A few minutes after 9 p.m. Saturday, the lights went out on the most successful football season in Chattanooga Locomotion history. Matched against New England in the semifinals of the Women’s Independent Football League playoffs, the Loco fell 20-0 atop Red Bank’s field.
“I’m both disappointed and excited,” star fullback Denisha Montgomery said after removing her sweat-soaked shoulder pads for the final time this year. “It hurts right now. It’s a bitter pill to swallow. But at the same time, this is the furthest this franchise has ever gone in the playoffs. You can’t feel too bad about that.”
At nearly the exact moment the Locomotion ran out of steam, the Tennessee Crush were just rounding into form at Finley Stadium, taking a 14-0 lead on their way to a 20-13 victory over Forest Park in the opening game of the Crush’s Southern Football League season.
“You’re always trying to move up a level,” said former Baylor School and Wake Forest star Willie Idlette, who has spent NFL camp time with both the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. “But I like it here. Mark White’s a good coach and Tracey [Rico] is a player’s owner. He really looks out for us.”
This is where the Crush part company with almost every other minor league team in the country, including the Locomotion. Rico pays his players’ entry fees, which usually begin at around $250.