The defenses took over from there. Dallas turned the ball over on downs twice while KC punted and was sacked for loss. On the final Dallas possession of the first half, Rachel May muscled in from a yard out with :42 left but the 2 pt conversion was no good. 14-12 Tribe at the half.

KC took possession in the 2nd but an INT right off the bat from Dallas defender Katie Davis gave it right back to the Diamonds. The offense pushed the ground game most of the way but a pass from QB Monica Foster to Hill from 16 yards out put the Diamonds on top. A 2 pt conversion from Foster to May and the Diamonds led 20-14.

The Diamond Assassins Defense took over on the next series. A combined sack by Tiffany Bunton and KB Bowman on a 3rd down dropped Schmidt for a loss of 10 and made it 4th & 16. Bunton and Angellica Grayson teamed up for a second sack on the same drive shutting down KC. But after holding Dallas on the next series, a Schmidt to Sowers bomb for 43 yards evened out the score. However, a tremendous block by Grayson on the extra point brought down the house. 20-20 with 6:04 left in the game. Dallas’ next series ended with a turnover on downs.

A Bunton pass deflection on 4th & 8 seemed give the ball back to Dallas but the Diamonds were flagged for interference giving the Tribe new life. KC mixed it up running a handoff and screen and slant pass routes successfully to move to the Dallas 4 yard line with :01 on the clock. But the play of the Diamonds special teams blocked the field goal attempt leaving the score locked at 20 and heading into overtime.

The WFA overtime rules are similar to NCAA so each team gets a possession starting on the 25. KC went first. A short run and three straight incomplete pass attempts left them with a 4th & 7. Following the blocked extra point and field goal attempts, the Tribe elected not to bring out the kicker and instead rely on the gun of Schmidt. But the final pass attempt was broken up in the end zone by Diamond veteran DB Alberta Fitcheard-Brydson. The Diamonds then took their possession at the 25. A couple of Rachel May strong arm runs and a Foster QB keeper moved the Diamonds to the 6 on 4th & goal. Emily Williams, the Diamonds veteran kicker and LB, All-star, All-American and Team USA’er, stepped up and kicked it through from 23 to seal the deal and empty the sidelines. Diamonds 23-Tribe 20.

The Diamonds now continue their quest for a 5th Championship in San Diego California versus the San Diego Surge. This game will pit the top two offenses and defenses in a battle for the American Conference Championship and the winner moves on to the title game on July 30th to be played in Bedford. The Diamonds are respectfully soliciting any donations, airline miles or travel assistance in order to meet our goal and get to San Diego. A PayPal account has been set up on the Diamonds website at www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com and donations can be rendered in any amount at all. Please support these local women in their quest for that Championship ring!

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century. For additional information, please visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com, facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball or call 817-233-8354.

It almost looked like it might be a rout at this point but the Power, anchored by veterans including Stacy Agee, Janelle Wilson, Dita Conway and Kim Smallwood, had other ideas. They weren’t going down without a fight. On their 4th series, Power QB Christine Zboril, who stood in shotgun the majority of the night, connected with Running Back Tonya Newton for a 24 yard touchdown. However, a penalty, one of many for both teams throughout the contest, on the extra point backed them up and the 2 point attempt failed leaving the score 14-6 at the half. Zboril was pestered all night by the Diamond D and struggled with snaps from center that left her scrambling which may have been a good part of their undoing.

Houston came out determined at the start of the 3rd but Dallas defender Tiffany “Bunny” Bunton stripped the ball and rumbled to the Dallas 32 for a huge momentum boost and Houston never really recovered from there. Dallas had a long series at that point which worked the clock and culminated in a 2 yd rushing TD by fullback Rachel May for the 3rd and final score of the game.

Hill celebrated her birthday Saturday by being the leagues top rusher with 83 yards on 17 carries and a TD. And Brydson worked ever aspect of the game by leading the Defense with 9 tackles on top of her Offensive TD at the start. Defender Katie Davis picked Zboril’s pocket stopping the final drive with seconds left on the clock and also was credited with a pass deflection earlier in the evening.

