NSSAFFL: Scotia Division Week 3 Recap

AUBURN DRIVE EAGLES 26, HORTON GRIFFINS 23:

Under Friday Night Lights in Wolfville, the Auburn Drive Eagles came back from behind to pull out a 26-23 win over the Horton Griffins.

With this win, the Eagles lead the standings with a 3-0 record.  As a result of the loss, the Griffins slide to 1-2 on the season.

At halftime, the Griffins enjoyed a 21-13 lead, but it evaporated in the second half.

For the Eagles, Angus Fraser had a phenomenal game and led the team to victory.  He scored a touchdown, and rushed for 237 yards in 21 carries.  Trae Colley had four completions in seven attempts for 54 passing yards, 1 touchdown and rushed for 97 yards on 12 attempts.  John Cole found the end zone once (on a 40 yard fumble recovery in the game) and registered 36 rushing yards on seven attempts.  Receiver Kaereece Riley scored a major and amassed 42 yards on three catches.

Defensively for the victors, Colley registered 11 tackles while Romaine Willis accumulated 10 tackles.  Cole had 8 tackles, caused three fumbles for a loss and also had a fumble recovery.  Josh Thomas registered 7 tackles (four which resulted in a loss), two sacks, and a forced fumble.

“Tonight was a big night for our program and the epitome of the character of our leaders and veterans,” commented Eagles head coach Chris Anstey after the victory.  “Trae Colley was huge on both sides of the ball and Angus Fraser was the story of the night as he simply refused to be denied and carried us with an attitude in the second half that I believe dictated the outcome of the game.”

“The defense fed off the way Angus was running the ball and it showed when we were pressed late on the goal line and made a huge stop. I think that series defined the game late as it allowed us to put the ball in Angus’ hands to close the fourth.”

Anstey pointed out the key game performances by some of the Eagles players.

“Angus Fraser was a man possessed, and ran with the attitude and effort we expect of him. He surpassed 200 yards rushing for the second time this season and controlled the game with his effort and dynamic play,” explained the Eagles head coach.  “Trae Colley was tremendous as a two way threat that was pressed into starting quarterback duty and was tremendous in all three phases finishing with over 250 all purposes yards and was all over the field defensively making huge stops.”

“John Cole and Josh Thomas both stepped up big as John played out of position the majority of the night on defense and was a two way force. He scored the go ahead points on a 40 yard fumble recovery for a touchdown which came of Josh Thomas’ second sack of the night.”

As for the Griffins, quarterback Kyle McMullin had 16 completions in 18 attempts, 123 passing yards and threw three touchdowns in the loss.  Offensive gun Cam Davidson accumulated 162 rushing yards on 17 carries, scored a touchdown and also registered 34 yards on five carries.  Davidson has amassed over 200 all-purpose yards three weeks in a row (50 return yards, 246 total purpose yards).

Receiver Mike Boylen registered 54 yards in six catches and scored a touchdown for the Griffins.  Zach Gouthro had 68 yards on 12 carries.

“We played a very good first half, but couldn’t find the end zone in the second, and we had some bad turnovers and sloppy tackling in the second half,” commented Griffins head coach Alec Hyndman.  “We’ve got to give credit to Auburn, as they came out in the second half and came back on us after we were up 21-13 at the break.”

“10 points are all that have stood between our 1-2 record and what could be a 3-0 record, but we can’t replay them.  All we can do is go one week at a time, get better each week, and be ready to work hard, week in and week out.”

In the next week, the Griffins hope to improve on different aspects of the game in with the goal of winning their upcoming game.

“This week we are going to focus on playing a full game, not just one half,” said the Griffins head coach.  “We need to build our depth with the players we have so we don’t have to run five guys both ways, and really wear them down come the end of the game.”

“I think both sides of the ball showed that we will still be in the hunt come the end of the Season, we just need to raise our football IQ with the kids that are new to the sport, and that’s on us as coaches to make that happen. We face another good team in Cole Harbour this Friday, and I know the boys are going to work hard to pull this week out.”

However, the Eagles felt that the Griffins were a formidable opponent.  Anstey was impressed with how the Eagles responded to the challenge at hand.

