-6 in LA, for the last game of the season for both teams. The Legends finished 2-4 for the 2023 season, and the Silver Stars were 3-3.

The Mississippi Panthers and the Houston Mambas both had byes in week 8, and their next action will be at Decatur High School in Georgia, when the first seed in Eastern Conference Panthers take on the fourth seeded Mambas. In their previous match on April 29, the Panthers outscored the Mambas by 32-20, so this promises to be another tight matchup.
 
 
 
 

The Mississippi Panthers edged the Atlanta Phoenix 7-6 in the WNFC’s Week 6 Marquee Match at Decatur High School Stadium

Most thought that the Panthers versus the Phoenix would be a barn-burner matchup, and it fulfilled expectations, though perhaps not in the way that people thought.
Both teams brought high powered offenses to the game. The 3-1 Panthers, who have scored 21 points per game in 2023, were led by the explosive passing game between quarterback Rasan Gore, and her favorite receivers Rashida Young and Regena Jackson. The 3-0 Phoenix also had a potent offense behind the passing of Melyse Brown, the catching of Nikayla Ramsey, and the rushing of Brittney Smith.

The Phoenix defense had only given up 6 points in 3 games this season, so it seemed that they might be able to slow down the Panthers’ offense, but what was likely unexpected was how well the Panthers’ defense would throttle the Phoenix offense that had scored nearly 44 points per game.

In a defensive struggle that saw both teams turn the ball over 4 times, the visiting Panthers held Phoenix offense to 89 total yards. Mississippi struggled early, but their offense found its rhythm in the second half to roll up 167 yards, and, more importantly, kicked the only point-after-touchdown in the game.
The Phoenix caught a break on the opening kickoff, when Cody Johnson’s kick unexpectedly had back spin, and Diamond Wright recovered the ball for the home team at the Mississippi 49. The Panthers’ defense stepped up, however, and forced a Johnson punt that Mary Woodard returned 15 yards to her 31 yard line.

The Phoenix defense then returned the favor. After defensive end Kassidi Winter sacked Gore at her own 23, Alyssa McCarron punted the ball away. MaRhea Everheart muffed the short kick on the Mississippi 31, and Shardonay Jenkins came up with the fumble recovery.

The Panthers’ next offensive series began to show some promise when Gore followed up being sacked by running twice to the 50 yard line and a first down. The Phoenix got their first takeaway of the game on the next play when Everheart intercepted Gore’s pass on the Atlanta 32. The Phoenix defender returned the ball to the Mississippi 15 and Gore’s tackle saved the touchdown.
Quarterback Brown ran the ball in for an apparent touchdown, but the officials called holding and place the ball back on the 25. After a run and an incomplete pass, LaShanda Griffin intercepted Brown, but a facemask penalty negated the turnover and gave the Phoenix the ball on the Mississippi 8 yard line. CharLyshia Bradford sacked Brown on the 11, and the quarter ended with a 0-0 tie.

JaKiera Mallory kept the Phoenix moving backwards when she tackled the Brown on the 13. Atlanta sent out Johnson to try the field goal, but the ball went wide right, and Mississippi took over.
The Panthers managed to move the ball to their own 34, before the Phoenix defense stiffened. After the punt, Atlanta started at the Panthers’ 48, but they could not sustain a drive either. On 4th and 8 from the Mississippi 35, Brown’s pass fell incomplete and the Panthers took over.

Although Gore hit Jackson for a good gain to the Panthers’ 42, a false start moved them back 5 yards, and on 3rd and 11, Gore’s pass was incomplete. McCarron punted the ball away. The Phoenix had a good return negated by a block in the back, and ended up with the ball on their own 31.
Brittney Smith ran to the Atlanta 40, and a Mississippi facemask penalty moved the ball to the Mississippi 45. The Panthers’ Serena Shipp tackled Nikayla Ramsey for a 2 yard loss. With 3rd and 10, Brown could not connect with her receiver, and Johnson’s punt sailed into the end zone for a touchback with 44 seconds left in the half.

Jackson gained 6 yards on a jet sweep, but then disaster struck the Panthers. Gore’s pass was intercepted at the Mississippi 37, and returned to the 26. From there, with 11 seconds left, Brown hit Jasmine Coleman in the end zone for the touchdown. A bad snap forced Johnson to fall on the ball, and so the PAT attempt failed.

KaNesha Sheriff returned the ball to the Atlanta 45, and Gore went to the air, and her pass was intercepted to end the period. The score at half was Atlanta 6 and Mississippi 0.
Neither team had more than 60 yards of total offense in the first half, and the defensive dominance continued into the 4th quarter.