The Diamonds are now 9-0 on the 2011 season and are set to host the Kansas City Tribe in the 2nd round of the playoffs on July 9th at Pennington Field. Kickoff is at 7pm CST. The Tribe, led by the solid arm of QB Jenny Schmidt, enter the contest as the #1 rated Offense in the league with a scoring average of 63 points per game. The Diamonds, on the other hand, have the leagues highest rated Defense giving up an average of only 6.5 points per game. In a battle of win or go home, who will come out on top? You’ll have to be there to find out! Get advance discount tickets online at www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com for $10. Day of game tickets will be $15 at the gate.

For additional information, please visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com or facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball.

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century.  For group ticket prices or more information please call 817-233-8354.

Austin got the ball back but the Defense definitely made their presence known. Following an incomplete pass, defenders Meagan Bartlett and Angellica Grayson combined for a sack and an 8 yard loss. On the very next play, KB Bowman and Janice Mitchell joined in for another sack pushing the Outlaws back another 6 yards forcing Austin to punt. The Diamonds began the next series on the Austin 24. A 14 yard Welniak run followed by a 9 yard run from Christia Rogers left Dallas on the 1 yard line. Another handoff from Gerhart to Rogers and the Diamonds led 35-0 at the half.

The second half began much as the first half ended. A couple of 15+ yard runs from Beddow and Welniak set the Diamonds up on the Austin 42. From there, Gehart aired it out to receiver Amanda Heilman who did the rest, finally laying out across the goal line. On the next Austin series, kicker Emily Williams of the Diamonds, who was perfect all night going 8 for 8 on extra point attempts, laid out the Austin returner on the sidelines during the runback. On the ensuing play, Fitcheard-Brydson snatched a pick 6, out-hustling the pursuit for the 64 yard TD. Dallas led 49-0 at that point.

Austin fumbled on the next series and the ball was recovered by Dallas’ Grayson. But the Diamonds gave it back on the next play with a bobbled exchange in the middle. This was the only series where Dallas wouldn’t score. Following an Austin punt, Tight End Umeeka Webb and Running Back Tiffany Hill joined forces for the final score of the night. Runs of 12 & 13 for Hill brought the ball to the Dallas 45. Gerhart connected on a hitch to Webb who added another 30 yards to the Austin 25. A couple of plays later, Hill took it in on the ground from 16 yards out to end the ballgame at 56-0.

The Diamonds continue the “Drive for Five” when the Playoffs begin this Saturday, June 25th, versus the Houston Power at Pennington Field. Kickoff is at 7pm. The Power opened the season against the Diamonds on this very field in 2011 losing 39-14 so they may be looking to exact some revenge. Pre-game discounted tickets are available for $10 from your favorite Diamond or on the website at www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com until the 23rd. They will be $15 at the gate on the day of the game. The Diamonds ask that you wear purple to the game and we thank you for your support!!!

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century. For group ticket prices or more information please call 817-233-8354.

The game started with both teams having turned over the ball on downs. The Mustangs then fumbled on their 2nd possession and Janice Mitchell of the Diamonds recovered near midfield. Emily Williams converted the field goal later in the series and the Diamonds were up 3-0 just into the 2nd quarter. An interception and run by the Mustangs made it 3-6 after the PAT was muffed. On their 5th series, Diamond QB Jessica Gerhart found an open Danilynn Welniak for a 31 yard pitch, catch and touchdown with 28 seconds left in the half. A bad snap on the extra point attempt left the score 9-6.

In the 2nd half, Jennifer Hull of the Mustangs got her 2nd pick of the game on defense and eventually worked that into a QB sneak from her position on offense to bring the score to 9-12 Mustangs. The Diamonds fielded another short series and had to punt, but a sack by Diamonds Linebacker Hanna Saari got things back on track to close out the 3rd quarter.

Returning veteran Christia Rogers took over from there as she snatched the handoff and scampered 10 yards to pay dirt. With 9:15 to go it was 16-12 Diamonds. Then the laundry started to fly as the Mustangs began to get frustrated. The Diamond D held their cool - and the Mustangs Offense - to get the ball back for Dallas. An inside handoff to Welniak and a little fancy shuck-and-jive footwork from her and the jewels were back in the green zone with 1:51 left.

As the clock ticked to 0, the Diamonds could finally put the 100th game in the record books. Dallas Diamonds 23 – Lone Star Mustangs 12.

