NS: Griffins One Win Short of Perfect Ending

The Horton Griffins were one win short of writing the perfect script to their season.

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During the regular season, the Griffins went undefeated and were tops in the Scotia Division with a 7-0-1 record. The team finally won their first playoff game in three tries and made it all the way to their first ever Nova Scotia Student Athletic Federation Football League (NSSAFFL) Tier 1 Championship game.

However, they were not able to overcome the defending provincial champions from the Citadel Phoenix. The Griffins lost the championship game 29-17 yesterday afternoon at Saint Mary’s University Huskies Stadium in Halifax.

“Well, it’s always tough to lose a game like this right but I look at the fact we made it this far,” says Griffins head coach Alec Hyndman moments after the loss. “We made some mistakes and it’s the kind thing you can’t do in a championship game.”

In his post game comments, Hyndman expresses that the Phoenix are deserving of their fourth consecutive provincial title. The fact that they are now four time champions speaks for itself and that the Phoenix football program is a measuring stick for other teams in the NSSAFFL.

“They’ve got a program that breathes success,” adds Hyndman. “Everybody else in the league wants to be good as they are and we were sort of grateful to be in a position to have a shot at them and it just didn’t work out.”

League most valuable player and Griffins defensive end/fullback Adam Melanson had another solid game in the loss. The team knows how vital Melanson has been to their success on the field.

“He’s invaluable and that’s the reason why he’s MVP,” explains Hyndman. “He makes plays for us on both sides of the ball.”

“The guys sort of look up to him and step up and when he steps up, everyone seems to follow suit.”

One of the key factors in this game was how successful the Phoenix defense was at stopping the Griffins offense from getting down the field. One example wa sin the last minutes of the second half, when the Griffins tried on three separate attempts to move the ball down. They were on the 15 yard Phoenix line but could not make anything happen.

Griffins running back Robert Adams has been one of the keys to the Griffins’ offensive success throughout the NSSAFFL season. Hyndman talks about Adams and the Phoenix defense.

“They (Citadel) did a really good job containing him,” says Hyndman. “I think he still had a pretty good game.”

“They’re a good defense.”

Defensive back/wide receiver Curtis Bawn has been another reason the Griffins achieved a lot of success this season. The senior’s contribution is not lost on Hyndman, the only coach the Griffins have ever known since they joined the NSSAFFL five seasons ago.

“Curtis is an impact player,” adds Hyndman. “He made some big hits, big plays and it’s a shame we’re not going to have him next year.”

After a tremendous season that saw the Griffins achieve so much success, Hyndman says the next step will be looking towards the future.

“We are sort of looking at a rebuild,”explains Hyndman. “We got 18 out of 36 kids leaving so it’s probably a tough road next year but I think we will be okay.”