Riot rumbles home with final Taylor Field memory

Regina advances to WWCFL title game with 34-24 win

The Riot celebrate a touchdown reception from Alex Kowalski (#84).

    REGINA – Veteran Regina Riot defensive back Courtney Tafelmeyer didn’t want to literally drop the ball.

    On Sunday at old Mosaic Stadium/Taylor Field, the Riot were searching for an insurance blow to lock down victory against the visiting Saskatoon Valkyries in the Western Women’s Canadian Football League Prairie Conference championship game. With under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Riot held a 28-18 edge over the Valkyries, who entered the game as the defending WWCFL champions.

    While Regina had the lead, Saskatoon had the ball at midfield and was driving. On a broken play, Valkyries sophomore quarterback Alex Eyolfson was scrambling to avoid the pressure of the Riot defence and threw a pass to the right sideline right at Tafelmeyer.

Carmen Agar (#23) runs in the first of her two touchdowns on the day.

    Tafelmeyer cradled home the ball alone in the flat and zig zagged down the sideline picking up a number of key blocks returning her interception 62 yards for a major score. Her touchdown put the Riot up 34-18 with 3:41 to play in the frame. That proved to be the final key play that cemented what would ultimately be a 34-24 victory for the Riot.

    “I’ve dropped a couple this past season I knew this one needed to be in the hands,” said Tafelmeyer, who is in her sixth season with the Riot. “I knew catching this and running it in that was the end of the game.”

    After she made her pick, all Tafelmeyer forced on was running downfield as hard as she could.

    “It was just a hard run,” said Tafelmeyer. “I just saw straight. I didn’t know who was behind me.

The Riot defence gang tackles Valkyries RB Samantha Matheson.

  “I knew my team was coming hot to make big blocks. They were going to make sure that ball was getting in that end zone. I turned around and 11 reds were right behind me.

    “It was a sea of red right behind me. It was a great feeling.”

    Tafelmeyer’s key play helped cement a berth in the WWCFL title game for the second time in three years for the Riot and close out the final competitive tackle football game at the legendary stadium.

    The Riot, who are 5-1 overall, will face the Calgary Rage (4-0) on Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field in Saskatoon in the WWCFL final at 8:30 p.m. The Riot won the WWCFL title in 2015.

The Riot defence corrals Valkyries receiver Alyssa Wiebe.

    Riot head coach Olivier Eddie thought it was fitting that his side’s defence made the key play in Sunday’s victory. During their first five games, the Riot posted three shutout wins and gave up a total of 27 points.

    Regina’s offence had stalled a bit gaining 99 net yards offence in the second half of Sunday’s game after piling up 310 yards of offence in the first half.

    “We needed our defence to step up,” said Eddie. “Sometimes, I don’t know who is smiling upon us, but we needed that big play. To score and bring it all the way, I think the defence really deserves it.

    “They’ve played so well all year. For them to get that score at the end, I think it is very well deserving. I am happy it is them that kind of sealed it for us.”

Aimee Kowalski completed 14 passes for 162 yards for the Riot.

    The Valkyries took a 3-0 late in the first quarter on a 13-yard field goal from Carly Dyck.

    The Riot scored a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 14-3 lead at halftime. Power back Carmen Agar muscled her way into the end zone on a three-yard touchdown run, and receiver Alex Kowalski hauled in a 23-yard touchdown pass from her sister and Riot quarterback Aimee Kowalski to account for Regina’s second quarter scoring.

    While the Riot piled up yards offensively, the Valkyries defence recovered a Regina fumble and forced two turnovers on downs to prevent any further first half scoring.

    The hosts pushed their lead out to 21-3 on a one-yard touchdown plunge by running back Mallory Starkey with 8:45 to play in the third quarter. That scoring drive was actually kept alive by getting a first down on a botched field goal attempt.
    On the botched field goal attempt, holder and veteran receiver Claire Dore chucked a desperate pass to kicker Morgan Turner, who gained 20 yards and a first down.

