By Ilan Mochari

Photos by Kelly MacDonald

“Down, set, go!” With those three words, Kehinda Oshodi, 29, a fourth-year offensive lineman on the Boston Militia, exhorts the players on Somerville’s top-level Pop Warner squad (the “A” team). Dressed in black shorts and a Militia t-shirt, she crouches (“down”), adjusts to a three-point stance (“set”), and explodes out of her crouch (“go”), blasting the player opposite her and creating a seal on the left side. After finishing the demonstration, she explains the concepts of zone blocking and gap responsibility.

Boston Militia offensive lineman Kehinda Oshodi demonstrates the rudiments of line play to the Somerville Pop Warner “A” squad.

There are at least five girls playing Pop Warner (PW) this year, and several attribute their involvement to the visibility of the Militia, who recently won a second straight title. For the last two seasons, eight-year-old Jade’a West has worn number 85 in homage to Militia tight end Emily Weinberg, also a participant at PW practices.

Steve Ortolani, coach of the “C” team in Somerville Pop Warner, stresses the art of ball protection.

Steve Ortolani, 57, coach of the “C” team, is grateful for the recruiting of Militia defensive lineman Holli Banks (also the Scout publisher). “She got me two girls for my team, and they’re both pretty good athletes,” he says. Ortolani began with PW in 1991. A lieutenant at Ladder 3 in the Somerville Fire Department, he now works with four firemen whom he first came to know when they were boys in PW, and he was their coach.

The PW coaches are an all-volunteer staff who routinely devote three-hour evenings on the field, four nights a week, in addition to scads of off-field game prep. And like most football coaches, they prefer not to discuss the hours. Their focus is simply their next opponent which, on the evening of August 16, was West Lynn. Led by their passionate coaches, the six PW squads (“A” through “F,” based on age and weight) each practiced in their own section of Foss Park (corner of Broadway and McGrath Hwy). The players wore their Century Bank-sponsored red-and-white jerseys. Nearby, the PW cheerleaders rehearsed.

Most squads did not have enough players to simulate 11- on-11 game conditions. PW President Roger Desrochers, in his 22nd year with the nonprofit, says that if he had one wish for the organization, it’s that “more kids would get involved.” There are many reasons he doesn’t have enough kids, but cost is not one of them. Pop Warner always covers the $70 registration fee for parents who can’t afford it. “I don’t turn any kids away,” he says. Currently two-thirds of the PW kids play for free. Desrochers credits his corporate sponsors for the funding, as well as two annual “canning” drives, where players stand outside stores holding cans and asking for contributions.

After practice, the Militia met up at Dilboy Stadium (110 Alewife Brook Pkwy), where they were being fitted for championship rings. It was no ordinary ring-fitting: In defeating the San Diego Surge, 34-19, on July 30, the Militia established themselves as the premier woman’s team in the U.S. Their 2011 crown came in the ultra-competitive Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) – a step up from their 2010 Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) title.

Jocely Pierre Louis, 11, of SPW “D” team.

At Dilboy to witness the festivities and meet the champs were a few PW girls, including Jocely Pierre Louis – a sixth grader at the West Somerville Neighborhood School (177 Powderhouse Blvd) who at first went to Foss Park to be a PW cheerleader. She was reluctant to play football because she was “scared I was gonna get tackled.” But at the persuasion of West’s mother, she gave football a try. “I liked it when I started playing,” she says. Now she especially likes defense. “Because I get to tackle people.”

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In 2010, the Militia capped an undefeated regular season by rolling through the playoffs en route to their first Independent Women’s Football League title. In the off-season, the Militia moved to the more competitive WFA. Now they are on the brink of back-to-back titles, albeit in different organizations.

It won’t be easy. The undefeated Surge have scored 56 points per game this year while limiting opponents to seven per game. (The Militia have averaged 45 points per game on offense while holding opponents to an average of 13.)

The Militia advanced to the title game on the heels of a 46-18 thumping of the Indy Crash at Dilboy Stadium (110 Alewife Brook Pkwy) back on July 16.

