Pittsburgh Passion, Part II.

The National Women's Football Association squad opens its second season April 3 against Baltimore, but hardly as the same organization it was a year ago.

"We are worlds ahead of last year," said general manager Michelle Brenenborg, a Knoch graduate. "We've learned so much."

"Considering women's football was a totally new avenue for us, I thought we did pretty well last year," said Passion co-owner Debby Ziegler of Fombell. "But we discovered there's a lot of things we can do better."

Some of the changes in the Passion organization include:

Lou Rood, former longtime Belle Vernon assistant football coach and the Passion's play-by-play broadcaster last year, is the new head coach.

Rood was on coach Gary Dongilli's staff at Belle Vernon during the years 1994-2000, when that program won a WPIAL championship game, played in two others and went 57-1 in section play.

The team has 13 assistant coaches compared to six last year, including two first-time female assistant coaches.

The home field has been moved from Belle Vernon to Ambridge High School.

The roster has 33 returning players and 35 newcomers.

The team completed 27 indoor practice sessions at Neville Island and Butler's Family Sports Center from Jan. 8 to March 13.

The offense has changed from the Wing-T to a pro set attack.

"They ran the ball 98 percent of the time last year," Rood said. "We're going to be 50-50 this year. Our quarterback can get it down the field."

That quarterback is second-year player Lisa Horton, a former Slippery Rock University assistant softball coach.

"She played Division I softball at Cleveland State," Rood said. "Lisa has a powerful arm and we're using it."

The Passion were 2-6 in their inaugural season but stayed close on the scoreboard in every game but one.

The organization's biggest plus this season was practicing indoors.

"We spent a lot of practice time last year shoveling eight inches of snow on the field, then working out in frigid temperatures," Brenenborg said. "It wasn't very productive."

So each player raised an extra $500 this year so the team could practice indoors.

And it's paid off.

"We're ahead of the game now," Rood said. "We've switched a lot of women from offense to defense and vice versa. Everyone knows her position and is ready to contribute."

Last year's head coach, Larry Camerota, remains on staff as an assistant. Don Skunda (offensive line) and Joe Fishel (wide receivers) are assistant coaches from Butler.

"With Larry still on the staff, the transition has been smooth," Rood said. "He's seen every team in our division and he's been a big help that way."

Four Cranberry Township women - fullback Jennifer Smith, receivers Robbin Carlos and Jennifer Moody, and running back Kerri Myers - are players on the Passion squad.

Outside linebacker Tammy Lowrey-Ridgley - the NWFA's Defensive Player of the Year last season - has moved to the Pittsburgh area and joined the Passion.

"She's a fourth-year player in the league who will have a tremendous impact on our team," Rood said.

Passion players range in age from 21 to 49. There are 19 mothers on the team, and some of them bring their children to practice.

Kara Prentice, Rood's wife and a Passion wide receiver working her way back from a knee injury, said the organization has a strong support structure.

"The average age on this team is 34," Prentice said. "These are mature women, and we deal with and work around life's issues.

"We've lost some players to pregnancy. We have a babysitting network in place," she said.

The occupations of the players are wide-ranging. Passion players are homemakers and students, lawyers and nurses, postal workers, high school teachers, health and fitness instructors and sales representatives.

"The diversity is incredible," Prentice said. "But we all have a common goal. We want to play football."