Alex Eyolfson (#15) throws one of her two TD passes for the Valkyries.

    After Starkey’s score, the Valkyries offence came to life. Before the third quarter ended, Eyolfson hit Beth Thomson and Carly Dyck with respective touchdown passes from 10 and 19 yards out to cut the Riot lead to 21-16.

    Agar scored her second major of the game with 10:30 to play in the fourth quarter to push the Riot lead out to 28-16. After being forced to punt deep in their own end a short time later, the Riot elected to concede a safety to hold a 28-18 edge with 6:43 to play in the fourth quarter.

    That set the stage for Tafelmeyer’s pick-six.

    Alex Kowalski was pumped her side could finally put the finishing touches on the win.

    “It feels so good,” said Kowalski, who had 40 yards receiving on two catches and 43 yards rushing on five carries. “The last half seemed so long, but it is a good ending.”

    Now in her fifth year with the Riot, Kowalski was pleased her side would head to another WWCFL title game.

Carly Dyck (#4) hauls in a 19-yard TD reception for the Valkyries.

    “It will be fun in Saskatoon,” said Kowalski. “They have a really nice field. It will be great.”

    The Valkyries still made things interesting in the final minute. They recovered a fumble from Aimee Kowalski at the Regina 10 yard line.

    Saskatoon power back Samantha Matheson ran in a score from two yards out with 15 seconds to play in what would be the final score of any type ever at Taylor Field to cut the Riot lead to 34-24. The Valkyries were unsuccessful in their ensuing two-point conversion try.

    Regina defensive back Karlie Jackson recovered an onside kick to snuff out any faint hope of Saskatoon rallying any further.

    Agar piled up 111 yards rushing on 13 carries and caught four passes for 50 yards to lead all Riot players in rushing and receiving.

The Riot celebrate their Prairie Conference championship win.

    Aimee Kowalski completed 14-of-24 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown.

    Eyolfson completed 14-of-39 passes for 158 yards, two touchdowns and one interception as the Valkyries fell to 4-2 overall.
    Alyssa Wiebe caught six passes for 86 yards, and Matheson ran the ball 13 times for 75 yards.

    The Valkyries will play a WWCFL consolation final this coming Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field against the Edmonton Storm, who were 2-3 overall, at 5:15 p.m.

    While the Riot will turn their attention to capturing their second WWCFL title in team history, Eddie said it was important for his group to get past the Valkyries.

The Riot hoist the Prairie Conference championship trophy.

    In the WWCFL’s seven years of existence, the Riot and Valkyries have met in the Prairie Conference final in every season, and Saskatoon still holds a 5-2 edge in those contests even after the result of Sunday’s game.

    “We’re overwhelmed with emotion,” said Eddie. “You can just see it in their face right now.

    “They’ve worked for this, and they’ve earned it. I’m just extremely proud of our group of athletes.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Riot push out to early season edge on Valkyries

Alex Kowalski hauls in a pass in traffic for the Riot.

    The Regina Riot ground out an early victory over their biggest rivals, which might prove to be key down the road.

    On Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Riot muscled their way to a gutty 16-0 victory over the defending Western Women’s Canadian Football League champion Saskatoon Valkyries. While the Riot pushed their way to victory in very windy conditions, the Valkyries had a number of promising drives that stalled helping to contribute to the end result.

    Saskatoon’s struggles to get on the scoreboard started in the first quarter. Early in the first, the Valkyries got into Riot territory when sophomore quarterback Alex Eyolfson completed a deep ball into the wind to standout receiver Carly Dyck. The hosts had to settle for a punt that pinned the visitors deep in their end.

    The Riot didn’t stay stuck in their end for long. Mixing up the pass and run, Regina drove about 80 yards down field and got on the board first, when Morgan Turner booted a 12 yard field goal to give the Riot a 3-0 lead.

Aimee Kowalski throw a jump pass for the Riot.

