Shannon Bedola (38), Amanda Huntington (34) and Heather Huntington (81) lead the Columbus Vanguards onto the field for an exhibition game Sunday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.
The Women’s Football Alliance season runs from April through June, but when the Columbus Vanguards had an opportunity to play at an NFL stadium on Sunday, they jumped at the chance.
The Vanguards played an exhibition game against the Music City Misfits from Nashville, Tenn., in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, about a half-hour after the Titans beat the Miami Dolphins to clinch the AFC South Division title.
“It was amazing,” Vanguards offensive and defensive lineman Storm Hess said. “It was just exhilarating to see the team on the big screen, knowing that so many different players have set foot on that field. The Titans were just so accommodating. We had time to talk to girls from other teams from other states. It was a really good experience because a lot of the girls, that was the first NFL game they had ever seen.”
While two other women’s teams played at one half of the field, the Vanguards and Misfits played on the other half in a 30-minute exhibition game to bring awareness to women’s semipro tackle football. The Misfits won 14-0.
“We played the Misfits in the regular season, and they’re a great team of women,” Vanguards center Amy Napier said. “They’ll tell you if you did a good job of defending against them. They help everybody else grow. We’re out there to win, but we also have fun with them.”
The field conditions weren’t the greatest by the time the Vanguards and Misfits played. The field was torn up last week when Purdue beat Tennessee in overtime in the Music City Bowl, then worsened during the Titans-Dolphins game.
“You could see where they had been patching up the sod,” Hess said. “It was slippery. We had some girls that would catch the ball and just kind of sit down. We actually missed a few catches because our wide receivers were slipping. They wouldn’t let us wear cleats out there because they didn’t want the field even more destroyed. We were in slippery grass with tennis shoes on.”
Still, the Vanguards were grateful for the opportunity.
“They typically try to take teams that are we like to say classy had have good rapport within the Women’s Football Alliance,” Hess said. “They wanted to make sure the teams that they selected were going to represent women’s football well.”
Hess and Napier are two of five players from Columbus on the Vanguards, along with Sadie Hacker, Brooklyn McCorkle and Gena Roush. Most of the rest of the players come from Hope, Bloomfield, Greensburg, Indianapolis and Martinsville.
Napier’s husband Nick Napier is an assistant coach. Kenny and Robin Haworth are the owners, and Kenny Haworth is the head coach.
The Vanguards have practiced and played at the PAAL fields the past two years after previously playing in Knightstown. They are looking for a home field with locker room facilities.
“We have to have a facility that has access to locker rooms so that the ladies can change, and we’re looking for another indoor facility to get out of the weather,” Hess said. “COVID closed a lot of doors for us.”
Practice for the coming season starts next week. The team practices Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at the PAAL fields.
“We can always take players, but it’s coming to crunch time,” Hess said. “Our biggest thing is finding a home field and an indoor facility to practice at.”
The Vanguards had a rebuilding season last year and are hoping Sunday’s game is a springboard into a bigger season this spring.
“It was an amazing opportunity for all of us,” Amy Napier said. “Some of the girls are rookies this year, so this was the first game that they got to play. They were all so excited, and it was great to seem them be excited. Just in the few practices we’ve had with them, it’s great to see how they’ve grown. I was a rookie last year, so to go out and see the men out there and then be on the same field that they were on, that was pretty awesome.”
