NSSAFFL: Nova Division Week 3 Recap

This past week in the Nova Division of the Nova Scotia Student Athletic Federation Football League (NSSAFFL) saw the weather wreak havoc with games.  As a result, the game of the week was postponed due to field conditions while another game ended up being a mud and rain fest.  Of the remaining two games, one was a battle amongst two previously undefeated teams while the other resulted in another dominating performance by an undefeated team.

The Charles P Allen Cheetahs kept their undefeated record intact with a 44-0 victory over the Lockview Dragons.  In a muddy and rainy one, the Prince Andrew Panthers eked out an 8-2 win over the Sackville High Kingfishers.  As for the Citadel Phoenix, the team handed the Darmouth Spartans their first defeat of the season as they came out on top 25-5.

Due to field conditions, the game between the Cobequid Educational Cougars and Sir John A MacDonald Flames has been postponed.  A new date has not been scheduled as of yet.

Here is the complete action from Week 3 in the Nova Division:

CHARLES P ALLEN CHEETAHS 44, LOCKVIEW DRAGONS 0:

At Burnside Turf this past Thursday, the Charles P Allen Cheetahs continued their dominance this season as they shutout the Lockview Dragons 44-0.

With this win, the Cheetahs are now 2-0 on the season while the Lockview Dragons sit are the league’s basement dwellers with a 0-2 mark.

Cheetahs quarterback Sean Muir had seven completions in 11 attempts and 112 passing yards in the victory.  Receiver Ryan Keays scored a touchdown while amassing 78 yards on three catches.  Taylor MacDonald rushed into the end zone for a major while carrying the ball nine times for 71 yards.

Alex Bayne caught the ball for a 29 yard touchdown reception while carrying the ball another three times for 20 yards and Kyle MacKinnon scored on a seven yard touchdown reception.  Cheetahs’ tight end Kyle Shields chipped in with six carries for 73 yards while Lucas Forsey registered 74 yards on eight carries.  Receiver Mert Mensah had three carries for 30 yards while Oliver Keume had a six yard reception.

Kicker Chase Kodejs was successful on five conversion attempts and three field goals for the victors.  Additionally, he carried the ball three times for 42 yards.

On defense, Mike Donovan led the way with five solo and four assisted tackles.

“Overall we were pleased with our performance against the Lockview Dragons,” commented Cheetahs head coach Michael McPherson in his postgame assessment. “We did a good job throwing, catching and protecting the football in the wet conditions and our defense played a solid four quarters of football.”

In spite of another impressive victory, there is a lot of room for improvement for the Cheetahs.

“Again we are pleased with the win, but we still have lots of work to do and eliminate some of our mistakes and penalties, ensuring these don’t cost us in upcoming contests,” adds the Cheetahs head coach.

The Charles P Allen Cheetahs will now face the defending provincial champions, the Citadel Phoenix in a matchup of two undefeated teams on Sunday September 30th, 2012 at Burnside Turf.  Kickoff is 6:00pm.  Meanwhile, the Lockview Dragons will seek their first win of the season when they take on the Sackville High Kingfishers on Thursday September 27th, 2012 at Burnside Turf.  Game start is 6:00pm.

PRINCE ANDREW PANTHERS 8, SACKVILLE HIGH KINGFISHERS 2:

In a muddy and rainy affair on Saturday afternoon in Sackville, the Prince Andrew Panthers got their first win of the regular season.  The Panthers got past the Sackville High Kingfishers 8-2 in the Kingfishers annual Community Bowl game.

With the win, the Panthers now have a 1-2 record while the Kingfishers are still winless at 0-2.

“It’s rare to play a football game on an all-natural field these days, and this game was fun for us, no doubt it’ll be dubbed “MUD BOWL” 2012,” commented Panthers head coach Joe Flemming in his postgame comments.

Ian Melanson, Tyler Macdonald and Darian Beals played an instrumental role on the Panthers defense in securing the win while holding off the Kingfishers offense from being successful in their running game while not giving up any points.

Offensively for the Panthers, Nate Skeete had a 90 plus yard touchdown run.  Additionally, he chipped in with two single point kicks.