    Regina had another big drive that started in the first quarter and ended early in the second quarter going into the wind. The drive concluded when veteran star Riot quarterback Aimee Kowalski hit receiver Rachelle Smith on a short little three-yard pass and run touchdown that extended Regina’s edge to 10-0.

    The Valkyries had a huge chance to cut the gap before halftime but some untimely penalties dashed those hopes. With the wind, Eyolfson hit Dyck on another deep throw to get the Valkyries deep into Riot territory.

    It appeared Eyolfson was going to have a big chance to hit Dyck for a touchdown strike on the next play after the completed bomb, but a pre-snap penalty dashed those hopes. With no time remaining on the clock, Dyck made a field goal from 32 yards out that looked to have put the Valkyries on the scoreboard, but the points were taken off the board due to a holding penalty.

    Dyck tried the kick from 42 yards out, but just missed wide left. Riot kick returner and defensive back Mira Trebilcock ran the ball out of the end zone to preserve Regina’s 10-0 edge.

    At the second half coin toss, the Valkyries took wind in the third quarter, and early in the frame, it appeared they were going to get the ball in good field position.

Running back Mallory Starkey,  middle, power her way to a Riot touchdown.

    The Riot were forced to punt from deep in their own end, but Valkyries kick returner Gillian Allen fumbled the ball away. The Riot recovered the fumble on their own 44.

    Regina proceeded to put together a methodical 66-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Mallory Starkey to give the visitors a 16-0 edge. The Riot had trouble with the snap on the extra point attempt and were unable to get it off.

    Early in the fourth quarter, the Riot were deep in Valkyries territory, but fumbled the ball away to keep the hosts in the game.

    The Valkyries were able to get down deep in Regina territory again, but still couldn’t score. An end zone pass to Dyck was swatted away by Trebilcock. The Valkyries also saw a goal line toss to rookie slotback Nadia Doucoure fall incomplete.

Valkyries QB Alex Eyolfson (#15) eludes Riot LB Adrienne Zuck (#36).

    Kowalski completed 18 of 26 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown toss for the Riot.
    Jenna Koller topped all Riot receivers with five catches for 85 yards. Starkey was the top ground gainer for Regina piling up 91 yards on 19 carries.

    Linebacker Adrienne Zuck had five solo tackles and a key fourth quarter sack for the Riot.

    Eyolfson completed 10 of 18 passes for 125 yards for the Valkyries.
    Dyck was Saskatoon’s top receiver hauling in four passes for 92 yards. Power tailback Samantha Matheson led the way on the ground with 105 yards on 20 carries.

    Veteran star linebacker Beth Thomson had seven solo tackles for the Valkyries, while sophomore linebacker Emmarae Dale had two solo tackles and a sack.

    Regina had the edge in net offence over Saskatoon 387 yards to 250 yards.

Samantha Matheson (#22) ran for 105 yards for the Valkyries.

    The Riot improved to 2-0 with the win, while the Valkyries fell to 1-1. Both clubs have two games left on their respective regular season schedules.

    The two teams go at it again on Sunday, May 21 at 7:30 p.m. at old Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
    The Valkyries need to win that contest by 17 or more points to claim the standings tiebreaker with the Riot.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Valkyries hit ground running in pre-season win over Storm

WWCFL season will be a sprint in 2017

Denise Kolosky (#44) and her Valkyries teammates hit a Storm tailback.

    The Saskatoon Valkyries are looking like themselves out of the gate, which will be key in what will be a lightning fast 2017 season.

    On Saturday at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Valkyries dumped the Edmonton Storm 56-6 in a pre-season tilt. The contest also served as a rematch from last year’s Western Women’s Canadian Football League title game, which the Valkyries won 81-6 in Lethbridge.

    Normally, the Western Women’s Canadian Football League schedule is spread a little over two months. With the International Federation of American Football Women’s World Championship running from June 24 to 30 in Langley, B.C., there is a push to get the WWCFL campaign concluded a touch faster in comparison to past years.