The Phoenix returned Robin Cooper’s kickoff to the Mississippi 42, and a tackle out of bounds added 15 more, so Atlanta started with the ball on the 32. After Smith gained 2 yards, Mary Woodard stripped the ball from Smith and recovered the fumble on the Atlanta 30.

Aided by a facemask that moved the ball to the Atlanta 47, the Panthers’ offense began to find its rhythm, and they moved into Phoenix territory. Completions by Gore to McCarron for 7, and to Jackson for 7, 3, and 4, moved the ball into the Humble Blue Zone, But on 4th and 1 from the Atlanta 18 Phoenix linebacker Lyndsey Larry tackled Gore short of the line to gain, and Atlanta took over.

The Panthers’ Ida Edwards tackled Ramsey for a 7 yard loss. On the next play, Dalphne Armstrong sacked Brown on the 4.  Ramsey caught a 5 yard pass from Brown, and was called down before she fumbled. Johnson punted from her own end zone and the ball bounced down to the Mississippi 47.

Candice Davis rushed for 3 yards, and was tackled by her facemask. The penalty moved the ball to the Atlanta 39. Shaniya Lacey ran twice for 10 and 5, but Gore missed a pass, and then Winter sacked her for a 7 yard loss to the 31. The 3rd quarter ended with Atlanta still on top 6-0.

Gore began the final quarter by calling her own number on 4th and 12, and gained 9 yards, but the ball went over to the Phoenix on downs at their own 33.

Mississippi got the break they needed on Atlanta’s first play, when Jenkins stripped the ball from Smith, and Mallory recovered the fumble on the Atlanta 15 yard line. Lacey gained 8 yards on first down to the 7, then Gore called her own number. As the Mississippi quarterback was running through the line, she dropped the ball, but the bounce came right back up to her as she entered the end zone. Cooper furnished the PAT and put the Panthers in the lead 7-6 with 10:34 left in the 4th quarter.
The Panthers’ defense continued to stifle the Phoenix offense. Bradford tackled Ramsey for a loss, and the Phoenix were forced to punt. Woodard received the punt, but Wright tackled her for a one yard loss at the 35.

Mississippi started at a deficit when Khahina Yisrael tackled Lacey for a 7 yard loss. Gore hit Sheriff for 7 to make up the loss on first down, but then the Gore-Young combination finally clicked. Young, who had dropped a deep ball in the first quarter, made up for that by hauling in a deep pass that she caught on the 50, and carried it down to the 21 yard line. Everheart managed to prevent the touchdown, but it looked like Mississippi was headed for a second score. Atlanta had different ideas, though, and Wright stepped up to intercept Gore’s pass on the 2 yard line.
Atlanta had one chance left, and drove it to midfield with less than 2 minutes remaining. On 3rd down and 4 from the Mississippi 34, though, their hopes died when Kymesha Andrew intercepted Brown on her own 46 yard line.
Mississippi took a final knee, and the game ended with the score Panthers 7 and Phoenix 6.

Jenkins earned the player of the game award for her play on both offense and defense.
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The Panthers improved their record to 4-1, and will face the 1-4 Philly Phantomz at home on May 13. The Phoenix with travel to D.C. that day to face the 3-1 Washington Prodigy. For Mississippi, the win perhaps confirmed that they are a team to watch in the WNFC playoffs. For the Phoenix, they must move past this loss to rebound against a tough opponent next week.

 
 
 

Women’s National Football Conference Week 7
Atlanta Phoenix 20 Washington Prodigy 6

            In a game that was closer than the score indicated, the 3-1 Atlanta Phoenix recovered from their tough loss last week to defeat the 3-1 Washington Prodigy 20-6. The final score, however, did not reflect the way that the Prodigy moved the ball against the Phoenix defense throughout the game. Washington was inside the Atlanta 10 yard line twice in the first half, and twice in the second half, but only managed to come away with points on one trip. Had they been able to punch the ball into the end zone, the game might have come out differently.

The Phoenix offense also moved the ball well, but on the first drive of the game, the Prodigy defense stepped up to stop the Phoenix on the Washington 9 yard line. Backup quarterback Renee Langalais started the game for Atlanta, and she directed the offense deep into Washington territory, mixing passes to Jasmine Coleman with runs by Brittney Smith and Nikayla Ramsey, before defensive linewoman Amanda Walker sacked the quarterback on the 14 yard line. 3 incomplete passes later, and the Prodigy took over the ball.

Atlanta finally broke through to pay dirt with 54 seconds left in the quarter, when Langalais snuck the ball into the end zone from the 1 yard line. Cody Johnson added the extra point and Atlanta went ahead 7-0.