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Boston Militia place kicker Ashley Snyder (#42) attempts a field goal during the Militia's 50-23 road win in the WFA quarterfinals.

With their 50-23 road win against the previously undefeated Chicago Force on July 9, the Boston Militia moved into the semifinals of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) playoffs.

The Militia are now one win away from advancing to the WFA title game. Their next game is July 16 at 6 p.m. at Dilboy Field (110 Alewife Brook Pkwy), where they will host the Indy Crash.

In the 50-23 win against the Force, the Militia used an arsenal of running backs to amass a whopping 269 yards on the ground. Four running backs — Chante Bonds, Whitney Zelee, Stacey Tiamfook and Dorothy Donaldson — each gained at least 49 yards. All four running backs scored, with Donaldson finding paydirt twice.

The air force was also lethal, with quarterback Allison Cahill completing 13 of 17 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns: a 60-yard catch-and-run by wide receiver Amy Saur and an 18-yard toss to wide receiver Adrienne Smith. Place kicker Ashley Snyder, pictured above, added a 26-yard field goal and five extra points.

photo courtesy Barry Millman, Threepairs Photo

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The Boston Militia -- Molly Goodwin (#59), Brandy Trice (#98), Allison Cahill (#7) and Patricia Harper Heffernan (#22) -- take the field before their 37-24 quarterfinals win in Washington, D.C., against the D.C. Divas.

On Saturday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m., the Boston Militia — whose home games are at Somerville’s Dilboy Stadium (110 Alewife Brook Pkwy) — play a quarterfinal playoff game in Evanston, Ill., against the undefeated Chicago Force.

The winner will advance to the Women’s Football Alliance semifinals and be only one win away from playing for the the WFA title.

The Militia advanced to the quarterfinals on the heels of a 37-24 win in Washington, D.C. against the D.C. Divas on June 25.

Militia WR Adrienne Smith (#10) recorded two receptions for 94 yards and one touchdown in the team's 37-24 win vs. the D.C. Divas in the WFA quarterfinals.

Militia quarterback Allison Cahill completed 10-of-16 passes for 156 yards.

Wide receiver Adrienne Smith, left, snared two receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown.

Place kicker Ashley Snyder booted three field goals (of 24, 42 and 35 yards).

On defense, Chante Bonds and Molly Goodwin led the Militia with seven tackles.

photos courtesy Barry Millman, Three Pairs Photo.

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Somerville resident and Militia tight end Emily Weinburg hauls in a reception.

The Boston Militia are now 4-1 after their 42-0 shutout of the Northeastern Nitro in Danbury, Conn., on May 14.

The Militia will travel to play the New York Sharks at Moore Catholic High School on Staten Island, NY on May 21. Kickoff time is 3:00 p.m.

The final two regular season games are at Dilboy Stadium (110 Alewife Brook Pkwy): June 4 against the Philadelphia Liberty Belles and June 11 against the D.C. Divas. Kickoff for both games is 6:00 p.m.

More information is available at bostonmilitia.com. Tickets are $10, but $5 for Somerville Residents and Senior Citizens 65 and over. Kids aged 10 and under enter free with an adult. Tickets are available at the front gate.

Boston Militia Wide Receiver Amy Saur (#3) flies toward ball

Thanks to Barry Millman of Threepairs Photo.

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Left to right: cornerback Briannah Gallo, tackle Kelly Barker and quarterback Allison Cahill, three of the Militia's twelve 2010 All Stars.

We’re more than a little proud of the Boston Militia, who completed a perfect season (11-0) by winning the International Women’s Football League title on Saturday, July 24, soundly silencing the formerly undefeated Sacramento Sirens, 39-7.

Here at Scout, we’ve been high on the Militia from Day 1, previewing the team in our Spring, 2010 issue. Nothing starts a bandwagon like a title run, and we’re as pleased as anyone that the Boston Globe, at last, has taken notice of the superb squad that calls Somerville’s Dilboy stadium its home.

photo by Kelly MacDonald

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Yet football fever persists – and not just for diehards of the NFL draft. The Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) plays all spring long. One of its best squads – the Boston Militia, fresh off a 9-1 campaign – calls Somerville’s Dilboy Stadium (110 Alewife Brook Pkwy) home.