“Horton made us play 60 minutes of football and got out on us early,” commented Anstey.  “I was happy with how the players responded and gained a lot of respect for their dedication and commitment as a united group.”

“Horton has two great backs that pierced us at key moments all game long.  Jake Melanson was an absolute monster as a two way player for them and made my heart stop when he hit our quarterback on a blind side play. They have a good team and will be tough as they find their groove and unity.”

Like the Griffins, the Eagles will be looking to make improvements in certain aspects of their game execution plans. It was evident on Friday that the Griffins exposed some key weaknesses of the Eagles.

“We got gouged and exposed early by a methodical game plan that we reviewed thoroughly on film,” assessed the Eagles head coach.  “I stress to the players all the time that the film does not lie and I think early they underestimated how relentless Horton would be in their game plan and effort.”

“Our special teams took a bit of a step back and we left huge points off the board in the kicking game. It’s like missing free throws and can be the biggest difference in what I think will be a tightly contested season.”

Overall, Anstey will take away the positives from the win and will build on those as the team prepares for their next big test on the field.

“All week long we stressed to our players that we needed to finish and be relentless,” said Anstey.  “With the exception of a few mental errors, we took another step forward tonight as Daniel Sule and Kaereece Riley stepped in as two way players in the second half and provided us with the athleticism and confidence our young secondary seemed to be missing in the first half.”

“Moving forward we are going to be committed to featuring and getting Daniel involved defensively as his presence in the passing game and run support was immediately established when he took the field. Next week won’t get any easier and we look forward to the challenge JL Ilsley will present.”

The Auburn Drive Eagles will now face the JL Ilsley Judges on Sunday September 30th, 2012 at Rockingstone Field.  Kickoff is 1:00pm.  Meanwhile, the Horton Griffins will try to get back into the win column as they host the Cole Harbour Cavaliers in Wolfville on Friday September 28th, 2012.  Game time is 9:00pm

HALIFAX WEST WARRIORS 51, NORTHEAST KINGS TITANS 6:

In Canning on Sunday afternoon, the Halifax West Warriors kept their unbeaten streak intact with a decisive 51-6 victory over the Northeast Kings Titans.

With the win, the Warriors are now 3-0 on the season. The Titans sit at the bottom of the standings with a 0-3 record.

Warriors quarterback Scott Borden had seven completions in nine attempts, 132 passing yards and a touchdown in the victory.  Javon Parris scored a major and eight carries for 74 yards while Quintynn Parsons scored three touchdowns (including one on a punt return) and 4 receptions for 75 yards.

On defense, Jalen Spicer registered eight assisted tackles and two tackles.  Brian Guye amassed three assisted tackles, two solo tackles and two sacks while Daniel Power had four assisted tackles, two solo tackles and a sack.  Luke Byrne chipped in with four assisted tackles, three solo tackles and a sack while Ahmed Ramadan registered five assisted tackles and three solo tackles in the win.

“Scott Borden and backup quarterback Justin Bowers both played very well,” reflected Warriors offensive coordinator David Rent after the win.  “Along with Quintynn Parsons, the entire offensive unit desires a lot of credit.”

“They were challenged to show consistency and what they were capable of by the coaches throughout the week. They responded well to the challenge and were rewarded with a win.”

Clearly the key to the Warriors victory was the stellar performance of the offensive unit.

“Offensively we had a very good game, we had contribution from everyone on the offense,” added the Warriors offensive coordinator.  “We did not make many mental mistakes and started to be consistent through the entire game.”

However, the one key area the team needs to continue working on as the season progresses is their defensive play.

“Defense is a growing process,” assessed Rent. “We are young, but there are some basic fundamentals that will need to be reviewed.”

“We will have to challenge ourselves to be better tacklers.”

The Halifax West Warriors will be on a bye this week.  As for the Northeast Kings Titans, they will travel to play the Central Kings Gators on Sunday September 30th, 2012.  Game time is 1:00pm.

COLE HARBOUR CAVALIERS 21, AVON VIEW AVALANCHE 2:

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

DR. JOHN HUGH GILLIS ROYALS 31, CENTRAL KINGS GATORS 10:

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

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