(FENTON, MO) The vibe at the St. Louis SLAM’s home opener Saturday at Rockwood Summit High School had a big time feel to it.
Photo Credit: AJ Ward – ajwstudio.com
In front of one of the largest local crowds in women’s tackle football history, a high-stakes tussle took place between legacy franchises within the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) Pro Division.
Both the SLAM – current winners of back-to-back championships – and the Minnesota Vixen have rightly been considered the elite of the league’s American Conference and early projections have them tentatively slotted for a re-match for the conference title later this summer.
If the season launch – and ensuing result – was any indication of how things might progress over the next couple of months, then it’s a given that it is going to be a fun ride for those that follow the sport.
Propelled by a multi-layered offense and a stubborn defense, Minnesota topped the SLAM, 24-7, in a game that saw the visitors put a sudden stop to St. Louis’ 18-game winning streak.
“It was a blast,” said Minnesota quarterback Erin Kelley immediately following the team’s 17-point triumph. “Any game is fun, but the SLAM is a huge rivalry for us. But to come out here and to do what we did, it was incredible.”
“It was a great time,” added Vixen coach Connor Jo Lewis. “The first game of the year always has great energy. Having some great hits and plays off the bat was huge.”
The Vixen victory was highlighted by a 10-0 stretch that was recorded in the first half’s final minute and a defensive lockdown that held the St. Louis offense – a traditionally dominant scoring machine – scoreless from scrimmage.
Photo Credit: AJ Ward – ajwstudio.com
“The defense was phenomenal,” said Kelley. “They have truly made our offense better too.”
Minnesota (1-0) last claimed a win over the SLAM in April 2022 and whether it was home or visiting allegiance, all attending agreed that the Vixen earned the duke at Saturday’s showdown.
“They’ve got a stacked team over there,” said St. Louis coach Quincy Davis afterwards. “They played a solid football game and they earned that win. I have a lot of respect for them. They’re a tough team to beat and a contender this year, for sure.”
St. Louis(0-1) looks to right the ship in two weeks back at Rockwood Summit in a May 9 battle with Cincinnati Cougars (1-0).
“I am a firm believer that you learn way more in a loss than you do a win,” Davis reflected. “We gotta take our lumps from this and figure out how to change our trajectory and move on from it.”
Pre-kickoff, the Vixen won the coin toss and elected to defer to gain opening possession in the second half. This proved to be a wise decision as the SLAM was fielding a revamped, adjusted offense. Although some early traction was notched with rushing from WFA All American Jada Humphrey, St. Louis was forced to punt four minutes in.
Minnesota responded with an 11-play, 64-yard scoring drive that was anchored by the offensive line of starters Ciana Ford, Amy Shaver, Marissa Akinseye, Taylor Fox and Samantha Kruse.
Photo Credit: AJ Ward – ajwstudio.com
With seven minutes left in the opening frame, the Vixen claimed first blood as Kelley connected with long-time target Jackie Radford from 11 yards out for the night’s first touchdown. Place kicker Michaela Duriskova added the PAT afterwards, resulting in a 7-0 edge.
On their ensuing possession, the SLAM offense sputtered and punted, resulting in the Vixen taking over at their own 47.
Two plays later, Kelley attempted a midfield pass but SLAM rookie linebacker Kerrigan Gamm snared the throw and returned it 67 yards for a “Pick 6” that broke the goose egg with 3:35 left in the quarter.
“She played the coverage beautifully,” reflected Coach Jones. “I actually wasn’t sure if she was going to score, but I’m glad that she did and was able to punch it in for us. Against that veteran Minnesota offensive group, our rookies took their lumps and didn’t back down.”
SLAM place kicker Kaylee Neutzling added the successful PAT that resulted in a 7-7 stalemate.
As the half progressed, both teams posted minimal yardage thanks to solid defensive work. An interception from SLAM veteran cornerback Keyonna Smith and a sack from linebacker Julia Kempff, alongside the steady work from returnees Brooklyn Devitt, Raven Williams, Tay Johnson, Mary Altepeter, Zariah Johnson, Sydney Bloch, Jennifer Tussey, Kinnaudy Daniels, Amanda Richardson and Samantha Smiley, kept the tie intact.
Likewise, the Vixen “D” provided a comparable effort, highlighted by linebacker Kaila Doby’s sack on SLAM quarterback Jaime Gaal at the St. Louis 9-yard line with 3:30 left in the half.
Minnesota’s tackling push resulted in a punt that resulted in handing their offense prime possession at the St. Louis 26 with 1:43 left in the half.
Four snaps later, Minnesota claimed their second touchdown of the game with Tiffany Wright’s untouched six-yard scamper with :52 remaining that broke the deadlock. Duriskova’s PAT kick pushed the margin to 14-7.
The SLAM started their next possession at their own 38, and with the Vixen holding the opening drive of the second half, St. Louis attempted a late attempt to tie with time winding down.
The gamble was costly as Gaal was intercepted by Vixen cornerback Kandace Bostick with :37 left, resulting in Minnesota holding possession at their own 29.
Minnesota made the most of opportunity as Duriskova’s 19-yard field goal on the half’s final play pushed the visitors’ lead over the defending champs to 17-7 at intermission.
Photo Credit: AJ Ward – ajwstudio.com
In the third quarter, the SLAM finally found its offensive groove and churned a drive with help from the starting line consisting of Tamikka Brents, Pamela Green, Jennifer Perkins, Antonnia Washington and Jazmynn Day, but had to surrender the ball with a change of possession with 1:40 left in the frame.
With their 10-point lead still intact heading into the final quarter, the Vixen keenly whittled as much time off the game clock when on offense while simultaneously serving the SLAM fits when they conversely held possession.
Minnesota’s defensive unit of Bostick, Jocelyn Tanner, Britt Peterson, Megan Dixon, Kaylee Damasin, Augusta Sweitzer, Cynthia Bryant and a host of others collectively became the focal point of the Vixen vexing. They collectively held the SLAM, who averaged close to 49 points offensively in 2025, to zero points from scrimmage for the night.
“Our defense brought a completely new game plan and they set the tone,” said Coach Lewis of the output.
In the second half, it also became apparent that SLAM’s defensive unit was logging an overabundance of minutes that hampered a late comeback.
“Honestly, (our) defense was on the field way too long,” said Davis. “Just too many snaps. It went Minnesota’s way, for sure.”
Photo Credit: AJ Ward – ajwstudio.com
Minnesota dealt the final blow with powerhouse running back Paige Kulpic’s two-yard capper with 1:12 remaining that secured triumph.
The Vixen outscored the SLAM, 7-0, in the second half en route to their well-deserved 24-7 victory that resulted in top status within the WFA Pro American Conference hierarchy.
Minnesota plans to use the momentum to prepare for their home opener next Saturday against WFA Pro National Conference West Region Rep Mile High Blaze (1-0), who topped Rocky Mountain Thunderkatz Saturday night.
“Everyone is believing in each other,” said Coach Lewis. “Everyone on our team wants everyone else to be better. That forces individual themselves to be better.”
Meanwhile, the SLAM hosts Cincinnati, a former WFA Division 3 champ that moved to Pro status this year, two Saturdays from now. The Cougars blanked Columbus Chaos, 52-0, Saturday night.
“We’ll make changes and improvements,” said Davis of the impending match-up. “Everything wasn’t there (tonight) with every snap, but we’ll get what we need to do from a production perspective.”
For more information on the SLAM, go to their official website.
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.
