The third time is the charm for the Regina Riot.The Western Women's Canadian Football League team has come a long way since its debut in 2011. The progress was evident Sunday when Regina hit the ground running in its 2013 season-opener - a dominant 35-0 win over the Manitoba Fearless at Leibel Field.
"This was probably the strongest game we've played," said new head coach Darren Fisher, who was the defensive co-ordinator last season after serving as offensive line coach in the team's inaugural campaign.
"We have lots of veterans who know what they need to do. It has been great to see the improvement that everybody has been making. It's night and day."
At this time three years ago, the Riot coaching staff was still teaching basic skills to women who had never played tackle football. Those players now have as many as three seasons under their belts - and it shows.
"It is less about fundamentals and more strategy," said third-year quarterback Aimee Kowalski, whose team got two touchdowns apiece Sunday from running back Carmen Agar and receiver Claire Dore. "Instead of just running plays, it's running the right plays and making those plays work. Before, we would just run the play whether the hole was (there or not). Now we're reading the defence.
"It's not so much street football."
Although the Riot's offence struggled at times Sunday, the defence proved to be in mid-season form.
"We have a lot of new rookies who are going to be impact players and our defence, I would say, is the best in the country," added Kowalski. "They have a lot of presence out there. It's really nice to not have to play against them."
The Riot's improved defensive play has come under the guidance of new defensive co-ordinator Marcus (Chunky) Adams, a former defensive lineman with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
"Marcus makes a huge difference for our defence," offered second-year defensive lineman Becky Wallis. "He has so much knowledge and experience. And our girls are getting more experience and we have a ton of athletic girls. Every year the team and the league grows. The football gets better."
Look no further than Riot linebacker Adrienne Zuck, who was a difference-maker on Sunday with a team-leading 6.5 defensive tackles along with a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Zuck believes the entire team has benefitted from being more organized off the field, thanks in part to a larger volunteer base.
"Now we can just worry about football," said Zuck, who also noted that the talent level has improved due to greater awareness in the community.
"We have a lot more younger people playing. The average age in our first year was something like 35 and now we're low 20s.
"Now that it's the third year, we have rookies coming out who learn way quicker because everybody knows what position they're in, where they're going. The new people who come in don't get so discouraged. The rookies get to see what it's like to have a team that does the right things."
Regina posted a 2-2 record in each of its first two seasons and the team is looking to improve upon that mark in 2013.
As the Riot gains momentum, so has the league. The Western Conference grew by two teams this season, with the Okotoks Lady Outlawz and Grand Prairie Northern Anarchy joining the Calgary Rage, Edmonton Storm and Lethbridge Steel.
The Prairie Conference remains constant with the Riot, Fearless, Winnipeg Nomads and defending-champion Saskatoon Valkyries, but the parity appears to be improving.
"The Fearless has really improved from the first year we played them," noted Fisher, whose team is back in action Sunday (1 p.m., Mosaic Stadium) against the Valkyries. "When you play a game you want it to be competitive. You want everybody to be kind of at the same level. That's what makes you better. You have to be good every night."
gharder@leaderpost.com
Photograph by: Michael Bell , Regina Leader-Post
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