Valkyries honouring Justin Filteau during championship drive

The Saskatoon Valkyries took to the field for their first-round playoff game against the Winnipeg Wolfpack with heavy hearts on Sunday.

It was the team’s first home game since the passing of defensive line coach Justin Filteau.

Filteau, a former linebacker for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Saskatoon Hilltops, died in a plane crash near Medicine Hat, Alta. last week along with two other passengers.

Valkyries head coach Pat Barry was proud of how the group of players and coaches handled the unprecedented circumstances.

“Everything that we’ve done this past week has been a first without Justin (Filteau),” he said. “Everything’s been a challenge. Justin did a lot for us, and to not have him there was very difficult this week.”

Barry said the remainder of the Valks undefeated season is dedicated to Filteau. That’s part of the family’s wishes, which includes handing the Filteaus a signed football, something they won’t do until “the job is done” when the team hopes to play for a championship later this month.

Beth Lalonde has been a member of Valkyries since the team entered into the Western Women’s Canadian Football League in 2011.

She got to know Filteau as a coach, on top of being his friend as her husband was Filteau’s teammate with the Huskies and Hilltops.

The support from the Filteau family, especially mom Justin’s mother Nancy, has left her speechless at times.

“She’s the one that kept our coaches going, kept us going,” Lalonde said. “I don’t know how she does it, but she’s a Filteau, so I understand.”

Denise Kolosky had the honour of returning an interception for a touchdown at the end of the second quarter. She knew her coach would be proud of the effort.

“I know Filteau would have loved that,” Kolosky said. “He would have been screaming and jumping on the sideline like, ‘Yes! Athletic (defence)! We can do it!”

Barry and the rest of the Valkyries got one step closer to another WWCFL title with a 66-0 win over the Wolfpack on Sunday.

He thinks the dominating victory is a perfect way to honour Filteau.

“He would have enjoyed it,” Barry said. “Even a lot of the music we got going on today. (Filteau) loved these songs. It’s not an accident that they’ve got it playing right now.”

The Valkyries are on a bye week before they take on the Lethbridge Steel for a chance to play in the final at the end of the month. They plan on dedicating each play to Filteau’s memory.

“Awesome, awesome coach (that) had so much energy,” Lalonde said of her former coach. “He pushed as hard as we could go. This year in practice, I remember him pushing me so hard. It was very sad to see him go and it definitely has an impact on all of us here with the Valkyries family.”