Week eight in the Nova Scotia Varsity Football League (NSVFL) provided a lot of intrigue and excitement. In one game, there was an upset while in another game; it was a duel for second place.
Metro Mustangs have finally registered their first loss of the season as they fell to a much improved Team Nova Scotia under-16 squad 17-14. In the other game, the Timberlea Renegades bested the Halifax Seahawks 35-21. The Dartmouth Destroyers had a bye this week.
As a result of these games, four teams are within striking distance as two points separate first place from fourth place in the league standings. With only two games remaining in the regular season schedule, the push is now on for teams vying to get one of the two coveted spots in the championship finals.
Here are the results for week eight action:
Team Nova Scotia under-16 17, Metro Mustangs 14:
On Friday evening at Wanderer’s Grounds in Halifax, the Team Nova Scotia under-16 squad pulled off a huge upset as they handed the Metro Mustangs their first loss of the season. The final score was 17-14.
“Beating Metro was enormous,” says Team Nova Scotia head coach Chris Valardo after the win. “Metro beat us four weeks ago by 35 points.”
“For our coaches and athletes to be able to put a game plan together to exploit our strengths and their weaknesses and then execute it is priceless!”
What is even more remarkable about Team Nova Scotia’s feat is that the squad pulled off the upset in light of facing adversity the past few weeks. Last weekend, the team lost the services of quarterback Duncan Patterson after he was tackled in the fourth quarter of a game against the Halifax Seahawks. Moreover, quarterback Cameron Valardo had to leave in the first quarter of Friday’s game because of a lacerated thumb which required six stitches.
“We have lost both our quarterbacks in the last two weeks to injury and the rest of the team has risen to the challenge,” adds Valardo. “Our coaches and players have grown exponentially over the last several months.”
Jon Maine, who switched positions from linebacker to quarterback, led Team Nova Scotia to victory. Not only did Maine connect with Nick Green for a major but he also sealed the victory with a quarterback sneak.
Another key to the victory was Team Nova Scotia’s defense.
“Team Nova Scotia defense played their game of the year tonight holding the mighty Metro offense to a mere 14 points,” summarizes the Team Nova Scotia head coach in his post game assessment. “Steve Watts, Team Nova Scotia defensive coordinator did an outstanding job leading our defense to a stunning upset!”
Mustangs head coach Greg Bayne says it was a tough night offensively for the team but he does give full props to Team Nova Scotia for pulling off the upset.
“Offensively, we were challenged and Team Nova Scotia put a great defensive performance together against our run,” explains Bayne. “We went to our passing game and had good protection and time but our quarterback and receivers could not connect.”
“This was clear in the stats with our quarterback Sean Muir only completing 32 percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions while our receivers were open and the many of the balls were catchable; our receivers just could not finish the play.”
Taylor MacDonald (running back/linebacker/punt returner) led the Mustangs with 136 receiving yards on 13 carries and defensively chipped in with six tackles. Running back Dustin Brogaard scored a touchdown while also amassing 90 rushing yards on 9 carries but also had a fumble. Alex Bayne (running back/defensive back/returner) had 41 receiving yards on five catches, 16 rushing yards on three carries, six punt returns for 38 yards and two tackles during the game.
Quarterback Sean Muir had seven completions on 22 attempts for 52 passing yards, rushed the ball six times for 33 yards and threw two interceptions in a losing cause. Receiver Joe Doucet chipped in with 12 receiving yards on two catches while running back Drew Alexander had 10 yards on three rushes and found the end zone for the team’s other score of the game.
However, a huge reason the Mustangs lost the game was due to the penalties they took as it affected their offensive execution plan throughout the entire game.
“We lost the game on penalties,” assess the Mustangs head coach. “Penalties put Team Nova Scotia in a position to get the go ahead score and penalties stalled many of our offensive drives.”
“We recorded 140 penalty yards and how can you expect to win dealing with that.”
