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Saskatchewan wins gold medal at National Women's Football Championship
Becky Zimmer
Aug 01, 2016 • August 1, 2016 • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Saskatchewan running back Carmen Agar ploughs into Quebec's defence during the gold-medal game at the Canadian Women's Football Championship on Sunday at Mosaic Stadium. Photo by Michael Bell /Regina Leader-Post
Team Saskatchewan was the dominant team at the National Women's Football Championship.
After defeating New Brunswick 58-0 in a semifinal on Thursday, Saskatchewan downed Quebec 34-22 in Sunday's gold-medal game at Mosaic Stadium.
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"It was a tough battle," Saskatchewan head coach Chris Hengen-Braun said. "We got up early and kind of took the foot off the gas pedal. but we willed it to victory."
The Saskatchewan team consisted of 18 players from each of the province's two Western Women's Canadian Football League teams — the Regina Riot and Saskatoon Valkyries.
Saskatoon's Samantha Matheson highlighted the first quarter for Saskatchewan, scoring on a touchdown run and on a pass from Regina's Aimee Kowalski.
A 79-yard pass from Kowalski to Saskatoon's Carly Dyck produced a second-quarter major that helped Saskatchewan enjoy a 24-2 halftime lead.
Quebec answered with two third-quarter touchdowns, closing the gap to 24-15, before the teams split two fourth-quarter majors. Regina's Carmen Agar scored Saskatchewan's final TD on a 17-yard run.
Afterward, Hengen-Braun said he was proud of his team and his "lights-out" coaching staff.
The "lights-out" description also applied to Saskatchewan's running game, powered by 197 yards by Matheson and 137 by Agar.
Matheson suffered a leg injury during the game, after which she was on crutches, but was nonetheless named the most valuable player for both the championship game and the tournament.
"It is a little bit bittersweet being injured, but we played our hearts out," Matheson said. "I played as much as I could for as long as I could, so it's still an amazing feeling."
In Sunday's bronze-medal game, Alberta defeated New Brunswick 30-12.
The tournament was used to evaluate players for a Canadian squad that is to compete in the 2017 International Federation of American Football women's championship.
Team Canada head coach Jeff Yausie, who is from Saskatoon, scouted players from all four teams at the tournament. A tryout camp was held Saturday in Regina as a lead-up to the gold- and bronze-medal games.
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