The Texas Elite Spartans welcomed the Washington Prodigy to North Texas on April 29 for the first-ever meeting between the two Women’s National Football Conference teams. After a low-scoring start to the game, Texas opened up the floodgates, scoring 42 points and all-but-certainly stamping their ticket to the postseason in 2022.
Offensive line coach and starting center Elizabeth Jenkins said in an interview with The Dallas Express that the Prodigy defensive line was one of the more challenging position groups the Spartans have faced this season.
“They are a strong, physical team, and we knew that going in,” Jenkins said. “I’m not going to say I underestimated their strength because I definitely didn’t, but I am going to say this is the game I woke up the most sore from this season. I’m definitely feeling some of their defensive tackles.”
The Elite Spartans shut Washington down on the game’s first drive, then came out firing with quarterback Brittany Bushman connecting with receiver Brittany Satterwhite for a significant gain and several shifty runs from Rasan Gore playing as a running back. The drive stalled out at the 20-yard line as Bushman took a sack from a blitzing corner on fourth down.
The Prodigy picked up their first first down on the ensuing drive but struggled to get out of the backfield as the Elite Spartans’ Ashley Holt, Janice Mitchell, and Le’Shaunte Bowman consistently blew up run plays and forced Prodigy QB Ashley Clark to run for her life.
Disaster struck for Washington punting for the first time in the second quarter when the long-snap sailed high over the head of Washington kicker Tynisha McMillian, who was barely able to recover the loose ball before a swarm of Elite Spartans players brought the play to an end.
The Prodigy defense was suddenly faced with power running from Gore, whose first two carries of the drive got the ball inside the 10-yard line, but a false start penalty brought the ball back and nearly derailed the drive. Instead, Gore took the rock again and drilled a Washington defender at the goal line to score the game’s first points.
Washington again struggled to keep the Spartans defenders out of the backfield as Fannie Robinson broke through for a tackle for loss, and Mitchell forced a fumble on third-and-ten to kill the drive.
The Elite Spartans moved the ball to midfield, using punishing runs to pick up hard yards before uncorking the magic. Bushman, voted Player of the Week in Week One, fired a dart to Liz Landry, Player of the Week for Week Four. As if performing in a magic show, Landry somehow escaped several tackles before breaking out for a 53-yard touchdown for the Elite Spartans.
Jenkins said that you do not always get the most boisterous, emotional player with Landry, but you will get an athlete who comes out to compete, regardless of the circumstances. Landry was battling a toe injury that had her in question for the Week Five match-up, yet still performing at an elite level.
On the first Spartans drive of the third quarter, Bushman found Satterwhite, who juked three Prodigy defenders on her way to scoring her fourth touchdown of the season. This one went for 27 yards, and Satterwhite was untouched on the play.
The Spartans’ defense then turned up the heat after a Prodigy kick-return brought the ball out to midfield. Jessica Collins picked off Clark, her first interception of the season, to set the Spartans up on their 44-yard-line.
Bushman connected with Landry again for a significant gain on first down, then running back Deana Guidry got the Spartans inside the five. Gore punched the ball in from the 1-yard line to add to the Spartans’ score. Kicker Charnika Foster missed her third PAT of the night, leaving the score at 26-0 midway through the third.
The Elite Spartans continued to dominate in the fourth quarter, stopping a Prodigy drive on fourth-and-goal, then countering with a 46-yard touchdown run from running back Ashley McBay, one of the Spartans’ rookie stand-outs this season.
Now down by 34 points in the fourth quarter and facing many of the Elite Spartans’ backup players on defense, the Prodigy finally broke through the line. Running back Jasmine Bollard ripped off a 55-yard touchdown run, and the Prodigy scored on a two-point conversion for the team’s only points of the game.
Not to be outdone, Elite Spartans back-up QB Kristi Taylor hit a wide-open Amanda Heilman for a 60-yard touchdown on the ensuing play. Adding a successful PAT, the Spartans owned a commanding lead with a score of 42-8, but they were not done yet.
The next Washington drive saw Spartans Marissa Goddard get into the backfield and rip the ball away from the running back, ending any opportunity for Washington to continue.
The Spartans will go into their second bye week of the season before facing Alabama on the road, then returning to North Texas for the final regular-season game of 2022 against the Kansas City Glory. Texas is currently tied for first with Atlanta in the Atlantic Conference.