Defensively for the Mustangs, linebacker Matt Bayne led the way with eight tackles and two interceptions. Jay Hachey (defensive lineman) contributed with seven tackles and a sack while Kevin Pelley (linebacker) and Jake Saunders (defensive back) each registered five tackles apiece.
Trevor Howse (offensive/defensive line) had four tackles, Duncan Robertson (defensive line) and Trevor Gallant (defensive back) each chipped in with three tackles. Gallant also caught an interception in the game. Defensive back Ken Findlay had two tackles and caught an interception, Matt Zwicker (offensive/defensive line) registered two tackles and defensive lineman Dustin Buchanan chipped in with a solo tackle.
In spite of the loss, the Mustangs remain in first place with a 6-0 record. Meanwhile, Team Nova Scotia is now 3-4 on the season as a result of the win.
The Mustangs will try to regroup and work hard during their upcoming bye week.
“Hopefully, the loss will sand the edge off our overconfidence, help us refocus and improve our discipline,” comments Bayne. “We will go back to work this week and put that loss quickly behind us and get focused on finishing the season strong.”
As for Team Nova Scotia, they will savour the win. Moreover, the team feels fortunate to be able to compete in the league this season.
“Full credit to the team as a whole as this is a special group of young men that has dealt with a lot of adversity of the past few weeks,” says Valardo. “We are just grateful to the NSVFL for giving us the opportunity to play in the league this year against older competition; it has been invaluable for our development.”
Team Nova Scotia will carry the momentum of their win into their next match-up against the Timberlea Titans on Friday June 15th, 2012 at Wanderer’s Grounds. Kickoff is slated for 6:30pm. Meanwhile, the Metro Mustangs will look to regroup as the team has a bye this week.
Timberlea Titans 35, Halifax Seahawks 21:
On Friday evening at Saint Mary’s University Huskies Stadium, the Timberlea Renegades came out on top in a battle for sole possession of second place in the league standings. The Renegades defeated the Halifax Seahawks 35-21.
As a result of the win, the Renegades are now 4-2 on the season while the Seahawks slide to 3-3 in the league standings.
Offensively for the victors, running back David Nisbet led the way by scoring two touchdowns and 160 rushing yards (over 100 yards alone in the first half of the game). Nate Rostek scored a major on an 83 yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter and had an additional touchdown reception in the game. Running back Hayden Clarke also contributed in the win with one rushing touchdown and 52 all-purpose yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Brayden Culligan led the way with nine tackles and also caught an interception. Donovan Blue had seven tackles while Jack Chiasson contributed with six tackles and registered a sack. Rostek also chipped in defensively with six tackles and caught an interception. Mark Nelson had a fumble recovery in the game for the Renegades.
“David Nesbit had an excellent game, and Mark Nelson, Donovan Blue, Nate Rostek had great games and gave it their all considering they played both on offense and defense,” comments Renegades assistant coach David Rent in his post game assessment.
The Renegades’ focus during crucial points of the game was the key to success on the field Friday evening.
“We were able to stay focused and during the first half to build a lead, and we were able to regain our focus again after the Seahawks tied the game,” explains the Renegades assistant coach.
Not only will this upcoming week involve dissecting certain elements of their game to improve upon, but the Renegades have also set their sights on their opponent next week: Team Nova Scotia under-16 squad.
βWe need to review and hammer how our systems work; the points the Seahawks scored were at times, when we had mental breakdowns,” says Rent. “This week will be another week of hard work.”
“Just like the Seahawks, the Nova Scotia under-16 team will be a much improved team and we will need to be ready for that.”
(NOTE: Game/player stats for the Halifax Seahawks were not available at press time)
The Timberlea Renegades will take on Team Nova Scotia under-16 squad on Friday June 15th, 2012 at Wanderer’s Grounds in Halifax. Game time is 6:30pm. Meanwhile,the Halifax Seahawks look to get back in the win column in their upcoming matchup with the Dartmouth Destroyers on Friday June 15th, 2012. The game is at 6:30pm at Saint Mary’s University Huskies Stadium.
(Mustangs/Team Nova Scotia game photos courtesy of Karrie-Ann Buchanan)
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