    The Valkyries will go from their pre-season game right into a four-game regular season contests. The playoffs have been shortened as well.

Kelsey Murphy returns a punt for the Valkyries.

    The top two clubs in the four-team Prairie Conference that the Valkyries are part of will advance to a conference championship game to be held on June 3 or 4. In past years, all four teams in the Prairie Conference were automatically placed in playoffs.

    The winner of the conference title game will advance to the league final, which will be held June 10 in Saskatoon against the first place club from the three-team Western Conference. If the Valkyries return to the league final for sixth time in seven years, they will do so playing seven games on seven consecutive weekends including the pre-season, regular season and post-season.

    The 2017 schedule doesn’t contain a single bye week for the Valkyries.

    In noting how Saskatoon’s schedule plays out, it might have been even that more impressive the Valkyries utilized pretty much everyone on their 53-player active roster in Saturday’s romp of the Storm. Defensively, the Valkyries were impressive holding the Storm to 226 yards of offence.

    Most of Edmonton’s yards came from star running back Brenna Bouchard, who carried the ball 18 times for 140 yards and scored her team’s lone major in the first half.

Kendal Matheson (#25) zips downfield for the Valkyries.

    Valkyries veteran star linebacker Beth Thomson proved she can still be one of the WWCFL’s most dominant defensive players making four solo tackles, knocking down a pass and registering a sack off an edge blitz on Storm quarterback Aria McGowan. Linebacker Denise Kolosky made three solo tackles and recovered a fumble, while standout safety Shaylyn de Jong came up with an interception.

    Offensively, the Valkyries were dominant on the ground. They utilized seven different ball carriers who combined for 308 yards. They limited Julene Friesen, who is their all-purpose do everything tailback, to six carries, but she still piled up 99 yards and scored three touchdowns.

    Sophomore running back Kendal Matheson ran the ball seven times for 90 yards and scored two majors. Both her scoring runs were pretty impressive.

    On her first major late in the fourth quarter, Matheson ripped out of a number of tackle attempts by Storm players and sprinted home for a 50-yard touchdown run. Her second score was a three-yard short yardage carry, where she twisted and turned through the Storm defensive line to reach the end zone.

Beth Thomson (#2) sacks the quarterback for the Valkyries.

    Rookie running back Sarah Wright scored her first rushing major for the Valkyries running the ball four times for 49 yards.

    Only the passing game seemed to be a bit clunky for the Valkyries due to the fact they have a number of new receivers looking to build some chemistry with sophomore quarterback Alex Eyolfson and rookie signal caller Cori Thorstad. That part of the game traditionally seems to smooth itself out as the campaign moves long.

    Eyolfson did hit sophomore receiver Alyssa Wiebe for a touchdown toss in the first half. Veteran pass catcher Carly Dyck also showed more explosion and power in her route running than she had in past years. She had an impressive 28-yard catch and run touchdown, where she broke out of a couple of tackles, called back due to an illegal block penalty.

    In the kicking game, Dyck made all seven of her converts, hit field goals from 32 and 28 yards out and had a single from a missed field goal attempt from 39 yards out.

    The biggest hurdle the Valkyries will have to overcome offensively is the absence of star receiver Marci (Kiselyk) Halseth, who will miss the entire season after injuring her Achilles tendon leading up to the pre-season game with the Storm.

Carly Dyck nails a field goal for the Valkyries.

    The coaching staff has been shuffled from last season. Pat Berry moved from defensive coordinator to head coach, while former head coach Jeff Yausie shuffled into the role of defensive coordinator.

    Jordan Walls, who was the quarterbacks coach last season, assumed the role of offensive coordinator from Chad Palmer, who has departed from the team. Walls is also the big favourite to take over the role as starting quarterback for the defending Canadian Junior Football League Saskatoon Hilltops, when their campaign starts in August.

    Chris Hengen-Braun returns as the Valkyries special teams and offensive line coach.

