By Sean Trembath, The StarPhoenix
Valkyries 36, Riot 6
The Saskatoon Valkyries 2012 campaign got off on the right foot Sunday with a convincing 36-6 win over provincial rivals the Regina Riot at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.
The Valkyries have a lot to live up to after completely dominating all of their Western Women's Canadian Football League opponents last season.
Regina was able to advance the ball throughout the game, but timely Saskatoon defence stopped the Riot from keeping it close.
"The effort was awesome. We had a few execution errors, but with so many new players having their first experience, they're just so gung-ho and happy to be on the field," said Jeff Yausie, head coach of the Valkyries.
One of the questions facing the team was how their offence would fare without running back Julie Paetsch, who ran all over opponents last year but is stuck on the sidelines with a knee injury. The answer came midway through the first quarter when new starter Julie David took a pitch from Valkyries quarterback Candace Bloomquist and ran it 53 yards for Saskatoon's first touchdown of the season.
David went on to rush for 185 yards on 16 carries, including another long touchdown in the second half from 40 yards out.
"I had some good runs, but obviously that came from the O-line making great holes for me and the slotbacks making big blocks," she said.
During the school year, David plays soccer for the U of S Huskies. While football carries a significant risk of injury, her Huskies coach didn't stand in her way of playing.
"He knows how much I love it, so he said he's not going to stop me from doing it," she said.
Coach Yausie had nothing but good things to say about David's play.
"She's an explosive player. The part I was really pleased with was it wasn't only outside. Some of those yards are inside runs, which is awesome," he said. David's success bodes well for the team should Paetsch be able to return this season.
"If we get the other Julie back it will be great depth, and we can rotate players to keep them a little fresher," said Yausie.
The Valkyries also got touchdowns from backup quarterback Katie Miyazaki, who called her own number and ran 30 yards through the entire Riot team, and receivers Amber Buchholz and Jana Spindler. Despite the comfortable lead throughout the afternoon, Yausie saw improvement from Regina's team and is not taking their next meeting lightly.
"Absolutely, I thought they were improved. They moved the ball all day. They have some talented players. Similar to us, they have a bunch of new players as well, so I can only see them improving as the season goes on," he said.
The Valkyries next game is May 27, when they'll travel to Winnipeg to take on the Wolf Pack. Their next home game will be June 3, when they'll play the Manitoba Fearless.
strembath@thestarphoenix.com
