The pain of victory never felt so good to K.K. Matheny.
The 5-foot-2 quarterback stood tall, leading the Kent-based Seattle Mist over the previously unbeaten Chicago Bliss, 27-21, for their first Legends Football League championship Sunday at the ShoWare Center.
Matheny threw for one touchdown and led the Mist (6-1) on two more scoring drives in the first half to build a 20-0 halftime.
The fast start was enough to upend the Bliss, two-time defending Legends Cup champions.
It was the Mist’s first indoor league title.
“It feels better than I ever imagined it would,” said the diminutive Matheny, who threw for 17 touchdowns to only four interceptions during the regular season. “Even with all the bumps and bruises and pain, it feels great.”
It was Matheny who solidified the quarterback position for coach Chris Michaelson this season. Matheny had played for five seasons in her home state of Florida for Jacksonville and Tampa before opting for Seattle this season.
Michaelson, as Matheny said, opened up the playbook, and the Mist rolled off a series of wins, including a come-from-behind 28-24 win over the Los Angeles Temptation for the Western Conference title two weeks ago. Matheny led the comeback, hitting Danika Brace for the game-winning, 32-yard touchdown play with less than two minutes remaining.
Matheny, who plans to return to Tampa, her hometown, this offseason, hopes to be part of the Mist next season.
“I would love to, but let’s leave it as ‘we’ll see,'” Matheny said. “I really don’t have any desire to play for any other team other than this team and for this coach.”
It was a special season for the Mist.
“It’s the camaraderie we have with everyone and the respect we have for everyone on the team, on and off the field. It’s like no other team I’ve played for,” Matheny said. “I’ve played with a lot of amazing athletes, this one being second to none. We just jelled so well. We all had the same goal. We always said, ‘One team, one journey’ all season.”
Matheny said the LFL has improved in many ways, from talent to the Xs and Os of the game.
“It is almost night and day,” she said. “All you find are ex-collegiate athletes, some who have been up for Olympic trials. Every athlete from the teams we played against this year were the best of the best. And that’s what makes it even more sweet winning this season … because all the teams were so stacked. It could have been anyone in the championship.”
The Legends Cup will be broadcast on Fuse TV at 9 p.m. Sept. 5.
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