Then it was the Prodigy’s turn to threaten. Kea Mercer returned Johnson’s kickoff to the Atlanta 47, and the offense went to work. Jasmine Ballard, the WNFC’s leading rusher through Week 6, gained 22 yards on first down to advance the ball to the Atlanta 22, then ripped off another 7 yards to the 15. The teams changed ends of the field to start the second quarter, and Ballard made it down to the 11 yard line. Washington quarterback Ashley Clark found Mercer for a 5 yard reception to the 6 yard line, but then Mercer lost 10 yards on the next play. Atlanta defensive back Khahina Yisrael nearly intercepted Clark on the ensuing play, and on 4th and 12 from the 16, Clark’s pass dropped incomplete.

When Prodigy linebacker FerKeshia Cousar sacked Langalais on 4th down and 13 at the Washington 43, the Prodigy used Ballard runs of 2 and 28 yards, and Clark passes of 7 yards to Brilynn Fields for 7 and 8 yards to get the ball to the Atlanta 12 yard line. As the half came to an end, though, so did the Prodigy drive when Yisrael intercepted Clarks pass.

Atlanta led 7-0 to start the second half, but Washington again threatened to tie the game. Starting at their own 40, Mercer took a screen pass and galloped to the Atlanta 19 yard line. Ballard was stopped for a loss of 3, but then carried the down to 5 on two tries. From there, with Ballard on the sideline, Kazette Collins tackled Mercer for a 5 yard loss to the 10. Two incomplete Clark passes later, the Prodigy had once again failed to score, and the Phoenix took over.

During halftime, the Atlanta offensive staff must have seen a weakness in the Washington defensive wall, and during the second half they exploited it. Langalais, and later the usual number one quarterback Melyse Brown, began to use shovel passes that succeeded well. Langalais unveiled the short flip pass to give Atlanta breathing room after taking over the ball deep in their own territory. She shoveled the ball to Smith for 7 yards to move out of the shadow of their goal posts. The drive stalled, but Johnson had more room to punt. After Atlanta stopped Ballard short on 4th and 3, they took over at the Washington 43. The first play was another shovel pass from Brown to Ramsey for 5 yards, and then the quarterback called her own number twice for gains of 6 and 2 yards. The next play was another shovel pass to Smith that went 30 yards for the second Phoenix touchdown of the day. Johnson’s kick doinked off of the upright, so the score was Atlanta 13 Washington 0.

The Phoenix forced the Prodigy to punt, but Tynisha McMillian’s punt only traveled 4 yards to the Atlanta 34. Ramsey carried the ball 3 times for 18 yards, Brown added 5 yards on 3 carries, including a quarterback sneak for a first down. The ball rested on the Prodigy 37, and on 4th and short, Brown shoveled to Smith who carried the ball all the way to the end zone. Johnson added the PAT to make the score Atlanta 20 Washington 0 with 2:25 left.
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Ballard returned Johnson’s kickoff to her own 40, and then behind the running of Mercer for 8 yards, Clark for 4, they moved to the Atlanta side of the field. Clark hit Sara Thacker for 7 yards, and then the quarterback found Ballard open for a 21 yard gain to the 15. Leading Prodigy receiver Kasee Hilliard hauled in a fade pass and was forced out at the 1 yard line. From there, Ballard carried the ball in for the score. After the running back was stopped short on the 2 point conversion, the score stood at the final tally of Atlanta 20 Washington 6.

Washington was apparently not ready for the shovel pass, and the Atlanta offense picked up when Brown, who earned Player of the Game plaudits, entered the game, but the Prodigy penetrated deeply three times with nothing to show for their efforts. At various times deep in the Blue Zone, Ballard was on the sideline, so the Prodigy faithful will have a long week of asking “What if…”
 
The 3-2 Prodigy will have to attempt to gain some momentum on Saturday May 20 against the 1-4 Tennessee Trojans. The 4-1 Phoenix will end their regular season next weekend at home when the 1-4 Florida Avengers. Both teams should win their next game, and may very well face each other in the first round of the playoffs.

Around the WNFC
The Houston Mambas improved to 3-3 by defeating the Trojans 22-3.

The 3-2 San Diego Rebellion bounced back to beat the 1-4 Los Angeles Legends 42-6.

The 5-1 Mississippi Panthers kept their winning streak going by outscoring the 1-5 Philly Phantomz 47-20.

The 6-0 Texas Elite Spartans kept rolling by shutting out the 2-4 Kansas City Glory 56-0.

The 2-3 Oregon Ravens edged out the Seattle Majestics 14-7.