Football life is natural fit for Valkyries’ Schenn

Sydney Schenn has become a Valkyries mainstay at OLB.

Sydney Schenn seemed predestined to play football due to her family’s links to the game.

Growing up in Moosomin, Sask., her father, Jason, coached the sport and is the general manager and president for Moosomin Generals minor football program. Her older brother, Wyatt, and younger brother, TJ, were both players. Schenn’s mother, Janelle, supported the family members in all their pursuits.

Schenn enjoyed getting into rough stuff with her brothers, which ultimately led her dad suggestion she join the football team. She joined the Generals program in Grade 6 and found the sport to be a natural fit.

“I liked the physicality and the aggression,” said Schenn. “I was very aggressive, and I fought with my brothers all the time and we wrestled.

“I could do it on the field instead of being in trouble in the house.”

These days Schenn is a 21-year-old linebacker with the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League. Now in her third season with the team, Schenn has become a mainstay at outside linebacker.

On Sunday, Schenn and the Valkyries (5-0 overall) will play in the WWCFL Championship Game against their provincial rivals the Regina Riot (3-2 overall) at 7:30 p.m. at Leibel Field in Regina. Schenn has helped the Valkyries win the WWCFL title in each of the past two years.

Last Sunday, Schenn had a huge outing at Saskatoon Minor Football Field as the Valkyries romped over the Manitoba Fearless 48-14 in a WWCFL semifinal. She recorded seven total tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery.

Sydney Schenn makes a physical hit for the Valkyries.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more comfortable, and I feel more comfortable on the field,” said Schenn, who stands 5-foot-9. “I played nine-a-side in Moosomin, so moving to 12 was really different.

“I feel like I can figure out the game a lot more in 12-a-side better now in my third year.”

In Moosomin, Schenn played linebacker and defensive back, while also handling duties as a long snapper. She took the field for the Generals male teams from Grade 6 through to Grade 12 and suited up for the Generals under-18 female team when it was formed in 2018. With both the male and female programs, Schenn became a star player who piled up a number of awards and accolades.

Originally, Schenn elected to join the Riot in 2020 and play with them while she was still in high school. That campaign was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world.

Right after graduating from McNaughton High School in Moosomin, Schenn played for the Riot in their three-game exhibition series against the Valkyries in July of 2021, when the all sports leagues in Canada started to take the first steps forward to resuming regular operation. She began studying in the psychology program at the University of Regina away from the game.

On the football field, Schenn started to wonder if she would find better chemistry with a new team.  

“I didn’t feel like I fit well with the Riot,” said Schenn. “I still wanted to play football, so I decided I was going to find somewhere else I could play.

Sydney Schenn gets to a ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage.

“I have a whole bunch of family here (in Saskatoon), so it was easier that I could just live with family.”

Schenn joined the Valkyries for the start of the 2022 campaign. She continued to pursue her studies at the U of R, but lives in Saskatoon when the Valkyries football season is on.

Valkyries head coach Pat Barry was happy to see Schenn join the team and already bring a sizable wealth of experience in the tackle game. 

A lot of the Valkyries newcomers join the team from the female flag football in Saskatoon. The fall of 2023 saw Saskatoon Minor Football roll out organized female tackle football for the city for players of high school age.

“Sydney comes from Moosomin, so she has played football for a long time,” said Barry. “She is a heavy tackler, and she is a physical player.

“She is really thriving in (defensive coordinator) Wyatt Carleton’s defence. We’re really impressed with how she is doing things in our thirty defence right now.”

While Schenn had a lot of experience in the game, Barry said the standout linebacker has grown a lot since joining the Saskatoon side.

“She has come like a huge distance,” said Barry. “She was a teenager when she first came to us.

Sydney Schenn (#57) tracks down a receiver downfield.

“Now as a young woman and an athlete, she is showing a lot of leadership and physical play. It is really great to have her on our team.”

With the Valkyries, Schenn found the chemistry she was looking for.

“They are such a hyped group,” said Schenn. “They’re great.

“It is just the best team environment that I’ve been a part of.”

One of Schenn’s most memorable moments came when the Valkyries won the WWCFL title game in her first season. In that title game clash played on June 25, 2022 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Valkyries romped past the Fearless 36-6.

“That was my first championship as a player,” said Schenn. “Throughout my nine years in Moosomin, I never won a championship, so that was pretty cool to actually win a (title) game and go undefeated and actually win a championship.”

Now, Schenn wants to be part of another WWCFL title win with the Valkyries. 

Looking to the future, Schenn said she would like to play with the Valkyries for as long as she can, but she admits life opportunities that come away from the game will play a factor when it comes to staying with the club for a longer term.

“I’m not sure where life is going to take me after my undergrad,” said Schenn. “At least (I will play) maybe one more year.

Sydney Schenn (#57) enjoys playing football with the Valkyries.

“We’ll see if I go for my masters or where I go after that.”

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

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Valkyries overcame adversities in perfect 2023 campaign

QB Alex Eyolfson (#15) calls a play in the Valkyries’ huddle.

In no particular order, leadership, depth and coaching saw the Saskatoon Valkyries through to a perfect season in 2023.

Saskatoon’s powerhouse women’s football team never seemed to lose a step navigating towards an 8-0 overall record. The Valkyries concluded the campaign on Saturday blanking the Calgary Rage 40-0 in the WWCFL Championship Game at Griffiths Stadium.

The win marked the third consecutive time the Valkyries claimed the WWCFL title and the eighth time overall since the league’s inception in 2011.

The Valkyries were challenged along the way in 2023. On May 14, they traveled to Winnipeg and grinded out a 26-14 victory over an inspired Manitoba Fearless side. On June 18 at Saskatoon Minor Football Field, the Valkyries had to hold off their provincial rivals the Regina Riot 19-9 in the Prairie Conference final.