The Diamonds are 5-0 on the 2011 season so far and are headed out of town to play Memphis on June 4th. The final regular season home game for the Diamonds will be June 11th at Pennington Field. Kickoff is at 7pm CST.

For additional information, please visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com or facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball. The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century.  For group ticket prices or more information please call 817-233-8354.

It has been 10 years since that kickoff. The Diamonds lost 46-7 to the 2-time defending WPFL Champions that night. But they left the field with their heads held high and their dreams still intact. From a pretty respectable 5-5 start that year in 2002, missing the playoffs by 37 seconds in 2003, going undefeated in 2004 & 2005 and winning consecutive Championships in 2004, 2005 & 2006 by battling and finally sweeping that same Houston Energy team, it has been quite a ride. We thought the Championship in 2004 couldn’t have been more emotional. When we won in 2006 we realized we were wrong. That one was pretty amazing. Then came the overtime Championship game win in 2008 against the Chicago Force for the 4th title. Again, the Diamonds had one-upped the previous standard. That battle may never be topped.

The Dallas Diamonds of 2002 began a lasting legacy that year. Although some of the faces may have changed, we are completely of the mindset “once a Diamond, always a Diamond”. We know we have the best fans in the league and our “12th man” has sure pulled us through a few nail biters! We are also only one of 4 teams who have made it to the 100th game milestone in the history of the sport and are one of two teams with the original owner for the entirety. The journey has been long and the memories that have been made are certainly plentiful. But the trip isn’t over.

Please join us on Saturday, May 21st, as we celebrate our milestone 100th game and honor some of the faces that have been a part of it along the way. Kickoff is at 7pm at Pennington Field in Bedford.

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century. For group ticket prices or more information please call 817-233-8354.

Following the ensuing kickoff, Reinbolt juked, spun and evaded all Diamond defenders for what appeared to be a return for a Wildcat TD. But it was all for naught as the play was called back for a block in the back on the home team. From there, Diamond defender Janice Mitchell tagged the running back for a loss backwards over the line resulting in a safety. 16-0 Diamonds.

The Diamonds’ Laura Beddow punched one in just before the end of the 1st. A Danilynn Welniak 66 yard run and a 33 yard Jessica Gerhart to Welniak pass play for TD rounded out the first half for a score of 37-0. Following a fumble recovery by Alberta Brydson, a Foster pass to Webb for 11 yards and a Gerhart pass play to Welniak for another 40 yards brought it to 52-0. Emily Williams had a 28 yard run to take it to the one and Beddow followed a Rachel May block across the goal line bringing it to 58-0 with 3:20 left in the contest. The Wildcats were still driving to score when defensive back Katie Davis plucked an inadvertent pass out of the air, her 2nd of the night, and ran it back 50 yards to close out the game.

The next Diamond home game is their milestone 100th ! Join the Diamonds at Pennington Field on May 21st when they take on the Lone Star Mustangs on this historic occasion! Kickoff is at 7pm.

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century. For group ticket prices or more information please call 817-233-8354.

The Outlaws were smothered on the next series by the Diamond defense. Tackles for loss by Karen Padgett and Hanna Saari left them with 4th and long. Then the Diamonds took control. A 45 yard kickoff return by Alberta Brydson and several pounding runs by Christia Rogers left the Diamonds close to the goal. A QB keeper by Jessica Gerhart and the 2 pt conversion by Rogers brought the score to 17-14 Diamonds. Contributions from Amanda Heilman in the passing game and Tiffany Hill on the ground led to 2 other offensive scores for the home team. With less than a minute on the clock, Hurd broke another 55 yard run for the Outlaws to close the gap. Final score – Dallas Diamonds 31, Austin Outlaws 21. As a result, at the close of the 5th week of the WFA season, the Dallas Diamonds remain undefeated (3-0).

The next Diamond home game will be on May the 21st versus the Lone Star Mustangs. This will be the Dallas Diamonds 100th game!!! For more information, please visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com or facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball.

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century. For group ticket prices or more information please call 817-233-8354.

