The WWCFL championship was on the line this past weekend when provincial rivals the Regina Riot and Saskatoon Valkyries met on the turf at Mosaic Stadium. It was the third time they had faced off against each other this season, and the highest stakes game ever played between the two teams that have battled for women’s football supremacy in western Canada for the better half of the last decade.

Gloomy skies overhead cleared up just in time for kickoff, sparing the 900+ fans in attendance from getting soaked. Instead, those fans got to witness a Saskatoon Valkyries team that came hot out of the gate. The visiting team was able to take a score of 10-0 into the second quarter.

Things continued to look grim for the home team until the Riot defense was able to force an interception midway through the second quarter. This turned out to be the momentum swing the Riot would need, as they took the ball and marched it down the field for a touchdown with 2:55 remaining in the first half. The score at halftime would remain 10-7 in favour of the Valkyries.

The second half would be just as evenly matched, as the defenses on both sides of the ball continued to make it hard for the other team to score. A missed field goal attempt by the Riot late in the third quarter would result in a single point when the Valkyrie returner struggled to haul in the ball and couldn’t escape her own end zone, making the score 10-8.

In the fourth quarter, the Riot would again take the momentum and turn it in their favour with a huge 62 yard scramble by quarterback Aimee Kowalski. This took the ball all the way down to the Valkyrie five yard line. But it was here where the Valkyries would make their stand, causing a turnover on downs after stopping a 3^rd and 1 rush attempt by the Riot short of the goal line.

With time starting to tick down, opportunities were starting to run out for the Riot offense. But the pressure didn’t seem to make a difference, as they were able to drive the field once again thanks in large part to a big reception along the sideline by wide receiver Jenna Koller. The Riot continued to drive the ball until they had positioned themselves for a 3^rd and 1 attempt at the Valkyrie goal line for the second consecutive drive. This time the Riot would not be denied, as Mallory Starkey ran the ball in for her second touchdown of the game. The Riot would take the lead 14-10 with 2:25 remaining in the game.

The Valkyries would end up with two more potential chances to march the field and take the lead to win the game, but both drives were snuffed out by quarterback sacks provided by veteran Riot linebacker Adrienne Zuck. The Riot would win the game and the WWCFL championship by a final score of 14-10.

“I’m extremely proud of our coaches and athletes,” said Head Coach Olivier Eddie following the game. “Nothing was going our way early on and our team just kept fighting. We have a resilient group and our athletes did everything right to deserve this championship.”

When asked about their opponents, the second year Riot head coach had nothing but nice things to say.

“The Valkyries coaching staff and players came out very strong. They played fast and physical and they caused us all sorts of issues. Hats off to them for a great game.”

Eddie also felt he had to say something about the fan support that was shown to the Riot at the championship game and over the course of the entire season.

“Having over 900 fans out here today is special. I think the Regina community is really starting to appreciate the special group that the Regina Riot are. Our fans played their part in making this championship game that much more memorable. The atmosphere was great and we are thankful for their support.”

The Regina Riot will take the rest of the summer off, but will pick things back up later this year with their annual fall camp.

The Regina Riot were supposed to be focused solely on preparing to host the WWCFL Cross Conference Final this week. Instead, they have found themselves mired in a series of unfortunate circumstances beyond their control. Starting on Sunday evening with the theft of a vehicle containing the team’s jerseys, and continuing later in the week with a change to the game’s scheduled kickoff time, it has been a week of adversity for the Riot. But the team is refusing to let that distract them.

“We talk about our team culture constantly” said Head Coach Olivier Eddie when asked about the incidents this week. “We focus on purposeful and intentional actions, and have built a culture around our responses and what we can control.”

It’s a culture that has lead the Riot to their first undefeated regular season in organization history heading into this week’s playoff matchup.

“These unforeseen events… we don’t control any of these” continued Eddie. “I’m especially proud of our athletes this week and how they have focused on their responses and doing the absolute best with every single curveball that has been thrown at the them. They have responded in a way that unifies us.”

In response to the stolen jerseys, media outlets within Regina worked with the Riot to help spread the message and help locate the jerseys. The Regina football community also stepped up, with multiple teams offering up their jerseys for the Riot to wear for the remainder of their season.

“The support of the Regina community has been excellent” said Olivier. “The media, our fans, and the general population have taken the time to bring awareness to our story and it makes us feel supported and loved. Other teams in our league have reached out, as well as many local teams in Regina. We appreciate all of that.”

And yet, with all of this adversity thrown their way, there is still a game to play this Sunday. The Edmonton Storm will be coming to town having narrowly defeated the Lethbridge Steel last weekend in the Western Conference Semi-Final. It’s the first time the Riot & Storm will have met up this season.

“Edmonton has a good team,” said the Head Coach. “I think they will come out with great energy. It’s our job to go out there, score first, and gain momentum. We’re coming off of a bye week and it will be important for us to play well right out of the gate.”

And when it comes down to it, it doesn’t matter what jerseys the Riot are wearing this weekend.

“Our team understands that come Sunday, it doesn’t matter whether we wear yellow, blue, red, orange or black” said Eddie. “We’re stepping onto the field with one mindset: to earn our spot in the WWCFL Championship.”

The WWCFL Cross Conference Final takes place on Sunday, June 17^th at Mosaic Stadium. Kickoff has been moved to 3pm. Tickets are available at the door or online.

If you have any information that could lead to the return of the Regina Riot’s stolen jerseys, please send it to reginariotfootball@gmail.com.

