Dallas Has Become The Elite
Brittani Sims (left) and Odessa Jenkins (right) of Dallas Elite (Photo: Dallas Elite)
In 2014, the Dallas Diamonds and the Lone Star Mustangs disbanded and there was no women’s professional football in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Odessa Jenkins and Maria Spencer decided it was time to put together a “professional organization, that women would be proud to associate themselves with.” Jenkins, a Running Back, joined together with players from the Mustangs, the Diamonds, Arlington Impact, and both Houston based teams to create the Dallas Elite.
The goal from the beginning was to “create a legitimate, elite brand, and to create one powerhouse team in Dallas-Fort Worth” Jenkins told MyWSports. A Powerhouse is exactly what was created. In each of its first two years in the Women’s Football Alliance, the Dallas Elite have played for the National Championship, narrowly losing in 2015, 30-26, to the DC Divas.
In 2016, the Elite dominated the regular season, rolling through the South West division, riding an undefeated record to a conference title. Dallas outscored opponents 63.4 points per game to 5.6 points per game in the regular season. Jenkins said her team has been extremely focused on getting better, “getting as close as we did in our first season was enough motivation. The team worked hard and basically had no offseason. The results of the regular season are due to a commitment on and off the field to be elite.”
It didn’t take long for that offseason work to show up. In the first game of the season, a Championship rematch with the DC Divas, the Elite were still scoreless in the second quarter. The defense was keeping the game close, but DC was driving again. “They ran their bread and butter Full Back lead, our undersized outside linebacker, Angellica Grayson, met the Full Back with such force that she stumbled into her own Running Back. From that play forward, I was convinced that we were going to win that game, (because) we finally showed the physicality, discipline and attitude that we could not produce in 2015” Jenkins said of her team.
Dallas and DC in 2015 WFA Championship (Photo: Dallas Elite)
Jenkins is not only the founding co-owner of the Elite, but also a huge piece of the offense. After eight years of playing, she believes “I still feel unstoppable, when that stops, I will stop” as she told MyWSports. “I’m a ball player. I love to compete and I love the women who make up our football team. They are a unique breed and they are my family.”
Jenkins grew up a ball player too. “I played football and basketball almost everyday of my life. My brother and cousins made sure that I was competitive and never gave up, regardless of my opponent.” This attitude is certainly true in her approach on the football field, putting up great numbers for the Elite with 1,046 total yards and 13 touchdowns this season.
If fans missed last year’s 30-26 National Championship, they will not want to miss this year’s game, now being dubbed WBowl I, as it is sure to be another epic battle between the Dallas Elite and the DC Divas. On July 23rd, the Dallas Elite will play for their second chance at a WFA National Championship in their two years of existence. The Elite have become an elite team in the WFA and their “Road to Redemption” may very well be completed next week in Pittsburgh.
MyWSports asked Jenkins if there is revenge on her team’s mind heading into the WFA Championship game against the DC Divas. “Yes but, not the way you think. We want revenge against our old selves. We want to beat the team from last year, be better than they were, score more than they did, play better defense than they did and beat the opponents they lost to. We are in competition with ourselves” Jenkins said. Well, if that’s the goal, then there’s only one more game the 2015 Elite didn’t win. On July 23rd, we will see if the Dallas Elite can become the National Champions. If you can’t make it to Pittsburgh, you can watch all three division championships live by clicking the link!
Follow Kyle Wescott on Twitter @MHSWescott
