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After the D.C. Divas ran through plays in practice Tuesday evening at Largo High School, first-year coach Keith Howard and several of his veteran players were literally counting the minutes until they could clash with the Pittsburgh Passion.
The Independent Women's Football League game is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Sports & Learning Complex in Landover.
The Divas and Passion arrive with 2-0 records and both own lopsided wins over the once-powerful Detroit Demolition. Last season, the Passion defeated the Divas twice by a combined sum of eight points and handed the local squad its only loss in 36 games at the Landover stadium. Howard did not want to broach the historical aspect of the contest, but several of his players did.
"We're just looking at going 1-0 this week," Howard said. "Everything this year is a first for me. This is my first home game. To these women, this is nothing new but for me everything is new. Pittsburgh runs a spread offense and they have arguably the best quarterback in the league in Lisa Horton. They're tough to stop. We're like a meat and potatoes team. We like to get dirty. It will be up to our defense to make plays and our offense will have to score some points and keep their offense off the field."
Linebacker Ivy Tillman is one of five players who have been with the Divas since their inception nine years ago. Even with a National Women's Football League title and a couple of undefeated regular seasons under her belt, this week's meeting with the Passion sparks her enthusiasm. Tillman considered retiring after last season, but the Passion defeated the Divas in the season finale, sending the local squad to a 4-4 finish, and the veteran linebacker was not about to walk away under those terms.
"For me and for a lot of the women on the team, this one's personal," Tillman said. "I couldn't leave after going 4-4 last season. That's not how I wanted to end my career. I think we have a lot of really good players on this team and we're looking to get back to the championship game."
Wide receiver Tara Kallal also has been with the squad since the beginning and she viewed last season as "a wash" and was quick to return this spring. Kallal and fellow wide receivers Tara Stevenson and Nikki Williams and tight end Donna Wilkinson give quarterback Allyson Hamlin plenty of weapons and the veteran flanker is confident the Divas will prevail Saturday.
"It's games like this that keep me coming back every year," Kallal said. "I just love playing and competing. I like a lot of the different things that the coaches have added this year. We have a new offense and we have three really good receivers and our running backs [Rachelle Pecovsky-Bentley and Tiffany Matthews] are tremendous. Our defense is amazing. Nobody has been able to score on them."
Hamlin and counterpart Horton are regarded as the two best quarterbacks in the IWFL. While Horton likes to make plays with her feet and move outside the pocket, Hamlin is a drop-back passer.
Divas' owner Paul Hamlin said he expects at least 1,000 spectators for the game and is hopeful that ideal weather conditions and a matchup of the two best teams in the Northern Division of the IWFL will entice more than 2,000 spectators to attend. Hamlin noted that tickets prices have been reduced from $15 to $12 this season and other discounts are available for police officers, senior citizens and members of the military.
D.C. Divas
What: Pittsburgh Passion (2-0) at D.C. Divas (2-0), Independent Women's Football League game
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Sports & Learning
Complex, Landover
Tickets: www.dcdivas.com
E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.