Since the modern era of women's tackle football began a quarter-century ago, there have been many efforts for league's to build a solid presence in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in the football-crazy area that is the state of Oregon. However, no team has managed to gain such a presence quickly and maintain it for so long quite like the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). Since their sophomore season in 2010, the WFA has always had at least one team playing out of the Beaver State, embodying every level there is in the game, whether you just want an opportunity to play the game you love or have aspirations for national or international glory. This Brief History of the Women's Football Alliance in Oregon hopes to demonstrate how the Alliance's presence has helped grow women's tackle football in the state of Oregon and the city of Portland.
The very first WFA team to call Portland and Oregon home was the Portland Fighting FIllies, who played their inaugural season in 2010. Right away the Fillies were a force on the field, finishing the regular season with a record of 6-1 and clinching the North Pacific Division title thanks to three-game season sweeps over the Utah Blitz and Central Cal War Angels (the precursors of today's WFA PRO powers the Cali War). This incredible season was good for a playoff berth in the Fillies' inaugural season; despite their first-round loss at the hands of the Las Vegas Showgirlz, the momentum was high for the Fillies to be serious title contenders for years to come.
Another season brought another Northwest Division title for the Fighting Fillies in 2011, this year joined by these Utah Blitz and the first-ever WFA team to hail from Washington, the Spokane Scorn. Though this season was a bit tougher than the one before, the Fillies still claimed the division crown with a 4-4 regular season record (thanks in large part to a three-game sweep over the aforementioned Scorn), finishing one game ahead of the Utah Blitz. Once again the Fillies went to the playoffs, and even though once again they lost in the first round to the Bay Area Bandits, spirits and momentum remained high for a promising future ahead.
2012 saw the road get slightly tougher thanks to the arrival of the Utah Jynx in the division. Nonetheless, the Fighting Fillies overcame an 0-2 start to pick up a winning season at 4-3, finishing three games behind the Jynx for the division crown but missing the playoffs for the first time in team history. This near-miss lit a whole new fire under the Fighting Fillies, one that set the spark for the Cascadia explosion to come to the Alliance the following year.
For 2013, the WFA built up a strong presence in the Pacific Northwest, with the veteran Portland Shockwave coming on board with the Fighting Fillies' blessing. The Fighting Fillies and Shockwave stood strong for Oregon against the three newcomers from Washington state; the veteran Seattle Majestics, and the new expansion teams the Everett Reign and Tacoma Trauma. The Fillies won the first "Rose City Bowl" 6-0 over the Shockwave on April 20, with the Shockwave getting payback on May 25 with an 18-0 victory of their own; both games were won by the visiting team (demonstrating the loyalty of both fanbases). Although both teams finished in a tie for second place in the Northwest Division at 5-3, the Shockwave won the tiebreaker thanks to the larger margin of victory to qualify for the WFA playoffs in their inaugural season. Though the Shockwave would lose their first-round game to the Central Cal War Angels, they and the Fillies were winners throughout both on and off the field, laying the foundation for a solid legacy for Portland in the Alliance.
2014 saw the Fighting Fillies and Shockwave joined by the same four teams as last season in the Northwest Division, joined by the Utah Blitz to form a six-team structure. The Shockwave finished in second place in the Northwest at 6-2, completing the season sweep over the Fighting Fillies (defeating them 20-14 on the road on April 12 and 36-16 at home on May 10), who would finish 3-5 on the season. Because of various circumstances beyond their control, the Shockwave elected not to advance to the playoffs, with the Fighting Fillies moving on to the postseason in their stead; even with another first-round loss to the Central Cal War Angels, the Fighting Fillies and Shockwave were motivated once again to continue showing the world why Portland was the most devoted WFA city, ready to make the next step to the big time.
For 2015, the Northwest Division featured the same six teams as the year before. Once again, the Shockwave finished with a record of 4-3, completing the season sweep over the Fighting Fillies (with a 20-17 home win on May 16 and a 30-12 road win on June 6), who would finish 1-7 on the year.
With both teams missing the playoffs and finishing with their worst records since joining the Alliance, they decided that in order to do justice to Portland and Oregon in the WFA, they would merge into one team for the following season. Thus the Portland Fighting Shockwave were born, representing "One City" as "One Team," with "One Mission" of championship glory.
With the Fighting Shockwave joined by another Oregon team in the form of the Medford-based Southern Oregon Ladygades, it became clear throughout the 2016 season that the Beaver State was the strongest state for women's tackle football in the Alliance. The Fighting Shockwave's unity paid off in spades, completing Portland's first-ever perfect regular season in the Alliance at 8-0, finally completing the season sweep over the dreaded Seattle Majestics and gaining home-field advantage for the first round of the Division 1 Pacific Region playoffs. Meanwhile, the Ladygades rose to the top of the Division 3 Pacific Region despite their 2-6 record; splitting the season series with Division 2's Everett Reign and Tacoma Trauma and even hanging in there with the mighty Fighting Shockwave and Trauma. Though the Fighting Shockwave lost a close-first round game to the Pacific Warriors and the Ladygades had to forgo the playoffs because of circumstances beyond their control, it was truly the brightest the future had ever looked for women's tackle football in the state or Oregon, as the Fighting Shockwave and Ladygades carried their respective banners to bring glory to each side of the state for years to come.
