By MAT WILLEY
REGISTER CORRESPONDENT
May 1, 2005

Runnells, Ia. - Tammy Campos' phone call comes from Iraq every Saturday night.

The player/owner of the Des Moines Courage women's football team, who is stationed west of Baghdad, calls to learn how her team did.

Campos got good news Saturday night - the Courage rolled past Kansas City, 30-18, at Southeast Polk High School.

The Courage roster is filled with quite a cast of characters - grandmothers, school teachers, cops and hair stylists.

"They're all very headstrong and opinionated," coach William Major said. "But I think that's what gives us our edge."

That edge helped Des Moines dominate Saturday. The Courage asserted control with an eight-play opening drive highlighted by a fake punt. On fourth-and-six, Amanda Hamm took the direct snap, faked left and dashed 16 yards for a first down.

Then Dawn Engle rushed five times for 22 yards to set up quarterback Stacey Ketcham's 1-yard touchdown plunge, giving the Courage a 6-0 lead.

Des Moines scored again with :44 left in the first quarter, after Engle scampered 34 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up Hamm's scoring dive. A two-point conversion gave the Courage a 14-0 lead.

Des Moines continued the offensive display late in the second quarter when Major unleashed an aerial assault.

Ketcham connected on three straight passes, the last a 19-yard touchdown strike to Hamm with 2:08 remaining in the first half making it 22-0 at halftime.

The Courage finished with 300 yards rushing, 122 by Engle on 17 carries.

Kansas City didn't complete a pass until late in the fourth quarter and rushed for just 75 yards.

The Storm mustered only 198 yards on offense, much of it coming late in the fourth quarter as Des Moines shuffled reserves into the contest.

Kansas City scored three touchdowns in the final six minutes.

The Courage are 2-2 on the year and play host to Detroit next Saturday.