In a low scoring battle of the defenses, the Diamonds really showed their versatility and strength throughout the competition. The wealth was spread around to all facets of the Diamond “Assassins”. Leading the charge was Linebacker Danielle Green - who led all defenders with 11 tackles (two of those recorded for loss of yardage) – and Tiffany “Bunny” Bunton with 2 individual quarterback sacks. KT Rostenbach, Katie Davis and Alberta Brydson pestered the Mustang Offense and added another sack each. Thanks to the aggressive play of the Diamond defense, the Mustangs only earned one first down all game that wasn’t due to penalty. Ingrid Mitchell and Angellica Greyson each forced fumbles while Hanna Saari, Jen Welter and Tiffany Bunton all recovered one each.

Just inside the 2nd quarter, and following a Mustang 15 yard personal foul facemask penalty against receiver Danilynn Welniak, Diamond QB Jessica Gerhart found Umeki Webb in the end zone from 7 yards out for the 2nd Diamond score. The extra point was blocked by the ponies so the score remained 9-0.

The next few minutes were pretty busy for both squads. Following the ensuing kickoff, Nicole Coffin dropped Mustang QB Brittany Bushman for a loss and on the very next play Bunton disrupted the offense and caused Bushman to fumble. The Mustangs recovered but were left with a 4th and 7 so they had to punt. A block in the back penalty against the Diamonds on the return took the ball back to their own 40. A miffed Center/QB exchange led to a Lone Star recovery and possession with about 8 minutes to in the 2nd. Bunton dropped Bushman again for a loss and 2 plays later Jennifer Ferrell was tapped for pass interference against the Mustangs inside the 20. But on the very next play she redeemed herself with a pick off of Bushman and the Diamonds took over on offense. On the first play of the new drive, the Mustangs picked it right back but this time ran it in for their only score of the game. The 2 point effort failed and the scoreboard read 9-6 with 6:28 left to go in the half.

In the 3rd, Janice Mitchell recovered a Lone Star fumble on the Diamonds own 32. Rachel May, Monica Foster, Tiffany Hill and Laura Beddow all shared carries on the next drive and the final TD came at the 3:23 mark when Beddow finally muscled her was across the edge of the paint. The extra point by Williams was solid for the 16-6 lead. That would be all the Diamonds would need. The defense took care of the rest and neither team was able to muster up any additional offense in the 4th. Bunton dropped Bushman one final time on the last Mustang drive and the final play of the drive was an incomplete pass defended by Ferrell to seal the win. After taking over on downs, the Diamonds took a knee on the final two plays as the Diamond faithful began the celebration and chants of “Whose House? Our House!”.

The next Diamond home game will be on May the 7th versus the Austin Outlaws. This one game will be relocated to Keller High School (500 North Pate-Orr Rd, Keller TX 76248) and kickoff will be at 7pm CST. For additional information, please visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com or facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball.

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century.  For group ticket prices or more information please call 817-233-8354 or visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com,  facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball.

Dallas began the evening winning the coin toss and deferring the kickoff to the second half. The Diamonds held the Power on their initial drive. When the Diamonds began their initial drive, some familiar faces appeared. Stacy Agee, a former Houston running back who has given the Diamonds many a bad memory, came out on the Power defense. Wearing #81 now, Agee was a defensive pest all night long using her speed and agility to break up what could have been several Diamond scores. And the always dangerous Kim Smallwood found some success catching the ball throughout the contest.

But in the end, in a battle of the ex-WNBA er’s, the Diamonds Umeka Webb came out the victor over Smallwood. Webb (8 catches, 131 yds, 1TD) was all over the field and caught everything thrown her direction, battling tacklers and baffling defenders with her sure handed catches. Rookie Quarterback Jessica Gerhart (13-25, 126yds, 2TD’s) and veteran Monica Foster fed the ball to Webb and receiver DanilynnWelniak in steady doses and it seemed the Power defense just couldn’t contain either of them. At one point, Welniak was stopped by her pony-tailed blonde mane but still managed to break free from that and muscle her way through 5 other Power defenders and stand up undeterred in the end zone for one of her 2 touchdowns. In total, she caught 5 passes for 113 yards, returned a punt 32 yards for another TD and scored a 2 pt conversion. Following the game, in true an-assuming Welniak style, she also dedicated her well-deserved game ball, and her performance, to a fallen friend.

