Kevin J. Stone, New England Football Journal
REVERE – As Allison Cahill stepped into the media area at Harry Della Russo Stadium on Saturday night following another conference championship win, her smile was as wide as the field she just played on.
Throughout the evening, starting with a long hug between her and owner Molly Goodwin when the team took the field, Cahill was honored for her 20th season of pro ball. Team media members and fans wore commemorative shirts and the PA announcer dedicated certain songs to Cahill and also read off several interesting facts from her illustrious career throughout the night.
All that was nice, but the only thing Cahill cared about was the fact that her team had just earned a fifth straight WFA Pro National Championship game appearance on July 22 at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The team can win its fifth straight title with a 40th consecutive win against St. Louis. Despite all the accolades, championships and well over 25,000 yards passing, Cahill is still just a kid in a candy store when it comes to playing football.
But, the truly amazing thing after all this time is how much she still loves the grind before game days.
“It never gets old,” Cahill said with a big smile postgame. “We take a lot of pride in our preparation and the games are just a result of that. So, it’s just really exciting when all your hard work pays off and you see the results of what you put in Monday, Sunday, to Friday and have it all come together on a Saturday and we get to enjoy these moments. Our fans are awesome. We like to put our best out in front of them because they deserve it for all the support they give us. We know going into every season at this point that a championship is our goal. We don’t hide from that. But, more importantly, we do the work to produce that result.”
After going through an Achilles rehab this winter and spring, Cahill has cherished the moments even more now.
“I just said to (the team) after the game, we’ve only had eight chances so far this year to play a football game,” she said. “The majority of the time we’re spending the time practicing and preparing and we love that. We have a bunch of pros who are in their playbooks, studying film, taking care of their bodies, getting workouts in. Saturday is just time to show that off. Here we are, going to another championship and we’ll put another great two weeks of work and preparation in and hopefully it gets us to our goal at the end.”
Cahill isn’t just a superstar on the field, she’s also one off the field too. Offensive coordinator and head coach John Johnson quickly pivoted to Cahill’s leadership when asked about their Brady-esque QB. They also don’t see any end in sight, unlike TB12 who finally had to hang it up (for now).
“The one thing that people don’t know, is that she’s just a student of the game,” said Crawford. She loves this game. She’s going to have to get drug away from this game. She’s like a Tom Brady, but I think she’s going to try and go longer because she feels like she started a little bit later. It’s always been a dream and a passion, so, every day I try to give her more. Just more input to try and make her better. Allison is probably the top elite and she’s had to do it a lot of different ways. She runs it, sometimes she throws it, she don’t mind sharing the ball with other people…I just love so much about her dedication”
“She’s a leader on the team,” added Johnson. “She gets her teammates involved in every aspect of what we do. Whether it’s practice, whether it’s meetings, holding her teammates accountable, she’s right there. She’s the best in the business.”
As long as Cahill continues to step on the field, business will continue to boom for the Boston Renegades.