Thursday, June 27, 2013

Washington enjoys rookie season


When the DC Divas prevailed over the visiting Columbus Comets, 42-20, Saturday evening at the Prince George’s Sports & Learning Complex in Landover, the victory had dual importance for Divas’ rookie and Bowie native, Melissa Washington.

Saturday the Divas (5-3) clinched their 10th division title in franchise history and will head into the Women’s Football Alliance playoffs June 22 seeking their first championship since 2006. Washington, a 2003 Largo High and 2007 Wake Forest graduate who played basketball professionally in Europe for five seasons, donned pink shoes in honor of her mother, Nicole, a two-time breast cancer survivor.

“I am so proud of my mother for how strong she has been through all of the ups and downs,” said Washington, who had 5.5 tackles in the Divas’ victory. “By looking at her and talking to her, you would never know how much she’s been through. She lives without complaining even when she has the right to do so. She is a warrior, an adapter and the most giving and genuine person I know.”

Washington is one of 35 rookies on the Divas, a squad that historically has been among the perennial powers in the WFA. After playing basketball for over a decade, Washington had to shift her focus to football when she tried out for the Divas in January.

“When I retired from basketball, I didn’t want to stop playing sports altogether,” Washington said. “I wanted to stay active. I had heard about the Divas and decided to go to the tryouts. It was different, but I felt like I could fit in. The veteran players have really made me feel welcome. (Linebacker) Trigger (McMair) has been a tremendous leader and she’s made all the rookies on defense feel like part of the team.”

Despite the squad’s youth movement, Washington has plenty of veterans to look up to on the Divas. Quarterback Allyson Hamlin, an Eleanor Roosevelt High School and University of Maryland graduate who has been the Divas’ starting quarterback since 2004, and 13-year veteran Donna Wilkinson has played running back, linebacker and tight end for the squad since her rookie season with the squad that was born of expansion in 2000.

“We have a lot of new faces on the team this year,” Hamlin said. “It’s a good thing, because it shows you that a lot of women want to come out and play for us. It’s just going to take them time to learn all of the plays. But someone like Melissa, you have to love her athleticism and enthusiasm. She’s a tremendous athlete and she’s had an excellent rookie season for us. I’m glad she’s here and I hope she stays around.”

“Seeing these younger women just inspires me to work harder,” said Wilkinson, who turned 39 before the season began and has overcome numerous serious injuries to her knees and back. “I can’t move as well or as quickly as I once could, but I’ve learned how to adjust and not only get stronger but get more nimble. I’ve been able to do that through yoga and through Asea, a natural drink that really helps the body heal itself.”

Washington and her fellow Divas’ defensive players looked too generous on the Comets’ opening possession Saturday when Columbus went right down the field on only four plays, all of them runs up the middle. But after spotting the visitors an 8-0 lead, the Divas clamped down and Hamlin led the team to three first-half scores and a 21-8 lead at the intermission.

The Divas added to their lead in the third quarter and owned a commanding 42-14 advantage when the Comets scored a meaningless touchdown with 29 seconds remaining.

Saturday the DC Divas will face the Comets again in a WFA quarterfinal game at the Sports & Learning Complex. The Comets edged the New York Sharks, 22-20, last Saturday evening in an opening round game of the WFA playoffs. DC already owns two victories over the Comets this season, taking the first one 53-20 and the most recent, 42-20.

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