    The Valkyries quest to repeat as WWCFL’s champs begins in earnest this coming Sunday, May 7, when they host the Winnipeg Wolfpack at 1 p.m. at SMF Field. They host their archrivals the Regina Riot on Saturday, May 13 at 7 p.m. at SMF Field. The two teams face each in Regina on May 21.

    Saskatoon closes its regular season schedule on May 28, when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Manitoba Fearless.

    If the Valkyries progress like they have in past seasons, it would be no surprise to see them playing in the WWCFL title game on home turf on June 10.

    If you have any comments you would like pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. 

Valkyries set high standard

WWCFL champs show how great women’s football can be

Veteran receiver Marci Kiselyk hauls in a pass for the Valkyries.

    The hot topic in Saskatoon sports circles on Monday revolved around a final score of 81-6.

    That of course was the result of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League championship game on Saturday in Lethbridge. The Saskatoon Valkyries were the victors claiming their fifth WWCFL title in six years. They smashed the Edmonton Storm harder than a Ray Lewis blindside hit on a quarterback.

    When locals in Saskatoon heard the score that was repeated often on various radio stations Monday, you almost immediately heard, “Wow, our girls kicked their asses.”

    During their six seasons of existence, the Valkyries have won numerous blowout games. Saturday’s effort set a team record for points scored in a game and equaled the team mark for largest margin of victory at 75 points.

Alyssa Wiebe (#13) became a dangerous target as a Valkyries receiver.

    Saskatoon’s previous record for points in a game came back on June 12, 2011 in a 78-6 thrashing of the Winnipeg Wolfpack. The last time the Valkyries won by a 75-point spread came on May 10, 2015 in a 75-0 bombing of the Wolfpack.

    Against the Storm on Saturday, the Valkyries performed with great precision. While the neutral site encounter only attracted about 300 onlookers, news of what took place spread like a wildfire.

    Saskatoon played with an efficiency and dominance that would likely make New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick blush. During the romp, the Valkyries, who finished with a 7-1 overall record, substituted frequently through their 55-player roster, and there wasn’t a drop in the level of play between starters and backups. Everyone played great on the University of Lethbridge Community Stadium turf.

    The Valkyries, who have a huge following in Saskatoon, are also benefiting from the popular girls flag football league that exists in their home centre. Besides veteran receiver Carly Dyck, the Valkyries roster contained 32 players in their first or second year with the team including 22 rookies. All the newcomers arrived with a high skill set that transferred over to the full tackle game.

Betsy Mawdsley created chaos as a Valkyries rush end.

    Rookie Alex Eyolfson and sophomore Reed Thorstad split the duties at quarterback for much of the season, and both displayed great form in throwing to a group of talented receivers.

    Others like rookie receiver Alyssa Wiebe arrived with a decorated resume of accomplishments in other sports. In Wiebe’s case, she arrived as a former star hockey player most notably with the University of North Dakota, and she picked up the game fast thanks to her natural athletic talent and the guidance of veteran pass catchers like Dyck, Marci Kiselyk and Stacey Boldt.

    On defence, rookie newcomers like defensive end Betsy Mawdsley and linebacker Emmarae Dale showed that they were naturals.

    All these newcomers connected extremely well with a strong core of veterans. Original Valkyries Beth Thomson, Tori Giles, Jaime Lammerding, Lori Smith and Kiselyk all seem to be finding new peaks in their respective games.

    Kiselyk started the year sidelined with a nagging injury, and when she returned, she looked almost as fluid as NFL great Jerry Rice. Thomson is terminator at linebacker and Lammerding and Smith love to create havoc in the middle of the defensive line.

Tailback Julene Friesen had a stellar season for the Valkyries.

    Giles spent her first five years with the Valkyries playing receiver, but when she switched to defensive halfback this season, she looked like she born to play that spot. When teams ran the ball, Giles quickly drew a read on what was going on and often sliced into the backfield to make a tackle for a loss.

    Fifth year linebacker Denise Kolosky and fourth year safety Shaylyn De Jong were lights out playing at an all-world level.