The team has other Somerville ties as well. Linebacker Sharyn Wacht teaches at Somerville High School. Linebacker/running back Kim Hickey attended SHS. The team also held offseason workouts at the SHS gym.

We hope you enjoy our story on the Militia (“One Team, One Dream”), featuring the photography of Kelly MacDonald and the design of Laura Vivenzio. Tickets for Militia home games are only $5 for Somerville residents and free for senior citizens, SHS students and children under 12 accompanied by an adult. That’s a bargain, especially when you compare it to Red Sox single-game tickets ($12 to $328).

Speaking of spring spending: Not a week goes by, it seems, without a restaurant opening (or announcing an opening) in one Somerville square or another (“The 411 on 8 New Joints”). Reporter Linsey Herman has penned profiles of eight new establishments, one of which is a Davis Square project helmed by Ken Kelly, owner of Precinct (70 Union Sq) and The Independent (75 Union Sq).

Since we launched Scout one year ago, one of our recurring sections has been a column by Joe Grafton, Executive Director of Somerville Local First. Reporter Kristen Grieco proposed a twist on this column that we couldn’t resist (“The Local Anesthetic”): What if, for 30 straight days, she shopped exclusively at independently owned Somerville businesses – not a single trip to Target, Market Basket, Shaw’s, Costco or CVS?

Among the things Kristen had trouble finding were Purina cat food; a good book selection (outside of the library); mascara; and serious stationery (yellow legal pads, reporters’ notebooks, that type of thing). If you can find those products at an independent Somerville shop, please tell us where. We’d love to know. –Ilan Mochari

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What happens to a dream deferred? The poet Langston Hughes famously asked if it dries up like a raisin in the sun.

For the Boston Militia – the women’s tackle football team whose home is Somerville’s Dilboy Stadium (110 Alewife Brook Pkwy) – the dream dried up July 11.

Playing at Dilboy in the Independent Women’s Football League (IWFL) semifinal vs. the D.C. Divas, the Militia seized a 21-19 lead late in the fourth quarter on a 33-yard touchdown scramble from quarterback Allison Cahill. To reach the title game, all Boston had to do was silence the Divas for the final 54 seconds

That’s when the sports equivalent of a heart attack took place.

Divas wide receiver Tara Stephenson – formerly a star heptathlete at Gardner-Webb University – returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. “A world-class track star made a play,” concedes head coach Derrick Beasley, 44. It was not the only play Stephenson made that day: She had already scored twice on receptions of 16 and 19 yards.

The Militia (bostonmilitia.com) had entered the game with a 9-0 record. Moreover, they were fresh off their 34-14 drubbing of the defending champion Dallas Diamonds in the quarterfinals. All of which made the last-minute defeat to the Divas that much worse. “We were a little bit numb in the immediate aftermath,” says Cahill, a Princeton grad and personal trainer at Boston Sports Club’s South Station location.

Whether the loss carries over to the 2010 campaign, the next few months shall determine. The Militia’s first game is April 3 at the New York Nemesis. The Dilboy opener is April 10 vs. the Connecticut Crushers. On May 1, Boston travels to D.C. for their first revenge match against the Divas. Five weeks later, the Divas visit Somerville for the regular season finale.

***

It has been a rigorous offseason for most of the roster. Many veterans – the average age of last year’s squad was 30 – prepared on their own. However, a small group – sometimes it was five-to-eight players, sometimes it was in the teens – trained together Monday and Wednesday nights at Somerville High School (81 Highland Ave), where linebacker Sharyn Wacht teaches health and phys ed.

Wacht and Cahill organized the sessions as a way to stay fit and unified in the wake of the playoff loss. “I talked to my athletic director, Nicole Viele, and she thought it was fine if in exchange we also opened [the workouts] up to girls at SHS, so they could come and lift with us too,” says Wacht. On a few occasions, the SHS girls soccer team and girls basketball team joined the Militia. Sometimes a few track team members came too.

