The U18 Estevan Viragos wrapped up their season with a hard-fought game against the Melville Vipers, who emerged with a 72-24 victory. The Vipers, one of the league's strongest teams, had faced the Viragos several times this season.
“We’ll probably see them win the championship if I’m being honest,” said Viragos head coach Tribiger.
In their final matchup, the Viragos gave their all but struggled to keep up with the Vipers. “We got down in the first quarter, which really set us back quickly. We tried battling back, but like I said, Melville is a strong team with a very strong defense and offense, so it was a hard battle once we were down,” Tribiger said.
The Viragos concluded the season ranked fourth in the league. Despite the loss, the team gained momentum and showed significant improvement over the course of the season.
“One of the biggest accomplishments this season was scoring 103 points in the regular season, more than the total of all four previous years combined. We’re making leaps and bounds forward, and our defense has held teams to close scores. Overall, the team improved immensely from past seasons,” he said.
Injuries, however, took a toll on the Viragos heading into the Melville game. “I don’t think we had one player that was even probably 90 per cent healthy,” said Tribiger.
With several new players joining this season, Tribiger is already looking forward to the next year. “We have a lot of veterans coming back, and we just need to build on what we have, recruit new players, and get our numbers up. We should be a strong contender in the Prairie Girls Football League,” he said.
Tribiger extended his thanks to the volunteers, parents, players, and especially his coaching staff. “We put in a lot of hours to make this team better, and it showed on the field.”
The team plans to run winter camps to keep the momentum going. “If you’re interested in playing female football, come out to the camps,” he said.
“This was one of the best seasons I’ve coached with this team, 100 per cent, and I’m excited to see us build on it next season,” Tribiger added.