CHS grad makes mark in women’s football league

After three seasons of nonstop winning as a member of one of the most successful dynasties in American sports, Kyshani Dummott, for the first time in her professional career, felt the full agony of defeat as her Boston Renegades fell to the St. Louis Slam in Sunday’s Women’s Football Alliance (WFA) title game.

“This one hurts,” said the 2013 Canton High alum in a telephone interview. “It was a tough loss, very tough, and I’m still feeling it.”

Kyshani Dummott has emerged as a key cog on the Boston Renegades football team. (Photo courtesy of the Boston Renegades)

A perennial powerhouse in the WFA — currently the largest full-contact football league for women in the world — the Renegades had been gunning for a league-record sixth consecutive national championship and were especially fired up to face the Slam, who had snapped Boston’s 42-game winning streak earlier this season in a game played in St. Louis. Prior to that loss, the Renegades had not been defeated by any opponent since the middle of the 2018 season — six full calendar years earlier.

Dummott came on board in the middle of this run, joining the team in 2021 after impressing scouts with her play in a Boston area flag football league. Unlike many of the women who join the WFA, however, Dummott actually had some prior tackle football experience going back to her days at CHS, where she broke barriers as the first female varsity player in school history.

While she didn’t get as much game action with the Bulldogs as she would have liked, Dummott participated in every practice drill and was treated just like any other player. And as far as being a trailblazer, she’s proud of what she accomplished as a student-athlete at CHS, even if wasn’t her primary motivation.

“I think football has just always been in my blood,” said Dummott, “and in Canton there was no women’s team so I just said, ‘Why not give it a shot?’ Later, when this opportunity came up to join the Renegades, I was surprised and very happy that they had that for women so I could show what I can do rather than being the only woman on a guys’ team.”

As a member of the most decorated women’s football team on the planet, Dummott has had to earn every opportunity that she’s been given, and through hard work and what the Renegades describe as her “trademark intensity,” she has flourished, carving out a key role on special teams and in the passing game.

Molly Goodwin, the Renegades’ owner and CEO and a member of the first U.S. Women’s National Football Team, offered her own high praise, calling Dummott a “tremendous athlete and a huge asset to the team.” And this past season, Dummott garnered leaguewide recognition with a spot on the All-American First Team as a kick returner.

In addition to playing in all phases of special teams, Dummott has really blossomed over the past few seasons as a receiver. During the 2024 regular season, she ranked second on the team and eighth in the entire 14-team WFA Pro Division in total receptions (24) while also racking up the second-most receiving yards on the team (265) and second-most touchdowns (3).

During the postseason, Dummott enjoyed her finest performance against the Pittsburgh Passion in the National Conference final, hauling in nine catches for 64 yards and a touchdown as the Renegades rolled to a 41-0 victory.

Dummott said it was even sweeter coming against a Passion team that had beaten them a few weeks earlier and had gone into the game undefeated. “That one killed us, and we were not going to have it happen again,” she said. “So we had to show them who the real team was.”

The Renegades would also get off to a fast start against the Slam in last weekend’s national championship game, which was played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio and aired live on ESPN2. Just six minutes into the contest, the defending champs already owned a two-touchdown lead, but the Slam roared back with 20 unanswered points before the half to go up by six. Trailing 30-27 late in the fourth quarter and down to their last possession, the Renegades would advance all the way to the St. Louis 28-yard line before coming up just short on fourth down to end their comeback bid.

Dummott, who had a relatively quiet game on offense but played a key role on special teams, said she wishes she could have done more to help her team. Still, she knows she gave maximum effort when called upon and credited the Slam for their strong execution.

After experiencing a wave of retirements at the end of the 2023 season, Dummott said the Renegades had to work harder this year to sustain their success and she was proud that they were able to make it back to the title game.

At the same time, she said the goal is to win a championship every year and she fully expects Boston to be right back in the mix next season.

Dummott certainly plans to be there and has high hopes for her career going forward. “I want to play until my knees fall off,” she said. “So if I can still move and I’m still good and I can still catch the ball, “I’m going to keep playing.”

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Posted by Jay Turner on Aug 2 2024. Filed under Beyond CHS, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.