2017 saw further success for the Fighting Shockwave and the Ladygades; the Fighting Shockwave finished at 7-1, their only defeat being a close road loss to their nemeses the Seattle Majestics. The Ladygades likewise picked up where they had left off, once again splitting the series with Division 2's Everett and Tacoma, once again holding their own against even their two Division 1 rivals and once again claiming the Division 3 Pacific Region's top spot despite a 2-6 record. However, the hand of the Massey Ratings left the Fighting Shockwave just barely out of the D1 playoffs, but gave the Ladygades home-field advantage throughout the D3 American Conference playoffs. The Ladygades won the Pacific Region Championship with a 46-6 victory over the Rocky Mountain Thunderkatz on June 17, the first (and to date only) WFA playoff win for a team from Oregon. Although the Ladygades would be robbed of a trip to Pittsburgh for W Bowl weekend by losing the American Conference Championship to future D3 National Champions the Arkansas Wildcats, it was easy to tell the supreme talent that lay in both organizations, ready to face the challenges that lay ahead.
2018 was a season of changes for the Fighting Shockwave; though their little sisters the Ladygades would go on hiatus for the season and their nemeses the Majestics would leave the Alliance for another league, the FIghting Shockwave stood strong nonetheless as the Pacific Northwest's only Division 1 team. They proved themselves worthy of their PRO accolades with a 6-2 regular season record, and more importantly a return trip to the D1 playoffs. Despite losing to the future American Conference champions the Los Angeles Warriors, the Shockwave remained solid, standing firm as the entire landscape of women's tackle football was about to change drastically.
2019 saw a record-high three teams from the state of Oregon, with the Fighting Shockwave joined by the back-from-hiatus Southern Oregon Ladygades and Eugene's brand-new Oregon Hawks. All three teams finished at least with a .500 record, with the Fighting Shockwave finishing at 7-1 again, the Ladygades finishing with their first winning season in team history at 6-2 and the Hawks finishing with a .500 record at 4-4. However, with the playoff format reduced, all three teams found themselves barely missing the postseason, but with all the motivation in the world to carry on and make 2020 the season that finally brought Oregon championship glory in this Alliance!
With the COVID-19 pandemic leading to the cancellation of the 2020 WFA season, the women's football world was on a standstill, with the Hawks leaving the Alliance and the Ladygades ceasing operations, and a new unkindness from outside threatening the Fighting Shockwave's incredible unity and their "One City, One Team, One Mission" mindset. Nonetheless, the Fighting Shockwave would stay strong, ready to take on all the challenges that lay ahead in 2021, voluntarily relegating to Division 2 with the schedule reduced to six games and a new Oregon team joining the Alliance in the form of Salem's very own Capital Pioneers.
As 2021 saw the world rejoice in some level of normalcy returning, it also saw a "changing of the guard" in Oregon women's tackle football. The Fighting Shockwave finished with a 2-3 record for the season, sweeping the Seattle Spartans but being swept by the emerging Pioneers, who finished at a perfect 6-0 on the regular season and qualified for the Division 3 playoffs. Despite their Pacific Region Championship loss to the Arizona Outkast, the Pioneers, together with their big sisters the Fighting Shockwave, ended the season with their heads held high, ready for the new era of women's tackle football in the state of Oregon, joined by a new team to complete the trifecta.
For 2022, the Portland Fighting Shockwave and Capital Pioneers were joined by Eugene's new team, the Oregon Cougars to form a solid three-team collective to represent the Beaver State in the Alliance. Despite the Fighting Shockwave being in D2, the Pioneers in D3 and the Cougars in Developmental, all three teams held their own against each other; the FIghting Shockwave finished 2-4, the Cougars 3-3, and the Pioneers got their second straight perfect season at 6-0, once again reaching the Division 3 playoffs. Having grown a lot since their last encounter with the Arizona Outkast, the Pioneers held their own even in another defeat, with all three teams proving how fantastic this sport is and why the Pacfic Northwest does it perhaps the best of anybody.
2023 saw the Fighting Shockwave, Pioneers and Cougars ride again, with the Cougars promoted to Division 3 and ready to make their case as to why they run Oregon. This rivalry series had the most parity it's ever had, with each team picking up at least one victory over the other; the Fighting Shockwave finished 2-4, with the Pioneers and Cougars both finishing at 3-3 respectively, proving that anything can happen when Oregon teams face each other in the Women's Football Alliance.
Through all the ups and downs that the Fighting Shockwave have been through, both in their two predecessors and as the merged team, they stay standing strong, moving forward no matter how hard they get hit. It's this perseverance and this "One City, One Team, One Mission" that has kept them solid thus far as a WFA mainstay, and it's this mindset that will see them persevere even through the unprecedentedly tough offseason challenges from this season. As the Pioneers and Cougars' future both look bright as ever, so are the Fighting Shockwave ready to stay strong and return to their former prime glory, one game at a time. Through this determination, the Fighting Shockwave, Pioneers and Cougars alike will remain a solid three-team unit for years to come, demonstrating the strength of Women's Football Alliance football in the state of Oregon for many years to come, and will surely one day capture a championship in Canton to bring back home to the Beaver State.
Michael Burmey
WFA Historian
December 6 2023
Commentaires