Michelle Duchene, left, has put in countless hours building female football. 

As the Valkyries were going about their business in a convincing win over the Rage, another realization hit looking at the Saskatoon sidelines at Griffiths Stadium on Saturday. There were some important star players helping out on the Valkyries bench area wearing their game uniforms over their street clothes.

That was a sign that those players were kept out of game action due to various injuries. Some of those players who were out missed a sizable part of the campaign due to their injuries.

HC Pat Barry and his staff have kept the Valkyries rolling.

Arguably, the biggest missing player was star fourth year receiver Haley Girolami, who might be the best pass catcher in the women’s game in Canada. In the Valkyries regular season opening 34-7 win over the Riot on May 7 at SMF Field, Girolami hauled in nine passes for 111 yards and one touchdown.

She was so impressive in that game one wondered just how good of a season she was going to have in 2023. Just seven days later in the Valkyries road win over the Fearless, Girolami was lost for the rest of the season due to a knee injury.

The Valkyries were also without star receiver Rachelle Smith for the entire regular season and post-season. The WWCFL veteran is a big time playmaker who was on all three of the Riot’s WWCFL title winning teams before joining the Valkyries for their WWCFL Championship season in 2019 and has remained with the Saskatoon side since.

The loss of Haley Girolami to injury was a big blow to the Valkyries.

On defence, star linebacker Jamie Wingate missed the entire regular season and post-season due to injury. Her absence left a sizable hole on the defence.

Rookie defensive back Kaylin O’Neill went down with a leg injury in the Valkyries regular season win over the Fearless. Savanna Spendiff was excelling in her first year playing on the Valkyries offensive line, but she went down with a knee injury in the Prairie Conference final win over the Riot.

Those types of injuries would have put any other team’s championship aspirations on ice. The Valkyries were able to march on due to their depth.

QB Alex Eyolfson gave positive leadership to the Valkyries offence.

That depth partially came from the work of the only general manager the Valkyries have ever known in Michelle Duchene and the countless hours she has spent building women’s football in Saskatoon. The female flag football system operated through Saskatoon Minor Football has helped funnel players to the Valkyries. Duchene’s leadership helped make that possible.

The Valkyries coaching staff under the direction of head coach Pat Barry has brought newcomers up to speed quickly when it comes to learning the game. That has helped build the Valkyries depth.

Emmarae Dale, left, gave upbeat leadership to the Valkyries defence.

Barry is aided by an astute staff that includes defensive coordinator Wyatt Carleton and Marci Halseth and Jack Sloboda, who shared in the offensive coordinator duties. The coaching staff has ensured new players are ready to step in and make an impact when injuries happen.

On the field, the Valkyries have been able to rely on the leadership of a couple of players who joined the club as youngsters in the team’s 2016 WWCFL title winning campaign in quarterback Alex Eyolfson and middle linebacker Emmarae Dale.

Sarah Wright continued to pile up big yards for the Valkyries.

Right from when she joined the Valkyries, Eyolfson has and continues to radiate a vibe that makes you feel like everything is going to be alright even if things go wrong. She quickly mastered guiding an offence, and she might be the best quarterback in the women’s game in Canada.

Dale immediately displayed an uplifting vibe and a positive demeanor. She still displays an explosive athletic ability that turns heads and saw her join the CJFL’s storied and historic Saskatoon Hilltops for the 2021 campaign. Dale might be the best in the women’s game in Canada today.

The presence of Eyolfson and Dale everything on the field stays sorted out and in order. They were aided by a good core group that has been together since 2019.

Makayla Sader has become part of the Valkyries core group.

On offence, the Valkyries were still able to turn to star running back Sarah Wright and veteran star pass catchers Ricki Obed and Reed Thorstad to make plays. The offensive line is anchored by four star veterans in right tackle Betsy Mawdsley, centre Alex Wojcichowsky, left guard Lauren Ferguson and left tackle Alyssa Funk.

On defence, Danaye Holynski continues to create havoc for the opposition at defensive end. The defence has been bolstered with a couple of veteran receivers switching over to defensive back in Kelsey Murphy and Danielle Girolami.

The Valkyries are progressing to the point where a large group of players in their second and third years with the team can now be considered as steady veterans who are part of the core group. That group includes receiver/kicker Grace McCorriston, running back/kicker Drew Lundquist and utility player Arden Kliewer.

Grace McCorriston (#82) has become a solid receiver and kicker.

Defensive back Makayla Sader, linebackers Jackie Semple-Dyck, Kennedy Mann and Sydney Schenn are now part of that core group too along with Emry Halbgewachs and Grace Farthing on the defensive line. 

Returnee defensive tackle Carla Stevenson has become part of that core group too. She helped the Valkyries win a WWCFL title in their second year of existence in 2012, took a leave of absence from the team before rejoining the club in 2021.

Rookies came through for the Valkyries too in 2023. Brianna Hammett on the offensive line, Michaella Applin on the defensive line, Mykayla Laroque at cornerback and Jaimyn Mantyka at safety all stepped in to give the Valkyries big performances.

Thanks to leadership, depth and coaching, the Valkyries were able to overcome some fairly key injuries and preserver in a couple of tough games that could have sent the season in another direction. The undefeated Valkyries ended becoming better in their journey of overcoming the adversity they faced.

The Valkyries celebrate a third straight WWCFL title on Saturday.

It is expected they will return a strong core of players in 2024. That should give them a good start in their quest for a four-peat, which the team accomplished in the WWCFL’s first four years of existence from 2011 to 2014.

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

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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.