The Diamond defense also showed their mettle containing the Power to 2 scores. Led by veteran Alberta Brydson and Finnish transplant Hanna Saari, the “Assassins” never allowed the Power to gain any momentum. Saari set the tone early with one of her 2 QB sacks and the defense continued to harass the Power offense throughout even driving them backwards late in the contest resulting in a safety by KB Bowman. Brydson and Danielle Green also had a pick each for the defense. The final scoreboard read 39-14 in favor of the hometown Diamonds.

The next Diamond home game will be on May the 7th versus the Austin Outlaws. For game location and time information, please visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com or facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball.

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century.  For more information please visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com,  facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball or call 817-233-8354.

Fast forward to October of 2010 and the Dallas Diamonds are holding open tryouts for the 2011 season. As the un-assuming rookie walks on the field, there is something oddly familiar about her. Meet Hanna Saari. “Honda”, as she is affectionately called now by some of her Dallas teammates and coaches, was a player for that team from Finland at the competition in Sweden. And luckily for the Diamonds, she pursued a job in Dallas for several very specific reasons.

“I worked for Nokia Networks and later Nokia Siemens Networks during my studies and every once and awhile I looked for interesting job opportunities overseas. Finally, on November 2009, I found my current position being open at the Irving site and without any hesitation I contacted the managers in Oulu and Irving about the possibility to come here,” says Saari. “One other thing, besides my work, that made me choose Dallas was the fact that I could possibly continue to play football. Sometimes I feel that even though I’m single, I’m married to the game and I’ll bet you know exactly what I’m talking about if you’ve ever been involved in football. I found football in the summer of 2007 and fell in love almost immediately.”

She has had to face some diverse challenges in her switch between Finnish and USA football and has done so with a quiet determination which makes her a definite threat on the football field today. “My team in Finland, Oulu Northern Lights, has been one of the small teams, so all the players have always been playing both offense and defense. OLB (Outside Linebacker) has always been my number one position, but because of the circumstances I’ve played almost every position on the field at least once.

It might be hard for you to understand that I’m actually considered a ‘big’ football player in Finland (5”8’/165) so on offense I’ve been playing a lot on O-line, but fullback mostly. If I have to say one good thing about playing two ways, it’s the fact that we really have to keep ourselves fit and in good shape, and I think that that surprised some of the teams in the World Championship Games in Stockholm this summer. So in addition to playing on the Northern Lights, I’ve been a part of the Finnish National Team for two years, and one of my proudest moments in football was winning the bronze medal in Stockholm as one of the captains on the team and also being selected to the 2nd All-Star team. We might be one of the smallest teams size-wise but what we do have is the technique and speed. That being said, I’ve played against team USA and what I can say about that is wow…when you have the technique, speed AND size it’s hard to compete with that.”

She grew up with a younger brother and parents who encouraged her to get out and see the world. “I was an exchange student in Alberta, Canada (97-98) and I think that that year had a big impact on my life and made me realize that there is a whole big world to see. You may live anywhere in the world, but the place that you call home is where your loved ones are, so home is not so much about the place but it’s about the people. And you’re always welcome to come home. That is what my parents have always told us kids and they have been very supportive on us going abroad whether it’s been travelling, studying or working. Seeing and experiencing the world makes you appreciate more of what you’ve got, and having your family’s support makes you more confident on your decisions.” And she has certainly found a home with the Dallas Diamonds.

“Hanna is very much an integral part of the Dallas Diamonds defense this year,” states Diamonds President Shelley Burnson. “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she will get the attention of the other offenses in the league and will hit the highlight reels on numerous occasions. She has certainly earned a great deal of respect in my book and is a highly valued member of this team in every aspect – on and off the field.”

You can catch Hanna in her US football debut wearing #57 this Saturday, April 9th, at Pennington Field in Bedford as the Dallas Diamonds open their 2011 season at home versus the Houston Power. The action starts at 7pm and tickets are $10 for adults, $7 for students 6-17 and free for 5 and under. Meet Hanna personally following the game as the fans come on the field and get autographs and pictures with their favorite players.

The Dallas Diamonds play Full-Contact NFL Rules Football and are the ONLY 4x Championship Professional Team of any kind in the DFW area in the 21st Century.  For more information please visit www.dallasdiamondsfootball.com,  facebook.com/dallasdiamondsfootball or call 817-233-8354.