NS: Spartans and Cheetahs Ready for Key NSSAFFL Game

It could all come down to one game under Friday Night Lights.
As the Charles P Allen Cheetahs and Dartmouth Spartans run through final preparations for tonight’s game in the Nova Scotia Student Athletic Federation Football League (NSSAFFL), each team is focused on what is at stake.
“The game has big playoff implications for both teams as we battle for second and a first round playoff home game,” says Cheetahs head coach Mike McPherson.

The Cheetahs come into this game with a 5-1-1 record (11 points) in the Nova Division after a forfeit win over the Northeast Kings Education Centre Titans. Currently, the Cheetahs are in second place, but only by a single point over the Spartans. Last week, the Spartans narrowly defeated the Halifax West Warriors. With the win, the Spartans improved to 5-1-0 (10 points).

With the success the Spartans have had this season, the Cheetahs know that they
cannot take their opponent lightly.

“We anticipate Friday’s game versus Dartmouth to be a solid test to cap off the regular season,” comments McPherson. “Dartmouth has had an impressive season and will no doubt come prepared to play.”

There is one player the Cheetahs will be keeping their eye on during the game.

“We are familiar with their quarterback, Cody Cluett and what he’s capable of doing under center,”says McPherson. “Cody is a great young quarterback, who is capable of hurting you with both his arm and his elusive scrambling ability.”

Other key players expected to help the Spartans on the field include slot back Ashton Slawter, defensive end/wide receiver Shivase Reddick, running back Julien Rogers, defensive back/slot back De’Shawn States, fullback/safety Jacob Moore, running back Josh Gallant and wide receiver Andrew Viera.

Mike Cosgrove, head coach of the Spartans, says that the team needs to be on top of their game tonight if they hope to defeat the Cheetahs.

“We haven’t really played our best football yet,” comments Cosgrove. “We need to do that in order to win against this team.”

For his part, Cosgrove believes he has the right group to be successful.

“I am confident we have the players to make the plays, no question there,” adds Cosgrove. “So we will see.”

McPherson says the key to the teams’ success lies in their game execution plans.
“They have some impressive athletes on both sides of the ball that we will need to be aware of and contain,” adds McPherson. “We will need to play disciplined and ensure there’s enough gas in the tank for four quarters of football.”

Meanwhile, the Cheetahs have several dangerous offensive and defensive players that the Spartans will have to watch for on Friday night. League most valuable player candidate Jordan Koch poses the biggest threat. The Cheetahs receiver has 216 rushing yards on 15 runs and one touchdown score so far this season. Additionally, Koch has 159 receiving yards in nine catches and one touchdown.

Cheetahs’ running back Louis Stephen has 631 rushing yards on 76 runs and 7 touchdowns on the season. Linebacker Dustin MacCallum has 20 tackles this season. Also, MacCallum has 104 yards on 28 runs. Taylor MacDonald is also a key defensive player for the Cheetahs. The linebacker has 23 solo tackles and three sacks.

Furthermore, quaterback Andrew Adams will be creating offensive plays for the Cheetahs on the field. So far this season, the pivot has amassed a 51.3 percent completion rate. He has 39 completions in 76 attempts for 486 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Both the Spartans and the Cheetahs would like to come out on top and carry momentum into the playoffs, which start on November 11th.

“We certainly would like to go into the Playoffs with a better ranking as well as with some momentum,” says MacPherson. “It should be an exciting football game.”

Game time tonight is 7:00 pm at Burnside Turf.

(Photo courtesy of John MacCallum, Charles P Allen Cheetahs Football Website)
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