Riot win first-ever Prairie Conference Championship

ALL PHOTO CREDITS: WANDA HARRON PHOTOGRAPHY

Entering the Prairie Conference championship game as the visiting team, the Saskatoon Valkyries were hoping to emerge as champions for the fifth year in a row. Of note, it was not the first time that the club travelled to Regina in postseason play, having vanquished the host Riot back in 2013.

Unlike their last encounter, the Valkyries were on the opposite end of history. For the first time in Prairie Conference history, a team other than the four-time WWCFL champion Valkyries could lay the claim of champion. In a hard-fought 31-29 victory at Mosaic Stadium, the Regina Riot earned the right to compete in the WWCFL championship game, gaining their first Conference title in franchise history.

During the regular season, the Riot handed the Valkyries their biggest margin of loss in franchise history, a 49-9 drubbing in Saskatoon. Despite said loss, the Valkyries refused to be haunted by it. Although the Riot entered the fourth quarter with a 22-7 lead, the Valkyries proved why they were the four-time champions, battling back to grab the lead.

Running back Samantha Matheson (whose mother is also her teammate with the Valkyries) scored a touchdown for the Valkyries with 1:26 remaining in the contest. Of note, it was her fourth touchdown of the game for the Valkyries, assembling a game-best 159 yards.

Ahead by a very narrow one-point margin, the defense looked to protect the 29-28 advantage. For the Riot, their 28 points had been assembled in a highly dramatic fashion, employing two touchdowns (one by Amanda Hungle and another by Sami Bray), two field goals and four safeties.

Starting at their own 44-yard line, the Riot were lining up for what was likely the game’s final possession. Showing tremendous poise, quarterback Aimee Kowalski picked apart the Valkyries defense, bringing the offense into field goal territory. On a 13-yard attempt, Morgan Turner managed to convert on what would stand as the game-winning field goal. Statistically, Kowalski logged a 63% pass completion, while going through the air for 204 yards, complemented by a strong ground game that saw her rush for a team-best 84 yards.

In the aftermath of the contest, Matheson went to social media to announce that she was hanging up her helmet. For a squad that saw legendary quarterback Candace Bloomquist retire last season, the loss of Matheson compounds a somber situation.
Advancing to their first-ever WWCFL championship game, the Riot shall compete against the Edmonton Storm, who bested the Calgary Rage to take the Western Conference crown. Of note, it marks the third conference title in Storm history, as both clubs shall be looking to win the league championship for the first time on July 4 at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg.