NSSAFFL: Nova Division Week 4 Recap

Another week is in the books for the Nova Division of the Nova Scotia Student Athletic Student Federation Football League (NSSAFFL). While weather conditions weren`t ideal the later part of the weekend, it certainly didn`t put a damper on the action on the football field.

The Citadel Phoenix won the battle of undefeated squads and has essentially put them in the driver’s seat in the quest for another provincial championship title.  In the highly anticipated game of the week matchup, the defending four time provincial champions were victorious over the Charles P Allen Cheetahs 38-12.  As a result, the Phoenix is in sole possession of first place in with a 3-0 record.

Meanwhile, the Sir John A MacDonald Flames cruised by the Dartmouth High Spartans 38-3.  The Lockview Panthers got their first win of the regular season as the team shutout the Sackville High Kingfishers 29-0.  Finally, the Cobequid Educational Cougars defeated the Prince Andrew Panthers 27-7.

For six of the eight teams, this upcoming week in the Nova Division will involve Turkey Bowl games.  The Spartans and Panthers have byes this week.

Here are the results from Week 4 of the Nova Division:

CITADEL PHOENIX 38, CHARLES P ALLEN CHEETAHS 12:

Under windy and rainy conditions on Sunday evening at Burnside Turf, the Citadel Phoenix schooled the Charles P Allen Cheetahs on the field with a 38-12 victory.

The defending provincial champions now stand alone at the top the league standings with a 3-0 record.  Suffering their first loss of the season, the Cheetahs drop to 2-1.

Offensively, the Phoenix was successful in their execution plan, especially in their running game. Quarterback Darius Lameire spearheaded the unit as he had five completions in nine attempts, 125 passing yards while throwing two touchdowns and one interception in the win.

Running back Scott Baigent turned in a stellar performance as he rushed for 160 yards on 19 carries and scoring a major. Wide receiver Ian Farrell found the end zone once while amassing 58 yards on two carries.  Phoenix running back Liam Johnston had a touchdown score and rushed the ball five times for 15 yards.  Wide receiver Sam Holmes also scored a major for the Phoenix while registering 47 yards on two receptions while running back Brad Petrie accumulated 35 yards on five carries.

Even the defensive unit contributed to the scoreboard as defensive back Travis Adams caught an interception which resulted in a touchdown score.

In spite of the treacherous weather conditions, the Citadel prevailed on the field due to the success of the offensive running game and team defense.

“These were very difficult conditions to play in with the driving rain and heavy winds,” explained Phoenix co-head coach and defensive coordinator Jeff Lawley. “Our ability to grind out a running attack combined with team defense enabled us to overcome the conditions.”

“On offense, our offensive line gave some good blocking to aid Scott Baigent to have a big game running the ball.  We played team defense and it would not be fair to single one player out!”

However, the Phoenix has the upmost respect for their opponents and is looking forward to the next time they meet on the field.

“CPA is a very talented team and we know we will meet again down the road in playoffs,” commented the Phoenix co-head coach and defensive coordinator.

Overall, both teams appreciated all the support they received on Sunday regardless of the weather.

“Thanks so much to all the high school football fans that braved the brutal conditions and came out to support both teams,” said Lawley.

The Citadel Phoenix will once again face another undefeated team this upcoming week as they travel to Truro to face the Cobequid Educational Cougars in the annual Turkey Bowl Game.  This game will be played on Sunday October 7, 2012 at the James MacPherson Stadium.  Kickoff is 1:30pm.  As for the Charles P Allen Cheetahs, they will try to regroup and get back into the win column as they host the Sackville High Kingfishers for their Turkey Bowl game. It is slated for Friday October 5th, 2012 at Burnside Turf.  Game time is 7:00pm.

SIR JOHN A MACDONALD FLAMES 38, DARTMOUTH HIGH SPARTANS 3:

In a game which saw a last minute change of locale due to weather and field conditions on Sunday afternoon, the Sir John A MacDonald Flames coasted by the Dartmouth High Spartans 38-3.

As a result of the victory, the Flames are now 2-1 on the season.  Meanwhile, the Spartans have an even 2-2 record.

Running backs Hezekiah Armstrong and Hayden Clarke offensively led the way for the Flames.  Armstrong scored two majors while registering 157 rushing yards on 16 carries (the longest was 20 yards) while Clarke found the end zone once and amassed 160 rushing yards on 12 carries (the longest was 40 yards).

Flames receiver Nick Hartling scored on a 13 yard touchdown reception.  Pivot Lorenz MacDonald had two completions in six attempts for 33 passing yards and scored on a two yard touchdown run.

As for the Flames defense, linebacker Keith Langille registered 10 tackles in the while Brayden Culligan caught an interception and added three tackles in the victory.  Nate Rostek, Zack Leger, Donovan Blue, Mitchell James and Tyler Sherwood each chipped in with three tackles while Josh DeGruchy registered a sack.

The only points the Spartans were able to generate was a successful 28 yard field goal attempt by Nathan O’Quinn-Wetzel.

“We knew that SJA was going to be very physical and that if we could match them on the offensive and defensive lines, we’d be able to compete,” commented Spartans head coach Nick Barr after the game.  “Unfortunately, they beat us up today and were able to create holes for their running backs and completely shut down our running game.”

“Our receivers had a rough day today dropping several balls that would have put us in a position to score. We had opportunities in the passing game, but we weren’t able to make the big catches when we needed them.”

However, there were some positive things that the Spartans could take away from the loss.

“As always, Cody Cluett stood out and had a solid day passing, but unfortunately, our receivers weren’t able to help him out much,” reflected the Spartans head coach. “Thomas Poirier had a very good day on the defensive side of the ball and seemed to be all over the field.”

“We had some injuries to key players going into this game, so we had a lot of new guys stepping up to start, and I think they did a commendable job,” said Barr.  “While this wasn’t the outcome we were looking for, this experience will serve us well through the remainder of the season.”

Going forward, the Spartans hope to improve on key aspects of their offensive and defensive game execution plans.

“We have to be better run-blocking and on the inside in our run defence as we got bullied by a bigger, stronger team today so we need to work on playing with better leverage and explosiveness on the offensive and defensive line,” explained the Spartans head coach. “I think the wet ball led to some dropped passes, so we’re going to have to work with our receivers on securing the catch before we start looking up field as this is especially important in poor weather like we had today.”

“We’re still not where I’d like us to be in terms of tackling either as we gave up some unnecessary yards because we didn’t break down when approaching the ball-carrier and/or we didn’t wrap up on contact. We have two weeks off now before our next game, so we’re just going to have to go back to the practice field and work harder to improve.”

The Sir John A MacDonald Flames will next play the Lockview Dragons on Thursday October 4th, 2012 at Burnside Turf.  Game time is 7:00pm.  Meanwhile, the Dartmouth High Spartans have a bye this upcoming week.

COBEQUID EDUCATIONAL COUGARS 27, PRINCE ANDREW PANTHERS 7:

At Burnside Turf under Friday Night Lights, the Cobequid Educational Cougars got their second win of the season as the team defeated the Prince Andrew Panthers 27-7.

The Cougars now sport a 2-0 record while the Panthers slide to 1-3 on the season.

Cougars quarterback Gab Bagnell turned in a spectacular game performance.  Bagnell had nine completions in 17 attempts for 243 passing yards, one touchdown pass and scored two majors in the victory.

Offensively for the Cougars, receiver Kyle Scott found the end zone once while accumulating 131 yards on two receptions.  Running back Ben Petrie scored a touchdown and rushed for 98 yards on 13 carries in the game.  Running back Chandler Jennings chipped in as he amassed 80 rushing yards on 15 carried while receiver Ty Borden registered 58 yards on three receptions in a winning cause.

As for the defensive unit, linebacker Calder Saunders and defensive back Nick Simpson led the way.  Both players registered seven tackles while Saunders also had a fumble recovery in the game.  Defensive back Andrew Murphy caught an interception and recovered a fumble while defensive end Andrew Kaulback forced two fumbles.  Defensive end Drew Erksine blocked a punt to round out the defensive contributions.

“Our defense played a strong game forcing a number of turnovers,” commented Cougars quarterbacks coach Tom Shreve.  “Our offense made some more progress through the air allowing for a more balanced attack.”

“Notable players this week were Andrew Murphy and Nick Simpson who had strong performances in the defensive secondary.”

Riley Potter got the Panthers on the scoreboard as he scored a touchdown and was also successful on the conversion attempt.

“The first half was a great defensive battle,” said Panthers head coach Joe Flemming.  “Special teams for both teams played a great game.”

“In the second half, Cobequid was able to put up a few more hard earned scores against our tough defence to seal the game for them.”

The Cobequid Cougars face a tough task this upcoming weekend as the team hosts the defending provincial champions, the Citadel Phoenix for the annual Turkey Bowl Game in Truro.  The game will be played at the James MacPherson Stadium on Sunday October 7th, 2012 at 1:30pm.  As for the Prince Andrew Panthers, they have a bye this week.

LOCKVIEW PANTHERS 29. SACKVILLE HIGH KINGFISHERS 0:

(NOTE:  no game/player stats or postgame comments were available at press time from either team)

Photos courtesy of Cathy Connell

(twitter: http://twitter.com/vohra_ameeta)

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

Leave a Reply