“Our offense, led by Nate Skeete, Hyato Ota and Sam Cunningham, marched the ball up and down the field in six inches of mud to get a hard earned eight points,” assessed the Panthers head coach .  “Our special teams played a solid game, and the only points conceded were on a two point safety.”

“Riley Potter had a very strong game  and in between kicking the ball well, and several kick returns for big gains, he gave our offense and defense great field position to work with.”

All in all, both teams put on a great battle on the field in the worst of field conditions.  The Panthers were pleased yet relieved to get their first win on the season and gave props to an equally competitive Kingfishers squad.

“It was a lot fun in the mud and rain,” said Flemming.  “The game could have gone either way in those conditions, you can’t practice for that type of environment.”

“You pretty much shelf what you had planned, and make the best of what Mother Nature gives you. Sackville put on a great event, they were great hosts, and I hope we can do it again sometime. I give props to both teams for this battle, but of course I’m very pleased at how our guys adapted and came out on top injury free.”

The Prince Andrew Panthers will look to make it two straight wins when the team hosts the Cobequid Educational Cougars on Friday September 28th, 2012.  Kickoff is 7:00pm.  As for the Sackville High Kingfishers, they will try to win their first game of the season when they tangle with the Lockview Dragons on Thursday September 27th, 2012.  Game time is 6:00pm.

CITADEL PHOENIX 25, DARTMOUTH HIGH SPARTANS 5:

On Monday evening at Burnside Turf, the Citadel Phoenix came out on top in a battle of two undefeated teams.  The Phoenix defeated the Dartmouth High Spartans in the contest, 25-5.

With this win, the Phoenix remains undefeated with a 2-0 record.  As a result of the loss, the Spartans are now 2-1 on the season.

“This score was not indicative of how tight this game was,” explains Phoenix co-head coach and defensive coordinator Jeff Lawley.  “The score was 9-5 at halftime and we got a couple of late touchdowns.”

Running back Liam Johnston led the way for the Phoenix with a major and 137 rushing yards on 15 carries.  Phoenix running back Scott Baigent found the end zone once while carrying the ball six times for 28 rushing yards.  Wide receiver Thomas Hatfield scored a touchdown while registering 53 yards on two catches while running back Brad Petrie rushed for 42 yards on nine carries.

Linebacker Matt Nettle was solid on defense for the victors as he had eight solo tackles in the game.  Moreover, kicker A.J Case was successful on three conversion attempts.

Meanwhile the Spartans were successful on a field goal attempt while the Phoenix conceded a safety to add to the point totals.

Overall, the Phoenix was able to contain a spirited Spartans offense that was led by arguably the league’s best quarterback.  Another key factor in the Phoenix’s victory was the success of the Phoenix’s offensive game execution plan.

“Our defense held off what we consider to be a candidate for offensive MVP in Cody Cluett,” commented the Phoenix co-head coach and defensive coordinator.  “He is a terrific athlete and we needed to play various types of defenses to keep him at bay.”

“Shaun Robinson and Matt Nettle led our defense. Offensively, we really got our running game going and our offensive line is starting to come together. Our young kids are starting to step up.”

However, there was still one key weakness the Phoenix showed in their game on Monday.  It will remain an area that the team must continue to work on as the season continues this fall.

“We still need to eliminate our mental mistakes and penalties,” added Lawley.

The Citadel Phoenix will enter into another contest of undefeated squads as they square off against the Charles P Allen Cheetahs on Sunday September 30th, 2012 at Burnside Turf.  Kickoff is 6:00pm.  As for the Dartmouth High Spartans, they will try to get back into the win column in their matchup against the Sir John A MacDonald Flames in Tantallon.  Game time is 1:00pm.

COBEQUID EDUCATIONAL CENTRE COUGARS VS SIR JOHN A MACDONALD FLAMES (POSTPONED):

This game was postponed due to field conditions.  It will be rescheduled for a later date.

Photos 1, 4 and 5 courtesy of Cathy Connell
Photo2 courtesy of Karrie-Ann Buchanan

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