(AFFTON, MO) As defending champs of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) Pro Division, the St. Louis SLAM are fully aware that they are presently the team that is most-followed.
That’s to be expected.
Photo Credit: Gerald Affeldt
The results at their season opener Saturday sent out an extremely strong message that they have no desire to become easily dethroned this year.
Paced by their 28-0 bridling in the first quarter, the SLAM corralled Dallas Elite Mustangs, 61-0, at Affton High School.
A multi-layered offense and stifling defense were displayed as the locals (1-0) were fully aware of the responsibilities heading prior to the opening kick.
“We know we have a target on our back,” said SLAM linebacker Mary Altepeter after the shut out. “We just wanted to make sure that we came out strong and make as little mistakes as possible.”
“It’s always a mind set to set that tone,” added defensive specialist Tay Johnson, who anchored the team’s lock down.
While numerous familiar faces returned to the scoring column during Saturday’s uncontested romp, the initial splash by a SLAM newcomer certainly opened eyes.
Running back Robin Cooksey scored three touchdowns in her SLAM debut.
“Being in my first game, that was crazy,” she reflected afterwards. “An experience like no other, to be honest.”
Dallas (0-1) won the pre-game coin flip but deferred the opening possession.
It turned out to be a fatal mistake as the SLAM posted the winning points after the second snap from scrimmage.
Returning running back Jada Humphrey turned on the jets and raced 31 yards into the end zone for the team’s first points of the season. Place kicker Kaylee Neutzling connected afterwards as the SLAM possessed a 7-0 lead less than half-a-minute in.
Photo Credit: Gerald Affeldt
Stunned, the Mustangs sputtered on their opening drive and punted at the 12-minute mark, resulting in the SLAM starting their second possession at their own 44 yard-line.
St. Louis churned a five-play, 56-yard drive concluded by Cooksey’s four-yard romp, and first career SLAM touchdown, with 10:37 left in the first quarter.
“Honestly, my mind went blank,” she said. “It was so cool. It just felt so great and so good.”
Neutzling added the kick afterwards that extended the score to 14-0.
On their second possession, Dallas pushed a decent ground game but had to punt on fourth down with about 5:30 left. A faked attempt by Mustangs’ quarterback Gracie Bales resulted in a sack by SLAM rookie defensive lineman Samantha Smiley at the Dallas 41-yard line.
St. Louis scored their third touchdown with 2:44 left in the frame as Humphrey notched her second trip to the pay window with an 18-yard sprint. Neutzling added the PAT kick that pushed the score to 21-0.
On the next rotation, Dallas’ offensive woes continued deep on their own end of the field. Gales’ pass to wide receiver Addison Halas-Foriest was successfully claimed but a hard hit by SLAM veteran linebacker Raven Williams knocked the ball loose at the 8-yard line. Altepeter scooped the fumble to hand St. Louis possession with one minute left in the quarter.
Photo Credit: Gerald Affeldt
The SLAM converted the turnover into their fourth touchdown with :28 remaining in the opening stanza as Cooksey claimed another four-yard redzone strike. Neutzling’s successful kick afterwards widened the lead to 28-0.
The opening frenetic pace of the SLAM’s running game was quelled in the opening drives of the second quarter but it did not take long for the squad to launch their very lethal aerial attack.
St. Louis quarterback Jaime Gaal connected with wide receiver Kerri McMahan for an 86-yard punch with 6:37 left in the half that pushed the score to 34-0 second-year starter Sydney Bloch followed with a 29-yard haul from Gaal three minutes later.
When the dust had settled at intermission, the SLAM possessed a mind-numbing 41-0 lead.
In the second half, St. Louis kept momentum rolling thanks to solid work in the trenches. Paced by the offensive line of long-time SLAM staples Caitlin Erickson, Marion Ball, Tamikka Brents, Pamela Green, Katelynn Hartman-Grier and Antonnia Washington, the locals pushed the score to 47-0 with 10:23 left in the third quarter following Patrice Fitzpatrick’s eight-yard touchdown romp.
McMahan, taking over for Neutzling on PAT kicking attempts in the second half, successfully converted for the SLAM’s 48-0 edge.
Meanwhile, the SLAM’s primary defensive unit, consisting of the aforementioned Altepeter, Johnson, Williams, and Smiley alongside returnees Myah LeFlore, Jasmine Yandell, Stephanie Moore, Jennifer Perkins, Keyonna Smith, Kinnaudy Daniles, Brooklyn Devitt and Ciara Morgan, perpetually smothered the Mustangs’ offense.
“The goal for us is to always know the position and execute the position,” assessed Johnson of the D’s effort.
“The line is everything,” added Altepeter. “It dictates how the game flows. Both offensively and defensively, they all did a great job.”
With 9:30 left in the third, Gaal’s eight-yard pass to Amanda Richardson resulted in the SLAM gunslinger’s third touchdown of the game and a scoreboard that displayed 54-0.
Photo Credit: Gerald Affeldt
The final quarter of the contest continued to feature the ensuing impressive debuts of the SLAM rookies. This included Cooksey’s third touchdown of the game with 6:18 remaining that made the score 60-0.
On the other side of the ball, late defensive appearances by Cynthia Turner, Jennifer Tussey, Lynette Thomas and others provided a glimpse to the future.
The SLAM outscored Dallas, 20-0, in the second half to pick up the 61-0 season-opening shut out.
Gaal finished the night in passing with six completions for 181 yards and three touchdowns enroute to St. Louis overall finishing with 428 yards offensively.
Stats aside, Saturday’s onslaught effectively displayed the nonsense mentality the team currently has in place as they inevitably desire a repeat championship.
“Our goal is to just get better and focus on us,” said Altepeter.
St. Louis continues play this upcoming Saturday in a road game with Columbus Chaos.
For more information on the SLAM, go to their official website.
SLAM STATISTICS
RUSHING: Cooksey 13-95, 3 TDs. Humphrey 4-87, 2 TD. Fitzpatrick 11-65, 1 TD.
RECEIVING: McMahan 2-112, 1 TD. Bloch 2-58, 1 TD. Richardson 1-8, 1 TD. Humphrey 1-3.
PASSING: Gaal 6-11, 181 Yds. 3 TDs. 0 INT
KICKING: Neutzling 5-6 PATs, McMahan 2-3 PATs
By trade, he is a six-time, regional Emmy Award-winning news videographer/editor for KTVI/KPLR-TV. By hobby, he is a writer for Litehouse Media, dating back to February 2014. Emphasis is on featuring and promoting local women's sports, but will cover anything that is not reported by traditional media outlets. Also a contributor to local concert reviews. Finally, he prefers Diet Ski over coffee.
