The Texas Elite Spartans finished the 2022 regular season with a 6-0 record after a 21-3 victory over division-rival Kansas City Glory on April 21. The victory gave the Elite Spartans the Number 1 seed in the first round of the playoffs and marked the team’s third-consecutive undefeated season.
The Elite Spartans narrowly earned the top spot in the Atlantic Conference this season over the Atlanta Phoenix. Both teams finished the season with 6-0 records, but Texas won out on the strength of schedule and points scored. Texas scored 215 total points, 39 points more than Atlanta, who took the No.2 seed.
Texas opened the final regular home game of the season with fireworks.
The Elite Spartans’ Brittany Satterwhite fielded the opening kickoff at the 25-yard line. Satterwhite broke right and found herself behind a wall of Spartans blockers all the way to the end zone. She was filling in for return ace Liz Landry who is nursing a fractured toe.
“Coach OJ made the decision that we weren’t playing [Landry] against Kansas City because we want her to sit and heal for three weeks,” said offensive line coach Elizabeth Dillow in an interview with The Dallas Express. “Satterwhite got the opportunity, and you give that girl the ball and she just dances out there. She is not afraid.”
The Elite Spartans defense then got a chance to deliver, forcing a three-and-out that included a sack and back-to-back tackles for no gain by the defensive line. The Texas offense got its first reps starting at the 50-yard line.
After losing one of the key playmakers, Rasan Gore, on first down, Texas used a mix of Kesz Wesley and Tiffany Hill in the backfield, making chunks of yardage at a time and getting the Elite Spartans offense down to the Glory one-yard line.
Kansas City’s defense made a valiant stand at the goal line, keeping Texas running backs going backward, but could not prevent Satterwhite from catching a short pass and scoring her second touchdown of the day.
The Elite Spartans have made a habit this season of starting fast and burying teams early, and the finale was more of the same. Texas scored all 21 points in the first half and held the Glory to only a field goal all day. Texas opened the 2022 season with a 35-0 shutout of Kansas City.
The Glory will get an opportunity for revenge in the first round of the playoffs as they will once again face Texas. Kansas City earned the No.4 seed with a 4-2 record, with two dominant wins over Houston and victories against Philadelphia and Mississippi.
Texas finishes the 2022 season as the league leader in points, having given up a total of 45 points this season, including a narrow 21-20 victory against the Alabama Fire, who will face Atlanta as the No.3 seed. Texas also had three players selected for Player of the Week this season.
Quarterback Brittany Bushman won the award for Week 1 and Week 7, while Landry was named Player of the Week in Week 4.
The winner of the Texas-KC game will face the victor of the Atlanta-Alabama game for the Atlantic Conference Championship. The winner of that game will advance to the IX Cup Championship against the winner of the Pacific Conference Championship game.
The playoffs begin on June 9 with the first-round games, followed by the Conference Championship game played on June 11. Jacksonville, Florida, is hosting the playoffs this season, putting all four teams in the Atlantic Conference on the road.
The IX Cup Championship game will be played at The Star in Frisco, the second season Texas has hosted the biggest game in women’s tackle football.
