Final rankings for the 20 teams in the Women’s National Football Conference teams were announced Monday night. The reigning champion Texas Elite Spartans took the number one seed in the Atlantic Division. They will face the number four-seed Mississippi Panthers on July 15 to determine who will advance to the semi-finals.
The Spartans were the most dominant team in the league all season. After six games, the Spartans averaged 55 points per game. Even more impressive, no team scored on Texas this season. The Texas defense stifled every offense they faced, making for some of the most lop-sided scores in the young league’s history.
The Elite Spartans offense is led by quarterback Brittany Bushman who threw for 960 yards and 15 touchdowns this season against only two interceptions. Runningbacks Destinie Yarbrough, Daziah Green, and Tiffany Hill pounded the rock with each averaging more than 10 yards per carry. Yarbrough led the team with a total of 418 yards from scrimmage on 26 tries. Green led the team in touchdowns, accounting for 10 scores over the course of the season.
The defense is widely regarded as the best in the league. The defensive front is a bully that leaves little opportunity for opposing offenses to get set and the corners are ballhawks.
Defensive lineswoman Olivia Griswold and linebacker Deana Guidry each recorded 20 tackles to lead the defense. Griswold also led the team in sacks with seven and forced fumbles with two.
Special teams made big contributions throughout the season by putting the team in a position to win. Wide receiver Elizabeth Landry scored on an 85-yard kickoff return and scored twice more on punt returns.
The Mississippi Lady Panthers snuck into the playoffs after losing their first two contests of the season. The team bounced back, winning the final four games including a grueling 26-14 contest against the Alabama Fire that handed the team its only loss of the season. The Lady Panthers did not face Texas during the regular season.
The team’s two losses were against Alabama in week one and Atlanta in week two. Mississippi showed its strength of character by winning against both teams later in the season. The 21-17 week four victory over the Atlanta Phoenix was the closest game of the season for Mississippi.
The task the Lady Panthers face now may be insurmountable. Statistically, Texas is a juggernaut even against the most elite teams in the WNFC. Compare the Elite Spartans season total of 275 points to the 88 points logged by Mississippi. On defense, the Lady Panthers gave up 108 points to zero surrendered by Texas. The Elite Spartans scored 70 points on Nebraska in week three, then dropped another 61 points on New Mexico in their next game after a bye.
The first round of the WNFC playoffs will be held from Thursday, July 15 to July 17. Four games will be played Thursday and two games will be played Saturday to determine who will advance to the IX Bowl Championship. The championship is named for the groundbreaking 1972 civil rights law known as Title IX that prevents discrimination against women by educational institutions.
The championship game will be played on August 7, 2021. Dallas, Texas is the host city this season. The game will be played at Apogee Stadium in Denton. Games are available to watch on WNFCFootball.com and Facebook.