In 2011, the football rivalry between Saskatoon and Regina saw a new addition with the formation of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League and two of it’s founding teams: the Regina Riot and the Saskatoon Valkyries.

Things started off as you might expect based on the recent football history of the two cities, with Saskatoon taking an early advantage in the rivalry. Eight year Regina Riot veteran Trisha Jattansingh explains:

“The Valkyries came into the WWCFL already a powerhouse. They were miles ahead of any other team in the league. I remember the first game we played against them, we were beaten 62 – 2. I still remember that feeling.”

It was like this a lot over the ensuing seasons, as the Valkyries racked up four consecutive WWCFL Championships. The Riot eventually improved to the point of being able to beat their provincial rivals occasionally during the regular season, but never when it mattered.

That changed in 2015.

“Beating the Valkyries to advance to the WWCFL Championship in 2015 was a really great moment” recalls Riot Head Coach Olivier Eddie. “The Valkyries were almost able to execute an incredible comeback, but we were able to drive down the field and kick a game-winning field goal with seconds remaining.”

This victory seemed to signal a turning point in the rivalry between the two teams. Beginning that year, the Riot & Valkyries have alternated WWCFL Championship wins. Since that time, neither team has managed a clean sweep of the other during the course of a single season.

Second year Regina Riot player Aly Bell provides a unique perspective on the rivalry, having spent two seasons with the Saskatoon Valkyries as well. She outlines the similarities between the two programs that make them such great rivals:

“A big part of the Riot/Valkyries rivalry stems from how elite both programs have become. Athletes from both programs train year round to better themselves on the field. Players on both sides are passionate, smart and dedicated. They work their butts off. They’re all elite athletes, and no athlete likes to lose.”

But there are differences between the two teams as well.

“My experiences between the two teams are incomparable” continues Bell. “I learned the game and fell in love with it during my first two seasons with the Valkyries. The culture in Saskatoon is just completely different than the culture here with the Riot. It’s not a bad thing. One isn’t better than the other. It’s just different.”

And Bell is happy she made the jump.

“Coming to Regina for my third season was a tough decision, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I was able to adjust to the culture immediately. The coaches here are top notch. I was able to learn the game through a completely different set of eyes and from different coaching styles, which only bettered me as a player.”

In 2018, the Riot remain one step ahead of their toughest competitors. The reigning WWCFL Champions were able to go into Saskatoon three weeks ago and hand the Valkyries at 28 – 7 loss on their home field.

“I have seen the rivalry evolve over our 8 years in the league” explains Jattansingh. “We are no longer chasing the Valks, trying to catch up to them. Now we’re the ones being chased.”

Regina hopes to sustain their recent success when the two teams meet again this weekend with first place in the Prairie Conference on the line. That game takes place on Sunday, June 3^rd at Mosaic Stadium. Kickoff is at 2pm. Tickets are available online or at the door.

The Winnipeg Wolfpack have had to cancel their trip to Regina to play the Riot this weekend due to unforeseen circumstances. The two teams were scheduled to play at Mosaic Stadium on Sunday afternoon in what would have been the Riot’s home opener. Instead the Wolfpack will forfeit the game, bringing Regina’s record to 3-0.

The Riot’s home opener will now take place against the Saskatoon Valkyries on Sunday, June 3rd at Mosaic Stadium. Kickoff will be at 2pm. Tickets will be available at the door as well as online.

The Regina Riot opened up their regular season schedule this past weekend by traveling to Winnipeg to play the Manitoba Fearless. The two teams are familiar with each other already this year, having met the weekend prior in Regina in a preseason game. The Riot were able to come away with a narrow victory in that contest, winning by a final score of 22 – 17.

That even level of play continued throughout the first quarter of action in Winnipeg on Saturday, as the Riot and Fearless went into the first quarter break tied up 7-7. It wasn’t until the second quarter where the Riot were able to pull ahead and never look back. This was thanks in large part due to the play of quarterback Aimee Kowalski. She would throw four touchdowns in the second quarter, and follow that up with one more in the second half as she led the Riot to a victory with a final score of 56 – 14.

“We started a bit slow on offense,” explained Head Coach Olivier Eddie after the game, “but we never really doubted that we would be able to bounce back. Aimee went 9 of 10 throwing the ball in the second and third quarters and put up 5 TDs. Our run game also kicked it into gear and we ended the game with 8 different ball carriers combining for 230 yards on the ground.”

It was an especially impressive outing for the Regina Riot’s young receivers, as second year player Jenna Koller hauled in three touchdowns and third year player Hope Jordens caught one as well. Fourth year player Rachelle Smith caught Kowalski’s fifth touchdown, and reigning Team MVP Carmen Agar was able to score one on the ground.

The Regina Riot defense, which was revamped in the offseason, also played well.

“We executed our new defense fairly well,” said Eddie. “We expected to make a few mistakes early on, but I’m proud of the group and how we progressed throughout the game.” The Riot’s stop unit also contributed offensively, scoring two touchdowns off of turnovers.

With their first victory of the season in the books, the Riot now turn their attention toward their first matchup of the season against their provincial rival Saskatoon Valkyries. The Riot holds a slight 5-4 record advantage against the Valkyries over the past three seasons, but the team knows that won’t help them this weekend.

“We know how good they are,” said Eddie when asked about the upcoming game. “This rivalry game could go anyway. It’s our job to make sure that we are prepared for the challenge.”

The Riot & Valkyries will square off in Saskatoon on Saturday, May 12^th at Griffiths Stadium. Kickoff is at 8:00pm.