Monday July 10, 2023
By Abbi Holt & Laura Everett
This team is good.
Seven-time national champions of the Women’s Football Alliance.
Four straight championships.
Seven wins and zero losses in the regular season good.
Haven’t lost a game since May 19, 2018 good.
The Boston Renegades headed into the playoffs, looking for their fifth straight championship pro division title. On June 24, the Renegades dominated the D.C. Divas with a 70-14 win, to move them into this semi-final game. Saturday night at Frank Della Russo Stadium in Revere, the Renegade hosted the Alabama Fire, with the winner heading to Canton, OH for the finals.
The trick is not getting ahead of yourself.
“Be where your feet are.” Wide receiver Chanté Bonds, recounted Coach John Johnson telling the team.
Chanté Bonds’s feet were moving, left, right, and constantly forward. Bonds kept finding space all night long, for 2 catches, 67 yards, 2 TDs.
The Alabama Fire were 6-0 in their regular season, taking out the Pittsburgh Passion (3-3) to make it to the semifinals. This team is good, too. Just not good enough.
But as the fog rolled in on Saturday night in Revere, the revolutionary muskets kept firing after each Boston touchdown. That’s a lot of gunsmoke when you end up with a 58-6 score line.
The Renegades’ defense was nearly impenetrable. Again and again, the Alabama Fire went four and out. First downs were as elusive as a parking spot on Boylston Street. These sweet tourists to New England simply looked lost. Bless their hearts for repeatedly making a go of it on fourth down.
Linebacker Spring Gamble was essential to keeping the Fire tamped down with critical tackles. “I just wanted to be the hammer and not the nail. I want to make sure my team knows I have their back, and they’ve got mine. I’m going to lay the hammer every time. Every single time.”
The Boston offense kept hammering. 7-0 ten minutes in. 14-0 then Alabama turns it over. 21-0.
“ At the end of the day, we don’t care how we win. We’re agnostic… it’s about what the defense is showing us and how do we exploit it. ” Quarterback Allison Cahill said after the game.
Cahill may be agnostic, but she sure believed the Renegades could score nearly any way she wanted. Running, Passing, in every way possible, Boston scored. Cahill had options: a shovel pass to Stephanie Pascual; long catch and run from Chanté Bonds, massive rushing yards from Tytti Kuusinen; more yardage from running back Ruth Matta.
This is a team defined by studious and detailed preparation. Cahill noted that for a team they hadn’t played before, their film study of the Alabama Fire was full of common opponents.
Head Coach John Johnson said after the game, “When we say, ‘One play at a time, and being in the moment,‘ we truly believe in that. We coach that. It doesn’t happen by accident. We’re coaching. You can tell on the sidelines. You would think we’re down, by like three scores. The way we’re getting after people and we’re talking about details. It doesn’t happen by accident. It’s happening because we’re consistent. We’re doing it every single day. Especially, when the game isn’t here, in practice- we’re the same way. We practice in a particular way that’s really difficult. It requires your full participation and attention. We practice really fast, and details are important to us. If you’re slipping on the details, you’re going to know about it. We hold everyone accountable. The coaches do a great job at practice so when you get into the game, it’s easy.”
Up 35-0, Boston was still playing like everything was on the line. Tight end Abby Pellitier intercepted a pass from Alabama Fire’s quarterback Synisha Smith. With Boston up 42-0, left back Lisa Vincent sacked Smith. One play at a time. Being in the moment.
The Renegades went all the way to 51-0 before Alabama’s wide receiver TeQuila Martin scored, making it 51-6. Credit to the Fire for attempting the two-point conversation.
And the “one play at a time” mentality was still in effect; Boston had one more touchdown to score after rotating in quarterback Jackie Lane to bring the final score to 58-6.
Saturday night’s game also celebrated quarterback Allison Cahill’s twenty years of playing women’s pro football. At 42 years old, Cahill is in no way done. Asked after the game if it ever gets old, Cahill firmly replied, “No.”
A win in Canton OH, a win in the national championship on July 22 would be 40 wins in a row. Five years of straight winning. Five straight national championships. A Boston dynasty.
But for now, the task for the next two weeks is to stay where your feet are, here in Revere.
Boston Women's Sports 
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