Right tackle Kelly Barker, one of nine returning IWFL All Stars, believes the sessions have paid off. “You can tell with a lot of players – our strength is a lot better than it was last year,” she says.

The workouts were a homecoming for linebacker/running back Kim Hickey, who played basketball and softball at SHS (class of ’93). She now works as a Workflow Coordinator for Delta Dental. “It was surreal, being there again,” she says. “I probably was in the weight room twice in my entire life in high school.”

The sessions also helped the Militia – all 45 of them – keep in touch. “The team is really gifted at finding ways to hang out,” says second-year wide receiver Erin Baumgartner, a Somerville resident and Program Coordinator for the MIT France program. In that social respect, the workouts complemented the Boston Women’s Flag Football League (BWFFL). For years, BWFFL games have helped the Militia spend time together once the season ends. In addition, the BWFFL is a plentiful recruiting source for Militia rookies.

Teammates also keep in touch by participating in charity fundraisers and youth football clinics. In terms of in-season Somerville socializing, the team’s bar of choice is On the Hill Tavern (499 Broadway), where they gather after battles at Dilboy. Day-after-game barbecues are also common.

All that hanging out hardly makes it easy to maintain a playing weight. Seventh-year running back Mia Brickhouse, a vital cog in the team’s spread offense, says she altered her dietary approach at group activities. “A football team like us, we tend to do a lot of socializing. You know what comes along with that. It goes right here,” she says with a grin, playfully thwacking her stomach. “I had to really cut back on that. The beer. The beer is gone. And I’m not going to introduce it until I’ve got a reason to celebrate – and that means a victory at the end of the season.”

***

In the sports world, it’s a cliché to attribute offseason dedication to jarring postseason losses. The rhetoric of renewed commitment is almost a norm for pro athletes with salaries to support year-round workouts and nonstop nutrition. The Militia, however, are not paid to play. Quite the contrary: It costs each player $500 to join the team, which auto dealer Ernie Boch, Jr. has owned since late 2007. Though the IWFL is the closest thing in America to a women’s NFL, most of the players support themselves – and their football regimens – through outside jobs.

Before Boch took over, there were two women’s tackle football teams in the Boston area: the Mass Mutiny and the Boston Rampage, the latter of which was the erstwhile Bay State Warriors. Boch bought both squads for “a few thousand dollars” – the precise amount escapes him – and merged the two into the Militia.

The Militia is not profitable. Boch hopes to change that through increased sales of tickets and merchandise. “My job is to make the team a very good team, so therefore people will want to buy tickets,” he says. “We had almost 1,000 people at our last game” – the July 11 loss to the Divas – “and we’ve never had that before.”

Coaches rave about Boch’s generosity. For example, Boch pays a six-person crew to film the games. “I take it home that night, I break it down, I give it out to assistants and we watch it as a team at the following practice,” says Beasley.

A fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots in 1987, Beasley – also the defensive coordinator for the Andover High School football team – is no stranger to film study. Neither is his top assistant, offensive coordinator Robert Perryman, whom the Patriots tabbed in the third round of the selfsame draft. The two ex-Pats also happen to be in-laws, having married into the same family of sisters.

Players also praise the accoutrements of the Boch era. “He bought helmets – no one’s ever bought our helmets before. They paid for all of our travel. That’s never been done before,” says wide receiver Ginger Snow, who holds several basketball scoring records at UMass-Lowell, where she starred in the early 90s.

Snow has also scored amply on the gridiron: 51 touchdowns in seven campaigns (five with the Mutiny). Statistically speaking, she is one of the most accomplished women in the history of the sport. And the history of the sport is not lost on her. “Coming from where I started – it was so grassroots,” she adds. “We didn’t have a locker room so we had to get dressed in the car, and we practiced on tennis courts (in Northborough, Mass.) until it was so dark we couldn’t see. We could only do so much. Sometimes we didn’t even practice tackling until almost game time. Coming from nothing, I feel like right now we have it easy.”