    Arguably, the Valkyries MVP this season was third year running back Julene Friesen. Friesen was the Valkyrie version of former NFL star Marshall Faulk becoming the tailback that could do everything from running hard inside and outside to making big plays in the passing game as a receiver.

    The Valkyries success also has to be attributed to the fact that they put in the work. Pretty much all the players train year round, and the team starts practising together three months before the season starts.

    The only other squad that likely trains that hard in the WWCFL is the Regina Riot, who were the only club to beat the Valkyries this season.

    Saskatoon is also guided by an elite coaching staff under the guidance of head coach Jeff Yausie. When Yausie hasn’t been available due to commitments with Football Saskatchewan and Football Canada, the rest of the staff steps up. Special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Chris Hengen-Braun really shines in these moments with his big upbeat enthusiasm.

Jaime Lammerding (#21) hoists the WWCFL title trophy for the Valkyries.

    Former Valkyries player Beth Thompson has become a key part of the coaching staff as a defensive line coach. As years go on, you can expect more former players will become coaches.

    In Saturday’s impressive display, the Valkyries showed how good women’s football can be. They are the example that all other clubs in the WWCFL can aspire to be.

    If even three or four other clubs from the eight-club circuit can get to the level the Valkyries are at, it would be a very cool thing to see.

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

Valkyries dominant dynasty continues

Saskatoon wins fifth WWCFL title in six years, bombs Storm

The Valkyries celebrate their fifth WWCFL title win in six years.

 LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - The Saskatoon Valkyries execution was near perfect, and the Edmonton Storm got executed as a result.

    On Saturday at the University of Lethbridge Community Stadium, the Valkyries (7-1 overall) returned to the top of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League mountain top with an astounding 81-6 victory over the Storm (6-2 overall). With the win, the Valkyries claimed their fifth WWCFL championship in six years after losing to last year’s league champs the Regina Riot in the WWCFL Prairie Conference final. 

    Against the Storm on Saturday, the Valkyries had the wind at their backs for the first quarter and used that advantage to build a 30-0 edge. Saskatoon cruised to victory from that point.

    “It feels awesome,” said Valkyries running back Julene Friesen. “It was a great game. It is nice to win by a lot and to feel like we had a great end to our season.

Julene Friesen runs in a touchdown for the Valkyries.

    “Everybody played. Everybody did so well. It just shows once again how well rounded our team is and how strong we are through our whole depth chart.”

    Friesen, who had an outstanding season for the Valkyries, book ended the scoring recording the game’s first touchdown on a 28 yard romp and the contest’s final major coming off an 82-yard kickoff return with 2:43 to play in the fourth quarter. She also had a 30-yard touchdown run in the opening quarter to account for three major scores overall.

    In total, Friesen picked up 142 yards rushing on seven carries and 109 yards on three kickoff returns in being named the Valkyries player of the game. She admitted the kick return touchdown was her sweetest jaunt into the end zone.

    “We’ve been talking about it all season,” said Friesen. “Finally to get it on the last return of the year was fun, even though I fumbled around with it a little bit.”

Valkyries LB Beth Thomson (#2) sacks Storm QB Aria McGowan (#80).

    The first quarter surge also saw Valkyries quarterback Alex Eyolfson fire a 10-yard touchdown strike to veteran receiver Stacey Boldt and complete a 56-yard pass and run score to rookie receiver Alyssa Wiebe. Wiebe, who is a former hockey standout with the University of North Dakota, topped all Valkyries with receivers with four catches for 111 yards.

    A strong effort by Saskatoon’s defence the kept Edmonton pinned in its own zone resulting in the Storm conceding a safety in the opening frame. Valkyries linebacker Beth Thomson, who has played for the club in all six years of its existence, had a big first quarter sack and returned an interception 33 yards in the second quarter to set up a 32-yard field goal by kicker Carly Dyck.

    “I had the most fun out there today,” said Thomson. “That pic was awesome. I almost got it into the end zone, but maybe next year.”

