The Atlanta Rage entered their third game of the season with a 2-0 record and home-field advantage, facing the undermanned Carolina Phoenix at Southern Crest Stadium. The Rage had their full coaching staff on hand, including their Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Back, Defensive/Offensive Line Coaches, and Special Team Coordinators. In contrast, the Phoenix arrived with only their head coach and one assistant coach. Pre-game, it looked like a vast army versus a platoon as the Rage outnumbered the Phoenix almost four to one. Nonetheless, the Phoenix showed promise with talented players like Quarterback #9 Stephanie Jackson and #19, who connected on a beautiful deep pass during warm-ups, hinting at a possible upset. The Rage were led by #12 Madison Frazer, who appeared poised and accurate during pre-game throws.
As the stadium filled with friends, family, and fans of both teams, it was clear that the game had a family affair vibe. One man, supporting his daughter #17 Lil Bit Aloni Lofton, mentioned he attends every game and streams them live on his Facebook page and YouTube channel. Food trucks lined up outside the gate, serving the attendees.
Rain began to fall as the game started, adding a dramatic touch. On the first play, #6 Cool Breeze scored a touchdown, electrifying the crowd. The Rage then recovered an onside kick, catching the Phoenix off guard.
The second drive ended with a beautiful touchdown pass from Frasier to #60, making it 14-0 less than four minutes into the game. The onslaught continued as the Rage scored another touchdown, bringing the score to 21-0 with 6:20 left in the first quarter.
Both #9 Jackson and #19 Blackwell from the Phoenix were injured before the end of the first quarter, further depleting their already thin roster. Another touchdown by the Rage brought the score to 27-0 with 1:06 remaining in the first quarter. An inadvertent onside kick recovery by the Rage set up another touchdown by #34, making it 33-0 with 14:20 remaining in the second quarter.
The Phoenix, now down to just nine players on the field, struggled to continue. The rules of football allow a team to play with as few as six players on the line of scrimmage, a rule that many players, coaches, and fans learned that day. Despite their efforts, the Phoenix could not keep up, and the Rage put up two more touchdowns before halftime, forcing the undermanned team from Carolina to call it quits with a score of 49-0.
Remarkably, the Rage achieved this dominant performance even while missing their best running back in the country, Olivia Freeman, who is recovering from an ACL injury. Freeman expressed her excitement to rejoin her “sisters” next season. The Rage were also without last year’s MVP, Amber Medes, who is also recovering from an ACL injury and hopes to return by the first game of this year’s playoffs.
When asked why they wanted to be part of the Atlanta Rage, Freeman said, “I’m an athlete, I’m always going to be an athlete, and I love competition. But I always wanted to play football. If football was a big thing when I was growing up, I would have been playing football other than soccer. I always had this thing like, man, I want to go play with the boys, so having the chance to actually do it is like, man, I love this game. I’ve never watched more football, studied more running backs, and loved it more than any other sport I’ve played.”
Freeman also highlighted that most women on the team didn’t know much about football until last year. Along with playing the game, they are learning it as well. Medes mentioned that they are surrounded by a coaching staff of former players, both men and women, who take the time to pour into them and invest in their learning. Freeman also mentioned Falcons RB Bijan Robinson as a player she studies and would love to train with one day.
In remarkable fashion, after the game, both teams gathered in a circle, heard encouraging words from both head coaches, and joined in a prayer that ended the night.
What an incredible night of pure football in Atlanta.