***

Step inside the luminous Harvard Dome in Cambridge – where the Militia broke camp in January – and you can see why Snow and other veterans feel as if they’ve come a long way from darkling tennis courts.

The playing surface is 120 yards of lush green FieldTurf chalked with hashes, end zones, out-of-bound lines and stenciled numerals. Powerful lights dangle like icicles from the concave roof. Near the entrance, three trainers assist the players – stretching them, taping them, debriefing them on this tendon or that joint.

Not far from the trainers, offensive linemen Amanda Alpert and Emily Conway are seated on the turf, surrounded by wide-eyed rookies. Class is in session. With red and green markers, Alpert diagrams schemes on a whiteboard. She enumerates gaps on the offensive line and letters the gaps of a four-person defensive front. She and Conway explain it, piecemeal, to the newcomers.

Gone from last season’s offensive line are All-Star Sade Williams and mainstay Maureen Reynolds. Though Conway, Alpert, Barker and Kehinda Oshodi return to anchor the unit, Beasley calls the left side – formerly Williams’ domain – “an issue we’re still trying to get ironed out.” That’s why the O-line’s whiteboard sessions are especially important.

Of course, every position has a steep learning curve, even when you’re from a team-sports background. Baumgartner, an elite competitor in ultimate frisbee, says her rookie attempt to digest the playbook was like “trying to drink from a fire hose – it’s a lot of info at once.”

***

Large portions of the Dome practices are clinical, non-contact workshops. After warm-ups, the linemen assemble near the end zone. Assistant coaches Jason Ouellette (offensive line) and Vernon Crawford (defensive line) preside. Not quite in unison, the D-linemen shout out “pass” or “run” based on their diagnosis of the O-line’s movements and gestures. Before the snap, they move left or right based on whether a coach shouts “Louie” or “Roscoe.”

One hundred yards away, at the opposite end of the field, the quarterbacks, running backs and linebackers complete their own read-and-react drill. By turns, Cahill and her rifle-armed backup, Nora Mitchell, take three-step drops and float swing passes to the running backs, who one at a time sprint short patterns toward a layer of linebackers. “Any safety would’ve jacked you up there, Penta,” exhorts linebackers coach Jim Gallotto.

Jessica Penta, one of the team’s most athletic and versatile contributors, is the subject of his jape. In this drill she’s with the running backs, but she logs time at linebacker and defensive end too, depending on the alignment of the team’s front eight. In the 3-5 scheme (three linemen, five linebackers), she plays to the right of “mike” linebacker Molly Goodwin, who calls the defensive signals. In the 4-4 Penta shifts to defensive end.

Versatile personnel are also important in the Militia’s spread offense. Though she is under center in goal-line, short-yardage and ball-control situations, Cahill often operates out of the shotgun with one running back nearby. Typically there is no tight end. Instead, two wide receivers are split out to the hashes, creating a five-person line with two slots. In one of the slots, a third receiver lines up; in the other slot is a fourth wideout or another running back.

At midfield, Beasley supervises the wideouts and defensive backs in one-on-one drills. Every few plays he stops the action to preach fundamentals. A defensive back must lower her pad level. A receiver must get in and out of her breaks more fluidly.

Practice concludes with sideline-to-sideline wind sprints. “I know what you can do in the first quarter. What can you do in the fourth quarter?” yells Beasley. To judge by the sprints, defensive back Briannah Gallo is not someone he has to worry about. Time and again, she is first to finish.

Among the linemen, who for preservation sprint a shorter distance, Barker and Alpert stand out. Wordlessly rejecting the shorter distance, they begin from the sideline. “The rest of the team is running a certain distance, and just because we’re linemen doesn’t mean we don’t have to,” says Barker. “I need to get in shape just as much as anyone else.”

Practice concludes with the team assembling at midfield. Everyone is clapping loudly.

The call and response begins. The clapping escalates.

“What do we do?”

“We win!”

“How do you feel?”

“Nasty!”

“One team…”

“One dream!”

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