    Thomson also said the game couldn’t have gone any better for her squad, and she was elated about the latest title win.

    “Every time you win the championship, you get that feeling of happiness,” said Thomson. “It is there again right now.

Alyssa Wiebe (#13) had 111 yards receiving for the Valkyries.

    “Once we got rolling, it just started happening for us. We just started rolling. It was the Valkyries doing it again.”

    Some of the game’s loudest cheers were reserved for Dyck, who is a Lethbridge product. She played three seasons with her hometown Steel, when the Steel lost three straight WWCFL title games to the Valkyries from 2012 to 2014. She lived in Saskatoon for the last two of those campaigns and decided to remain in that centre year round and play for the Valkyries.

    In the second quarter, Dyck hauled in her only catch on a streak pattern from quarterback Reed Thorstad, which went the distance for a 45-yard major score to delight her hometown supporters. Dyck was pumped that Valkyries offensive coordinator Chad Palmer was looking to dial up her number.

    “Palmer was being real nice to me,” said Dyck. “He was like, ‘I want to get you a touchdown at home, so we are going to send you a long ball.’

    “I was so happy. It was a nice reach out for me, a long run. There was nobody even close to me I felt anyway. I didn’t notice anybody.”

    She was pumped to finally be on the winning side of a WWCFL championship game.

    “It took five years for me to get this win, but it was better late than never,” said Dyck. “It was pretty exciting.”

Carly Dyck hauls in a 45-yard TD reception for the Valkyries.

    Running backs Samantha and Kendal Matheson, who are sisters, added major scores for the Valkyries in the second quarter. Samantha ripped off a 62-yard scoring run, while Kendal, who is in her rookie season, ran one in from 65 yards out.

    Saskatoon led 54-0 at halftime.

    The scoring slowed up a little in the third quarter. Saskatoon went ahead 59-0, when the Storm conceded another safety and Dyck nailed a 27-yard field goal attempt.

    The Valkyries lead expanded to 74-0 in the fourth quarter thanks to a three-yard touchdown run by Samantha Matheson, a 31-yard missed field goal single by Dyck and 39-yard interception return score by defensive back Rienna Rueve.

    Storm running back Brenna Bouchard snapped the shutout bid returning a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown after Rueve’s major to trim Saskatoon’s edge to 74-6. Friesen recorded her kickoff return touchdown after Bouchard found pay dirt.

The Valkyries celebrate Rienna Rueve's interception return TD.

    In total, the Valkyries piled up 624 yards of offence, which included 329 yards on the ground and 297 yards through the air. Edmonton was held to 148 yards offensively.

    Valkyries special teams coordinator Chris Hengen-Braun said Saturday’s win was a great capper to a special season.

    “It feels pretty good,” said Hengen-Braun. “This is really a different team than we have had in the past.

    “They did an amazing job coming together. We have a lot of really young girls. Over half of our team has never won one of these before, so it is really special for them.

    “It was really cool to see a huge effort from many, many different players on offence and on defence. We had a bunch of players step up. It was just really cool to see a lot of these young players come out and be very effective on the field.”

    If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. Check Twitter for more game photos of the Valkyries WWCFL championship win @stankssports.

Valkyries rally past Riot

Showdown at Mosaic shows potential of WWCFL

Julene Friesen speeds downfield for the Valkyries.

