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| D.C. Divas vs NY Nemesis D.C. Dismantles New York 49-21 After Sluggish Start, Divas Reel off 35 Unanswered Points on Way to 4th Win of the Season (Landover, MD) – Maybe it was the rainy weather? Maybe it was lingering effects from a bye week last Saturday? Whatever the culprit, the D.C. Divas spent much of the first half in their contest against the New York Nemesis sputtering on offense and plagued by penalties on defense. In short, they didn’t much resemble the team that had laid claim to first place in the IWFL’s (Independent Women’s Football League) Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. But if the Divas were the football equivalent of a golf cart plodding along for the first 30 minutes of play, then they were 100% tank for the contest’s second stanza. And when the smoke finally cleared, the Divas had scored 35 unanswered points; rolled over, around and through the outmatched Nemesis 49-21; and claimed another campaign on their march toward postseason play. The game started with a bang for the Divas as WR Tara Stephenson (#85) took the opening kickoff on a 72-yard odyssey that gave D.C. the early 7-0 lead. But for most of the remaining first half, the Divas defensive and special teams’ performances were marred by big plays and big penalties – both in the wrong direction. “I guess we just needed to motivate everyone and get on the same playing field to go out there and play,” said DL Jay Hodge (#80). “It looked like we were very, very slow to be honest in the first half. It wasn’t so much the weather; we just seemed a little off.” But it was Hodge’s take down of the N.Y. quarterback on a critical 4th down near the close of the first half that seemed to flip the D.C. defensive switch from “off” to “on” for good. It snuffed out a Nemesis drive that ended near the Divas’ 10-yard-line and signaled the beginning of a shutout for the unit the remainder of the night. On offense, D.C. saw results from a cast of usual suspects who delivered clutch performances. QB Kathryn Hemlock (#10), TE/WR Donna Wilkinson (#33), and WR Tara Stephenson (#85) highlighted the Divas’ aerial attack. But it was the Divas’ three-headed-monster ground game that stole the show. Running backs Kenyetta Grigsby (#29), Tiffany Matthews (#34), and Okiima Pickett (#7) sliced the New York defense for most of the night like a hot knife moving through butter. “(Coach) gave me advice to follow my blocks, since I was running straight into the defense,” said Grigsby. Good advice. Grigsby ended up with three trips to pay dirt on the night. And while the D.C. defense came to life in the second half, the offensive unit did their part by tallying 35 unanswered points to close out the contest. While the Nemesis fall to 2-5 on the 2010 campaign, the Divas move to 4-2 and look formidable heading into their final two regular season games. The Philadelphia Firebirds are scheduled to pay a visit to D.C. this Saturday, May 29th. And though the Firebirds are next on the schedule, “the rematch” part two with the Boston Militia certainly looms large. “We always think about Boston,” added Pickett. “We always play like we’re going against the best. Just so we can perfect our own game.” It’s an approach that worked against the Nemesis, delivered the Divas their fourth win of the year, and puts them on a collision course with a familiar foe to end the season. But Boston will have to wait. First, there’s Philly.
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