Ted Black, The Bowie Blade-News
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.
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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