    It was a rare sight to see the Saskatoon Valkyries at the wrong end of the scoreboard.
    It also gave the four time defending Western Women's Canadian Football League champs a chance to show their resiliency.
    On Sunday at Mosaic Stadium, the host Regina Riot jumped ahead of the Valkyries 16-8. The Riot had a habit of giving their Bridge City Rivals tough contests, which included a 15-7 victory over the Valkyries on May 12, 2013. It wasn't out of the question Regina could pull out its second victory over Saskatoon in 13 tries.
    Like a squad that is used to winning championships, the Valkyries battled back. The Riot lead shrank to 16-14 by halftime. Saskatoon proceeded to jump ahead 21-16 with 52 seconds remaining in the third quarter, when first year starting quarterback Stacey Boldt hit tailback Julene Friesen on a 13 yard outlet pass for a major.
    Victory wasn't assured until Friesen ran in the game's final touchdown from eight yards out to give the visitors a 28-18 lead with 66 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Saskatoon came away with a 28-19 final after Regina concluded the scoring with a rouge coming off a missed field goal as time expired.
    Unlike a lot of the contests involving the Valkyries, Sunday's game with the Riot provided intrigue.
    Saskatoon is the model franchise in the WWCFL and has run away from opponents with numerous blowout victories. The lopsided results occur due to a combination of the fact the Valkyries are well run with a strong coaching staff, and the WWCFL is still in its formative years. Women's tackle football is still a relatively new sport experiencing growing pains.
    The Riot have run a strong program, and they could have easily come away with a victory Sunday had the outcome of two or three plays been changed. The battle between Saskatoon and Regina showed the potential of how interesting WWCFL games can be.

Aimee Kowalski slings a pass for the Riot.

    The Valkyries jumped ahead 8-0 thanks to the Riot conceding a safety in the first quarter and Boldt hitting veteran receiver Marci Kiselyk for a 34-yard pass and run TD strike early in the second quarter.
    Regina sputtered early offensively due to a number of dropped passes but proceeded to catch fire. Riot quarterback Aimee Kowalski hit receiver Claire Dore with a 20-yard scoring pass cutting the Saskatoon lead to 8-6. A two-point conversion attempt by Regina to tie the contest failed.
    After Valkyries receiver Tori Giles fumbled away a punt return, the Riot were in business again. The turnover resulted in a 22-yard field goal from Morgan Turner to put Regina ahead 9-8.
    With 1:58 remaining in the second quarter, Aimee Kowalski connected with her sister Alex Kowalski for a long 75-yard home run strike to put Regina up 16-8. At that point in the game, the Riot had all the momentum and were making the majority of the plays.
    The Valkyries tightened things up scoring just 45 seconds later, when Boldt hit Kiselyk from eight yards out to cut the gap to 16-14. A two point conversion attempt failed, but Saskatoon was successful in stopping Regina's momentum.
    After Boldt connected for her third touchdown pass of the game to Friesen to put the Valkyries up 21-16, the Riot didn't go away. Near the halfway point of the fourth quarter, Regina had a golden chance to go back in front, but Aimee Kowalski's end zone pass to open rookie receiver Rachelle Smith was dropped.
    The Riot proceeded to turn the ball over on downs, but the Valkyries had to concede a safety on the ensuing series shirking their edge to 21-18.
    Regina would be doomed from two more mistakes. While running downfield after a catch, Alex Kowalski fumbled the ball away near her own 35 after getting tackled by Valkyries defensive back Amber Buchholz and linebacker Beth Thomson. Thomson recovered the ball for the visitors.

Valkyries DB Carisa Polischuk, right, takes down Riot receiver Diane Nesbitt.

    It appeared Regina would hold Saskatoon to scoring just a field goal, but the Riot were penalized for contacting Valkyries kicker Rienna Rueve. The infraction gave the Saskatoon a first down, so the visitors took the field goal off the board by accepting the penalty.
    The Valkyries proceeded to run more time off the clock before Friesen ran in for the clinching major. Regina attempted a last play field goal in case the points were needed for a standings tiebreaker down the road, but settled for a single.
    With the win, the Valkyries improved to 2-0, while the Riot fell to 1-1. After a bye weekend, these two clubs meet again on Saturday, May 30 at 7 p.m. at Saskatoon Minor Football Field.
    Regina needs to win that contest by 10 or more points to claim the season series. With that in mind, hopes are high that the next clash will be as compelling as Sunday's match was.

    If you have any comments about this blog, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com. To see more photos of the Valkyries victory over the Riot, check out Twitter @StanksSports.