In her 26 years, A.C. Johnson has learned the challenges of being a single mother and working full time. And now she's taken on a new kind of commitment: playing professional football.

This spring, Johnson will play on the offensive line of the Kansas City Krunch, a new football team in the three-year-old National Women's Football Association. Johnson, who is a field officer in the Rockhurst College Safety and Security department, tried out for the team in September after hearing about it on the radio.

When I found out I'd made it, I was extremely excited. I was jumping up and down on the inside mostly though, because I was so sore.

Johnson comes from an athletic family. Several of her relatives are record-holders at her former high school. One of her cousins plays on the NWFA team in Detroit. Another has wrestled in the Olympics.

In high school, Johnson competed on the track team in the high jump and long jump events, which is how she earned the nickname Tigger from her Krunch teammates. But other than a handful of informal powder puff football games, Johnson has no experience in football other than as a spectator.

I've always had a passion for athletics, she says. I feel this is a chance to leave my mark in the athletic world.

And she'll get used to leaving marks. NWFA teams play full-contact football with most of the same rules used in the NFL. Soon Johnson will be practicing in full uniform, complete with shoulder pads, cleats and helmet.

We're not like a sorority, and we're not dainty, she says. We're not going to a beauty pageant. We're here to get down and dirty and play football.

At 5 feet 11 inches and 150 pounds, Johnson is not your typical offensive lineswoman, is she? Johnson's teammates are women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds, and range in age from 18 to the mid-40s. Most of them juggle families and full-time jobs in addition to football.

We have absolutely amazing women on this team, she says. As for balancing football on top of her other responsibilities, including her 3-year-old son, Clayton, Johnson is grateful to have the opportunity.

I love going to practice. I'm tired but I'm happy to be there.

Anetra Charmean Johnson moved to Kansas City form Topeka, Kansas, last spring to pursue her interest in theater, in which she has two degrees: an associate of arts from Coffeyville Community College and a bachelor of arts from Emporia State University.

The Krunch will play its first game in St. Louis April 12 against the St. Louis Slam. The season runs through July. Learn more about the NWFA at www.nwflcentral.com.